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Power tools in the kitchen! No, that is not as blasphemous as it might seem. In fact, anyone who has ever taken a big reciprocating saw to a massive piece of bone-in meat will tell you that it is perhaps the best way to butcher large pieces if you do not have any other professional-grade equipment.
But wait! Yes, you are going to use the same Sawzall that you use for cutting metal and wood, food is not the same thing. You are going to need a different kind of blade that is food-safe first and shaped appropriately for the job second. So then what blades should you use?
You can find the best Sawzall Blades for butchering right below:
“A quality Sawzall blade for butchering is the chef’s knife of the meat processing world, ensuring every cut is made with utmost precision.”
Michael Chavez
Best Sawzall Blades For Butchering And Bone Cutting
Well, it is not rocket science. While the same machine can be used for everything, you should not put the blade that you use for cutting up wood inside any food. The blade may have some remnants of whatever you did before and it might even be painted. That paint may even be toxic for humans.
What you need is stainless steel. You can already buy reciprocating saw blades that are made for butchering and all of them are made from stainless steel without any paint used at all.
Here is the quick decision making chart –
| Key Features | MRCGTCE Saw Blades | ZUZZEE Saw Blades | Janchi Saw Blades |
|---|---|---|---|
| Material | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel |
| Number of Pieces | 5 | 2 | 5 |
| Number of Teeth | 3 (Per Inch) | 3 (Per Inch) | 5 (Per Inch) |
| Special Feature | Can cut big animals | Can cut ice | Can cut wood |
| The Hallmarks | Versatile uses, Durable material, Easy to clean, Time saving, & Highly rust resistant | Energy savings, Special design, Easy to maintain, Value for money & ultra-hard cutting edge | Big teeth, Fast and Smooth, Hardened cutting edge, Easy into any corner & Durability |
| Price | Check on Amazon | Check on Amazon | Check on Amazon |
MRCGTCE Stainless Steel Reciprocating Sawzall Blades
On the surface, every stainless steel blade seems the same. The devil is in the details! Like my favorite pick from MRCGTCE. It covers the basics extremely well while being incredibly durable.
Top Features:
- 12-inch blades
- Comes in packs of 5
- 3 or 8 TPI are available
- Ultra hardened cutting edge
- Works with almost all brands of Reciprocating Saws
| Specifications | Parameters |
|---|---|
| Brand | MRCGTCE |
| Material | Stainless Steel |
| Color | Black |
| Style | Modern |
| Number of Pieces | 5 |
| Number of Teeth | 3 |
Obviously, any blade you pick from my list, including these ones, is fully food safe and made with pure stainless steel.
They are not painted or coated with anything and will not leave any residue on your food.
These 12-inch-sized blades are huge. But that is a good thing. You never know what size of meat you need to cut and it is better to have a large one than be stuck with a smaller blade that can not go through the entire length of the meat.
The shape you get here is the typical wood-cutting shape and it comes with a choice of 3 or 8 TPI (Teeth per inch). My personal favorite is the 3 TPI but you can pick the 8 TPI option if you want smoother cuts.
In my months of experience with these blades, I have not really had any issues regarding blade damage or broken teeth.
However, I have a lot of experience with using Sawzall for butchering, and a lot of reviews suggest that in the novice hand, you might have blade teeth snapping on you. So I suggest you remain careful about that.
Pros:
- Great price to performance
- Fantastic quality Stainless Steel
- 2 different TPI options are available
- Works with almost all major brands of Reciprocating Saw
Cons:
- Teeth may snap off the blade if you are not careful
Also Read: Best Knives for Cutting Raw Meat (My Top 5 Picks)
ZUZEE Stainless Steel Modern Sawzall Blades
Not everyone wants to buy 5 pieces of blades for something they are not even sure is for them. That is why my second pick is these blades from ZUZEE that come in packs of 2.
Much like the previous one, these blades from ZUZEE are also pure stainless steel with no coating or paint to be seen. They are also shaped in the classic wood-cutting Sawzall blades and can butcher a large frozen turkey or beef roast in under 10 mins!
Top Features:
- 3 TPI
- 12-inch blades
- Comes in packs of 2 or 5
- Stainless Steel and Food-safe
- Works with all major Reciprocating Saw brands
| Specifications | Parameters |
|---|---|
| Brand | ZUZZEE |
| Material | Stainless Steel |
| Number of Pieces | 2 |
| Number of Teeth | 34 |
The only TPI option available for these blades is 3 and the only buying option you get with these is the fact that you can either get a 2 pack or 5 pack.
2-pack is perfect for new users who have not found their favorite blade yet and just want to try a few before buying one in bulk.
As for the cutting performance, it performs as well as any good stainless steel sawzall blade would. No issue going through big frozen chunks or even bones.
Other than that, the tooth shape here can make the job a bit uncomfortable. I would personally love smaller teeth for most jobs but that may just be me.
ZUZEE also randomly ships the blades in either hard plastic carrying boxes or just paper boxes. That is a bit weird as the plastic boxes are pretty great while the paper is, well, paper.
Pros:
- The plastic storage box is great
- Packs of 2 make trying them out easy
- Works with almost all major brands of Reciprocating Saw
Cons:
- Only one TPI option at 3
- You might get them in a paper box
Also Read: Best Knife To Cut Sweet Potatoes (Top 6 Picks)
Janchi Stainless Steel Multi-Cutting Sawzall Blades
You only buy small pieces of meat and a 12-inch blade will be highly impractical for that? I’ve got you. These Janchi blades are 9 inches long and perfect for chopping up smaller pieces of frozen meat.
Top Features:
- 5 TPI
- 9-inch blades
- Comes in packs of 5
- Ultra hardened cutting edge
- Works with almost all major brands of Reciprocating Saw
| Specifications | Parameters |
|---|---|
| Brand | Janchi |
| Material | Wood, Stainless Steel |
| Color | Black |
| Number of Pieces | 5 |
| Number of Teeth | 5 |
From personal experience, I always recommend having both a 12-inch and a 9-inch Sawzall blade for all your frozen meat or bone butchering purposes. And I did not have to look any further for 9-inch blades than these Janchi ones.
Again, they are all stainless steel with no paint or coating, and with that comes the food-safe batch.
The shape is more akin to the wood with nails Sawzall than just regular wood and that works amazingly for all kinds of bone-in meats.
Additionally, the 5 teeth per inch specifications provide a very nice middle ground between the roughness of 3 and the smoothness of 8. I did not have any problem at all using them on frozen turkey or entire lamb.
One weird perk I found is that, since the blades are made to be symmetrical here, the saw vibrates a bit more than usual.
That should not give you any trouble while using them, given that you have another strong pair of hands or a vice grip to hold your meat piece down before chopping.
Overall, if you only need a 9-inch blade set, give these ones a go. The hardened teeth combined with the great build quality will surely do quick work of anything you throw at it.
Pros:
- Great build quality
- 5 TPI is a good middle ground
- 9-inches is a more handleable size than 12
- The shape is perfect for going through bones
Cons:
- The symmetrical blade vibrates a bit more than regular
- The attachment mechanism to the Reciprocating blade may give you a bit of trouble
KONIGEEHRE High-Quality Stainless Steel Sawzall Blades
Remember how I was just telling you that you should have both 12-inch and 9-inch blades in your arsenal? So why buy them separately when you can buy this KONIGEEHRE pack that comes with multiples of both?
Top Features:
- Total pack includes 5 blades
- Ultra Hardened cutting edge
- 2 Pieces of 9-inch blades with 5 TPI
- 3 Pieces of 12-inch blades with 3 TPI
- Works with almost all major brands of Reciprocating Saw
| Specifications | Parameters |
|---|---|
| Brand | KONIGEEHRE |
| Material | Stainless Steel |
| Color | Black |
| Style | Modern |
| Number Of Pieces | 2, 3, 5 |
This pack combines the best of both worlds. That is it gives you the two most useful kinds of Sawzall blades you need for any butchering needs you may have. And since they come from the same brand, you will get identical performance between the different blades.
The 9-inch blade has a wood-with-nail shape and 5 TPI. They are perfect for cutting smaller pieces that have big bones in them. While the 12-inch blade has the standard wood-cutting shape with 3 TPI and can help you butcher big pieces of meat or game.
The blade performance is also very good here. I did not have any difficulty whatsoever while doing all sorts of kitchen work. The blades are not the sharpest ones in the bunch. However, with a little bit of finesse, you can go through bones just fine.
After all, the name of the game here is basically the variety you get. One purchase and you are set for all sizes and shapes of meat. That convenience may be a luxury to some but I absolutely loved it.
Pros:
- Durable build quality
- Both 3 and 5 TPI in the same pack
- 2 different sizes of blades for all different kinds of purposes
Cons:
- The blades are not the sharpest
AMOOLO Food Grade Fast Cutting Sawzall Blades
Now to close the list up, here is another really sharp set of blades that I absolutely could not leave behind. Even though they share a lot of similarities with the 2 other 12-inch blade sets.
Top Features:
- 3 TPI
- 12-inch blades
- Packs of 2 or 6 available
- Comes with a plastic storage case
- 90-day replacement or refund warranty
| Specifications | Parameters |
|---|---|
| Brand | Amoolo |
| Material | Stainless Steel |
| Color | Black |
| Style | Modern |
| Number of Pieces | 6 |
| Number of Teeth | 36 |
AMOOLO is a pretty well-known brand in this world and these blades really do prove that they earned all the praise they get. While all my reviews are entirely based on functionality, the little extras you get with these blades made me very happy.
Like the plastic storage box. It is a very little thing and I would not avoid a good blade just because it did not come with a box, sure. But if I said the convenience of just storing them in your kitchen was not great, I would be lying.
The basics are also really well done here. With wood cutter-shaped blades and 3 TPI, you will be hard-pressed to find any meat that can not be cut with these blades.
And even if you break one, send them back to AMOOLO within the first 90 days of purchase to claim they’re an extraordinary warranty offering.
Oh, and did I tell you that these blades are sharp? Like not regular Sawzall blades sharp, they are really really sharp. The trade, however, is that they are also pretty thin.
So please for the safety of you and everyone around you, exercise extreme caution while using these. Or any other power tools for that matter.
Pros:
- Sharpest blades of the bunch
- 90-days replacement warranty
- Comes with a hard plastic storage box
- Works with almost all major brands of Reciprocating Saw
Cons:
- Only one TPI option at 3
- Blades are a bit on the thinner side
What To Look For The Best Sawzall Blades For Butchering
Okay, now that you know what are the 5 best Sawzall Blades to buy for butchering, you should also know how to pick one. In fact, you need to know what kind of blade you should use for butchering and what kind should never ever go near your meat.
With that in mind, here are the things you need to look for while buying a Sawzall Blade for Butchering:
Blade Material
I have already said this before but just so I get the message through. Please only ever use Stainless Steel blades to cut your meat.
You do not want any other kind, you do not want painted stainless steel or even coated stainless steel. Just bare stainless steel.
Any type of paint or coating can react with the meat can leave a nasty metallic taste. Even if you do not mind that taste, it might be potentially dangerous for you and your family.
Painted or coated blades are not food safe and should never ever be used on anything that you plan on consuming.
Blade Size
This one depends more on personal preference and varies more depending on what type of meat you want to butcher. Big blades like 12 inches are great for big pieces of meat or whole cow or port. But they will obviously be overkill for smaller cuts like tenderloins.
9-inch blades, on the other hand, will be fantastic to slice up things like tenderloins but can not give you the kind of reach you need for large whole pieces.
I recommend having both on hand and using them accordingly.
Blade TPI
TPI is short for teeth per inch and it is a specification used on all sorts of blades. Generally, a higher TPI means you will be able to cut slower but the cuts will come out a lot smoother and look a lot better.
A lower TPI will give you the ability to cut things up really fast. But that comes at a cost and the cost here is that your cuts will never quite be smooth.
So the general consensus while butchering is that, if you are going through very hard bones, a higher TPI will suit you better. For regular small bones and frozen meat, a lower TPI will work just fine.
Conclusion
Whatever stainless steel blade you pick, you should always keep them separate from your other tools. Just leave these shiny new blades in your kitchen with your other knives and you will never ever have to suffer from cross-contamination. As always, please practice the highest amount of caution while handling power tools and wear glasses and gloves!
