LOVE the Zubat. First Silky I ever got and HIGHLY impressed by how quickly it can cut. Durable tool, have one at a campsite that gets used 4-5 weekends a year and has held up for ~6 years. Great review!
because of how much I've liked it, i've also got the gomboy 270, (straight blade) the katanaboy 650, bigboy 2000, and pocketboy 130. All have their uses!
Also, great vid. Wonderful demonstration. Keep up the good work. You got a new subscriber. One last thing: You cut into the branch collar of the tree at 5:35. While it may not be life or death for the tree, cutting the branch collar prevents the tree from effectively compartmentalizing disease which may give it a disadvantage during times of drought or pestilence. :)
You did that effortlessly Brian . I might have to put this on my Christmas wish list. That was a good review. BTW we got some cooler weather coming to our mountain state. I think the high for Friday is going to be 53° . I finsh up midnight shift Friday morning, i really am looking forward to cooler temps. You and Terry take care. Looking forward to your build to. You got some pretty property from what I can see. 👍👍👍👍
Thanks! Man you're lucky, haha. It's still hitting in the mid 80's here and very humid. They say it's supposed to drop significantly next week...I'm not going to hold my breath haha. Have a good one! Brian
The first bushcraft saw I bought was the Zubat 390. Ya, little big but with 15.5" of blade and amazing handle, nothing comes close to this thing for speed and ease of cutting for a small saw. Yep, belt clip is great too.
those AMAZING features about buckle and rollers... they are cheap and easy... if you look in a kitchen some of them have the exact same design of rollers, the good RV's have it and yet, they are overlooked... The Japanese know how to make some good saws
the zubat i'm thinking on buying along with the gomtaro for fruit tree work and some tree work. on the last tree you managed to make a huge barber chair that can be very very dangerous for bigger trees. when you have a leaning tree you will get those barber chairs almost guaranteed. to avoid barber chairs do a back cut. this applies for smaller trees. for bigger leaning trees it's best to get a professional. thnx for the video!
@@ForestToFarm Pretty sure he means do a sink cut, basically this shape < in the direction you want the tree to go and then a back cut like you did in the video.
@@Celric_Death Cutting a wedge or notch in the direction you want the tree to fall and then a back cut will not in fact prevent a barber chair. The cause of barber chair is that there is so much weight distributed in the direction of the lean that if you make your back cut on the outside of the tree it cannot support the weight and it splits vertically. Hence barber chair. To prevent this you really need to plunge cut through the middle of the trunk and then cut back out of the tree away from your wedge and the tree will fall.
You are welcome! We both have big hands and this thing fits perfectly. More than fit its got an awesome grip. By the way we also have the Sugoi 420 which is equally awesome. Terry
Thomas De Groof I got the zubat and I love it. Can take out 6” trees no problem. I’ve done a couple big 10-12” diameter trees also, just takes a while.
remember your training, trees with a lot of bend have a lot of stored up energy which have killed in the past... the infamous widow makers, deaths are uncommon because they are respected... It's easy to lull yourself into false security when cutting trees with a slight lean..
Always on the lookout for dangerous situations. We have seen some crazy stuff out there and even the best experts get hurt sometimes. You can never be to careful. Terry
Dear Brian, What a wonderful review of an incredible product, most impressive. How about cutting a slice of ham for your breakfast &/ packed lunch. Great video, keep it up. Kind regards.
Dear Brian, Thank you very much for your courteous reply, however the question remains how well will wonderful saw fare against a leg of ham? Will one get a truly fine clean cut? Regards.
In my mid 60's......camp & RV saw. This saw is better than my buck saw for me. It cleans as it saws and there's no bind. The buck saw doesn't give a wide enough opposing set in the teeth, so there's no comparison with my Silky. I TOOK OLD TO WORK HARD, so buy it and work smart.
Very helpful videos. I'm cleaning up some property with a lot of invasive hardwood trees (buckthorn). I see you, unlike most demonstrating Silky have hardwoods on your property. You find the large teeth and curved blades work OK for felling hardwoods? Some other folks have recommended straight fixed saws with medium teeth for hardwoods, but I'm able to currently drop 'em using a 24" bowsaw with widely spaced teeth. Just have trouble getting at the multitrunked buckthorns and getting a start on smaller green suckers. Thank you.
Thank you. We love the Silky saws. We have had zero issues using it and we have oaks of several types, sweet gum, dogwood, black cherry and may others. Cuts better than anything we have ever used. Terry
Good stuff. People ask us st times why we would use a hand saw when we own a chainsaw. Lets see. No need for gas. Very light and portable. You can cut most stuff down with a hand saw faster than it would take to get the chainsaw and get it running. Plus it may sound a bit crazy but personally I just like hard work. Thanks for watching!! Terry
@@ForestToFarm yip... the time saved is the clincher. I've started using scythes as well in certain places for brush cutting ... I'm amazed how effective a good edged scythe is in light brush.
Same here. Yesterday I actually used a shovel to chop at the base of some dead fennel plants from last year. Then I decided to try swinging it and amazingly it chopped those plants down faster than anything I have used for that type of. Condition. Then that gave me an Idea. I will share it here on the channel when I get it perfected. Always looking for a new better way to get things done. Terry
You had a 'barber chair' form when cutting the last tree. Potentially very dangerous for people in the vicinity. There's useful RUclips videos showing how to avoid barber chairs when cutting.
Hey James, its a long story but we hope to start building our two homes soon. Then a shop and a barn. Also a few outbuildings. Glad to have you following! Terry
as great as this saw and silky stuff is, im using the same zübat since may and had other silkys and pullsaws, im finding reviews that only show one side not trustworthy nor professional. a review is meant to show good and bad sides of a product. the 12 minutes now were a silky advertisement deluxe. thumbs down cause this big time. downsides of this great saw: the sheath. its not only quite dangerous to pull the saw in and especially out, you really need to focus on this, but the sawteeth itself rip the plastic of the upper sheathpart. you need to bend the saw slighty when pulling in and out therefore. makes this even more possibly dangerous. sheath needs to be redesigned by silky, even it has some smart ideas to it, like the roller system, beltclip and thumb-push thingy. other than the sheath and the high price i agree, i cant find other problems with the saw and finding it the best bushcraft saw for small to medium sized wood, hard or soft. its just so much more comfortable and ergonomic, compared to straight handles like bigboy 2000/gomboy. maybe they could offer a variant with teeth that can be resharpened nicely.
So funny, you are actually in love with a saw!! It’s that simple , you can’t beat that functionality ! It’s so nice. You must have been well paid to make thus ad?
No pay but if they offered we would gladly take the money to give our honest personal opinion. So am I to assume you do all you do for free? We have had several offers for free stuff from various companies. It all looked like junk so we said no thank you. We only endorse stuff we have used and believe in. Funny how many people out there are opposed to a person on RUclips making money. If we say a product is good we believe that to be true. If we do not like a product we will simply not talk about it. You can bet your bottom dollar if someone offer us money to review a product we like we are going to take it and we will make that clear in the video.
I want!!! My only concern is sharpening. Does silky have a sharpening program or network of recommend blade smith? I have been a professional groomer for over 10 years and I wont and don’t hand my Japanese steel grooming sheers and blades to your everyday sharpener. Japanese steel is the best and must be resharpened by the best who understand Japanese steel metallurgy and sharpening geometry for which is was designed for maximum performance.
I am not sure. However there is a "ask and expert" section on Tree Stuffs web site. They may be able to help you with technical concerns. Here is the Zubat on Tree Stuff's web site. www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?item=16882 Well worth the money!! Terry
My research is limited but from what I've read, the zubat has replacement blades, which is a convenient option but it's a shame to discard a blade when needing the teeth sharpness to be at performance level. According to Silky regarding sharpening the saw blades: _"The answer is both yes and no. Here is the explanation. For most customers it is hard to recapture the original edge and many prefer to simply replace the blade. So it is possible however, the blades are made of very high quality Japanese steel and are heat tempered on the cutting edges for long lasting service. They were not designed to be sharpened but instead to keep the edge sharper much longer than traditional blades. "_ I've seen people demonstrate sharpening of Silky saw blades but I don't know if it's a common practice.
Dremel with a diamond edge wheel attachment. WEAR EYE PROTECTION. Takes about 45 mins though to do all teeth properly. Probably worth just replacing blade unless you have more free time than I do 🤷♂️😁
Good video on saw quality. However, definitely no arborist. Never flush cut a limb (horrible for the tree, inviting infection), or back cut on a tree you intend to fell. Make a proper notch 60% through, back cut 30% (leaving 10% holding wood... dangerous otherwise). Great review
@@roastedrasta7034 Yeah for sure this, a 60% face cut is way too much, cutting a face cut 50% or more is a horrible idea and is a excellent way to have your hinge crack off early. Between 20-30% for a face cut and a 70-60% back cut leaving a 10% hinge depending on the tree.
@@ForestToFarm For future reference the line running down the limb right near the stem is the branch bark collar, you should mirror that as your final pruning cut to promote proper recovery. Might not seem like a big deal but an incorrect pruning cut will leave the tree open to infection and disease.
The Corona is a good saw. We have owned 4 of them now. Two the blade broke on. One completely fell apart after extensive use. The fourth is currently our backup. The Silky in this video I am linking is several years old. A friend gave it to us that is an Arborist. He used it heavily for over a year before giving it to us. Now we use it more than the Corona's yet they have failed and the Silky lives on to be one of the best we have ever used. The Corona is great but does not hold up over long periods of heavy use nor does it cut near as effortlessly as does the Silky. Terry ruclips.net/video/zAZ_lVIpqs8/видео.html
And you’d have to be drunk to say corona and Zubat in the same sentence. I have a Mercedes and could get 4 Fords for the price. It doesn’t make them the same
LOVE the Zubat. First Silky I ever got and HIGHLY impressed by how quickly it can cut. Durable tool, have one at a campsite that gets used 4-5 weekends a year and has held up for ~6 years. Great review!
Thanks! Yeah we love that saw. The blade is so smooth that it just glides right through the wood with little drag resistance.
Terry
I've had a zubat 270 for a few years now, its hands down my favorite outdoor tool i've ever used! Going to get its bigger brother the zubat 390.
because of how much I've liked it, i've also got the gomboy 270, (straight blade) the katanaboy 650, bigboy 2000, and pocketboy 130. All have their uses!
Wow you got it going on in the saw world. We love the Silky line of saws. Top notch!!
Terry
Also, great vid. Wonderful demonstration. Keep up the good work. You got a new subscriber.
One last thing: You cut into the branch collar of the tree at 5:35. While it may not be life or death for the tree, cutting the branch collar prevents the tree from effectively compartmentalizing disease which may give it a disadvantage during times of drought or pestilence. :)
Thanks man! And thanks for the advice. We are not experts on this stuff and can use all the support we can get, lol.
Terry
You did that effortlessly Brian . I might have to put this on my Christmas wish list. That was a good review. BTW we got some cooler weather coming to our mountain state. I think the high for Friday is going to be 53° . I finsh up midnight shift Friday morning, i really am looking forward to cooler temps. You and Terry take care. Looking forward to your build to. You got some pretty property from what I can see. 👍👍👍👍
Thanks! Man you're lucky, haha. It's still hitting in the mid 80's here and very humid. They say it's supposed to drop significantly next week...I'm not going to hold my breath haha. Have a good one!
Brian
The first bushcraft saw I bought was the Zubat 390. Ya, little big but with 15.5" of blade and amazing handle, nothing comes close to this thing for speed and ease of cutting for a small saw. Yep, belt clip is great too.
They make some good stuff!
Terry
those AMAZING features about buckle and rollers... they are cheap and easy... if you look in a kitchen some of them have the exact same design of rollers, the good RV's have it and yet, they are overlooked...
The Japanese know how to make some good saws
Great saws! They do know how to make good saws for sure.
Terry
Too be fair, i can't really think of anything the japanese don't make way better than they have to be.
the zubat i'm thinking on buying along with the gomtaro for fruit tree work and some tree work.
on the last tree you managed to make a huge barber chair that can be very very dangerous for bigger trees. when you have a leaning tree you will get those barber chairs almost guaranteed. to avoid barber chairs do a back cut. this applies for smaller trees. for bigger leaning trees it's best to get a professional.
thnx for the video!
The Zubat is awesome! Thanks for the advice.
Terry
@@ForestToFarm Pretty sure he means do a sink cut, basically this shape < in the direction you want the tree to go and then a back cut like you did in the video.
@@Celric_Death Cutting a wedge or notch in the direction you want the tree to fall and then a back cut will not in fact prevent a barber chair. The cause of barber chair is that there is so much weight distributed in the direction of the lean that if you make your back cut on the outside of the tree it cannot support the weight and it splits vertically. Hence barber chair. To prevent this you really need to plunge cut through the middle of the trunk and then cut back out of the tree away from your wedge and the tree will fall.
Thanks for the big hand comment! I’m making a decision between the Sugoi and the zubat. Pictures make the zubat handle look smaller
You are welcome! We both have big hands and this thing fits perfectly. More than fit its got an awesome grip. By the way we also have the Sugoi 420 which is equally awesome.
Terry
Which one did you go with? I'm also hesitating between those 2 particular saws.
Thomas De Groof I got the zubat and I love it. Can take out 6” trees no problem. I’ve done a couple big 10-12” diameter trees also, just takes a while.
remember your training, trees with a lot of bend have a lot of stored up energy which have killed in the past... the infamous widow makers, deaths are uncommon because they are respected...
It's easy to lull yourself into false security when cutting trees with a slight lean..
Always on the lookout for dangerous situations. We have seen some crazy stuff out there and even the best experts get hurt sometimes. You can never be to careful.
Terry
What and where do you recommend doing some research on the correct ways and dangers of felling trees? Thanks!
Dear Brian,
What a wonderful review of an incredible product, most impressive. How about cutting a slice of ham for your breakfast &/ packed lunch. Great video, keep it up. Kind regards.
Thanks! Man now I want ham! I love ham, haha. Have good day!
Brian
Dear Brian,
Thank you very much for your courteous reply, however the question remains how well will wonderful saw fare against a leg of ham? Will one get a truly fine clean cut? Regards.
Cut ham with a toothed blade??? That’s crazy talk 😂
In my mid 60's......camp & RV saw. This saw is better than my buck saw for me. It cleans as it saws and there's no bind. The buck saw doesn't give a wide enough opposing set in the teeth, so there's no comparison with my Silky. I TOOK OLD TO WORK HARD, so buy it and work smart.
Good tool for sure!
Terry
Very helpful videos. I'm cleaning up some property with a lot of invasive hardwood trees (buckthorn). I see you, unlike most demonstrating Silky have hardwoods on your property. You find the large teeth and curved blades work OK for felling hardwoods? Some other folks have recommended straight fixed saws with medium teeth for hardwoods, but I'm able to currently drop 'em using a 24" bowsaw with widely spaced teeth. Just have trouble getting at the multitrunked buckthorns and getting a start on smaller green suckers. Thank you.
Thank you. We love the Silky saws. We have had zero issues using it and we have oaks of several types, sweet gum, dogwood, black cherry and may others. Cuts better than anything we have ever used.
Terry
my type of falling trees is different i use a chopper to remove the bark around it and give a few chop then finish it a sharp saw
That would probably make the cutting part of the job a bit easier.
Terry
@@ForestToFarm yes a lot easier it took year to elaborate the technique of cutting but it is highly appreciated
Which is better?
This or the bigboy
Guess it all depends on the situation or what you need it for. They are top notch for sure!
Terry
To steal a comment I saw on another video...
"This thing tears through wood like a beaver on PCP."
Hahaha VERY true!
who comments is from
I adore mine... I manage some woodland.. I very rarely use the chainsaw...
Good stuff. People ask us st times why we would use a hand saw when we own a chainsaw. Lets see. No need for gas. Very light and portable. You can cut most stuff down with a hand saw faster than it would take to get the chainsaw and get it running. Plus it may sound a bit crazy but personally I just like hard work. Thanks for watching!!
Terry
@@ForestToFarm yip... the time saved is the clincher. I've started using scythes as well in certain places for brush cutting ... I'm amazed how effective a good edged scythe is in light brush.
Same here. Yesterday I actually used a shovel to chop at the base of some dead fennel plants from last year. Then I decided to try swinging it and amazingly it chopped those plants down faster than anything I have used for that type of. Condition. Then that gave me an Idea. I will share it here on the channel when I get it perfected. Always looking for a new better way to get things done.
Terry
Thank you for sharing , great video
Your welcome and thanks!!
Terry
Excellent review
Thanks!! Love the Silky Saws!!!!
@@ForestToFarm I just ordered the same one from online. Thanks for inspiring me ☺️
@@Goodpatron Ha ha, no problem!!
great review, I like the saw, getting it!
Thanks! Its an awesome saw for sure!
Terry
You link doesnt have the same saw tho, I want the 5.5. the link brings me to a 7.5....... where is THAT specific one you got? thanks
Maybe they are no longer selling that version? Might be able to find it on google search?
Sorry,
Terry
Thanks
You are welcome! Excellent tool.
Terry
You had a 'barber chair' form when cutting the last tree. Potentially very dangerous for people in the vicinity. There's useful RUclips videos showing how to avoid barber chairs when cutting.
Yeah it was not really meant to be an instructional video on how to cut trees safely. 😁
Terry
new to ur channel..when are u going to start putting a building up..big jim from bonny sccojtland i dont see a building.
Hey James, its a long story but we hope to start building our two homes soon. Then a shop and a barn. Also a few outbuildings. Glad to have you following!
Terry
as great as this saw and silky stuff is, im using the same zübat since may and had other silkys and pullsaws, im finding reviews that only show one side not trustworthy nor professional. a review is meant to show good and bad sides of a product. the 12 minutes now were a silky advertisement deluxe. thumbs down cause this big time.
downsides of this great saw: the sheath. its not only quite dangerous to pull the saw in and especially out, you really need to focus on this, but the sawteeth itself rip the plastic of the upper sheathpart. you need to bend the saw slighty when pulling in and out therefore. makes this even more possibly dangerous.
sheath needs to be redesigned by silky, even it has some smart ideas to it, like the roller system, beltclip and thumb-push thingy.
other than the sheath and the high price i agree, i cant find other problems with the saw and finding it the best bushcraft saw for small to medium sized wood, hard or soft. its just so much more comfortable and ergonomic, compared to straight handles like bigboy 2000/gomboy.
maybe they could offer a variant with teeth that can be resharpened nicely.
We have had nothing but good luck so far. :)
Terry
prefer the Sugowaza you should try bigger the zubat
Yeah they are nice!!
Terry
Insane! True made in japan.
Very good stuff!!
Terry
Now a days a cop see you with that he's gonna think your carrying a weapon.
Yeah its only getting worse every day.
Terry
great saw
Sure is! I've not found a bad one yet from them.
Now that a fancy skaboard
It does an awesome job!
@@ForestToFarm yea they do. I'm trying to decide witch one to buy.
Get one of each, ha ha.
Terry
Text overlay: Not 5.5 teeth per millimeter - 5.5 millimeter tooth pitch.
Hmmm. We took the info from the box. There may have been a misprint? Will have to look into that.
Terry
So funny, you are actually in love with a saw!! It’s that simple , you can’t beat that functionality ! It’s so nice. You must have been well paid to make thus ad?
No pay but if they offered we would gladly take the money to give our honest personal opinion. So am I to assume you do all you do for free? We have had several offers for free stuff from various companies. It all looked like junk so we said no thank you. We only endorse stuff we have used and believe in. Funny how many people out there are opposed to a person on RUclips making money. If we say a product is good we believe that to be true. If we do not like a product we will simply not talk about it. You can bet your bottom dollar if someone offer us money to review a product we like we are going to take it and we will make that clear in the video.
I want!!!
My only concern is sharpening. Does silky have a sharpening program or network of recommend blade smith?
I have been a professional groomer for over 10 years and I wont and don’t hand my Japanese steel grooming sheers and blades to your everyday sharpener.
Japanese steel is the best and must be resharpened by the best who understand Japanese steel metallurgy and sharpening geometry for which is was designed for maximum performance.
I am not sure. However there is a "ask and expert" section on Tree Stuffs web site. They may be able to help you with technical concerns. Here is the Zubat on Tree Stuff's web site. www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?item=16882
Well worth the money!!
Terry
My research is limited but from what I've read, the zubat has replacement blades, which is a convenient option but it's a shame to discard a blade when needing the teeth sharpness to be at performance level.
According to Silky regarding sharpening the saw blades:
_"The answer is both yes and no. Here is the explanation. For most customers it is hard to recapture the original edge and many prefer to simply replace the blade. So it is possible however, the blades are made of very high quality Japanese steel and are heat tempered on the cutting edges for long lasting service. They were not designed to be sharpened but instead to keep the edge sharper much longer than traditional blades. "_
I've seen people demonstrate sharpening of Silky saw blades but I don't know if it's a common practice.
Good info. This thing is awesome and it stays sharp for a long time.
Terry
Dremel with a diamond edge wheel attachment. WEAR EYE PROTECTION. Takes about 45 mins though to do all teeth properly. Probably worth just replacing blade unless you have more free time than I do 🤷♂️😁
Good video on saw quality. However, definitely no arborist. Never flush cut a limb (horrible for the tree, inviting infection), or back cut on a tree you intend to fell. Make a proper notch 60% through, back cut 30% (leaving 10% holding wood... dangerous otherwise).
Great review
Thanks! And yeah we are no tree surgeons, lol.
Terry
More like 30% for face cut 60% back cut
I cringed... right through the branch collar... lol
@@roastedrasta7034 Yeah for sure this, a 60% face cut is way too much, cutting a face cut 50% or more is a horrible idea and is a excellent way to have your hinge crack off early. Between 20-30% for a face cut and a 70-60% back cut leaving a 10% hinge depending on the tree.
@@ForestToFarm For future reference the line running down the limb right near the stem is the branch bark collar, you should mirror that as your final pruning cut to promote proper recovery. Might not seem like a big deal but an incorrect pruning cut will leave the tree open to infection and disease.
I can buy 3 coronas for that price
The Corona is a good saw. We have owned 4 of them now. Two the blade broke on. One completely fell apart after extensive use. The fourth is currently our backup. The Silky in this video I am linking is several years old. A friend gave it to us that is an Arborist. He used it heavily for over a year before giving it to us. Now we use it more than the Corona's yet they have failed and the Silky lives on to be one of the best we have ever used. The Corona is great but does not hold up over long periods of heavy use nor does it cut near as effortlessly as does the Silky. Terry
ruclips.net/video/zAZ_lVIpqs8/видео.html
And you’d have to be drunk to say corona and Zubat in the same sentence.
I have a Mercedes and could get 4 Fords for the price. It doesn’t make them the same