UST SaberCut Chain Saw with 24 Inch Bi-Directional Blade, Compact Design and Nylon Carry Case for Hiking, Backpacking, Camping, Hunting and Outdoor Survival

As a wilderness backpacker, I'm always having to gather wood for the nightly fire. Bigger logs are prized, but very difficult to acquire given the tight weight and size restrictions of the tools a backpacker must observe. I have personally taken this tool into the wayback and put it to use. It is a decent attempt to merge cutting power with lightness and compactness. It works, but it has some weaknesses that I think could be remedied with an upgraded design.Pros: First, the good news. IT WORKS! I was able to cut up a 6-inch diameter log into usable chunks in a fraction of the time it would take with just a saw. I could cut through in about one minute. You need to pull the handles VERY hard, so using gloves is a necessity, however the handles are very comfortable to use and are strong. Be careful though, the log MUST be well stabilized or you'll just flip it around.Cons: This tool uses regular chainsaw chain. As such, the cutting teeth are spaced rather far apart. This means the smaller the diameter of the log, the more likely the tool will bind. It would not work on anything under two inches in diameter. This meant that it would initially cut well on those big logs, but near the end it was useless. Sometimes I got far enough I could stomp on the cut and break it, but mostly I had to use my bow saw to finish it off.I think if the manufacturer replaced more of the normal links with additional cutting teeth, it would be a far more effective tool.Barring that, I was impressed enough with the benefits it brought that I'm ordering a few more to have in my go-packs.....but I'm adding a small lightweight bow saw to go along with it.

I had a dead tree that had hooked itself onto live tree as it was falling, and was holding on by a 5 inch branch about 25 feet off the ground. I couldn't reach the hook branch, and I didn't want to fell the live tree to get the dead one down. It would have been pretty dangerous to try to cut the dead try while it leaned, so I bought this saw. I threw a weighted rope over the hook branch, then tied this saw onto the rope end. Tied another rope onto the other end of this saw, and pulled it up and over the branch. I got lucky because the teeth happened to wind up facing the wood. There are teeth on only one side of the chain, so if it had been flipped, I would have had to work it on and off the limb until the teeth were facing the wood. It cut through the branch smoothly. Sawing something 25 feet over your head is not easy, and this was about the best experience I could have hoped for. The branch came off after a LOT of sawing (my arms will be sore tomorrow) and down came the dead tree. So I definitely got my money's worth. Much cheaper than hiring a tree guy.

I can't believe this worked. 230am my wife is heading off to work. It's been raining all day the prior day. She wakes me up telling me a tree has fallen. And it's blocking the drive way. Now I'm not talking about a big tree but big enough that I can't move on my own. After trying to figure out how to move this big tree out of the way I remember that I had just purchased this sabercut chain saw. Now mind you I never thought I was going to actually use it to cut a big branch. The most I thought I was going to use it for was to cut a couple of 1 inch thick branches for firewood. Did I say WOW.... This sabercut chain saw did the job on a thick 7+ inch branch. Again never did I ever think it would do the jobBut it did. And at 230am when I was groggy and cranky because I had just gone to bed 2 hours earlier. Again this did the job when ask. Painless and very very fast.Did I say WOW! Great tool for your gobag/SHTF

Amazing sturdy little tool! I went through a forearm sized LIVE branch in under a minute (give or take a second or two). GET A SHARPENER! I also purchased  Smiths Consumer Products PP1 Pocket Knife Sharpener, Sharpens all type of knives, Fast & Easy Pull Thru Design. . It fits well in the provided pouch. It takes a minute to get a rythme going, but then it really cuts.I'm going to get one for my son.3 Years later: Only used it a few more times since I bought a couple of folding saws. A Valley Pro Gator 8" folding saw, and recently a  Primos Folding Saw . But the times I used it were in rough conditions and on large (5"-6") branches. This thing works and gives me peace of mind in the woods.

Bought this because I didn't want to girdle with my chainsaw. Worked perfectly! I was able to girdle four trees with the pocket saw a hammer and a wood chisel. A nice alternative to a gas-powered saw or an expensive girdling tool. Worked well on trees up to 10 inches. Anything larger might be a challenge. Very happy with the outcome for the price, although after doing the four trees I probably need to have the chain sharpened.

I have been searching for the perfect tool for cutting wood when backpacking, and I have finally found it. Not only is this saw with case a full two pounds lighter than the gerber gator saw II that I was carrying, it makes much quicker work of sawing through wood. I was sawing through 5-6 inch diameter peices in approximately 30 seconds. I was blown away by how much faster it was, as well as how much less energy it took, than anything I previously experimented with while backpacking (hatchet, machete, bow saw).The only other chain saw that I can compare this to is the pocket chain saw, which comes in a can. This saw cuts faster, is more ergonomic, and the pouch that it stores in is supperior to the can of the other saw. All in all, this saw is now a permanent feature when I go backpacking. I do not forsee trying any other products, as this one is pretty much perfect.

Works very well. You have to be realistic. It is a chainsaw blade, but unless you have the strength of a chainsaw motor, some things are going to be too big. Saying that, the purpose of this is to cut through things from about 3 inches up to 8 inches, depending on you prior experience with saws. I actually found it to be more effective that a bow saw in some situations, which is quite a feet (this and a bow saw cut similar thickness's of wood). Although it confusingly says Orange in the title, mine did come in black. I found the puch to be very useful to carry it, and the 'self cleaning' part of it to be well worth the extra money. I always believe that, sometimes, paying a bit more money for a higher quality product is worth it, this is one of those situations. There are cheaper versions, yes, but this is a much better quality and is unlikely to break as quickly. LIKE I SAID IN THE TITLE, the fundamental problem with those 'survival' wire saws is in the way that wire is made. Wire is made from a ductile material, if you dont know what that is then it means that the material is first heated up and then pulled into shape. Now think to the purpose of the wire 'survival saw'. Sawing in the way that wire saws do relies on friction. Friction causes heat. Heat causes the wire to stretch, and so the wire will snap, making the whole designed of a wire saw, pointless.Which is why I went for for this saw, much more reliable in survival situations, and will also be useful in the back garden. And will cut so much faster.

I used this product together with a length of paracord to cut down some fairly large branches that were around 25-30 ft high in a tree. Once in position the saw made surprisingly quick progress through the wood, taking less than 10 minutes to cut through each 10 inch diameter branch. The small size and weight would also make it ideal for an emergency kit, or for anyone out gathering firewood.

Good little pocket saw but be prepared for some work as forgot I'm getting on a bit

Good saw. Though more of a gimic than a tool. It works, but will take you a long time. A laplander is by far the most practical hand held saw I have found and takes up little more space in your pack.

Excellent bit of kit. Hard work on hard woods but gets the job done