Thread: Silky saws

School me on these please,are they as good as advertised?which one would be best for general camp duties and shooting lanes onto clearings I hunt in the kaimanawas,I have an old pruning saw fixed blade but looking to go to a folding handle setup,the” pocketboy “ model looks handy but will a longer bladed model be better?thanks

Curved blade or straight?

I have a pocket boy and big boy.
Both have blades with biggest spacing ie fastest cut… and also curved.
I am not after the quality of cut but the speed.
If weight an issue I take the pocketboy
If I want to tackle big trees and speed defiantly the big boy… love this saw…

I have a Silky folder, had it for something like 20 years now and on the 2nd blade. I have no idea what the current equivalent model is now but it's a brilliant saw, destroyed the first blade slicing brestbones. Only used the 2nd for wood, and it's lethal on wood (sliced my bloody finger near off with it - the paramedic with me was F-all use, nah harden up bro as I leaked all the way back to the vehicle). The hinged one isn't too much heavier but much easier to cart in my opinion, I carry it in my pack normally plus easy to swap the blade out if you stuff one!

For smaller wood I wouldn't bother with the saw though, compound hinged secateurs are a shit ton quicker.

Silky Zubat 330 curved

Extremely sharp and efficient

No problem cutting foot thick pines when they have blown over and blocking a road

Anything smaller is just plain fun to cut

Used them many many years at work

Looking at the outback edition of the gomboy line..

My favourite is the Gomtaro 300.
Have used a few of their models over the years as an arborist and often take it hunting if I’ll need to cut firewood.
Easy enough to chuck in the pack and it’s not heavy.
I prefer the extra blade length over some of the smaller folding models, but they have some big folders too.
Keep them away from soil and bone and they’ll keep their edge a lot longer.

Yep, silky saws are awesome. Have a few different models will depend exactly what your doing as they all have pros and cons. If you get the chance to play with the big 650 saws they are amazing.

+1 for a good pair of loppers if just doing small stuff

They are excellent. When cutting, don't put too much downward pressure on the blade. It will ensure the blade lasts much longer and makes for a very efficient cut. And always have a first aid kit handy! I've been nicked by the blade. Just the lightest brush against skin and the blade demands a blood sacrifice!

Years back, an orchardist recommended them to my father for pruning the ~70 fruit trees at our place. They were an eye opener, made all conventional saws look like stone age tech. Second that comment about keeping your fingers clear..

Here's a Scotsman's tip. My wife is brutal on gear and wrecked a saw in dirt. Being a woodworker, I just buy repl't blades and epoxy on a wooden handle I make. It's "her special saw".. Keep the real ones for myself.

As @6x47 said - dirt will wreck the blade, and quick smart too. Keep it clean.

I tried a silky against a Bahco carpenters saw and the carpenters saw cut faster with less effort so I just take that for track and camp work

Not sure about my exact model, but it's a straight blade model with an approx 30cm blade on it. I don't venture bush without it ever.

I too have a silky , folding model with around an 8in blade I think , use for campfire duties . That said it lives in my bag and travels with me whenever I go bush . Amazing the speed of cutting .
My only complaint was it not locking closed so I have made a simple inner tube sleeve to slide over it and hold it closed .
And it needs to be oiled or rusts pretty quick ...

F180 is my one for what it's worth...

https://silkystore.co.nz/products/f180-with-tabs