This weekend I was out camping with my son's troop. I brought along several saws and while the Scouts were out doing orienteering skills I was back at camping collecting firewood for the adult leaders and testing the saws.

I had the following:

-Unbeleivable Saw chain saw by Supreme Products
-Bahco 7.5" Folding Pruning Saw, #396-HP for dead wood
-Trailblazer 20" Take-Down Buck Saw

The Unbelievable Saw chain saw cut very quickly, and the really nice thing is that on branches it cuts on three "sides" at the same time. I was a bit worried that it would be hard to "setup" the saw to keep the blade from falling on its side, but the teeth stayed on the wood very easily and naturally. A fine saw, BUT ... on horizontal downed branches as the saw cut nearly through the branch the weight of the branch would severly pinch the lower portion of the saw and without managing to break the branch that saw was stuck good. I would think it could do real good on small vertical trees, but where we were I didn't dare cut even dead standing trees (forest preserve rangers might think the clean cut downed trees were alive when cut down).

The Bahco #396-HP did an OK job cutting through branches, it seemed kind of slow, possibly due to the shortness of the blade. It seemed plenty robust with no blade flex. The saw's folding design is very convenient - allowing one to quickly get to cutting. I also like that the blade locks both open and closed, so there is no accidental opening.

The Trailblazer 20" Take-Down Buck Saw was a pain to assemble. Luckily I'd slid the instructions inside the tube because I suspected I wouldn't remember the details when purchased last July. If used regularly I think it would be a lot easier to assemble though. One of the really nice things is that there are really no small components that could easily be lost. Well, the spring clip that holds the assembly closed could get lost, but this wouldn't impact the usablity of the saw. The wing nut assembly that tightens the blade is built such that it actually cannot come off (and be lost). I was a little concerned that the blade edge (tips) would be damaged by the aluminum housing, but one of my fellow Scout leaders is an expert on metalworking, and he assured me that the blade was much harder than the aluminum tubes as was very safe. The good news is that with the large tube handle this saw feels VERY good in the hand - greatly reducing the chance of blisters. The best news is that this saw cut through the wood like it was butter.

The Trailblazer Take-Down Buck Saw was clearly my preferred saw of the three and I used it to cut up a pile of wood that easily lasted us through Saturday night and would have put us through Sunday night if needed (the next camper will be real happy).

The chain saw simply had too many pinching issues to be useable and the Bahco #396-HP was too slow. Of course they both have very important storage advantages that can't be overlooked. The chain saw's package is VERY small.

I've also owned a Sven Saw many many years and I think the Sven Saw and Take-Down Buck Saw would be fairly evenly matched as far as cutting speed is concerned. Both are no-nonsense saws that are tough-as-nails. The Take-Down Saw provides a much deeper cut (the Sven Saw's traingular shape limits the cut stroke on thicker branches), has a nicer, more comfortable handle, and when stowed away has no sharp edges to cut into gear (tents, sleeping bags, etc...). The closed Sven Saw is 22.5" long and 1.5"x0.5"; the Take-Down Buck Saw is 19" long with a 1.25" round tube. The Sven Saw weighs 13.3 oz; The Take-Down Buck Saw weighs 18.6 oz. The Take-Down Buck Saw blade has hardened steel teeth, but the Sven Saw blade's teeth don't have the color expected with hardened steel - I'm not sure whether they are or aren't hardened.

The Sven Saw is faster to assemble and has only two separate parts (the saw and the wing nut), BUT the wing nut that tightens the blade could easily get lost (I carried a spare in my first aid kit), and when stowed away the silver end has (unnecessarily) sharp corners that could damage gear (a concern years ago when we took it to the boundary waters - I've thought about filing down the corners). The other problem with the Sven Saw is that to replace the blade I need to push out a friction rivet, replace the blade, and then get the rivet back in - something I haven't tackled to date. With the Take-Down Buck you just use a new blade. Unfortunately both saws require you to buy the manufacturer's replacement blades.

Next time out I'll try to bring along both the Take-Down Buck Saw and the Sven Saw (with a new blade) and have a saw-off between the two of them.

I have had a Sven for probably close to 30 years, and have not found a real need to replace it...

i'll second OBG on the Sven Saw..i've used the smaller one
on BWCA and Quetico canoe trips for many years and found it
to a tough fast cutting saw..i also carry a spare wingnut but
have never had to use it..i carry the saw in a old tent pole
bag slid down the inside of my Duluth pack but outside the
WP bags so i can get at it to cut dead fall on portage trails.
changeing the blade is fast and easy..a nail set or some such
type of punch will knock it right out and the fit is tight
enought that it will hold fast when replaced--i had the large
saw also but found for camping the extra size was not nessary
and used it at our cabin for cutting tinder--it will blast
thru a 2x4 in no time..i tryed the "pruning" saws but found
that the blade on the Sven being under tenson does not flex
like those little fold-up saws..

Have you ever replaced a Sven Saw blade? I'm looking at the split rivet thing that holds the blade to the handle wondering how I'm going to take that thing out without damaging it AND wondering how tough it will be to get it back into the hole. I've done searches on-line and don't see any instructions or hints.

Ken K

I have typically only used pruning saws (folding and rigid) and the only one I have flex problems with is the extension pole saw (Fiskars). Even my el-cheapo folding one does not flex. I was never a fan of bow saws as, for me, they tended to bind, but hey, maybe it was just operator error.

Bill