How much better is a more expensive pruning saw?

[d000hg]

I had a £10 folding saw and it was no good. So I got a £20 Davin ones while back:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LX3RH3V

Still not pricey but really effective for garden clearance. It's a tool I use a lot so one that is worth having a good one.
If I paid more would I see a huge difference? How much do I need to spend for something good, that would improve cutting speed and reduce effort substantially?
I don't want a much bigger blade since I do a fair amount of close work without a lot of space.

 

[Mike10]

I use one of these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00GHDMV4M
I find it cuts really well, the hook on the end is useful for dragging out brambles etc and stops the blade coming out of the cut as you saw so you can use the entire blade length on each stroke without fear. And you can stick it on the end of the Gardena poles to get extra reach.

 

[StephenOak]

I have the earlier version of what @Mike10 mentioned, https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0001E41WS

Like him I think it is really good. A friend has been helping me cut back / down some trees (laurels & hollies) and on a couple of time he has been surprised at how fast I have got through things.

As well as the longer handles (1300 mm & 1500 mm) I have a shorter handle (just under 800mm) and have used the saw with that quite a bit; to give just an extra bit of reach and avoid getting a ladder out or on top of a ladder, to cut a number of branches w/o having to move the ladder.

 

[d000hg]

I can definitely appreciate the hook.

So no deluge of Silke fans saying I should spend £60 then?

 

[StephenOak]

So no deluge of Silke fans saying I should spend £60 then?

I have never had one so I can't comment.

However there has to be some element of diminishing returns. A saw from a pound shop will be, shall we say, not very good. £10 will get you a better one, quite possibly 10 times (or more) as good. £30 will get a better one, maybe three times as good as the £10 one. £60 will get a better one still but almost certainly not twice as good as the £30 one, maybe only 20% better.

Is that that small improvement worth the money? How often do you use it? How often does it enable you to do a job that you could not do or would need to get a different tool for?

For a professional it may well be worth it in a week, for a home gardener it may never be worth it.

BTW, Silky not Silke.

 

[d000hg]

Sure. I have no idea how much better they are. Reviewers drool over some of these high-end versions and I'm sure I saw someone cut a 4" tree with one but equally I don't spend hours cutting every day so a few extra minutes here and there isn't a huge deal.

I wonder what the sweet spot is... £20, £30?

 

[StephenOak]

these high-end versions and I'm sure I saw someone cut a 4" tree with one

Not that impressive IMO. I have made cuts roughly that thick at height with mine on a long handle. Low down I would use a bowsaw unless access was awkward.

I wonder what the sweet spot is... £20, £30?

For most home gardeners I would guess somewhere about there, for a professional using it everyday then maybe more, as a few minutes saved (or carrying one less tool) every day mounts up.

Of course you need to shop around. I pulled the URL for my (no longer sold) saw from a post I made a few months ago and I said "Whilst searching for a picture I came across it cheaper (and more expensive) on Ebay". Out of curiosity I just looked again on Ebay and the first five prices for the new one range from £38.62 to
£52.81 - against an Amazon price of £29.

 

[Mike10]

It is worth shopping around, having checked, I paid £21 for my Gardena saw (not the £29 that Amazon want), but there was probably postage costs on top of that.

Speaking of £60 saws......... I recently bought one of these as a replacement head for my pole saws.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Ars-Uv-47-...oles-470mm/1430990886?iid=132530999803&chn=ps
Using it on up to 10 metres of poles you don't want to be sawing it more than you need to.
I have used it to cut up to 8" branches on 6 metres of poles and it wasn't really a major struggle. (did have to stop a few times to rest my shoulder muscles though )
It is a fantastic saw, and in the situation I mention exactly what is required, but does it cut 3 times better than the Gardena one? probably not in all honesty.

 

[d000hg]

On the topic of polesaws, do they all use a standard fitting like paint rollers and things do?

 

[Mike10]

Not in my experience, no.
When I was looking there seemed to be many variations, some research, or input from someone more knowledgeable than myself, may be required if you are looking to buy some.
My poles are old cylindrical fibreglass ones (can't afford a new set, so making do with hand-me-downs). The saw head fitted fairly snug into the end of a pole so I drilled through and fitted it with a bolt to secure it. I got lucky I think, but I bought it in the knowledge that I would probably have to fabricate something to mount it onto these old poles as the existing mount looked very home made to start with.

 

[foxhole]

The saw price tends to reflect the quality and therefore how long the saw will keep its edge but cheap saws with cut as effectively as more expensive models just not last .

 

[lostinthelight]

The saw price tends to reflect the quality and therefore how long the saw will keep its edge but cheap saws with cut as effectively as more expensive models just not last .

How long a saw keeps its edge is not the only defining factor between different quallity saws.
Cheap saws dont clear the cut resulting in jamming, poor tooth profile causes them to skid down the branch when angle cutting and if part cut branches fall trapping/ bending the blade, they rarely spring back to a usable state.

 

[blup]

I used a wolf garten pruning saw which lasted and kept its sharpness well. That was followed by a Silky Zubat saw 300mm which was phenomenally sharp - and cut very quickly and smoothly - although a little of that initial sharpness was lost after the first job - pruning and de limbing a 20 foot conifer prior to its felling.

Blup