Sportsman Pocket Chainsaw - Camping Folding Hand Saw With Free Fire Starter, 36-Inch Heavy Duty Chain 48 Teeth, Best Pocket Saw for Survival Gear, Hunting, Backpacking, Tree Trimming or Emergency Kit

I received this saw three days ago and had a chance to use it yesterday. The saw is well constructed and the nylon web handles won't come off or break. The chain saw is very sharp and cut through 6" and 12" limbs with ease. I then tried it out on a 26" trunk of a tree that had been felled a couple of weeks ago. It took less than 15 minutes to cut through it. But then the wood on the tree is soft compared to a lot of other types of trees. I don't know how it would do on a dead redwood tree, since the wood has a lot of grit in it, or how it would do on a tree of harder wood, like oak. This is an excellent saw for camping and survival situations. I bought this saw to have in an emergency kit for any situations, should they ever arise, when I'm up in the mountains skiing or driving through a remote area or just going out on a hike. If you're a survivalist and on the move, it's obviously heavier than a wire saw and (while compact enough for a camper) not nearly as compact as a wire saw. But a wire saw is something that can only be used reliably on 3" limbs or smaller and is really something that only someone in a combat evasion situation would need. I doubt anyone whose in the military is going to be on Amazon shopping for items for an emergency kit. This saw comes with a light weight, soft nylon belt case that's rugged enough and an inexpensive Ferrocerium rod and striker for starting fires. With the saw in the case, the case measures 4-3/4" tall x 3-3/4" wide x 3/4" deep. I don't have a scale, but this doesn't weigh but a few ounces (maybe 2 or 3). If you're a hunter or someone who doesn't want to pack a folding saw or deal with the weight of an axe or hatchet, this a great tool for cutting wood and as I mentioned, it's very light, compact and well made. Which means that I now have an inexpensive, light weight and effective option for cutting wood, should I ever decide that I don't want to or don't have room to take my Silky Big Boy on a backpacking trip. This is something that won't take up any space in a day pack or backpack and can easily and quickly cut through large limbs that a small folding saw can't or would take some work to accomplish with it. I feel like I made a smart purchase and I'm satisfied.

Referring to the title of my review, I'm the latter. A Prepper. That being said, this is an excellent hand chain saw! I have a couple of 24 inch hand chain saws, but the extra length of this 36 inch one is extremely nice to have, and very useful for many situations. It cuts well, better than what you might think, at first. I can really get good leverage with this one, using longer pulls, cutting more wood with each stroke. A tool like this is invaluable to any Prepper, and also Campers, and weekend Hikers! This tool should be a part of everyones emergency kit, weather it be a home emergency kit, or a mobile emergency kit that you carry in your car or truck. I love this 36 inch version and plan to buy a few more. Why more than one? Sooner or latter, everything breaks, or wears out. I would hate to be in a situation where I was using it, and either through extended use, or abuse, it breaks, and have nothing to use as a backup. I back up everything I can, regardless of what it is. This hand chain saw comes in it's own carry case, and it has good quality pull straps, so I can see a long life for this item. It's whole package is easily transportable in the case it comes in, and weighs little, perfect to go into your backpack, Go bag, BOB, or Emergency Kit. It would be a great idea to store one in your vehicle as well. As to the quality of the manufacturing and steel used in this 36 inch hand chain saw, it's Very good, High Quality! I also still recommend having a backup, and don't shop for the least expensive one you can buy either, doing so will bite you in the end! Going with 2 of these is ideal for any outdoor excursion. I now have 2 and will probably buy another. A good pair of leather gloves will help you as well. Check out the Klein Journeyman Pro , best leather work gloves I've ever had. I'm really pleased with this saw, and I'm sure anyone else would be as well. It's sold by Sportsman Industries, and comes with a Full Lifetime Guarantee. That alone says a lot to me! They know they have a great product, and they back that up with an excellent lifetime guarantee. They stand behind there product, and will contact you (just a simple email), just to make sure your happy with your purchase. You just can't find dedication like that anymore, except with them. Sellers like Sportsman Industries is why I keep coming back to Amazon. I highly recommend this hand saw, & the seller, Sportsman Industries!!!

When I saw this I was not inclined to believe it would be very good, but the price was cheap and the reviews seemed decent, so I ordered it. For a few weeks I did not open the box. Then high winds came to my house and left my garden full of debris, trees with broken but still attached branches and lots of pruning to do. All our small pruning saws were already in use so I tried the Sportsman Chain Saw for the first time. I was surpassed. It works, it is easy to use, and cysts quickly. For anything larger than about 10cm or so it is too light-duty to be easy to use, but it did successfully cut a 20cm branch for me, although it was a bit of work. I gave it only four stars because it really is light-duty. That said, it does the job, and seems likely to be durable as long as it is well taken care of and nobody allows the chain to kink. It's small enough to carry in a pocket and has a nice cloth bag to keep in protected. Maybe I should have been more generous. Used for it's advertised purpose this is an excellent tool.

Originally purchased the Sportsman Pocket Saw back in the fall, but not able to use until today due to recent rotator cuff surgery. I will soon be 60 yrs old and I was blown away at how well this pocket saw works. Had to bring down a 50 ft tree near our house and I was able to take out the top 25 ft of the tree with this saw. Shot fishing line over a branch at the ht of trunk I needed to cut. Then pulled a heavier gauge nylon string over the branch using the fishing line. Then using the string....pulled the rope saw into position (50 ft of 550 paracord tied to each strap). Then stood back 50 ft from tree up on a high bank behind our house and started sawing the trunk portion with short even strokes while maintaining even and consistent tension of the paracord ropes. I was absolutely thrilled at the efficiency of this saw! I cut through a 5" diameter of trunk, 25 ft up in the air and proceeded to bring down the 25 ft top segment of this tall wild cherry tree in 5 minutes. I was ecstatic....I basically sawed through an inch of wood every minute and the top of the tree was on the ground in 5 minutes. Think about what you are doing, take your time getting set up, be safe......the actual sawing process was the easiest part of the procedure. I lubed the chain with silicone spray prior to hoisting it up in the tree.....also twisted the rope while pulling the chain into initial position in order to get the teeth oriented toward the tree trunk. I painted the leading edge of the straps and the top of the straps white to aid in visibility from the ground to visually help with positioning (actually used some old white out from a bottle that had seen better days and that really stood out from my position on the ground below). After taking out the top of the tree I was able to take down the remaining 25 ft base of tree with my Stihl chainsaw w/out worrying about hitting the house. This pocket saw is one of the most ingenious, well-made tools I have ever come across. I initially ordered it after reading all the good reviews. I was not disappointed at all. This is also the first review I have ever written on Amazon. I do not work for the company and don't know anyone that works for them. But I'm here to tell you this saw is the best thing since sliced bread (no pun intended). It does exactly what it is supposed to do and it does it well. Just use common sense and get your game plan together. The cutting is the easy part. I am actually placing another order today.....I want to have a spare on hand and the price point is very attractive. I still have 5 more trees I need to bring down in a similar fashion and I'll be using my newfound favorite tool on all of them. Whoever came up with this design is brilliant. Yes it would be good to have teeth on both sides but I really didn't have an issue orienting it up in the tree.....may have taken me 5 min at most to get it oriented like I wanted. I am a very pleased customer!

This may get a bit long, but I had the opportunity (necessity) to put this little thing through a torture test. So I am going to cover several topics I have read in other reviews and what my experiences were. Teeth - This chain is narrow, which really helps reduce drag as you are pulling back and forth. Someone thought there should be a cutting tooth at every link, and some said teeth which cut in both directions. I think the manufacturer got this right on. More teeth would have meant more drag and require more strength on pulling the chain through the wood. My experience (results below) is having that non-cutting direction to pull when the chain binds in the wood, is worth more than the bi-directional cutting. Tooth orientation - This one can be a bit annoying, but the key is the first cut into the log. The chain really can't get sideways, so if a gentle pull along the log feels as if the chain is cutting, have at it. If the first gentle pull across is smooth and easy, you need to reposition the chain. Once it starts cutting, the narrow width of the chain keeps it in the kerf and there's no issue until it gets to binding. Repositioning the blade is easy. Pull the chain off the limb until you are on rope, then slide along the limb a little bit and try again. You have a 50/50 chance it sets correctly. Binding - Except when the chain eventually started to get dull, the only real times the chain bound in the cut was when I pushed too hard and got aggressive. If you go back and forth, and let the saw do the work, it does not bind. The only other bind is because the weight of the limb will flex and close up the cut channel on the bottom. This can be avoided by cutting some from one side of the limb, then changing sides where you stand every once in a while. Results - I was cutting avocado tree branches between 25 and 30 feet in the air, from the ground. The hardest part of the ordeal was getting the stupid rope up in the tree, on the branch you wanted. I used the pouch the chain came in, put a rock in it, and tied it to the rope to help throw it. It took a lot longer to get the rope in the tree than it did to cut limbs. I cut three large limbs of about 8 inches in diameter, and another two about 4 inches in diameter, before the saw started to feel as if it was dull. For a hand saw, that's a lot of wood. The average time it took to cut through the 8 inch limbs was 3-5 minutes. These are standard chainsaw chains, so they can be sharpened, however my task at hand is now over. For the inexpensive cost of this saw, I will order a new one when I have more limbs to do. FYI - Two quotes I got from tree trimmers were both over $1000, so it was well worth the time and effort.

Maybe I'll get better with practice. I found it easy to start a cut (on a downed log) that was at an angle and inefficient for cutting. I found it easy to get jammed on a large log. Once, I had to use a saw to cut through from the other side to where this was jammed to release it. At times, it seemed to cut really fast and effectively, especially at the start. But like a demo video I saw, it seemed less effective towards the end of a cut (with a smaller radius on the chain). Also, I tried a 10" log and with a lot of chain engagement, it required much more effort and more easily got stuck. Works much better on 5" wood. It's certainly very compact and light and I never cut myself handling it. The chain pretty easily got folded back on itself when I'd set it aside to rest and it would need to be unfolded and it would take a minute to do that,my being careful to not get cut. Again, maybe I'd get better at this with practice.

I just received this and frankly was not expecting much. WOW! Was I surprised by the utility of this thing -- I went right out and cut half a dozen trees and huge vines that had become obstacles (I live in a veritable JUNGLE!) and it did really well. It works fast and did not wear me out at all. One thing I did not expect it to handle was a 5-inch myrtle (VERY hard/dense wood), and that took less than a minute of easy effort. Unlike some others I've read about, this saw is nice and long at 3 feet, won't bind so easily and has really well thought out spacing and directionality of the blades. It is now part of my essential gear. Don't have second thoughts about this one - GET IT! EDIT June 7 2014: Still WOW! Did a high limb this time, with the greatest of ease. Seriously, if I was just Joe or Jane Homeowner, I'd recommend this saw over the purchase of a small electric or gas chainsaw. It is sooo much cheaper, and does the same thing if just used occassionally. For camping, it is a no-brainer. A couple of tips I might share regarding high limbs are these: (1) Use a partner to cut and space yourselves widely - not under the limb. Obviously, that is for your own safety but also it will keep the chain from binding near the final part of the cut (the radius of the chain's path is best kept as large as possible. Think about it - no chain can turn 180 degrees in the radius of a quarter). (2) Put curious pets and children indoors so they dont get clobbered by the limb. (3) When tossing a line over the limb and then hauling the rope and cutter up to position it over the limb, clip a little rod or indicator in the strap so you know the teeth are facing the right way. (4) If you do use a rope through each strap for high limbs, dont tie BIG knots. Use slip knots with the lose (release) end of the knot tied to lightweight fishing line you can reach if you need to...Otherwise, what will you do if you have a serious bind in an unfinished cut? This way, you can release one of the ropes, then walk far to the opposite side with the remaining rope, and pull the chainsaw out.

I’ve had a giant limb over my fireplace for years. The oak tree died a couple years ago and I’ve been searching for a way to remove it in pieces so it doesn’t crush all my landscaping. This worked perfect and was a lot safer then using a ladder or climbing out on it. To reach the higher limb I bought a 100’ rope and threw one end over the limb. Then I tied the chain up to both sides and slid it up there. The only difficulty I ran into was getting it to start teeth side down so it would cut. I found the best way to get it flipped was to pull the rope so the chain was not on the limb, twist the rope so the chain flipped and then quickly pull the other side of the rope to bring the chain over the limb. As soon as the chain starts digging into the tree and made a groove I had no other issues. Took about 10-15 minutes to cut through a 8” limb but I let others share in the fun and try it. This was well worth the investment. It does take a little bit of time and effort but I would recommend it for small or hard to reach limbs.

Excelente