Silky Professional Series PocketBoy Folding Saw 130mm Medium Teeth (340-13)

Silky makes a great product. I already own the Gomboy 210 (and love it), but was looking for a more pack-able size. The Pocketboy 130 fits the bill perfectly. This is a Japanese-style saw, so it cuts on the pull stroke. The thin blade reduces friction, and the tapered thickness helps reduce binding during a cut. Many people tend to go too fast with this blade style, resulting in binding, bending and breakage. If this is your experience, then you're using it wrong ! It only cuts on the pull stroke, and should not be pushed forward with force. Keep your arm aligned with the cut, push it forward more gently and apply more force on the pull stroke. It's not a race - let the tool do the work. I do about 1 stroke per second, and my Gomboy 210 performs like a hand-powered chain saw ! I fully expect similar performance with this Pocketboy. When closed, the saw measures 6.5" long by 2.1" wide at the locking lever (its widest point) and tapers from .58 thick at the pivot bolt up to .99 thick at the handle swell back by the lanyard hole. When opened, the saw measures 11.5" long. The exposed blade measures 5.24" long from tip to handle frame, with 4.75" of teeth, and measures .040 thick at the teeth tapering to .027 - .030 thick at the spine. The blade locks open in two positions. It does not lock in the closed position, but there is sufficient friction in the pivot to hold it securely in place. The construction is very sturdy - a full length steel frame with a large steel pivot bolt, and over molded with hard rubber. The rubber grip area measures 4" long. If you're looking for a compact saw, with excellent performance and outstanding design and construction, look no further - it's this one ! !

Why this isn't a much more popular backpacking, camping, bushcraft saw is beyond me. It weighs as much as a big folding knife, fits literally in a front pants pocket and is compact enough to forget it's there but can take down small trees with ease. I think people might look at the dry stats and think it's in the same category as a multitool saw, it's not (that's like comparing a spyderco delica to a kabar bk2!) this little guy is vicious on any tree your going use for a camp fire, make a circle with your fingertips from both hands and that's about how big around of a tree it can bring down or log it can get through. Whatever the reason this is vastly underrated in the outdoors sports, bushcraft and survival scene. In my opinion it destroys the bahco (sorry) in performance and compactness and has completely replaced it in my system and has allowed me to now carry ALL my cutting tools on my person, not in a pack, for day trips, overnighters and even weekend trips. I use a 4" belt knife, scandi folding knife, 16 oz. tomahawk and the pocketboy and there is nothing I can't get done easily with this 30 oz. total cutting tool weight kit. Look just try it, if you do any saw work just get it in your hands (or pocket) and you will understand how useful it can be. If you can carry a big folding knife you can carry this. Oh and the grip is the most comfortable grip I've felt on any tool whatsoever, I wish my knives had this grip.

Some tools are purely utilitarian and functional, and perfection in manufacture is not much of an issue. So it is, but with these saws (made in Japan) the manufacturing quality is so high that you're tempted to treat it like a jewel, something to possess and roll around in your hand just for the joy of holding it. The medium tooth model is probably best for the vast majority of user applications, though a large tooth model is available (which ships directly from Japan) for green, wet wood applications. The blade is incredibly sharp and has virtually no "set" to the teeth, so the saw kerf is very thin, removing only what material is necessary, making for very fast, easy cutting. The teeth cut on the pull stroke only, like most or all Japanese saws, using quick, light (little or no downward pressure) strokes. The teeth are induction hardened to preserve sharpness, but this means the blades are not resharpenable with a file. The latter is okay with me. For most pruning and campsite clearing purposes, the 130 with medium teeth is just perfect. If you're cutting larger diameter branches, consider the 170 model with medium teeth. The 130 does indeed fit in your pocket, although it comes with a nice hard plastic case with a belt loop. If your wondering whether to buy a Chinese pruning saw for $18 or a Japanese one for $25, spend the few bucks extra for the Japanese (Silky) saw. For the small extra expense, the incomparable quality of manufacture and joy of using a Silky is worth it.

My Husband and I were part of North American Hunting Club and Buckmasters. We were both given folding knives as a gift from both companies. While those worked well for cutting shrubs or annoying limbs in our stand area, they did not hold up too well. Where the blade pivoted, it was loose or wouldn't like to open/close due to jarred. While putting our camp bags back together again for the season, we decided to replace our large bulky broken down saws. Several hours of YouTube videos of wilderness and survivalist later, we chose this one. If former military turned survivalist instructors or just former military turned survivalists swear by this saw or its buddy Gomboy for survivalist needs, then it would work for ours. We figured right! Took the strain of push/pull/press cutting of our gifted saws down to pull n cut in half the time and effort. Plus the full metal body vs. plastic will hold up a lot longer! The blades are replaceable were our gifted ones are disposable ones. These are also half as long as our cheap gifted ones that measured out to around 14" long by 4.5" tall when folded. We actually put these in our cargo pockets while out hiking through the woods looking for 2 - 2.5 inch diameter timber to build our shelter frame with. Not at all heavy, but a work horse! The handle fits into my small hand with ease and not too small that my big pawed Husband couldn't grip onto it! Worth every penny spent for it!

I whittle twigs and branches. Sometimes I will prune branches for my whittling and this little guy is amazing. Cuts super fast, the teeth do not clog and is as sharp as the day I bought it. I like how I can buy different blades and interchange them. I am planning on getting the extra fine blade to use when I am doing the whittling and switching out to the medium for pruning and rough cutting. I say rough cutting, but still this saw makes a really clean cut. Perfect balance of speed and clean cutting. The plastic belt clip case was more of a hassle than to use. I just put the think in the back pocket of my jeans when I am out in the woods. Or in the winter it fits easily in the inside pocket of my leather jacket. There is also a hole where you could put some para-cord and a clip for easy travel. Really this is the perfect saw for pruning, hiking, whittling, and camping. Works great in both dry and green wood.

Pro: Great cutting, Great build quality, Compact design Con: Non-stainless blade Overall: A durable, compact, and sharp saw that has a home in any outdoorsman’s pack. I like to think of myself as an avid outdoorsman. I was a boy scout as a kid, and now most weekends are spent hiking, fishing, and camping. I am always on the lookout for top of the line gear to help me conquer the outdoors. The Silky Pocketboy 130 Landscaping Hand Saw is one of the best saws I have ever used in over 20 years. Construction: The Silky Pocketboy 130 Landscaping Hand Saw is built to last. The saw only weighs .5lbs, but it feels much more substantial in my hand. The blade locks nicely without any wiggle room Durability: At first, I was concerned with the durability of the saw. The handle looked cheap, and I was concern with a blade that was stainless steel. However, the saw has withstood drops, stomps, and all other sorts of abuse over the past year. It still looks brand new. The blade is still as sharp as the day I bought it. Cutting: This saw is a monster when it comes to cutting. The blade is only 5” long, so I’m not going to be chopping down redwoods, but the >6” diameter branches I cut stood no chance. This saw ripped through wood like a hot knife through butter. This saw never bound up in a cut like other hand saws I have purchased. Size: This saw packs a punch, but comes in a very small package. It conveniently folds up into a 7” package. The saw weighs only .5lbs, so It is hardly noticeable in a hiking pack. I think that 5” blade is a nice size for a general purpose outdoor saw. Price: The Silky Pocketboy 130 Landscaping Hand Saw is adequately priced. I have seen saw that cost upwards of $50, and saws under $10. This saw has a lot of bang for the buck. It doesn’t have a stainless-steel blade like other saws, but it also isn’t flimsy like cheaper saws.

A group of us were in a bowmaking class. As I was struggling to shorten the ends of my red maple, a friend lent me his Silky Pocketboy 130. Wow!! That baby cut through it like butter. Soft smooth grain left behind. I was hooked and bought one. The handle is a firm rubber grip and the blade easily flips out, locks into place (2 different positions to lock into), and easily unlocks with a push of the metal release thing on top of the handle. The blade folds back in easily too. The blade is of course steel but, being a folding blade, it ends around the black hard plastic circle that allows the knife to open & close. That plastic seems a bit flimsy for a knife, they could have gone with metal hardware instead. The knife comes with a custom see-through hard plastic folding case that clips shut. It has a metal thing that could attach to belts. Easy to toss in a backpack for camping to saw already-there deadwood. Now I prefer this for pruning - it gives a cleaner, more controlled cut which allows better heal-over for tree wounds. Oh - the knife handle is ambidextrous. Works just as well left or right handed. I hope this helps!

We have 4 Silky’s from 130-240mm and fine to large teeth. All are fantastic. The 130’s are perfect for a pocket or pack. 240 stashes easily and safely in a work bucket. If you’re looking for reliable, sharp, and easy to store/transport folding saws, Silky is a great choice. 130’s are perfect if you’re out trimming and branch is too large for pruners. Keep a Silky 130mm Med or Large Teeth saw in your pocket or hung off your belt with the included case and clip. They’ll melt through large branches.