There usually comes a time in every bowhunter's life when they realize the importance of knowing how to repair their own arrows. Being able to do so can save you a huge amount of time, money and hassle. In this sense, having a good arrow saw is an absolute must. With a quality arrow saw in hand, you can repair or make your own arrows with ease. Not only will the best arrow saw allow you to quickly and easily slice through aluminum, fiberglass and carbon shafts, but it also ensures that your cuts are perfectly straight and accurate.
Buying an Arrow Saw or Building Your Own
While you can easily find a range of excellent arrow saws for sale online or in your local archery or sporting goods store, there are some bowhunters who choose to build their own saws in an effort to save a bit of money. However, this will still require you to purchase a benchtop cut-off saw and then build your own jig. In truth, this could easily end up costing you at least two-thirds of the price of a decent arrow saw. Plus there's no guarantee that it will work as well, which is why most archery experts recommend buying one instead of attempting the DIY route.
The reason is that an arrow saw is more than just your average electric saw. While these products do feature a benchtop cut-off saw and specially designed arrow blades, they also feature a measuring tape that allows you to accurately measure the arrow. In addition, the unit also has a clamp and guide that locks the arrow in place and helps to ensure a straight, clean cut.
You can also find a number of hand saws designed specifically for cutting arrows, but the lack of accuracy and extra time involved in trying to cut your arrows by hand makes these products mostly worthless. Therefore, for ease and accuracy, most people are best off purchasing a saw.
Ranking the Best Arrow Saws
Here are some reviews of the the top arrow saws currently on the market.
Weston Arrow Saw 8,000 RPM w/ Dust Collector
In terms of arrow saws, it doesn't get much better than this 8,000 RPM Weston Arrow Saw. The 8,000 RPM motor provides plenty of power to ensure you can cut through any type of shaft, while the included dust collector attachment ensures you won't make a mess while doing so. You can also purchase this saw without the dust collector. Still, considering that this will only save you about $5, we'd definitely recommend that you choose the dust collector model for ease of clean-up.
Overall, the saw is quite sturdy and durable. However, it has a tendency to move around a bit during use, meaning you'll want to make sure that you properly bolt or clamp it down to your work bench. Besides this, the only other minor issue is the measuring tape. Unlike other models, this one uses a stick-on measuring tape. Unfortunately, the tape doesn't always stick so well, meaning you may want to replace it with a metal tape at some point.
Otherwise, there's really nothing bad to say about this saw, as both the price and overall quality make it among the best arrow saws you'll find.
Apple Pro Saw with Dust Collector
Apple Archery Products is undoubtedly one of the leaders in archery and arrow making supplies. In fact, the Apple Pro Saw is something of the gold standard when it comes to arrow saws. This means that you'll be getting a top-quality saw that's virtually guaranteed to allow you to cut thousands of arrows with no troubles. Unfortunately, it also means that Apple Archery is able to charge quite a bit more for its saw than other brands.
In terms of overall quality, there's actually not much to separate the two. Both saws are easy to use and relatively quiet, while also offering excellent durability. The only major difference between the two is the measuring tape, as the Apple Pro Saw uses a much sturdier tape that should last quite a bit longer without needing to be replaced.
There's also one other important thing to note about this saw. You need to be aware that the saw has an 8,000 RPM motor. Some of the product descriptions are a bit confusing and list the RPMs as both 5,000 and 8,000.
If you're looking for a good arrow saw, you definitely can't go wrong with the Apple Pro Saw. However, due to the difference in price, we'd still recommend the 8,000 RPM Weston Arrow Saw as our first choice.
Weston Arrow Saw 5,000 RPM
Similar to the other Weston Arrow Saw in almost every regard, this model features a 5,000 RPM motor. While the less powerful motor means that this saw costs a bit less, it also means that it doesn't cut quite as quickly.
If price is your main determining factor, then this is definitely still a decent saw. Nonetheless, we'd still recommend that you spend the extra $20 or so on the 8,000 RPM model, as you'll be glad to have the extra power. This is especially true should you planning on making or repairing numerous arrows at one time, as the more powerful motor will make the job that much quicker. As well, the more powerful motor is an absolute must when cutting carbon shafts.
The Final Word on Arrow Saws
One reason that many people choose to build their own arrow saws is that, unfortunately, there actually aren't that many decent saws available. In fact, as you can see, you're usually limited to just two or three options.
Still, this lack of choice isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it makes it that much easier to find the best arrow saw for your needs. No matter whether you only plan on doing the occasional repair or want to make all of your own arrows, a high-quality saw will allow you to do the work quickly and effortlessly. As well, it will also help prevent you from making mistakes and wasting otherwise perfectly good arrow shafts.
