I know of a successful prison escape using dental floss and sand to cut the bars. There is a place and a reason for everything. If I was packing in somewhere, the tuttletooth crosscut saw would be tied in it's firehose sheath and lashed over the mantie along with the crusier axe. If I'm on a casual trailride the saw in a can slips inside my Filson. You want a real example? Imagine finding a horse caste in a tangle of storm downed trees! BTDT. A chainsaw would have been to loud without a DMV present to tranquilize the animal and most everything else equally cumbersome manuevering in the mess. The pocket saw was exactly the right tool for the job. Most important, I had it on me.

I have an older folding Gerber saw that looks nothing like all the ones I see now. Instead of the triangular teeth, it's got more of the "raker" style teeth like a chainsaw. Works great up to almost 5 inches.

I have B.C.B. commando saws in my Ritter S.P's. Correctly employed they are a worthwhile addition. The trick is to cut a length of green wood. Notch it near each end. Bow it and slip the wire saw on to the notches. Which gives you a bow saw. Treat it with respect and don't get ambitious.

I also pack Survival Inc chainsaws. They are an absolute must for a pocket survival kit. I have tackled tree limbs of up to 12" thickness with them. However 6" seems to be the normal practical limit.
Gerber or Granfors-Bruks folding saws are better for limbing branches and cutting firewood, snow blocks etc.

So: If I want to demolish a tree(s) for whatever reason, I would go for a pocket chain saw. If I was building a shelter, then a folding saw would be my prefered choice.

Same here. I wonder if those who have had their wire saws fail could specify if they were using genuine BCB units or the cheap knockoffs. I have tested 2 BCB saws on various woods up to about 5" in diameter; they cut very well and I had no problems. Of course this is not statistically significant but what else to do?

I just can't bring myself to put the much heavier and bulkier saws in my kits when the BCB has worked so well for me at a weight of about 1 ounce. If you've got space & energy to haul "real" saws then now you're talking about full-on tool kits, not minimalist survival kits.