OK, I just ran into an advertisement for one of them and I was wondering if they live up to the hype.

http://www.pocketchainsaw.com/

I usually carry either a folding buck saw or a Japanese pull saw in my camping stuff, but it is getting time to replace them soon.

This pocket chainsaw thing is not real cheap
So if anybody has used one of these instead of a wire saw I would like to know if they are worth bothering with or if I am better to just buy another pull saw blade.

I would also like to know who makes the best ones of these in your opinion, if you have used them.

Thanks
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Edit: It would be nice to know if you found any disadvantages with them compared to other types of saws too.

i have used the ultimate saw and the short kutt chainsaws. Both have identical chains, but the short kutt has a longer chain. They have diffrent handles too.

The work really well. You can cut very larger piece of wood with them, but for smaller branches i prefer a small folding saw, which is easier to saw with. There is a review of two chainsaws on this website.

Hi, thanks for answering PC2K.
You telling me they work is good enough for me.

I think I will be buying one when my bucksaw gets too worn out to sharpen again (about 2 more times)

I also found the review of them on Doug's page. I should have looked there before asking I guess.

Do they work? Yes they do. But they have advantages and disadvantages like anything else. Having used them I found that:

Their big advantage is being able to get into and around logs that straight bladed saws either cannot reach or have an obstruction that prevents you from getting a proper sawing action.

Disadvantages are: Require more effort. Slightly more prone to trapping and kinking in use. More likely to break.

I should tell you that those are not major issues. The advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

I would not use one as a replacement for my Laplander but rather as complimentary to it.

I have a PocketChain saw and have used it several times on larger limbs and found it to be very effective. On smaller limbs or ones that are less secure it is more difficult to use.

I have reserved my PC saw as a camp tool and not for my bags. In my BOB I carry a Gerber Exchange-A-Blade Combo and found it to be a better all around saw. The combo has both a fine and a coarse blade and can be used single handed.

I believe that the Gerber is the one that Doug puts into his Aviator Survival Paks. As a side note, I based my BOB on Doug's ASPs contents list. He knows how to put together a good combination of items.

Seconded. As with lights, lighters, etc. it's also useful to have multiple items to serve as loaners (careful if you loan out your Laplander though, as some people are prone to bending the tip). But if I *had* to choose one over the other, I'd run with a folding saw.

If space is a primary concern the saw in a can is my choice.
The only caveat is to use it a few times before packing in any kit. They are very stiff until use loosens things up.
I bought mine for a whole $1 because it was returned as defective.

I like to pack mine well oiled. Rust isn't a problem, so much as sap which plagues all saws.
Just like the diminutive wire saw, the keyword is slow and steady.it is vastly superior to a wire saw.

Remember, wire saws were a RAF escape kit item for silently cutting through seasoned lumber.

If your backpack- excuse me BOB has room, a few quality swedish bowsaw blades are excellent 'cut for the coin.' And you even have an added task to justify that $300 knife- fabricating a wooden branch into the bow.

Hey Scafool,

I agree with what all the replies before me said. I usually use my Laplander saw, but the Pocket Chainsaw works well also, although it seems like more effort is required. It is a little a bit of a pain to have to keep looping the pocket chainsaw blade around the wood, then putting the wrist loops or toggles back on.

I have had reasonable luck with the 8 strand "commando" type wire saw but only on small material, cut very slowly. The cheaper wire saw that is a single strand of "barbed" wire broke on the first sapling; Junk.

I like having all 3 of these saw types (plus a few more) as I can find a purpose suited to each of them.

Mike

My experience with the pocket chain saw was of it getting pinched in the wood fairly easily - mostly since its cutting on roughly three sides at once. One has to be very careful that the forth side (toward the uncut side) has to be where the pinch force is going to be applied. On a horizontal cut the blade needs to be on the top. On a vertical cut the branch needs to either be small - to minimize the pinch force - or sufficiently angled to move the pinch point to a "bottom" - somewhat like a horizontal cut.

I'd also suggest only using it on larger branches when you have two people available - just in case the saw gets pinched. You'll need one to lift the wood while the other frees the saw.

Somewhere on Doug's equipment blog - probably over a year ago - there's mention of a survival saw from a particular vendor. I picked one up, and still carry it in my pack - the advantage of the one that Doug recommended was the handles are sturdier, basically nylon webbing with good attachments, not metal rings which I have actually seen tear off when sawing (though I can't say about this particular model). The pocket chainsaw works, but when I'm out hiking and clearing trail with others as a community service (Scouts) I'll carry at least a sven saw, which makes quicker work of cutting.

My best friend for cutting though is a trusty Stihl 290 Farm Boss, although that would involve hihacking the thread. Great chainsaw, though won't fit in my pocket.

I have and have used the pocket chainsaw and the saber saw (the new version with cutting teeth in both directions). The new Saber saw I think actually may cut faster. They will both kink and/or bind on you under less than ideal conditions. My preferred method for both is to stand atop the log, snake the chain under where I want to cut, and work the chain with my shoulders while applying upward tension. I have no problem going through a 1 foot diameter green douglas fir trunk in one minute per cut-through in this manner. I could probably do a cord of green fir wood like this in less than an hour, depending on how well staged it was.

BTW, you can make the Pocket chainsaw into a nice bow saw with a pair of limbs cut to length, trimmed and tied in a scissors shape, and brace locked.

Just to hijack your thread slightly. I own a Bahco Laplander saw. Very good saw. Probably the benchmark standard and does not really need any discussion here. However I just brought myself an Opinel saw. It's an opinel no 12, but with a saw blade of 12cm or 4.75". Cuts on both strokes, as does the laplander. It's also 2.5" smaller (5" when open). Put it to use today. Went through a 4" log in very short order. Build a shelter with it in quite a short time.

Recommended.


P.S. if it's not too much to ask: Spare me the usual knee jerk response about not buying French goods please.

I have the Opinel saw.

It's a nice option, though hard to find.

Note that the Pocket Chain Saw company (Supreme Products) makes two versions:

http://www.unbelievablesaw.com/

http://www.pocketchainsaw.com/

Each has its own advantages/disadvantages.

BTW, note that the branch in the video has only 6 inches or so of wood above it. Try that with a standing (dead) tree, and you'll experience severe pinching (that would happen with most all saws).

Actually there is one other version, the military version. It comes with 550 cord loops and a small nylon pouch for noise reduction. Here's the link. The saw itself is the same as the others except for the length.

Here is Doug Ritter's article on pocket chainsaws:
http://www.equipped.org/saws.htm
The one that I have is the SaberCut Saw from Ultimate Survival.
I have been very pleased with it but I have not used any of the other pocket chainsaws so I cannot compare it to them.

SaberCut, that's the one. It works pretty well, especially you can set two Scouts to cutting one branch with it (one Scout on either side of the log) while you saw away at another with your Sven saw.

I have not found any back country application that the Bahco Laplander Saw would not be the first choice over any pocket chain saw or cable saw.

Hard to beat having a full length chain saw in a tin the size of a shoe polish tin in your thigh pocket. If weight/bulk were not a consideration, there are a whole host of foldable/stowable saws that I might consider hodding along. The fact is, when I am trudging through the forest with gun and pack, I will gladly opt for the smaller lighter container that I know will get the cutting job done just fine. If I am at base camp, or at home, and the Stihl is acting stubborn and the McCullough is in the shop, then a good bow or frame saw or even a had saw would be my next reach, assuming I haven't already framed the pocketchainsaw or the sabre saw.

Size matters, at least when it comes to my back having to haul the load through the vine maple and briar. A horse would swing the balance toward a pre-framed or rigid saw as well, but I don't have ready access to horses these days either...

Then there's guys like Dick Proenecke, of course he had nothing better to do at the time, and I don't think the pocket chainsaw was around while he built his cabin either. I'd pay gold for his opinion on more than a few things like this.

I don't know the Bacho Laplander but Bacho makes good products.
The Opinel saws look good too.
However I have never been really happy with any of the folding saws I have tried. The same with the wire saws.
There have been enough good comments here regarding this pocket chain saw that I will be trying one out this year.
Thanks everybody.

I think they look awsome. Would be great to take camping. I never heard of them before.