Are Silky handsaws that much better than corona's?

[PinnaclePete]

I have only one Samurai and it dulled much more quickly than any of the Silkys I have. Maybe wood type, maybe I got a bad saw?

Yeah it always depends on type of wood and length of use. But is Silky's price increases (7-10%) in March decrease it's "value". I love my Zubat, but I can buy an Ichiban and an extra blade for the new Zubat price. To me they cut and last the same, and I like the Ichiban handle, the feel when cutting seems more comfortable.

As a dealer, it's getting harder to justify keeping the $$$ Silkys in stock. Just asking.

 

[Koa Man]

Samurais have two blades available. One is twice the price of the other, but still costs less than Silky. As you can imagine, if you buy the cheaper blade, it will not last as long as the more expensive one. Kind of like the difference between buying a 192 and a 200. One is twice as much as the other but you get more than twice the performance.

In contrast to the mainland US, which has a lot of removals, in Hawaii most of the tree work is pruning. 90% of what I do is pruning and a gallon of 2 cycle gas will often last me two weeks. I use handsaws a lot. Sometimes we go a whole week without starting a chainsaw. A lot of my maintenance pruning involves cutting stuff 1-1.5 inches in dia. and I am not carrying a chainsaw in the tree for that.

 

[Saw Dust Smoken]

hand saw

Silky will bend or feels flimsy. Corona can be more manhandled without the bend. I use Corona 90% of the time.

 

[beastmaster]

I used coronas for years, mostly because of the price, then I was interduced to the Samurai brand of saws. I hardly carry a gas trimming saw anymore(unless there are some bigger then 4 in cuts anticipated) but they do seem to dull after a month or two of everyday use.(still longer then Corona's)
I have been wondering my self if the silkys are worth the price.
Has anyone used the Silky Ibuki that can be resharped? They sell a special file for it and it must obviously be made of a milder steel, but being able to resharpen it would justify the price tag.
l

 

[Sunrise Guy]

I use Coronas. I go through 1-2 a year, but I think Silky's are a rip-off. FWIW, my Sugoi sits in my garage. I never liked it and found the Corona cut faster. I'm about to order the new 13" Corona QuickSaw. At around $45, it's getting up in price, but I want to see if it's as good as they say. I may just order the smaller, 7" folding saw with the same, new blade features. It's around $25. On the subject of Silky prices, I've been using the thinner Fanno's, at around $13, in my Hayauchi poles, but I think I'm going to try the thicker ones, next. At $18 vs. $65, I can't see myself popping for the Hayauchi replacement blades. Since I have a drill press that lets me put holes where I need them, I can make any blade work, usually. As a lefty, I may be dealing with other issues when it comes to saw tooth configurations. Not sure of that.

 

[ATH]

Samurais have two blades available. One is twice the price of the other, but still costs less than Silky.....

In contrast to the mainland US, which has a lot of removals, in Hawaii most of the tree work is pruning. 90% of what I do is pruning and a gallon of 2 cycle gas will often last me two weeks. I use handsaws a lot. Sometimes we go a whole week without starting a chainsaw. A lot of my maintenance pruning involves cutting stuff 1-1.5 inches in dia. and I am not carrying a chainsaw in the tree for that.

I had only seen the Samurai Ichiban previously (that is the one I have), you made me go check Bailey's again... Maybe I missed it, maybe it wasn't there a couple of years ago when I last looked, but they do have a Samurai Sumo for $50. I guess maybe I'll have to give it another try.

And, I am in the same work-type you describe. I prefer the pruning work because I feel we capture that market better than we do removals. I probably use the chainsaw on less than 30% of our jobs. Point being...the best saw is worth a few dollars more, but if $50 is as good as $80, I'll spend the $50!!!

I'm not looking to ditch Silky by any means, but if others can match the quality for a lower price I'd be crazy to not keep my options open.