Secateurs are for stems. Loppers are for branches. And when both of those feel inadequate, you need a pruning saw.
Most gardeners reach for a pruning saw less often than secateurs, but when you need one, nothing else will do. The right saw makes a clean, fast cut through wood that would destroy your loppers. The wrong one tears, binds, and turns a ten-minute job into a half-hour ordeal.
Here is what you need to know.
When to use a pruning saw
Any branch thicker than about 3cm is saw territory. Your loppers can handle it below that; above it, a saw is faster, cleaner, and kinder to your tools. Fruit tree structural pruning, removing old rose canes, cutting back established shrubs, taking down a dead branch — all of it benefits from a proper saw.
The other signal: if you are forcing your loppers and the wood is not giving cleanly, stop. Get the saw.
The Silky Pocketboy: compact and always there
The Pocketboy is the saw that lives in your pocket. Genuinely compact, genuinely light, and genuinely capable — it handles branches up to around 6–8cm without complaint and folds down small enough to forget it is there until you need it.
We stock two sizes. The 130mm is the shorter blade, the most pocketable, and a great choice for lighter work or anyone who wants something unobtrusive on the tool belt. The 170mm gives you a little more reach and cuts through slightly larger material, while still being compact enough to carry everywhere.
Both come in medium teeth, which is the all-round configuration — fast enough for green wood, clean enough for dry. The Pocketboy is also the most giftable saw in the range. Compact, beautifully made, and at a price point that makes it an easy yes.
The Silky F180: the everyday workhorse
If the Pocketboy is the saw you carry everywhere, the F180 is the saw you reach for when there is actual work to do. The 180mm blade is long enough to handle most garden pruning jobs cleanly in a few strokes, and the large-teeth configuration cuts fast through green wood and live branches.
It folds to a safe, pocketable length and the locking mechanism holds the blade completely rigid under load. No flex, no wobble. It cuts on the pull stroke, as all good Japanese saws do, which means less effort and more control than a European push saw of the same size.
The F180 is the saw for fruit trees, established roses, shrubs that have got ahead of you. If you are buying one Silky saw for serious garden use, this is it.
The Silky Zubat 330mm: when the job gets serious
The Zubat is a different animal. Fixed blade, curved, with a scabbard that clips to your belt. No folding mechanism means no flex and no weak point under load, and the 330mm curved blade stays in contact with the wood through more of each stroke, which makes it noticeably faster on bigger material.
This is the saw for structural fruit tree pruning, large rose canes, taking down a dead branch that would take a folding saw several minutes to get through. The hard chrome-plated blade resists rust and tree resin and wipes clean easily. It is bigger and heavier than the folding saws, and it requires a belt or holster to carry comfortably, but when you are doing real pruning work it earns its place immediately.
How to choose
Most gardeners start with either the Pocketboy or the F180 and add the Zubat later when they understand what they need it for.
If you want something compact that is always in your pocket: Pocketboy 130mm. If you want a slightly bigger compact saw that handles most garden jobs: Pocketboy 170mm. If you want the best all-round folding saw for regular serious pruning: F180. If you have fruit trees or large established plants and do seasonal structural work: Zubat 330mm.
Some gardeners own all four. The Pocketboy lives on the tool belt, the F180 goes in the bag for heavier sessions, and the Zubat comes out for the big seasonal jobs. There are worse problems to have.
Tooth size: what it means
Larger teeth cut faster but leave a rougher finish. Medium teeth are the all-round choice — fast enough for most work, clean enough for most wood. Fine teeth are worth it on ornamental trees or anywhere the cut will be visible and the wood is particularly hard and dry.
Japanese saws vs European saws
Japanese pruning saws cut on the pull stroke. European saws cut on the push stroke. Pull-stroke cutting requires less effort, gives you more control, and allows for thinner, harder blades that stay sharper longer. It takes about one session to adjust if you are used to push-stroke saws, and most gardeners never look back.
All the Silky saws in our range are Japanese-style pull saws.
Keeping your saw clean
Pruning saw teeth are impulse-hardened and cannot be resharpened at home. When the blade starts dragging, replace it — far cheaper than a new saw, and replacement blades are available for all models in our range.
The bigger enemy is tree resin, not wear. Wipe the blade after each session and the saw will cut like new for years. A folding saw goes in the tool bag; the Zubat goes back in its scabbard.
Browse the full Saws and Sickles range at bugg.co.nz/collections/saws-sickles.
