Description
The Katanaboy is the largest two-handed professional folding saw on the market today. When the word is translated into English, ‘Katana’ means the curved, single-edge sword used by Samurai. This mega, two-handed folding saw from Silky is currently the biggest in its class and is often known as the ‘man-powered chainsaw.’
This heavy-duty folding saw comes in a choice of 2 blade lengths, 500mm and 650mm. The tooth configuration is very aggressive with 5 teeth per 30mm on the 500mm version and only 4 teeth per 30mm on the 650mm version – the most aggressive available from Silky of any saw.
The long, well-balanced, taper-ground blade with an impulse-hardened, non-set tooth design provides extended working reach, faster cutting and handles large tree limbs and trunks with little effort.
The non-slip, two-handed, rubberised, cushioned handle provides a sure and comfortable grip even in the most difficult operating conditions. The saws come with a sturdy nylon shoulder bag with Velcro fastening and a pocket for replacement blades.
It is possible to re-sharpen the blade using a feather edge file. In addition, the blades and all other parts are also replaceable. There is just one screw to unwind in order to change the blade.
Bob Sherunkle –
I will preface this review by stating that while my experience with pruning saws is limited, I have sawn, chipped, chopped, hacked and split my way through a lot of wood in my time as a slightly obsessive DIY guy. With that caveat out of the way, I can very confidently say that this saw is without question the finest and most effective saw I have ever used. Given it’s size and hiddeously aggressive teeth, one would imagine that the cut quality and finsh would be inferior to say, a fine toothed tenon saw, but it’s not. One would imagine sawing through a tree trunk of 40cm is strictly the domain of a chainsaw or at least a two man hand saw, but it’s not. It’s light, portable, easy to use, extremely fast cutting in soft and hard wood. I’ve made thirty or so cuts of really thick material and it remains as sharp as the first cut. I’m just blown away by this thing.
Kiwi (verified owner) –
After a lot of deliberation on whether to go down the chainsaw route or the folding saw route I finally made up my mind to go down the folding saw route.
I can honestly say for the purpose I use these saws for I have definitely made the right decision. I very recently purchased the Bigboy 6.5 and also the Katanboy 650 and some 9 inch wedges. Working together these saws clear fallen trees up to 600mm (2 feet) in diameter across paths and mountain bikes trails with ease. I undercut using the BigBoy and top cut using the Katanaboy. They last fallen tree I cleared with my friend had a 600mm diameter. It took 40 minutes to make 3 cuts and remove 2 very large trunk sections of about 10 feet each from this tree. We were both very impressed with the cutting performance. They are also really easy to carry as they fold, the Katanaboy comes with a carry enclosure that you can put over your shoulder and the Bigboy easily fits into your pack. It’s a shame I could not post a photo of the last tree we cleared to give you all a good idea of what these saws are capable of. Highly recommended!
William – Monmouthshire (verified owner) –
Three storms in a week, a lot of wreckage to clear, and no tree-surgeon’s available. So it was a heaven-sent opportunity to try out the Katanaboy 650 I had just ordered. I was very impressed – and grateful for a tradition that has created such a practical mix of ancient craftsmanship and modern engineering. If anything, it looked a bit flimsy when I took it out of it’s nylon carry-bag, but it is remarkably robust and – when used with a light touch – cut through fallen ash boughs at an astonishing rate… Our largest ash tree had come down on a hazel stool and brought down another ash and yet another hazel. I’d not be comfortable using a chainsaw in such a tangled mess, but the Katanaboy 650 allowed me to work at a distance. I was able to clear away tons of top-hamper and mid-sized timber that had fallen on a much loved azalea walk which was cleared and saved in an afternoon. A truly remarkable piece of kit which is perfect for hard but precise, even delicate work. Without doubt the most effective saw I have ever used. Thank you.