Although the Stanley Fat-Max Extreme Instant-Change Saw System was announced last year, I finally saw it in the wild for the first time at Menards. Stanley also released what seems to be an identical product under their Bostitch brand, which has been on sale online for a while.
We’ve covered a similar replaceable blade handsaw, the Ergo Handsaw System, in the past and our readers seemed underwhelmed. I can’t say I understand the appeal of one handle with many blades myself, especially when you’re really not saving much money over a full saw.
Stanley claims their Instant-Change system allows you to swap seven different blades in seconds. From the Bostitch website, here is a list of the blades you can choose:
- 15″ blade armor aggressive (9 PPI / 8 TPI)
- 20″ blade armor aggressive (9 PPI / 8 TPI)
- 15″ lacquered fine finish (12 PPI/11 TPI)
- 15″ lacquered aggressive (9 PPI / 8 TPI)
- 20″ lacquered fine finish (12 PPI/11 TPI)
- 14″ lacquered backsaw blade (12 PPI/11 TPI)
- 17″ pruning saw blade (8 PPI/7 TPI)
To release the blade you lift the lever on the side of the aluminum handle, then press the red locking button towards the top of the handle. Once you’ve removed the blade you insert the new one into the handle and push the lever on the side of the handle back down.
Pricing for the Bostitch version of the starter pack, which includes one handle, two blades, and a case, can be found starting around $20. There doesn’t seem to be anybody selling the FatMax Extreme version online, and I have to admit I forgot what the pricing was for the starter kit at Menards, but as you can see in the pictures, the replacement handle costs $11, while the different blades run from from $9 to $12.
Instant Change [Press Release]
Instant Change [Stanley]
Instant Change [Bostitch]
Street Pricing [Google Products]