A saw wire and various methods of use and manufacture are provided. The saw wire includes a metal wire containing at least one of tungsten and a tungsten alloy. A nickel plating layer is provided over the metal wire. An adhesion layer is provided at an interface between the metal wire and the nickel plating layer. The adhesion layer contains nickel and tungsten. A plurality of abrasive particles are provided at a surface of the nickel plating layer.