Silky Gomboy vs Agawa Boreal 21...


I'd say bucksaw types are more robust and the blades are certainly cheaper. They're also pretty easy to make (and/or repair). But I've become a big fan of Silky saws. I own a Bigboy 2000 and a Gomboy 240. You have to be more careful about technique (i.e. not jamming the blade on the push stroke), but they are cutting machines. There's also the convenience factor of merely unfolding the saw and going to work. These days, Silky's ride in my truck kit and day pack.

PC
 
So the silky saws are nice sometimes. They do cut very fast and work very well on cutting fat wood. However I am not a fan of the thinner blades. I have a gomboy and an ultra accel. The ultra accel has a thicker blade which I prefer. Silky saws are faster to deploy and use and a little more discrete.

The Agawa Canyon saw with the sidney rancher blade is the fastest cutting saw I've ever come across. Its more comfortable than silky saws and because of the bucksaw design it will be more durable. You'll also have less blade flex if the saw binds. This will result in a lower chance of blade breakage. Because of the design you do have a size restriction when it comes to the diameter of the log you can cut. However I have rarely ever needed to cut something that large.

I will use my Agawa Canyon when I know I need to cut a lot of wood and I'll use my silky for quick trips to the woods.
 
I will add this. I ran an arborist supply shop for 7 years. The most popular saw by far for professionals, was Silkys. Out of the 7 years, I only saw one broken blade. Which was from dropping the saw from up in a tree.
That's guys using them every single day. Not the occasional camp or bushcraft outing.
I wouldnt worry about the durability.
 
watch a couple of videos of people trying to saw real fire size logs with both saws. the AGAWA Boreal 21" cuts circles around the 240mm (9.5") Silky Gomboy.

the only thing these small folding saws have over a real bucksaw is that they fold. big whoop. the Boreal folds down into a size that fits in a day pack. unfold it and you can cut more and bigger wood faster, with less work.

when I need to carry something in my pocket or on my belt for pruning trees or cutting shooting lanes from my hunting stand, I use a folding pruning saw but till then, a bucksaw will run off and hide from one of the little folders...
 
Look at the two. The Silky can cut through anything that's up to twice as thick as its blade is long... be a pain to do it, because you can only move the blade so far on a stroke, but there's nothing physically preventing it.

The Boreal has a depth limit, set by the top frame. you can't go deeper than that. So you're limited to stock twice as thick as that depth.
 
wvtracker14 said:
Silky Saw hands down, I've never used a bucksaw that cut anywhere near as good as a silky blade. I don't think its a fair comparison with the Gomboy and Bucksaw though since obviously the boreal has a longer blade, a more fair comparison would be the Silky Big boy and Boreal.
Click to expand...

I agree, should be comparing saws closer in size. The Big Boy is a better comparison. Not sure if this was mentioned, but a benefit of the silky saws is you can get a decent amount of reach with the bigger ones like the Big Boy. So if you want to trim some branches above your head it’s not a problem. Sure you can do that with a buck saw but it’s more cumbersome.
 
NordicWolf said:
What do you mean when you are talking on the depth limited point?
Click to expand...

Seeker said:
Look at the two. The Silky can cut through anything that's up to twice as thick as its blade is long... be a pain to do it, because you can only move the blade so far on a stroke, but there's nothing physically preventing it.

The Boreal has a depth limit, set by the top frame. you can't go deeper than that. So you're limited to stock twice as thick as that depth.
Click to expand...

What Seeker said.
 
I have never seen a valid reason for carrying a large saw for camping. I finally got rid of the cheap folding saw I had and got a Gomboy. It is perfect, IMO, for camping. No need to build log cabins or whatever, at least in EVERY area I have been. Dead wood can be found and used as is, and if sawing is necessary, the little saw does it. For me, if a ‘campfire’ is happening, I will usually just burn wood in two and put it back in the fire. I even do that in my yard firepit sometimes.
Of course, YMMV :14:
 
Birdman said:
Silky. The Boreal is nice and solid, but nothing cuts like a Silky, and not depth limited like the boreal.
Click to expand...


Bumping this thread, as I've had to transition from a long time Silky user, to a Boreal 21 due to a wrist injury. I've realized the Boreal is a bit more ergonomic and easier on the wrist than the Silky. I think it lies in the fact that the bucksaw keeps your hand inline with your forearm, where as a pruning style saw your wrist has to be bent in most cutting situations.
Just food for thought for anyone who might be comparing the two saws.
 
I use a silky sugoi for pruning my fruit trees, but for winter camping stove wood I use a 24” blazer take down saw with a bahco drywood blade, cutting 6” or smaller logs it’s faster and easier than the silky, replacement blade’s are $12 and weigh an ounce.
Just what works for me, good luck to you.
 
Lots of votes for the Silky. I can't disagree. I do prefer the large teeth models over the xtra large teeth. Probably just bad technique on my part.
 
Reliability goes to the Boreal. I used a Silky for a long time and the amount of blades that snapped is crazy. No matter how careful you try and be, if you’re cutting a lot of wood, you get caught up in it and get sloppy. IMHO.
 
I've got a Silky and have had the Boreal 21. Both worked good for me. Sometimes it seemed the two point attached blade on the Boreal was a little more steady than the Silky on some types of wood. I don't have the Boreal 21 anymore but I'll be getting one for Christmas. The Silky has stayed in my kit as it is my goto saw. Can't beat them overall IMHO.
 
I have the Boreal 21 and I plan to buy a gomboy soon. Only because the gomboy is half the length on/in my backpack but can cut logs just as big as the Boreal 21 due to not having a frame above the blade to factor in.
 
I made a 24" folding bucksaw out of Oak about 12 years ago. I've replaced the blade on it a number of times, but it's held up well. I buy the bahco blades meant for dead wood. When the blade is brand new, it zips through wood so fast, it's a pleasure to use. I am pretty sure it's just my technique, but anytime I try cutting wood over 4", my cut tends to curve, adding a lot of friction and extra sawing and frustration.
I only bring this saw on car camping trips because of it's weight and size. It's not as easy or convenient to use if you want to break it down and set it up multiple times on a trip.

So I have made do with a Bahco Laplander for many years. It's light and small and durable and easy to deploy. It doesn't cut as efficiently and quickly as other saws, but it is durable. I don't cut logs with it, just smaller stuff under 4inches. Most of the time, larger wood can be burned in half or in a star shaped fire lay, if necessary.

I recently got a Silky big boy, and I'm pretty excited to try it out. I've shied away from the Silkys in the past because of the price and the durability concern, but it should give me pretty close to the performance of my bucksaw in a smaller, lighter package that is easier to deploy.

Anyway, to sum it all up, there's definitely something to be said for tools that are fast and easy to deploy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top