Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

It’s long past time I replaced my ancient, rusted-out folding backpacking saw. I’ve carried that thing for maybe twenty years, used it exclusively for fire prep on backcountry camping trips, usually for cutting deadwood off of mostly pine and oak trees. I sat down to do my research, and found glowing reviews of both the Laplander and the Pocket Boy. The more I read, the more I was sure that I wanted one of these saw... but which one? Being kinda obsessive, I settled on “both.” So, which one is better? Hard to say. They weigh almost exactly the same (181 grams for Laplander, 173 for the Pocket Boy). No real advantage to either for backpacking. The Laplander is very slightly longer, both in blade and handle. Longer reach, but takes up a little more room in the pack. No real advantage to either for backpacking. The Laplander definitely feels better in my hands. Longer handle means more options for grip. The Pocket Boy has a contoured handle that can really be held only one way. It’s quite comfortable, but very definite about how to grip. The Laplander’s handle is curved, but not contoured. Very small advantage to the Laplander for comfort. They both performed very well on cutting up pine, redwood, Douglas fir, and oak. The Laplander is a very good, fast saw - far better than my old camping saw, and better than the fixed-blade Sandvik saw in my workshop. But the Silky cuts like dark magic. The Silky goes through wood with almost zero effort. You just drag it through, and it does all,the work for you. No question here, point goes to the Silky. So, anyway, the short version is that both are great camping saws, and it’s entirely a matter of personal preference. As for me, the Silky is going into my pack, and the Laplander will be working with me in the back yard.