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.