Don’t forget that a good craftsman is often prepared. Without a set of functional hand files, it might be hard to display excellence during long periods of tedious projects.
Hand files comes in different designs (flat/ triangle/ half-round/ and round) and sizes. You will see other types like Diamond, Slim Taper, Mill Smooth, and Mill Bastard hand files.
The best hand file sets have fine textures. Also, their handles have contoured anti-slip materials that ensure a stable grip. Other factors determine the quality of well-made hand files.
However, reputable manufacturers use design elements that boost the performance of these tools.
Whether you are shaping or cutting metals, ergonomically-enhanced hand files can sustain comfort and prevent workplace hazards. Hand files with rubber-covered handles are convenient to use.
This design might be aesthetically-pleasing, but provides more safety than hard-textured handles. In this buying guide, we will review the top 11 hand file models that guarantee safety and performance.
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11 Best Hand File Sets
#1. JOEBOE 17-Piece Premium Forged Carbon Metal File Set
No products found.As a craftsman, you need to have a complete toolbox for several tasks. Well-arranged in its carrying case, the JOEBOE coated-steel metal file set is an assortment of quality.
It’s convenient to pick the pack of files from a full toolbox. Also, the 17-piece set of files has well-milled teeth, and the package includes a file card.
These hand files are versatile and can handle a range of projects finely. Additionally, this JOEBOE set includes flat, diamond, triangle, round, needle, and half-round files.
While there’s no alternative to using tools that offer precision, JOEBOE hardened steel file will boost your confidence level during tough projects.
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#2. FOUR UNCLES 18-Piece High Carbon Steel File Set
No products found.Files for de-burring and making bigger holes need to be tough. A set of FOUR UNCLES high carbon steel files can smoothen curved surfaces with ease.
You can take advantage of cost benefits by buying these FOUR UNCLES 18-piece hand tool file sets. This package comes with some useful accessories.
While you can save money for other tools, these fine-textured steel files have good performance. By using carbon-steel files with strong teeth, you will have more confidence to handle any task with precision.
Also, mechanical repair jobs are very demanding and the right tools can ease some stress. This FOUR UNCLES 18-Piece model is a durable set of flat, triangle, half-round, round, and needle (14 pieces) steel file.
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#3. SE 74330DF 6-Piece 7-Inches Diamond Grit File Set
No products found.You can enjoy much value with this SE hand file set that comes with fine grits. These SE 74330DF diamond files have high-quality abrasives that exert their level of toughness on any surface.
You can sharpen large knives, and cut like the blades of razors with this model of SE files. They are coated to handle industrial applications. Normally, diamond grit files have strong teeth, but these flat diamond files are fast-cutting tools.
Also, their abrasive surface can handle ceramics, carbide, wood, tile, and steel surfaces with precision. Apart from keeping in an organized toolbox, this SE package comes with a plastic case for transport and storage.
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#4. KALIM 16-Piece Hand File Set With 5 Sandpaper
No products found.Are you thinking of buying an affordable hand file kits for DIY, and professional jobs? This KALIM hand file set is a complete package of tools and accessories.
Apart from the fine-textured high carbon-steel material, you’ll receive a wire brush and sandpapers. After filing, you can use these consumables to clean your materials.
Also, each of these carbon-steel files has impact-resistant teeth. You can handle a range of on each difficult projects with these tools intact.
This package comes with a pouch for each hand file to fit respective compartments. With this storage box’s design, you can preserve its quality and the set of files.
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#5. Amartisan 20-Piece Premium Hand File Set
No products found.This AMARTISAN package is a set of 20 rugged files for a range of metal and woodwork projects. With T12-grade alloy steel files, you can match the toughness of any composite material.
There are a wire brush and storage case in this hand file package. With this strong carrying case, you can protect your precision tools from all effects of moisture and particles of dirt.
Also, forged steel hand files with deeply milled teeth provide enough performance for cutting and filing tasks.
In this set, there are 16 pieces of needle hand file and a piece of other (flat, triangle, half-round, round large) files respectively. Additionally, the Amartisan 20-Piece is a combination of affordable and lightweight 2.45 lbs tools.
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#6. MulWark 9-Piece Set Of Engineer And Needle Hand Files
No products found.If you think of buying a set of hand files with sturdy construction, it has to be this MULWARK model. Each file has a handle and blade design that’s well connected.
While the metal is from tempered carbon steel, the handle is a high-quality ABS rubber. Also, these handles are ergonomically designed with contoured and concave patterns. Apart from these stylish designs, file handles that offer easy grips are great for your DIY projects like jewelry-shaping and ax-grinding tasks.
You will be impressed with the blades 62HRC-hardness level when it files soft metals. In this MulWark package, there are 3 units of 8-inch engineer files (flat, half-round, and round shape).
The 4-inch needle files are 6 units of triangle, square, ring, round taper, warding, and equaling designs. With different designs of hand files, you will enjoy the versatility of tools that make perfect craftsmanship.
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#7. Preciva 16-Piece Multipurpose File Set
No products found.An easy-to-carry file set with customized handles is the right tool for you and other DIY-enthusiasts. The Preciva 16-piece hand file set is a versatile precision tool.
Each file has a long ergonomic handle that’s designed for stable grips and high performance. Hand tools that support efficient operations can help you to complete jobs without delays.
These 16 hand file sets are lightweight T12-grade (forged) carbon-steel materials. Don’t expect them to break or wear like regular file sets with inferior designs. Also, your Preciva file set includes 4 units of (flat, half-round, triangle, and round large) files in a compact storage case.
Other accessories for shaping and polishing includes the 12-piece needle file, and a wire brush to scratch rusty metals.
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#8. Neiko 00109A Hardened-Steel File Set For Heavy-Duty Tasks
No products found.The Neiko 00109A file set has an impressive design. You can save space inside a small toolbox by detaching these PVC handles from their respective files. Also, this 12-piece set is a made-in-the U.S.A product from a reputable manufacturer.
Generally, Neiko Tools add unique features to crafts that offer a range of benefits. It’s the same concept with this set of hand files. This hand file and rasp set are for heavy-duty applications, and they come with a vinyl pouch.
Usually, Vinyl materials are resistant to water and moisture. So, there’s an assurance that your set of hardened steel files can maintain their high-quality construction safely.
While the set includes 3 units of 8-inch rasps blades (round, half-round, and 4-Way styles), the other 7 are regular files. They have a flat, slim-taper, rotary, round, and extra-slim taper designs.
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#9. Protian Premium-Grade 6-Piece Needle File Set
No products found.With the soft handles of this Protian needle file set, you can sharpen tough materials conveniently. The quality of construction comes as hard-textured file blades.
These 6 premium-grade files (square, half-round, flat taper, round, triangular and flat) are suitable for filing materials like steel, plastic, and wood. Normally, heat-treated carbon-steel file blades are durable.
However, you must protect them from corrosive elements. Also, a high-quality toolset like this Protian model makes a proper toolbox. When using this hand file set for a range of applications, your confidence level increases because of its superior versatility.
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#10. DS-Space 15-Inch (380 mm) 5-Piece File Set with Wooden Handles
No products found.These files with steel blades and wooden handles might have vintage designs, but they are handcrafted tools that offer superior performance. Handcrafted handles are compact.
However, you will have better control with a long wooden handle when shaping stone, metals, and glass materials. This DS-Space set of hand file blades are not tempered, but their carbon steel material is in a league of high-hardened metals.
Also, these files are for deburring and sharpening different types of materials during rough-machining tasks.
As multipurpose tools with impact-resistant properties, they can serve for many years. The DS-Space file kit is an assortment of tools with flat, square, half-round, triangle, and round shapes.
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#11. Nicholson 5-Piece Of Bastard (Tooth Pattern) File Set with Ergonomic Handles
No products found.Your ideal choice of hand file sets should include features like rugged construction and reliability. As a dependable American brand, Nicholson offers hand tools that can handle a range of applications.
The versatility of these hand files ensures a smoother finish than regular file sets. Also, this Nicholson 5-Piece set has the quality of coarseness-grade for your mechanical jobs.
As a machinist, I recommend this set of files for your material removal tasks. There’s a whole bunch of projects that you can handle with files that have laser-straight edges. Additionally, this set of files comes with finely-milled and double-cut teeth designs.
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How To Make Fine Cuts With Hand Files
A file that’s designed for bastard cuts goes through material quickly. You should maintain proper hand-to-eye coordination when making a bastard cut with the coarse surface of a file.
The second cut is ideal for material removal tasks. While the second (medium) leaves a smoother surface, it also removes quickly.
To smoothen the second cut, use smooth cut files with fine-textured teeth. Steel teeth are often better for surface preparation before the sanding process.
How To Choose Hand Files With High-Performance
Tooth Patterns (Bastard And Rough)
Apart from the tooth patterns, hard steel teeth ensure speedy applications of hand files. However, there are over a dozen factors that determine a high-performing set of files.
You should consider the coarseness-grades of the file too. Some hand file products with inferior materials need much force to make aggressive cuts. You can save that energy for other tasks during your next engineering project.
To make a great purchase of hand files, ensure that your choice of tooth pattern (Bastard or Rough) is compatible with a variety of materials.
Some plastic surfaces have composite materials that can be smoothened with half-round files. Since a half-round file comes with both flat and curved sides, it’s ideal for handling materials with multiple properties.
The Ease Of Handling
Get a hand file with fine-textured construction. Depending on your needs, it could be a fixed or interchangeable handle.
Usually, file sets with removable handles have space-saving designs. If you have a small toolbox, this design is ideal. Otherwise, it might be inconveniencing to swap replaceable handles frequently.
Affordability And Purpose
Cheap had file sets with good performance can handle light-duty DIY projects. Before investing in hand files, it’s better to understand your project’s requirements.
I’ll recommend a set of files with different designs and types of teeth. Without using diamond needle files with thin profiles, it might not be convenient to work on jewelry with large flat files.
The purpose of buying a set of hand files can determine the cost of your preferred model. If you need to remove chunks of steel sheets with rust, you’ll be amazed at what flat files can do.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Are files with removable handles better than fixed handles?
File sets come with different designs from manufacturers. You should consider high-quality designs that align with your projects. While there’s no definite answer for your choice of handles, the style depends on what you want.
Fixed handles save time because you don’t need to detach them every time. Also, it’s difficult to work when removable handles are misplaced. Detachable rubber handles are more durable than wooden handles. Ensure they fit securely before using file sets with replaceable handles.
However, focus on the type of handle material of the file. Choose file and rasp sets with non-slip handles. Apart from the ergonomics, non-slip (anti-slip) handles optimize safety during work. When you work in damp workshops or rainy outdoor environments, an anti-slip handle ensures a firm grip.
The chances of working with wet hands under these conditions are high. Usually, applying pressure with slippery grips can cause injuries or ruin the quality of your task. So, a hand file with rubber handles and anti-slip coats prevents any mistakes from slips.
What are the common types of hand files?
Generally, there are four types of hand files for stone, glass, plastic, ceramics, woodworking and metalworking applications.
The single-cut file has one-direction at 45° teeth. Since these teeth move in a specific direction, you can use them for sharpening axes, knives, and scissors. Also, single-cut files grind quickly and you don’t need to apply much pressure.
The double-cut file has two (diagonal) rows of teeth for cutting different types of objects. While these teeth cut in opposite directions, apply much pressure gives aggressive cuts. They have more sharpening performance than single-cut files.
You can use them to remove rust, and defective portions of metals, and wood surfaces. To ensure the smoothest surface, apply some pressure when using this type of file.
As the name implies, the curved-cut file is a carving tool. Many auto-body technicians keep curved-cut files. Apart from car parts, this type of file is used to work on fiberglass sheets and plastic materials.
The rasp-cut file has different designs. You’ll notice their large number of separate teeth, and rasp-cut files are suitable for smoothening hardwood surfaces.
Final Verdict
Tools like hand files are must-haves because they are versatile. We need sets of hand files in our toolboxes since they can handle different materials.
Most hand file sets come with forged alloy blades. This term describes the composition of metals in the file’s blade. Usually, carbon steel blades are tougher when the carbon content is low.
We are impressed that none of these 11 hand file sets have carbon content that’s higher than 20%. So, you will find the right mix of elements in your preferred hand file set.
Last update on 2023-09-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
