Pruning Saw Recommendations?

[Rhyolith]

I want one of those little folding pruning saws for general conservation work. Bahco is usually my first call for this kind of thing, but as usually I am wondering if there is anything better about? I am not on the market for anything very expensive (over £50) and I don't want to be buying new blades every week (problem I have heard about with some of the up-market saws).

 

[undergroundhunter]

I have a Bahco laplander for harvesting spoon wood and it works just fine for me. Not much help I know.

Matt

 

[AJB Temple]

I have been very impressed by the Silky folding saw I bought last year. Fast, effortless cut, stays sharp. I am tempted to buy another one. Should be within your budget. Frequently used by arborial pros apparently.

 

[paulm]

Silky PocketBoy's are highly regarded by many, including me

They are very fast cutting compared to something like a Bahco Laplander, which while it gets the job done, is hard work and slow by comparison.

The Silkies cut on the pull stroke only, being Japanese, and if you are ham fisted or careless you can buckle the thin blade, in which case you might be better slogging away with the Laplander or other garden centre cheapie, they all work at the end of the day.

The Silky is a pleasure to use though, light, fast and very efficient

Cheers, Paul

 

[duncanh]

At the wildlife trust we use Silky Gomtaros (http://www.gustharts.com/sf102-silky-fox-gomtaro-saws/) in addition to bow saws. Not folding, but I prefer a sheathed saw that I can wear on my belt. No problems with the blades so far.
At home I have a cheaper version of the small Silky folding saw http://www.gustharts.com/ce-nf180-noble-f-180/ It's mainly for bothy trips and occasional gardening work. It does the job nicely

 

[Peter Sefton]

I don't do much pruning but I have had a folding Silky saw for years it's been very good.

Cheers Peter

 

[Mo27]

Look out for the Lidl Florabest folding saw. Incredibly good value for £2.99. I use them a lot at work and prefer them to my Bahco Laplander as they cut quicker and easier. The handle is more comfortable and the two-stage locking button automatically stops you closing the blade on your fingers.

 

[blackrodd]

If its any help, there's quite a few here,-

https://www.toolstoday.co.uk/outdoor-ga ... uning-saws

Rodders

 

[Woody2Shoes]

+1 for the Lidl ones at £3 - probably still some available if you're quick - their loppers are good too. I buy a couple of them every time I see them. They last well but the blade can be brittle and can snap if abused - same for the others and I've tried most.

I wouldn't pay more than £10 for any of these - they all seem pretty much the same, although the quality of the latching hinge can sometimes be poor (affects safety/usability) - the Lidl ones score high on this aspect.

Cheers, W2S

 

[Sheffield Tony]

My forester friend uses a silky. I use one of the Japanese type from Dieter Schmidt / Fine Tools. Very sharp, watch your fingers - they make those nasty thin parallel cuts that are slow to heal.

 

[Rhyolith]

I have heard the japanese ones are useless once even slightly blunted... is there any truth in this? If its true they are ruled out due to the nature of what I do being quite rough; outdoors, trees, nails, barbed wire, etc....

 

[duncanh]

I have heard the japanese ones are useless once even slightly blunted... is there any truth in this? If its true they are ruled out due to the nature of what I do being quite rough; outdoors, trees, nails, barbed wire, etc....

Depends what you mean by Japanese. If you're referring to pull-cut saws like the Silky (or similar) then they're designed for outdoor use. They're intended for use on trees. Any saw will suffer from nails and barbed wire - if you're working near an old fence line and are worried about metal work then stick with a bow saw with a cheap blade. I'd still carry a silky though.
We've not had a problem with any of ours and are happy enough to let volunteers use them during the day as long as they're instructed on how to use them (don't apply too much force and use a pull cut, try to clear away dirt from the cutting area).

My cousin is a full time forester and uses Silkys and there's a good reason why arborists use them - perfect for the job


If you're likely to be working around roots then Silky do some blades which are plated so are, apparently, more resilient to contact with soil.

As for the cheap loppers from Aldi etc - for use with volunteers I'd stick with a brand that you know are strong and reliable (we use Stihl). They will get abused and no matter how often you tell volunteers not to take too large a cut or not to twist whilst cutting they will still do it.

 

[AJB Temple]

As I said I use Silky personally and think they are superb. I bought some of the Lidl stuff a couple of weeks ago: it is idea for the in-laws to use in our garden as they are tool abusers. The pruning saws are very cheap (I think they were either £3 or £4.99) and they are OK. Virtually disposable. I trimmed down a holly tree on Saturday and used both the Silky and Lidl for comparison. Silky is simply a far better tool: faster, easier, cleaner.

My wife also bought some Lidl secateurs (two different types, both £3) also for parental use. They are great value and they work. But they are fatiguing to use in comparison to the Felco's that we mainly use. You get what you pay for and this often applies to tools in my experience.

 

[DiscoStu]

Another vote for silky from me. I love my silky saw.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NazNomad]

Axminster have one on offer at the moment.

http://www.axminster.co.uk/trt-curved-p ... ter_offers

 

[pike]

I love my wolfgarten and bonus is it can be stuck on a long pole. It's not the most ergonomic but it has stayed sharp through a lot of abuse.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wolf-Garten-REP ... B00009Q170