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The Felco 600 folding saw is my choice for a small fuel gathering and shelter construction backup tool. It’s a commercial grade tool used by many professional horticulturists for daily use in arboretums and for landscape maintenance, due to its design and durability.

Important features:

• Felco’s unique patented conical blade design is thickest at the cutting teeth, thinning upward. This design ejects sawdust and reduces binding.
• The blade metal and tooth geometry hold sharpness and cut deep with ease on the draw stroke, the easiest direction to power through wood. Chromed blade steel is rust resistant.
• The open handle angle and full grip-size oval handle along with the smooth sweep of the rear handle curl anchor the tool in hand and reduce fatigue during bouts of heavy use.
• Slight adjustments of the blade pivot screw allow the saw to swing open to locked position with a snap of the wrist–one hand operation. The lever-release button can be operated and the saw closed using one hand.
• It can be opened, closed, and used while wearing thick gloves or mittens.
• The tool’s red color makes it an easier find when dropped in brush, tall grass or snow cover.
• Replacement blades are readily available, easy to change out, and we think they will remain available due to widespread commercial use of this tool.

We tested both saws on green and dry wood. The Felco performed better in our tests, though its blade is shorter with fewer teeth. The Felco performs best sawing green wood. Both require more effort to saw through seasoned wood. Sawing green wood is often necessary for shelter-building, but I almost always manually break dry wood of sizes small enough to be cut using these saws (or, cut part way through, then break). The Felco saw requires firm bracing for pull stroke wood cutting–it really bites into wood with each stroke. Pull stroke cutting works best on standing green wood. The Bahco is a very popular saw among woodcraft enthusiasts. It may be a better choice for crafting items requiring small controlled cuts. Neither saw will measure up to serious winter challenge. A quality bow saw with 20″ to 30″ blade is essential for heavy work like bucking small to moderate size trees. We’ll look closely at bow saw options another time.

The Felco 600 does not lock in closed position, it is held closed by friction when the blade pivot screw is adjusted so the saw will not fall open when carried in hand or by a lanyard. Commercially, this tool is commonly carried in a bucket sheath or tool pocket. Withdrawn from its sheath, the saw blade falls open to the ninety-degree position, if the saw is adjusted for one-hand use. From ninety-degrees, the saw easily flips into fully open and locked position. The one-handed option is more than convenient, it’s important for backcountry backup tools when one arm is injured (just loosen the screw about ten degrees). Professionals use this tool dozens of times daily. That’s why this tool is my choice for backcountry backup.

If one day you must build a warming, drying fire and construct a sturdy debris shelter in a hurry, even one-handed, you’ll understand the necessity of reliable function and comfortable utility. Tiny tools included in many kits serve very poorly (often, not at all) in comparison. Inadequate tools stress users. Each cut becomes a struggle; hands blistered, muscles tired, joints aching, and so on. Take care of your most important tool, your body, by carrying tools that measure up to demands.