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Recommendations on a good saw

udtjim said:
OK I just came in from the backyard. I found a 2 1/2 inch branch and sawed pieces off with three folding saws. This is how it came out. The Silky saw went through in 23 stokes using just light pressure, letting the blade do the work. The Laplander went through in 26 stokes using about the same pressure. The little Gerber saw took about sixty stokes to go through the same branch. In it's defense it has a two inch shorter blade and it's the lightest most compact of the three. The silky cut the fastest but pulls just a bit harder,(bites more) Than the Laplander although neither required much work. The Gerber and Silky come with sheaths and can be carried on your belt where you would have to make or buy a sheath for the Laplander or carry it in your pack. The Silky is the heavies of the three to carry. Sorry, I don't recall which model of Silky that I have but it has the same length blade as the Laplander.
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Thanks for the review Jim!

The Bahco cuts on the push & pull cuts right? I just got a new 17cm silky saw pocket boy, havent had a chance to truly use it yet, but I like the design how the blade locks either straight, or angled back.

The silky has a pretty thin blade and only cuts on the pull. Does the Bahco have a thicker/more rigid blade?
 
I'm a fan of the Fiskars slide blade saw. 3.8oz and mine cuts well enough for a pack saw.

P1040120.jpg
 
the blades are similar in thickness and length, The Laplander might be a little stiffer. The are both very very good saws that are up to serous cutting chores. I have not tried the Fiskars slide saw but the older I get the more I appreciate the little saws VS chopping.
 
I've personally tried most everything from a SAK saw (remarkable for the length) thru the Spydesaw, my LM, all of the folding saws mentioned (with the exception of the Silky... probably have to pick one up sooner or later...), and If I think I am going to do any "serious" (i.e. Planned vs. "Bushcraft/ Survival") cutting I seem to always grab a small Sawvivor I've had for years. It sports a couple of blade choices, and folds down smaller than my small bucksaw that is usually my choice for canoeing.

For me, the bottom line for me is that the "foldong saws" (Laplander, Fiskars, etc.) seem more like pruning tools, and get a lot of use in my backyard at certain times of the year; but if I'm going to be cutting wrist-size to build a stabke shelter, it just seems the Sawvivor does a more efficient job.

Just an old fart's two cents....
 
If you're thinking about a Silky and can tolerate a little extra weight, consider the Super Accel 210 over the PocketBoy 170. The SA210 gives you about 1.6" more blade with a weight penalty of only around an ounce and a half. Silky achieves this partly by using an aluminum frame on the SA210 rather than the steel frame on the PB170. To me, the aluminum frame feels at least as strong as the steel (and I like the appearance better---not that it matters).

Another benefit of the SA210 is a blade that feels appreciably stronger. Mat at Silky told me that the SA210's blade is over 18% thicker than the PB170's. 1.3mm instead of 1.1mm. I noticed the difference immediately (which is one reason I called and asked about exact thickness). If I were carrying a PB170 on an extended wilderness trip, I might well carry a spare blade.

The PB170 is a great saw but when you want to cut something around 6" in diameter, the SA210 lets you do so more efficiently and without rotating the log as much. It also feels faster on smaller stuff. Mat told me the SA210 is Silky's most popular folder.

On woods I encounter in CA and AK, I like the large teeth on the SA210 (which are the same size as the XL teeth on the PB170).

DancesWithKnives
 
I have used the pocket chainsaw nad I like the fact that it can handle larger material. Plus for 1 handed use one can improvise a frame to hold and tension the blade with some corgdage and some found wood.
 
wildmike said:
I have used the pocket chainsaw nad I like the fact that it can handle larger material. Plus for 1 handed use one can improvise a frame to hold and tension the blade with some corgdage and some found wood.
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You mean in bow saw style? I hadn't ever thought of this. A picture might be nice!
 
DWK2 said:
If you're thinking about a Silky and can tolerate a little extra weight, consider the Super Accel 210 over the PocketBoy 170. The SA210 gives you about 1.6" more blade with a weight penalty of only around an ounce and a half. Silky achieves this partly by using an aluminum frame on the SA210 rather than the steel frame on the PB170. To me, the aluminum frame feels at least as strong as the steel (and I like the appearance better---not that it matters).

Another benefit of the SA210 is a blade that feels appreciably stronger. Mat at Silky told me that the SA210's blade is over 18% thicker than the PB170's. 1.3mm instead of 1.1mm. I noticed the difference immediately (which is one reason I called and asked about exact thickness). If I were carrying a PB170 on an extended wilderness trip, I might well carry a spare blade.

The PB170 is a great saw but when you want to cut something around 6" in diameter, the SA210 lets you do so more efficiently and without rotating the log as much. It also feels faster on smaller stuff. Mat told me the SA210 is Silky's most popular folder.

On woods I encounter in CA and AK, I like the large teeth on the SA210 (which are the same size as the XL teeth on the PB170).

DancesWithKnives
Click to expand...

You convinced me. I just ordered the Silky SA210 along with a new compass that was on closeout (Suunto A40). Looking forward to giving it a workout!
 
Thanks---you'll like it. The only problem is that Silkys are addictive and soon you'll want a fixed blade. If you order a fixed, I suggest the Zubat 330mm. It weighs just over a pound. [Mat said it is their biggest selling fixed blade.]

Some of the larger Silkys do not have the Rockwell 67 impulse hardened teeth (so you can re-sharpen them with a regular file). The Zubats do have the extra hard teeth. Arborists have told me that the Zubat 330 takes years to dull, even for a pro who uses it all the time. You and I are unlikely to dull it for a very long time. Even then, it could be sharpened with a diamond steel if you really want to. [I bought a spare Zubat 330mm blade for extended wilderness trips in AK.]

Best of luck with it,

DancesWithKnives
 
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