For a period of twenty years or so starting in about 1950, bow saws based on a design by the Sandvik Company in Sweden were used for serious work in forestry and arboriculture. They were lighter and easier to use than crosscut saws, but were much cheaper than gasoline powered chain saws, which had not quite permeated the market to the extent that they did later on. Unfortunately for those of us who still use bow saws for serious work, they are no longer made as well as they once were. Today's bow saws are almost all made by contract with companies in Asia and marketed for very light use.
Nonetheless, in the midst of this sad situation, the Fiskars stands out as one saw that is reasonably good. It is lightweight, has excellent balance, feels right in the hand, and the the blade stays taught in spite of regular use.
By comparison, the Corona 30 inch saw is strong but feels a little heavy. The Bahco and Gilmour versions of the 30 inch saw are lightweight and well balanced, but the tensioning handles are loose. The cheap plastic hand guard on the Bahco saw I own actually fell off the first time I used it and I have had to wrap the saw with tape to keep the handle tight. The saw selling for five dollars available from Northern Tool and Equipment Company is so poorly made it is appalling.
I have used the Fiskars 30 inch bow saw in trailwork and around the home, felling, bucking and limbing trees up to 10 inches in diameter quite easily. It cuts well in both green and dry wood with a Bahco No. 51 blade (all cutting teeth, no rakers), and it is small enough to get into tight places, which is often needed when clearing blowdowns or when limbing large trees. To cut trees in the 10 inch size range, one must, of course, cut from two directions. With a little practice, one can master the art of getting both cuts to meet so that the log is cut through cleanly, almost as if it was done from one direction only.
I have purchased and tested additional bow saws made in Italy and Germany. One of these was quite good but apparently not available in the United States. I have also purchased the Bahco heavy-duty 30 inch bow saw, called the "Force" model. This saw is excellent and should not be confused with the more common Bahco saw with the removable plastic hand guard. The Force saw is heavier and more ruggedly built than either the common Bahco saw or the Fiskars model, and it cuts logs up to 12 inches in diameter. The strong plastic hand guard is part of the saw frame and there is no handle that opens and closes to apply tension to the saw blade. Instead, a screw-type tensioning mechanism, similar to those first used on Sandvik bow saws 60 years ago, is used to insert or remove blades and to keep them taught. This method of tensioning the blade is much easier and keeps the blade tighter than in most of today's models. Because the Force saw is heavier, I would still recommend the Fiskars model for most homeowners, but for demanding applications, such as trailwork and forestry, I would recommend the Bachco 30 inch Force saw instead. Fiskars 7031 30-Inch Bow Saw
The picture and description doesn't do this saw justice. I was leery buying another 30 in bow saw because the ones I've had over 21" are flimsy and easily bent. The Fiskar 30" Saw is not round but rather oval (making the bends very strong), heavy aluminum but yet light weight. It feels like a high quality durable saw in your hands. It's very unlikely this one will be damaged with normal use or by accidentally dropping a log on. If there was one thing that I would change it would be a better grip (larger) that fits my hand better. But it is comfortable enough to saw all day. I chose this saw because it cost was twice as much as the others on Amazon and the one's that are available locally. I relied on the theory that you get what you pay for, and for once I was right. I'd recommend this saw to anyone and am planning on replacing my 21" bow saw with the Fiskar 21" with the confidence it be made with the same quality.
I'm not sure why the other reviewers have glowing things to say about this saw. The frame is rigid as mentioned. There is NO tensioning mechanism for the blade. The blade tangs are made of what looks like aluminum and are barely adequate to hold the blade in place. The blade itself cuts VERY poorly, so poorly I was wondering if I got a manufacturing defect. If you have a few extra hours to kill, then by all means use this saw to cut a branch or two! The whole point of a bow saw is portability and quick sawing action. This one fails utterly.
I purchased this saw in June of 2008. It was manufactured in China.
I've used this product a number of times now and have found the Fiskars 30-Inch Bow Saw #70316935A to be an excellent choice for cutting tree limbs and trunks of considerable widths. The 30-Inch Saw Blade is lengthy, sharp, and flexible for all the applicable and demanding tasks. The Bow Saw Frame and integrated Handle are both strong and sturdy. However, for my particular "Grasp", the Handle could be a little more "accomodating" - nevertheless, that's not to say that the Bow Saw Handle isn't any less sufficient or adequate. Overall, though, this is a terrific tool for its intended purposes. (I also purchased the Friskars 30-Inch Replacement Saw Blade #70276935 at the same time as the Fiskars 30-Inch Bow Saw.)
bought this saw hoping to cut some fallen trees into firewood. there was plenty of timber on the ground thanks to an ice storm two years ago.
this saw is very sharp and will cut though a good sized log as long as you don't have anything to do for a few hours.
will be investing in a chainsaw for the heavy cutting , but happy with this saw for cutting branches and small trees.
This thing is about as simple as it can get with a heck of a sharp pointy-toothed blade on it. It's got a tubular frame and is good and strong. If you've got the muscles, it's got the blade to saw thorough pretty much anything. I was using it to remove a volunteer palm tree which has gotten a little too exuberant for the space I have for it. So far the palm tree is winning, but this tool works infinitely better than any other hand saw I own. And it was CHEAP, less than the cost of a pound of decent coffee! - Outdoor Gear - Saws - Bow Saw - Hand Saw'
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