Hole saws often inspired a sense of wonder in me as a young man. The ability to move from drill bits to spade bits and then to hole saws for the creation of a large diameter hole was not only interesting—it was fun. But then making those holes went from enjoying the science of them to part of the job. Honestly, the job didn’t leave much time for wonder. Yet here we are once again talking about science – this time with Bosch Daredevil Hole Saws.
Bosch Daredevil Hole Saws Background
Originally, hole saws looked pretty much like circle-shaped saws. The teeth were very similar, they just went around in a circle, so it is essentially the same idea as a band saw only all the teeth engage the material at once. Since there is no back and forth action like you find on a hand saw, the teeth could afford to be very consistent in shape and angle all the way around.
People have worked with that original design and a variety of materials to really optimize efficiency. The nice thing is that those hole saws can cut through both wood and metal, along with several other materials. The problem is that when we need to cut a 3-inch hole through 3/4-inch plywood that’s been attached to a 2 x 4, we can burn up a battery in a hurry thanks to the time and effort involved.
The Bosch Daredevil Hole Saw answers the call for more efficiency through a relatively new design using tungsten carbide teeth.
Using Tungsten Carbide Teeth
Tungsten Carbide is a compound formed between the elements tungsten and carbon. It is a very strong, tough metal with a high 5,200 F melting point. The characteristic of being abrasion resistant is one of the reasons I chose it as the material in my wedding band.
When you think of a metal being hard or tough, it’s all relative. But tungsten carbide is something special. One of its uses outside the tool world is to make armor piercing rounds when depleted uranium isn’t available or politically correct. That’s pretty good company.
That hardness and abrasion resistance make it particularly attractive for a cutting edge – it’s going to hold the edge and resist damage much better than bi-metal hole saws. The high melting point brings around the rest of the benefit. Tungsten carbide can cut at higher speeds thanks to the ability to handle higher temperatures.
When you bring all those characteristics together, you end up with one of the best performing materials in cutting applications while still being able to control the cost.
A Completely Different Tooth Design
Bosch Daredevil Hole Saws don’t have nearly the same number of teeth found on traditional bi-metal hole saws. The tungsten carbide tooth tip slices through wood more like a chisel or planer compared to the way a saw blade removes tiny pieces with each tooth.
The result is that each tooth removes material much more efficiently than bi-metal models. Each tooth is also doing more work on its own. You could theoretically add more than the 1 – 4 teeth found on the Daredevil if you really wanted to. You’d need so much torque to continue working efficiently and the cost would go up enough that it simply isn’t worth it. If we add much more torque to the drills currently on the market, they’re all going to have to come standard with Bosch’s Active Response Technology!
Bosch Daredevil Hole Saw Performance
To get the Bosch Daredevil stamp of approval, you have to the class leader in a significant category. The Bosch Daredevil Hole Saws earn it by having best in class cutting speed. There are a few other tungsten carbide hole saws on the market. Bosch, however, seems to cut faster than the rest of the field.
We’ve used the Daredevil Hole Saws for our best cordless drill reviews because of the speed. How did it do in our real-world tests? The top-performing drill was able to make it through 1-1/2″ of plywood in 7.66 seconds on average using the 3-inch Daredevil.
I prefer to cut holes at high speed. This avoids some of the abuse delivered by the high torque in low speed. While these hole saws aren’t rated to be used at 1800+ RPM, I can easily keep enough pressure on the material to keep the speed around 600 RPM without risking wrist or elbow injuries from bind up.
Other Considerations
In addition to high performance, the Daredevil also has a deeper 2-3/8″ cup. This is critical in common situations where you have 2x material attached to plywood or drywall. Traditional hole saws require you to cut from both sides to complete it or remove the core in order to continue from the same side. One pass means greater efficiency.
The necessary evil inherent from cutting with hole saws is the core. The physical design of the saw and mandrel can make for a frustrating experience in some cases. Bosch does a nice job by creating access channels that run along the sides. I only had one instance where I couldn’t pull the core out by hand. Thanks to the deep channel, a flat head screwdriver made removal simple.
Bosch Daredevil Hole Saw Mandrels
I have several hole saws that include permanent mandrels. I didn’t buy them that way. They end up in that situation after I torqued them down too tight. The force of the drill only cemented my efforts. Bosch handles this with a sliding lock. Screw down the mandrel to secure the hole saw in place. Then, slip the lock against the saw to keep it from going anywhere while drilling. When you finish with the hole saw, slide the lock back down. You should find the mandrel unscrews easily.
Whether you cut in high or low speed, you’ll find significantly faster cut times using the Bosch Daredevil Hole Saw when compared to bi-metal bits. The Daredevil is rated to cut in wood (which is by far the most popular material for it). It also easily handles drywall, tile, block, cement block, and aluminum. If you haven’t experienced the cutting speed that tungsten carbide has to offer, it’s time to get your hands on the Bosch Daredevil Hole Saws.
