Best hand saw for an Arborist?

Macchina

Macchina

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My Dad has bred trees for the past 30+ years and at any time he may have 1000+ trees growing in his garden. I want to get him a really good tool for this. I thought about a nice hatchet (I know a lot about hatchets/axes) but he never uses one. His work requires a cleaner/strait cut. He cuts trees with either a crappy folding handsaw or one of his many old pruners.

It's tempting to get him a nice double bit Axe from Council Tool because he used to be a lumber jack before he started growing the trees. He doesn't buy nice tools for himself so I'm afraid a nice axe would dry out and rust in his garage.

I have an old Silky PocketBoy and it has never failed me. I was thinking about picking my Dad up a Silky GomBoy. Is there anything better out there for his purpose?
 
Silky Saws are very popular among arborists from what I have read on landscaping and gardening related forums. I use a PocketBoy 170 as well as a Gomboy 240 and can highly recommend the Gomboy. I've personally compared them to Fiskars, Bahco, Corona and Opinel saws and am sold on Silky Saws. Silky Saw recently introduced the Ultra Accel which has a curved blade to maximize cutting ability and may be worthy of consideration.
 
Don't bother with the axe. It's a cool gift and all but I suspect he'll never use it.

I greatly prefer the silky too. I would take a look at what size folding saw he's using now and get him a Silky "upgrade" in the same size. Part of why he's using a folding saw, I would guess, is that it's easier to carry around the property. If you get him something bigger he may just opt for the old small one because it carries better. Just an opinion based on how I choose blades.
 
I have a non-folding Silky that is just as easy to carry as the folders IMO. Theoretically, it should be stronger. In any case, Silky saws deserve their reputation.
 
My PocketBoy is (duh) easy to carry in my pocket. The GomBoy looks much bigger. Is it hard to carry?
 
Silky. That's all you need to know. When I was researching saws, I looked at some arborist forums, and among those professional arborists Silky was the hands-down favorite.

Select the saw size and tooth size based on intended use. Since you can get various folding models, there are a lot of choices. Get a stick that is the closed length of each model and put it in your pocket to get a rough idea of how easily each size would carry compared to what you have. If you get him one that is too big, he won't carry it, but too small for what he does and he won't carry it either. Some of the non-folding Silky saws come with a belt sheath.

If you want good pruners, try ARS. I have pruners from ARS, Bahco, Felco, and Corona, and I like ARS the best (Bahco takes second). Maybe you could pair a nice Silky saw with an ARS pruner to give him a very functional combo.
 
I use a Silky Super Accel when backpacking but around the house use a Shark Saw. It's a pull saw that gives a much cleaner cut than any other I have ever used.
 
If you want good pruners, try ARS. I have pruners from ARS, Bahco, Felco, and Corona, and I like ARS the best (Bahco takes second). Maybe you could pair a nice Silky saw with an ARS pruner to give him a very functional combo.
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Thanks lambertiana, I was just about to research pruners. I will check out the ARS.


My PocketBoy is (duh) easy to carry in my pocket. The GomBoy looks much bigger. Is it hard to carry?
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Macchina, the Gomboy 240 is not much for pocket carry. It is better suited towards belt pouch or pack carry IMO.
 
Ive been an arborist for the past 7 years and SILKY is the name to go with. The Zubat is a time tested favorite for a sheath saw and simply attaches to a belt or the silky F180 large tooth is a nice saw that can fit into a pocket ok or a cargo pocket even nicer.
 
I asked the same question on an arborist site and they like the Zubat and the Sugowaza
 
For those who might be interested, a Ranger Band is perfect for ensuring that a Gomboy remains tightly closed, or for securing its plastic case when the snap closures break off.
 
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