Silky Bigboy Folding Saw

Last Updated on Tuesday, 29 September 2009 09:04 Written by Jungle_re Tuesday, 29 September 2009 09:00

I recently had the opportunity to have a try of one of these and I was instantly surprised by the high performance.
Silky saws are arborist saws made in Japan. They operate on the pull stroke and therefore can be thinner steel as the pull keeps the tension rather than needing to be stiff to push. Designed for pruning and wood working applications the silky range lends itself welll to the bushcrafter being able to cut cleanly green and dry woods. The bigboy is the largest folding saw in the range and has the following characteristics:


Blade is 14" long with 9 teeth per inch
Has 2 positions for cutting
Is 16" when folded
Constructed from alloy with overmolded rubber handle and strong spring lock
The blade tension can be adjusted
It weighs under 1 lb at 400 grams

First impressions: Very well made and very light. The lock is much more secure than I'm used to seeing on a folding saw and positively clicks into each position. The handle is comfortable to grip.

In use: oh so so smooth. Little effort is needed to use the saw with the teeth and thin blade gliding effortlessly. Getting the cut started was easy and the teeth bit in straight away in both green and dry wood exactly where you wanted it too. The ease of use and effective teeth made cutting very quick. I cut through a 32CM hard log in just over 3 minutes without needing to stop at all. The handle position change helps when cutting bigger logs. It cut through a 4" plum tree trunk in what seemed only about 6 pulls; I was really amazed. The cuts in greenwood are quicker and the teeth didnt become 'full' once.

This is one kit additon that I'm really happy about and at a cost of only £35! The versatilty and lightness are worth double in my opinion. You really have to try one of these to see how good they are.