HI Matthew. Glad you thought our saw was a good buy. To address a couple of your questions.... The powdercoat finish ends up being roughly as tough as the anodized in actual use. I've seen a great many of our saws of both types over the years, and the anodized ones seem to scratch as easily, or more, than the powdercoated ones. And when they do, it sticks out like a sore thumb, being silver against red. The powdercoat scratches aren't quite as visible. I'm the one who made that call, and I did it because in my experience, the powdercoat wears better. As far as the marks on the frame go, they're not milling marks. (If they were, that'd be easy) They're marks from the laser cutter. Polishing them out would roughly double the price of the saw. We've experimented with any method we could think of to reduce them in some cost effective fashion. Haven't yet found a way. The instant we do, we'll use it. For now, we run the frames through a giant bespoke abrasive tumbling machine to round down all the edges, and make sure the saws are smooth to the hand, nevermind the little lines. (Which vary dramatically from batch to batch through the laser. Some are better than others, and it seems you may have one of the rougher ones. They don't effect performance.) You were concerned that the clamp screws were a different material than the tension screw. They aren't. They're both steel. The knob screws are custom made for us by Holo Krome in New Jersey, and are black by virtue of their final processing. The tension screws are also steel, but they have a nickel plate on them to prevent rust. We can't do that to the knob screws, unfortunately. (Nickle plate is slick, so it would be a poor choice for the clamps.) I have some test batches of tension screws running with a US manufacturer, and those may end up black, so the screws may all end up matching, assuming the tests work. Those long thin screws are shockingly hard (and expensive) to get made. I tried for most of 2 years to find a manufacturer in the US who was even willing to try. Your idea about costing is unfortunately wide of the mark. There's no way our saws will ever be anywhere near 50 quid. There's more than 50 quid worth of parts in them. So no matter what kind of competition we may have, that won't happen. (The frames alone cost north of 30 pounds each, all by themselves, as raw material.) As far as the packaging goes, yes, I agree with you, it wasn't up to snuff. So we switched over to custom printed boxes around Christmas time 2020. The UK distributors should all have the boxed versions now. If you have any other questions about the saws, feel free to drop me a line through our website. Regards, Brian Meek, Knew Concepts.

@BeaulieuTodd

3 жыл бұрын

I haven't used a powder coated tool like this, but I can attest that my Woodpecker tools are all fading from a rich red to a dull pink over time. Anodizing is NOT very durable.

@monkeyplayer72

2 жыл бұрын

Matthew has a new subscriber, Knew Concepts have a new customer and in a few days I will have a new saw. Evereyone's a winner!

@andrewjoy8364

Жыл бұрын

Matthew has another new subscriber. Knew Concepts have a new customer. Thanks.

@weevilinabox

Жыл бұрын

@KnewConcepts Have you tried waterjet cutting for the frame? It can do much the same as a laser, but doesn't leave a heat-affected zone.

@KnewConcepts

Жыл бұрын

@@weevilinabox Not seriously. It's much slower than laser, so the cost per part is higher, and we don't have any real trouble with HAZ on the aluminum saws anyway. The Ti saws we do, and we keep looking for a decent waterjet house anywhere near us, but haven't been able to find one yet. And at current waterjet speeds and costing, doing just the Ti saws with waterjet would add significantly to their already serious cost.

Excellent review Matthew, thankyou for sharing.

Thanks for a great video. Yours is the best review on this.

Hey Matthew, I just discovered your channel and really like your content. Regarding the saw: I just received mine today and I was honestly disapointed by the finish as well! The previous models are looking so fine...really sad about that. Nevertheless I think it will perform just excellent, but it is definetely a lot of money for that tool (especially if your're "only" a hobbiest)

Excellent review! Thank you

Thanks for this review. I would have been pretty disappointed with the finish of the paint also. This review led me to track down a MkIII since you can still find them for sale new if you look around a little.

I've owned my selection of fret and coping saws from them for some years now and I bought them for their performance not for ogling at wistfully. They are IMO the best on the market ( when you have the blade on the pull stroke and not push as I noticed you did)

My new favourite channel! Yes, the finish on that looks awful compared to my early anodised version, but they are really decent tools. More pro than hobbyist, or for KZreadrs that like a bit of bling ;) Great video Matthew! I had to wait till the wife was out of the room so she wouldn't discover how much I pad for mine :)

@MatthewSmall

3 жыл бұрын

Hahahaha! Yeah, given that they are still just a fret saw, the price tag is eye-watering. And you are absolutely right about the functionality... They really are high performance tools. Glad you're enjoying the content.

Hello, thank you so much for the review. I’m between Olson and knew concept. But have you checked the blue spruce fret saw? Looks very nice.

Really like the honest review, it is more than I would have been prepared to pay! I am considering buying the 5 inch with tension screw for about £59, what are your thoughts on this model?

Hi Matthew, which specific model did you review? I can tell it's the HD version with lever tension but is yours the one with the swivel blade clamps? If so, do you find the swivel blade clamps useful/essential? Thanks for a great unbiased review.

I appreciate your video for your opinions and thorough testing, but I do have a request: can you please use manual focus in the cutting shots? The autofocus just makes me dizzy.

Out of your whole video I liked the most the part about Delux brace. As I checked it's got a three jaws mouth, however the store claim that it accepts square shank bits. Have you tried that? Do really square shank bits work in 3 jaws?

I bought a Knew concepts coping saw three years ago. I had the same complaints you did as there were many mill marks. For what I spent it they should have removed the mill marks.

Your video is a few years old now. Are you still happy with this knew? Is it the 125mm version ? What type /thickness of sawblades do you use for this kind of dovetail work? I now still use chisels for dovetails but I'm looking at a fret saw too for a longer time. It think it's a nice time saver

would you do a review of the brace please? I was thinking of buying one

@MatthewSmall

3 жыл бұрын

I will when I've used it a bit more, but if you're happy to pay for something primarily because it's very pretty, you won't be disappointed. From the use I've given it so far, it works well. No sloppy gears or anything. It's just really well made.

@danthechippie4439

11 ай бұрын

I'd like to see that brace video as well. How does it compare to a miller falls?

Rotflol.... So basically.. you hate that you love it, and hated the price, but you do love it, and you wouldn't do it any differently. lol Understood. 🤣Thanks for the honest assessment. I wonder if they have addressed the fit and finish in the 3 years since. hum? I wonder.

They are killin ypu on the price! Its half that price in the US...AND $190 Cad. I am unimpressed with the one I got yesterday.

Powder coating being thicker will cover the milling marks better than anodizing which is a very thin layer, so protecting fingers....

I purchased this (black anodized) saw a few years back and have used it in the traditional way: to remove waste wood. I also have a coping saw and a jeweler's saw. The coping saw does about equally well for the task, except it's not as fine for turning in a narrow kerf. The fret and coping saw share a significant drawback: the blade has to be discarded when it breaks. This is not true of the jeweler's saw where you can adjust for blade length and reuse the broken pieces. I used a jeweler's saw to cut out the eagle in an old 5 Deutsche Mark coin, and even got the little tongue in its beak. I think I had about 20 blade breaks which used 3 blades as I was able to reuse the broken pieces. I also find that the thin fret blade makes it hard to cut a straight line, unlike the wider coping saw. Had I not purchased the Knew saw I would probably have gotten along fine with just a coping saw but the Knew is definitely a quality tool - very much in the mold of Woodpecker's stuff. If you have the dough, knock yourselves out.

Interesting review, thank you. I've looked at those saws and the price tag has discouraged me. On the other hand, my cuts with a regular coping saw resemble the results of a dog chewing a bone! I fried a fret saw and that was not very successful either. I agree that a high-priced tool should have a top-notch finish. I haven't looked at it closely yet, but there is a kit that provides the hardware to make a tiny bow saw. I haven't given that much thought yet, but it is an idea I'm considering, Thanks again.

What blades does it take pinned or unpinned

Excellent review. The saw looks to be a great performer. But the price is just out of bounds and not reasonable for what you're getting. Thanks!

Hello Mathew, I have a three inch model that cost me about $100 US a few years ago it’s the lowest price saw with the 45 deg tilt and quick tensioner. Mine is anodized but I was definitely more impressed with the design and performance. My old saw is so weak and unpredictable it was kind of useless. Also the replacement blades are very inexpensive at $5 US for a 12 pack. As good hand tools go I didn’t think it was expensive since it will easily out last me. But I do understand your disappointment.

How about Doing a review of marquetry work ?

I don't understand how it's faster. I'm just starting and learned the last year and a half with a standard no-brand saw that requires the chest push for tensioning. Since this frees up both hands I can do a blade change in about half the time that it takes to change one on my MK IV. Im seriously starting to regret buying it after realizing this. Plus it weighs more than my cheapo....first world problems lol.

@MatthewSmall

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Chris. I find it faster because I can slide the blade down a single kerf all the way to the bottom and the balance of the saw allows much greater accuracy, meaning that I can cut extremely close to my shoulder line and remove the waste in one pass and leaving much less waste to remove with the chisel afterwards. In other words, it speeds up the process of cutting dovetails overall, not that making a single cut is quicker (though I find it is). The blade does take longer to change but if tensioned properly, lasts a lot longer than on a normal saw meaning significantly fewer changes and therefore saving time here as well. The saw isn't perfect and I still think it is expensive for what it is, but I love mine and wouldn't be without it. People's experiences are subjective though and if you get on better with a normal frettsaw or even a coping saw, there is nothing wrong with that.

@chriscox52282

2 жыл бұрын

@@MatthewSmall thanks for replying. Im still struggling with mine but I think it's almost certainly my fault as a newbie. I may get dither type and just part with the one I feel less comfortable with. Also thanks for the videos... great presentation and the rest. 👍

I wondee how it compares to the brue spruce?

@rdlindsey1

2 жыл бұрын

Just discovered the Blue Spruce fret saw, and it is priced at $325 US.... Wowser!

That how they get ya … is they k ow we need a tool like that for dovetails and such

Thank you ! I have the iodized one . My one is good ! I don't like the color and shine !

Is it pin or pinless, or can it take both

@MatthewSmall

3 жыл бұрын

It takes pinless scroll saw blades. I'm using a number 7 skip blade atm and it's excellent. They're only a couple of quid for a pack of twelve, and I forgot to mention in the video that the blades last a lot longer in this saw.

@TheWoodgineer

3 жыл бұрын

It’s fantastic to see other KZreadrs giving honest reviews rather than singing praises about free stuff. I got loads of criticism for my Triton clamp video because of my issues with it. Thanks for the great video! :)

I just got one and have been trying to use it for the last 15 minutes and I can’t tell you how many blades I’ve snapped. So far I’m not happy with it

@MatthewSmall

2 жыл бұрын

If you're snapping blades, you might have the tension set too high or be putting too much pressure in to the cut. Setting the tension correctly is a case of trial and error. It took me a few tries at first. Stick with it and when you get it right, you will be rewarded.

I Agreed with mattew ,i just got the same saw today and the painted finish is horrible and looks cheap compare with the anodized finish ,not happy neither .

Who gives a shit about machine marks. Or powder coating vs anodized? Is it the best tool on the market? Yay or nay? End of

I can’t stand my knee feet saw. The blade is constantly coming out of the clamps. It frustrates me beyond belief. It’s probably one of the worst purchases I have made.

Minimum performance review, max kosmetic talk. How does it perf. in curvy cuts in thicker woods ? F.Ex. These rather Short cuts , BTW non precise say nothing . For an Amateur showcase enough ? W KR M