Survival Saws

I carry a wire saw from BestGlide, but I've never tested it. I have an SAK Outrider with a saw and it works fine for small stuff. I could get a nice shelter up with it, cutting branches and small saplings, and gathering small firewood.

My favorite is a Kershaw folding saw made by Bahco. It goes through wood like butter. They are about 6oz, and practical for hiking.

The Gerber Sportsman's saw is about as light as it gets for the cutting power, but they aren't as robust as the Kershaw. Only 3.5oz.
 
A few weekends ago I took a number of saws into the woods with me.

The Pocket Chainsaw did a fantastic job cutting. I'd never really thought about it, but with smaller branches this saw actually cuts on three sides at a time. This makes for some really fast cutting. BUT when cutting horizontal deadwood, I found that the the weight of the branch would pinch the bottom portion of the cut and just about every time the saw would bind badely. The only way to free it was to break the branch by hand.

The Fiskars folding saw with deadwood teeth cut reasonably well, but the shortish blade only allowed a short stroke, which after a while got kind of irritating. It is probably best for smaller sapplings rather than larger wood.

The Trailblazer Take Down Buck Saw cut the best of the bunch, but it is kind of a pain to assemble when needed. It is very easy on the hand, cuts very fast, and doesn't have the pinch problem. When packed away the tube has no sharp edges that could damage gear when stowed inside a pack. It could easily handle larger logs. It would be nice if an extra blade could be stowed in it, but I don't thing it would fit. This is the one I'll bring camping with me.

I also have a Sven Saw at home - it didn't come with me that weekend. It is also a great-cutting saw much like the Trailblazer. It assembles easier than the Trailblazer, but it won't cut nearly as large logs. I also don't like that when folded down it has some potentially sharp edges that could damage gear inside my pack. The only other downside is it appears that changing blades is kind of a pain - having to remove a friction rivet in order to do so.
 
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+1 for the pocket chainsaw. I think it when you consider what you get for the weight, size, and function. It is hard to beat.
 
Wyoming Saw 11
It's built like a hack saw. Comes with 2 blades. One for wood and the other for bone and breaks down to be carried in its own fanny pack.
 
I have one of the British made BCB Commando saws. They are light and compact, and they will make their way through wood- as long as their isn't any knots or anything in the way. I actually find the Victorinox SAK saw to be more useful- and faster. Go figure:eek:

My duo of saws is a pocket chainsaw and the Vic SAK woodsaw. They are both really awsome- the Vic for the little stuff, the chainsaw for the bigger stuff. Neither are very expensive- and even the pocket chainsaw may, in it's tin, be carried easily in the pocket if necesary. Handles can be easily improvised for on sight. :)
 
I have a gerber folding saw that I have had for years also I have used the saw on my Leatherman wave and it works well. If I were looking to buy a new saw I would consider one made by "silky" I've heard good things about them.
 
I finally got a chance to test a saw I have bought about a month ago. It is not the US Survival Pocket saw but french version made for gardening/prunning. Chain with teeth is about 76cm[30 inches] long and handles that came with the saw were originaly made of wood.... I've made new smaller handles from aluminium tube and painted them for higher visibility.

Performance of that little saw really impresed me very much. It took me less than 2 minutes to cut through a log with about 5 inches in diameter.

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I have used Bahco 396-JT most of the time in the past. Folding saw is very similar to Laplander just blade coating is not the same.
I also own Bahco 4211 that have the same teeth as the folding version but longer blade. I have used both saws at home for prunning apple trees and liked their preformance so they went camping and canoeing with me. ...but...

I'm really looking forward to some serious action with my new chainsaw becouse it REALLY DOES work great for the size.
 
The quality of wire saws does vary greatly. I have some of the NATO ones (made by BCB, I think?) and they are very good.
Better used on a bent branch as a bow saw & IF you let the thing get hot (try not to), you MUST keep it taut as it cools.
Like most tools, they also need to be kept clean & well oiled.
 
The cool thing about the pocket chain saw is that when cutting smaller wood (3-4 inches) you are actually cutting three sides at once.

IMPORTANT - If cutting a horizontal limb be careful not to pinch the chain as the limb starts to sag. Its best to cut from the bottom, so the chain is cutting downward from the top, and it is NOT on the bottom.
 
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