Silky Gomtaro 270 is pretty good all rounder for under 40 quid, dont buy a folding one, they are generally crap. It will rip through 1" - 2" stuff but you can cut stuff up to about 6-7 inches, it just might take you a while...buy a decent one its worth it

I was looking at the Gomtaro 300 but then thought the folding ones were a bit more descrete? whats wrong with the folding ones? do they lock?

tbh i havent used a Gomatro folding one, ive used other brands though. in my experience the non folding/1 peice blade with a handle attached to it flexes less when cutting.. plus its a lot easier for me to just pull one out of a sheath when im up a tree (tree surgeon)..

i've got a 300 fits in the camelback fine

a 300 fixed?

Yep fits in my Oakley pack not camelpak.

I've got one of these - http://www.silkyfox.co.uk/folding/f180.html - F180 - it's great...not sure how thick they should cut, but it's been used to removed trees with 12+ diameter sections - no probs but does take a bit of time and thought.

We used a couple for trail building and they were the 'weapon' of choice in a fair amount of cases...very good blades - did the cutting on the pull stroke so less risk of bending/snappy the blade.

Would recommend to anyone looking for a discrete (as in something that doesn't need slung over a shoulder in a sling) and usable trail saw.

I bought a Silky Gomtaro after a recommendation on here, they come in a choice of sizes- 210,240,270 or 300mm.
Obviously more bulky than any folding saw, but I was replacing a WilkinsonSword retractable saw, with a 250mm (guesstimate) blade. I viewed the Bahco Laplander, & a silky f180, both were too small for what I want. So I bought a 240mm Gomtaro, it's about 39cm long sheathed, no problem for my pack but others may struggle, or have it on view Highlander style. In use it's a precision cut, surgical even, this may sound far fetched, but it isn't as there little flex in the blade compared to my old saw (admittedly not a pro tool). Ive used it on trunks wider than 300mm, oak, pine anything that litters the trail my way.
10/10 from me so far.

So do you think the 300mm Gomtaro is a bit overkill? any reason you got the 240 and not the 270 or 300?

Not over-kill, just bigger than MY needs. I picked the 240mm due to it's size and ability to fit into my pack (I carry it all the time), the 270/300 was definitely to be too big to fit in the my pack. They had them all in the shop I visited, so it was obvious what was and wasn't going to work.
To be honest the performance is that good that the 210 would probably been fine.

The folding ones are very good, I had an F-180 and bought a new blade when it was blunted by cutting out roots and hitting stones / dirt. However, I used a friends Gomtaro and it was hard to believe how good it was so I bought one of those. Longer is better but if it needs to fit in your pack just have a measure.

[url= http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6020/5976905137_9fcaf902f4.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6020/5976905137_9fcaf902f4.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/15253377@N00/5976905137/ ]Stuff I saw..[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/15253377@N00/ ]z1ppy2[/url], on Flickr
Thats a 240mm blade on the Wilkinson Swords retractable saw. I wood 😡 use a chainsaw, on this stuff this size, if it's on a bridleway but as it in some-ones wood, a stealthy option was better.

[url= http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6121/5977474016_41d494e817.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6121/5977474016_41d494e817.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/15253377@N00/5977474016/ ]Silky Fox Gomtaro 240mm[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/15253377@N00/ ]z1ppy2[/url], on Flickr

[url= http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6122/5976908333_6ba7e3436e.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6122/5976908333_6ba7e3436e.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/15253377@N00/5976908333/ ]In the pack[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/15253377@N00/ ]z1ppy2[/url], on Flickr

Thanks for the pics.

Still not sure, assuming the 300mm would get through thicker branches, but maybe a bit more flexible/bendy?

May go for the 270, damn them for having so many choices!!

You want to cut more than 350mm (aprox), as per my picture?
(that was a full sized scotch pine, that had fallen over)
Though I used the WS saw in the picture, it was as much to compare the two saws. As I used the Silky to chop another bit of the same tree, to finally clear the trail. The Silky went though in less than half, maybe quarter the time and had no issue with the size.
WFT do you want to cut up? 😉

So the 240 gets through 350mm branches no bother? I was thinking you would need a 300mm to get through a 300mm branch.

Depending on things, you dont always need to cut right through a fallen tree, doing most of it from over / under depending how its lying and jumping on it is often quicker.

yes.. it was hard work, you obviously have to work from both sides, but wasn't difficult, though a 300mm would have been easier I imagine.
Though I wouldn't be able to carry a 300mm saw easily, on every ride.

My 240 blade really doesn't flex that much, so you get a really-really straight cut (surgical), one cut all the way through. With my WS saw, due to the flex, the cuts were never straight so you end up cutting parallel cuts to the ones you made on the other side, rather than them joining up.

EDIT: Scuff, that bloody tree in the picture had 15ft of trunk extending from it, and only snapped (even with me bouncing on it), on that last inch at the bottom... I was a tad annoyed (& wet from hail stones)

I started with a folding Pocket boy http://www.silkyfox.co.uk/folding/pocketboy.html which is ace for keeping in my Camelback and works really well. I then bought a Gomtaro http://www.silkyfox.co.uk/sheathed/gomtaro.html to keep in my bag for (official) trail building and that's even better what with being longer and so on.

If it was just to keep in my Camelback for the odd bit of trail clearing I reckon a shorter Pocket Boy is fine and probably easirer to explain away if you were pulled up by the Police.

Whichever you choose I'd say you can't go far wrong with a Silky.

Zippy, did you cut a load of the load supporting branches off ?

Trees are quite stong, they should make bikes out of them.

I assume all size blades fit the same handle, or do you need a unique handle for different blades?

scruff - Member
Zippy, did you cut a load of the load supporting branches off ?

No, the top of the tree had been removed where it had fallen into an adjacent field, hense why it was only 15ft of tree after this section.
It was unbelieveable, yes that bottom section snapped but the damned thing wouldn't break off, till I was almost all the way though. Still had roots though, so wasn't completely dead.
I agree though in theory, you shouldn't need to chop all the way through.

Organic, off-hand I'd say/assume it's the same handle, so you could reduce or increase the size of the blade, when you blunted the first.

What zippy said.

The 270 is the same price as the 240 here:

http://www.gmoutdoors.co.uk/silky-gomtaro-270-8-large-teeth-straight-hand-saw-292-p.asp

measure your pack, will it fit a 420mm length in?
(my handles aprox 13cm's long, in it's sheath it's 15cm longer than blade 24cm's)

OK I know Im too impatient. Im at work and pack is at home.

its a camelback Mule which i think is around 19" (48cm) but will wait until i get home 😉