Z Saw mini dozuki panel saw

I also picked up a Mini Dozuki Panel Saw during my trip to woodcraft today so I figured why not throw up a review.  I already own the larger version of this dovetail saw which I am very happy with after a lot of use my only complaint is that i’ve broken several teeth off.  Broken teeth aren’t really affecting the saw’s ability to cut and since the blade is a razor thin .012 inches thick I can expect that that will happen if you are a bit rough with it.  I would also like to add that these saws have replaceable blades.  Anyways back to the new saw, the reason I purchased this is because thought i love the larger version for some jobs its a bit big and quite frankly I love buying tools plus the 10% off sale at woodcraft didn’t hurt.

As you can see the blade is very well made, as is the rest of the saw.  This high quality blade is what allows the saw to cut with such ease.  One feature that really makes these japanese pull saws easy to use is they start SOOOOOOO much easier than a traditional dovetail saw because of the fine tooth count.  The blade also features a brace supporting it and preventing flex during cuts (very important for dovetails).  When i first began woodworking I had a cheap flushcut pullsaw and attempted making straight cuts with it but since it had a flexible un-supported blade was near impossible.  One feature I also like about this small pull saw is the blade is rather flat.  When I say flat I am referring to the height of the blade at the handle end vs the tip.  The larger version of this saw is much taller at the tip and I have problems cutting flat bottomed cuts with it.  You can also see in this picture that there is a snap on the packaging making it a reusable way to store it hanging up.

Now lets see some cuts

As you can see the cut quality is excellent.  Now I know thats just one type of cut across the grain.  Once i get this over to my shop where i have lumber thats not a shelf in my garage I will test it further in a dovetail situation, mainly cutting down into end grain and post some more pictures at that point.  At this point I can say this….this is a high quality saw at a reasonable price (38.99) and has some nice features, quality construction, thin, replaceable blades, comfortable handle, storage case.  Basically this is something to seriously consider owning  for making precise cuts with hand tools.