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Independent Tool Review
by Peter Brett - May 2006
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The Hybrid Holesaw from Boa
Carbide Toothed And Ready To Go On Almost Anything!
Holesaws should be a good idea. They should be a good way of making larger than average holes through common sheet materials easily. In my experience, however, they are often anything but easy to use. They demand a good technique and the results are not always as good as they should be. The cheap ones are almost useless, except in the least demanding of materials and the expensive ones work well (and so they should) but are usually size specific. To get a range of hole sizes you have to buy the sizes you need and usually the arbor as well. So, when I was introduced to the Boa, Hybrid Holesaw, I wanted the best but feared the worst. Especially since any product that claims to cut wood, laminates, MDF, ply, marble, fibreglass, slate, autoclave and ..the lot, should, in my view be regarded with suspicion.
What sets the Boa Hybrid Holesaw apart from the competition is the fact that the circular cutters have continuous carbide metal teeth. They are also welded together rather than having a bi-metal or glued edge.
In many ways they are like a lighter-duty version of a plumber’s diamond-tipped core drill. What the cutters are definitely not, is flexible, or easily distortable. In many cheap holesaws, the cutters can distort as you cut and they fall out of the arbor, leaving you with a problem.
The arbor or holder, has also had a bit of design skill brought to it. It is genuinely stronger and more substantial than the run of the mill. Made of cast alloy it is quite robust and free of any flex.
Concentric rings support the individual saws in such a way that they run in centre and are not working against the circular motion of the drill. A substantial two edged carbide drill is held in the arbor by a screw, and the hex shank of the drill is 9mm thick so it should stand up to a bit. The thick shank also eliminates using the Hybrid Holesaws with a small underpowered drill.
When the time came to putting my prejudices to the test I did refer a bit to my knowledge of Boa as a company. Having looked at a few of their products over the years I have been struck by the fact that the company seems to be content to take innovation at a pace that actually allows the products to be developed properly. We have all used tools or “innovations” that somehow seem to be not quite finished, or need a bit more work. Boa hasn’t, to my knowledge, done this with any of its products, so I was encouraged to proceed confidently.
I thought I would start on something easy, so, using a 24v cordless drill I made a few holes in some 12mm plywood. Remarkably, cutting the larger hole of 40mm was easier than drilling the pilot hole. Once I had got the holesaw into the ply, it took less than a minute to drill a neat hole. I rushed it through a bit, so I got a lot of breakout at the back, but trying it again and proceeding with care, I was able to get a very neat hole.
Using some slate next, not only did I get a very neat hole, but a perfect disc of slate inside the holesaw at the end, just like a core drill! Again, the pilot hole took some time to cut through, but cutting hard things like slate and tiles are best done at a measured pace. The holesaw arbor has a recommended 1500rpm limit cast into, but for some things this is way too fast.
Drilling plastic has its own dangers too. The holesaw devoured this easily and made a good accurate hole, but I had to spend some tome removing the plastic disc from the inside of the holesaw because it had melted to the plastic and it had then been glued fast. Again a case of a steady speed being needed to avoid silly pitfalls.
The toughest test was drilling some very hard Italian ceramic tile. It took a long time for the pilot hole to cut through, and the piece of wood I used underneath the tile for support was smoking gently from the heat generated when the pilot cut through. It then took quite a few minutes of careful drilling before the 40 mm hole was finished. The dust levels were manageable because of the slow speed, and it was necessary to keep my hand still so that an accurate hole would result. I went on to try a few other holes in the same tile.
At the end of all this trying out, the particular saw did not look worn out or even a bit tired. I suspect that Boa’s claims of the holesaws lasting up to 5 times longer would probably be borne out in use.
For the retail angle, the Hybrid Holesaws are presented in a very well made plastic case, with the items held in place in foam cut-outs. The case itself makes an attractive and I have to say, useful, presentational feature. In a workbag or toolbox it will keep all the bits together and will not fracture
or split easily.
Having tried it out myself on test, I will definitely be using the Boa Hybrid Holesaws over the next few months as I tackle a few of the million or so projects in my new house. Used properly, they really are a useful tool for light tradespeople and DIYers alike.
Independent Review by Peter Brett
Airstream Communications