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A Fast, Manual Alternative to Chainsaws: The Silky Katanaboy 650

This super-sized Japanese pull saw requires neither gas nor maintenance

By Rain Noe - October 30, 2018

in Tools & Craft

A chainsaw is a huge improvement over its unpowered predecessor, the buck saw a/k/a the two-man crosscut saw. Yet both have their advantages and disadvantages. The buck saw is fuel-free, but does require you have a guy named Paul help you out (everyone knows that Pauls cut faster than fellows with other names). The chainsaw lets you fire Paul and do it yourself, but you need a supply of gasoline and some maintenance know-how.

Enter Silky's Katanaboy 650, which offers the best of both worlds. It folds up for compact storage, weighs less than three pounds, can go a long time between sharpenings, and has an absurdly long 650mm (25.6") blade that cuts incredibly fast.

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It also, due to the aggressive design of the teeth, doesn't require as much physical effort as you'd think:

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While I lament the length/lack of editing of most disaster prepper videos, I can't deny that they offer the most in-depth tool reviews, carefully going over every design detail and comparing the tool to its alternatives:

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At $235 the saw costs more than entry-level chainsaws. But if you don't require the production capacity of a chainsaw and are willing to put in some elbow grease, the Katanaboy 650 provides a relatively fast, quiet, fuel- and maintenance-free alternative.

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Lignarium Lignarium

6 years ago

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Here in New Zealand are widely used by the Department of Conservation when the risk of fire in the forest is high and no one is allowed to use chainsaws.

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Lignarium Lignarium

6 years ago

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You are wrong Robert, The Katanaboy can be sharpened with a feather edge file. Silky offers some of their handsaws without impulse hardening like this one for example. And also I have the New one meter version of this fantastic saw. The 650 was released three years ago.

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Robert Speer

6 years ago

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A great saw for sure, but not suitable for preppers IMHO because "impulse-hardened, non-set tooth design" means it's not something that can be sharpened.

For about $25 and a lot of looking a old rusty one or two man saw can be picked up an restored with a file.

I have a hardened Japanese pull saw for woodworking, and they are wonderful, but the blades are consumables.

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Juan Cano

6 years ago

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Wish I had a need for it, very cool. I cringed a little bit at the off-the-rack black knob setup on the folding mechanism. Some designer is crying somewhere while the people in production/costs are high-fiving.

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