Bahco Laplander Folding Saw

A great, lightweight handsaw to toss in your pack. It works well at cutting wood for a fire as well as clearing smaller sized blowdown from across trails.

 This saw has some terrific features that make it great for backpacking:

1. It is lightweight at 6.4 ounces.
2. The saw is a peg toothed design at 7 teeth per inch (TPI) which works well on seasoned or dry timber.
3. It also cuts in both push and pull directions, reducing fatigue.
4. The blade is powder coated to reduce friction.
5. The blade locks in place with a simple push button release.
6. The handle is made of Santoprene which grips well in wet and dry conditions.
7. It folds down to 9 inches, that easily stows in pack side pocket.
8. Overall length is 16 inches with a blade length of 7.5 inches.

I have found the saw extremely useful. I often use it on the trail to clear smaller blowdown or branches from larger logs to make them easier to cross. It also does a great job at shortening gathered wood for a fire at night.  It will cut through pieces of timber 3 to 4 inches in diameter in under a minute.

The product does have limitations though:

1. The saw blade is only 7.5 inches in length which reduces the size of logs you can cut with it.  Not usually a problem but, I had to find something negative ;)
2. The powder coating on the blade designed to reduce friction does wear off over use. I usually spray a Teflon based lubricant on the blade to keep it "slippery" when I get home from a trip.

Overall, this is a well made tool and is handy to have out in the woods.

This saw is super sharp. It seems to have been ergonomically designed. It's small enough to fit inside a day pack, but large enough to process fire wood for camping. It doesn't have a sheath.

2017 UPDATE! - As of October 2017, I am still using this saw. It's a great piece of kit.

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This saw is super sharp. The teeth are cut in both directions, so that it chews wood on the push AND the pull stroke. The teeth can't be sharpened, but that is pretty typical of any hand saw for camping.

It's designed for cutting wood, plastic, and bone. So far  I have only used it for cutting wood, and it did a great job of cutting through a 4" thick piece of seasoned hard wood. It cut cleanly and didn't take long. I have no intentions of cutting plastic or bone, but the manufacturer states that it is designed for it.

The saw weighs 180g. It's very light.

It does not come with a sheath. It does however lock in both the opened and the closed postion. This ensures that it won't accidentally open while in your pack and damage your gear.

The blade is aprox 7 1/2" long.

The handle is rubber coated, so it felt grippy, and it's large enough to feel comfortable in my hand. I cut some fire wood with it, and it didn't  seem to tire out or hurt my hand. It has a nice weight and feel to it, and feels like some ergonomics went into planning the handle and the angle of the blade.

At MEC, the saw is listed at $17.99 and a replacement blade is $14. This seemed kind of silly, because rather than replace the blade, I think many people would be tempted to just spend the extra couple of bucks and replace the entire saw. I asked one of the workers there and she stated that it's the high quality blade that is the expensive part of the saw. That makes sense.

This little saw works when both pushing and pulling, which requires less effort, in my opinion, and was the main reason I chose this saw. It is affordable for most budgets, and has held up well in the two months I've been using it.

This folding saw does just what I needed it to do, which is to cut up some downed limbs or very small dead trees for campfire purposes. It won't take down anything that big, but I would be leaving those for cavity-nesting birds anyway.

I think it's more efficient than a saw that cuts on the pull only. My sawing technique probably isn't the greatest, but even though I sometimes make the blade bow while sawing limbs, the Laplander hasn't threatened to break off at all. The blade is strong, yet flexible and durable. I would absolutely purchase the Laplander again.

Background

This is only my second folding saw. I have seen several "bushcrafters" using this saw, and read a LOT of reviews before purchasing. I have used it to cut up a lot of limbs that have come down in a tornado, and other wood that is down, but not actually lying on the ground where it would be wet.

This is a super lightweight folding saw. It exceeds expectations at a very affordable price.

The Bahco Laplander in one word is EXCEPTIONAL! This product has endured countless camping and backpacking trips, and still cuts with ease. It is very lightweight as well.

I went on a week-long backpacking trip and had to make sure I only took what I needed. A friend asked if anyone had a saw and I said "no," only to accidentally stumble across is a few minutes later looking for a different piece of gear. I forgot to empty out one pocket and it was in there. I had no clue!! It was so lightweight and not only that, but compact!

It’s my go-to folding saw. I absolutely love it. Bahco killed it with this product, and it’s SO affordable!! Only $22 at the time of this review. I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys the outdoors.

Background

Super positive. I’ve owned it for three years.

Awesome saw.

I have had Gerber saws and the Bahco Laplander blows them away! The blade steel is far stronger and it holds its edge much longer. The handle us rubberized so you get a good grip.

I highly recommend this saw!