sven saw vs sawvivor vs bahco laplander vs silky Its too much! What saw to buy

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ASharpCanadian

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Man, definitely no shortage of choices when choosing a lightweight folding saw for backpacking. geeese. So if anyones owned any of these opinions are welcome and I can start sorting through which one to buy. yeesh.
 
I own a Bahco and don't regret the purchase BUT Silky's are supposed to be the shiznit :D

If I were starting over I'd go for a Silky
 
It depends on your style of backpacking. The Fiskars/Gerber slide-out Saw weighs 3.4 oz. and works great. It goes in a daypack and occasionally in a backpack. I also have a Silky Pocket Boy 170 (170 mm blade.) that weighs 7.4 ounces. It's mostly for quick yard work. I don't think I've ever actually used a saw for backpacking (and I almost always have a fire.) If I can't break it in half, I can burn it in half. You don't live where I do, though, so...

If I thought I needed a saw for backpacking, I'd get a Silky Accel 210.

I week or so ago I bought a (fixed curved blade) Silky Zubat 300, and I've been using it good bit while building a small trail on our property. The thing is absolutely amazing. With sheath it weighs 16 oz. If I were depending on wood for heat and cooking, it would be worth carrying for sure.
 
I have a Fiskars Woodzig and love mine-I don't think you can go wrong in this situation, though I'd take a look at the length of the blade and the size of the teeth
 
I was torn between the Bahco and Silky but in the end I picked up a Silky Gomboy 240. I've taken it on 3 backpacking trips so far and I love the thing. The reasons I picked the Silky over the Bahco was it was Japanese lol, I could only find the Silky locally and to my suprise it was better priced then anywhere I could find online. When the time comes to replace the blade on the Silky i might pick up a Bahco if i can get one locally just to try it out.
 
I own the Gerber Exchange-A-Blade Sport Saw, the Sawvivor, The Silky Super Accel 210, and the Ultimate Survival Technologies Saber Cut Saw. I don't own a Bahco, so I can't give you an opinion on it. I don't use the Gerber any more, it is slower and less comfortable to use than the rest. The Sawvivor is great and I like it a lot. It is comfortable, fast, and long enough for most tasks, but unless you plan to cut large threes or make cuts in really awkward positions, there is nothing the Sawvivor can do that the Silky can't do faster and in a smaller package. The Saber Cut Saw is a human powered chain saw. It is small, light (6 oz. with caring case), and easy to use. I recommend the Silky as your backpacking saw. I was surprised the first time I used it by how fast and effortlessly it saw through wood compared to the saws I had used before. If for any reason you foresee cutting larger branches or threes, consider taking the Saber Cut Saw as a backup. I can't think of any sawing task you can't do with those two tools.
 
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I have the SOG saw, the Saber Cut chain saw and a Silky Pocket Boy 170. The SOG is next to useless or at least it is in my neck of the woods. I took it on one outing and ditched it immediately afterwards. The Saber Cut saw is actually really good. Requires quite a bit of aerobic effort though and it tends to get really jammed up which is annoying as heck!

I then got the Silky Pocketboy and it is definitely worth it's weight in gold. I may get another Silky to get a bit more length but for the time being the 170 is long enough.
 
I have a Bahco Laplander and find it's weight,size, and strength make for a very packable saw. I highly recommend it.
 
I researched folding saws last year and it came down to the Bahco Laplander or Silky Super Accel 210 for me. Both seem to get very good reviews. I ended up choosing the Silky. The original plan was to buy both to compare, but after the Silky arrived I couldn't image the Bahco being any better. The thing saws through wood fast and easy. Highly recommend the Silky.
 
I just have a Fiskars sliding saw right now (found it SUPER cheap at a salvage/surplus store locally and couldn't pass up the deal) but plan on picking up a Silky very shortly.

For urban usage I suggest the Lenox Trifold saw with one of those "demolition" packs of blades. :D
 
One thing to keep in mind about folding saws, the end of the blade is not supported, and if it binds up in mid saw, you could end up with a bent/broken saw blade. I have the sliding blade Fiskars and love it, but keep it for day hikes. If the better half and I are doing a canoe camping trip where we're more than a short hike out, we take the Sven. The bow saw design is stronger, and chances of a broken blade are slim. Add a spare blade for the Sven, and you could probably winter over on what you could cut with it. The Sven eats big wood very well. When folded down with a spare blade, it's a very slim compact package.

Carl.
 
jackknife said:
One thing to keep in mind about folding saws, the end of the blade is not supported, and if it binds up in mid saw, you could end up with a bent/broken saw blade. I have the sliding blade Fiskars and love it, but keep it for day hikes. If the better half and I are doing a canoe camping trip where we're more than a short hike out, we take the Sven. The bow saw design is stronger, and chances of a broken blade are slim. Add a spare blade for the Sven, and you could probably winter over on what you could cut with it. The Sven eats big wood very well. When folded down with a spare blade, it's a very slim compact package.

Carl.
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cheers for that, that makes sense. Im feeling sven mainly for that reason, though folders do seem easier and handier to use but if I ever had to cut something big id prolly be glad I took the sven.
 
You need to go with whatever you feel more comfortable. No sense of getting a tool you won't use because you don't rust it. I've been using folding saws for a while, and I've never had a blade break on me. The Sawvivor binds as much as a folding saw, and the thinner blade has given me the impression, more than once, that is it about to break because the blade sometimes twists when it binds. If your reason for not getting a folding saw is that you fear it will break, check how many people had a folding saw blade break on them before you discard the idea.
 
I was with a guy that packed a big heavy hacksaw with a two foot blade up into the Sawtooths a couple weeks ago. He's 59 years old and insisted on taking it considering I was packing a tomahawk, machete and folding saw. The blade was old and would get a half inch into a log before binding so bad it was all but useless. Replaceable blades are definitely a plus.
 
Preacher Man said:
The Sawvivor binds as much as a folding saw, and the thinner blade has given me the impression, more than once, that is it about to break because the blade sometimes twists when it binds. If your reason for not getting a folding saw is that you fear it will break, check how many people had a folding saw blade break on them before you discard the idea.
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A band saw can take a lot of twist and I've seen my share of folding saws with a broken end (mostly Bahcos, probably mostly because they are so popular). I think bow saws are better at sawing because of the thinner blade and tension on blade, but I wouldn't ditch folding saws all together as they are quite practical.
For the record I've used plenty of (non take down) bow saws, Bahco and Fiskars folding saws. I can't comment first hand about take down bow saws but from the pics the Sven Saw seems more sound.
 
Update: thanks for the opinions. Going for a trailblazer- not the sawvivor but the bucksaw. I compared that to the sven and found this to be a little better design, carries extra
blade in the pouch as well. as was mentioned there seems to be alot of good stuff in this market but Im going buck for the extra strength, its really packable and light. campign when I need to cut stuff im doing it all at once so 2 minute assembly doesnt bother me. Couple things this has over the sven is a few design features- you cant lose the wingnut because it cant be removed, more ergonomic handle, not a V shape so itll be easier to cut larger stuff and 2 person operation is an option. now i just need time to use it

http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Hikin...D~4009-331/trail-blazer-take-down-bucksaw.jsp
 
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