Bahco 396-LAP Laplander Folding Pruning Bushcraft Saw Issued by NATO and Ray Mears

Great little saw, easy to use, foldable which makes gardening easier

Seriously good. Use it for clearing trails. Zips through five inch fallen tree limbs.

Needed a folding saw for bushcraft and wild camping, harvesting fatwood, cutting firewood, and generally playing around in the woods. I considered a more expensive silky saw but decided this would be enough for my needs. At this price I'm really impressed with it. The blade locks into place well and is good and sharp, it only cuts in one direction but that's fine, and the handle is nice in the hand. It's about the right size for cutting up to 2 inch branches and could do slightly bigger at a push. Overall this seems really solid and is a great option if you don't want to spend too much

Excellent build quality, cuts like a dream, ideal form factor for the car camping setup.

Looked to find something similar to the one my neighbour used whilst helping in the garden This seemed to fit my requirements, I am a lady 70+ years, and it works so well, cutting back branches on the Magnolia tree, about 10ft tall. It folds up and has a leather strap. This is Brilliant, has made my life so much easier whilst trying to take control of my garden, with the help of my neighbour.

I have an allotment so have had the F180 for a long time but recently got into bushcraft and walking stick making. So often, you see a stick and wish you had a saw so I got a laplander as that seems to be the go to for bushcraft. The reason for not getting one before is the lack of suppliers selling replacement blades in the bahco, the silky being much easier (try Ray Mears shop for bahco blades). The laplander is a lovely weight and the handle rounded rather than a squarish handle like the F180. Both have a tough rubber coating on a hard plastic handle. The blade locks shut and locks open but only in one position, the silky doesn't lock shut but has two positions. The button on the laplander, a small button on the side which is ideal if right handed, the silky, a much larger sprung button on top but prone to be caught whilst cutting and knocking the blade in to the other position. The laplander blade is quite tough with a coating over it, the F180 being uncoated carbon steel. Price wise, depending where you look, they're about the same price, maybe the silky a little more. For me though, there is one massive difference and of course, that's the cut. For what I really want, I.e. walking sticks and pruning, the F180 is head and shoulders above the laplander. A finer cut and much quicker, I feel the coating being the issue on the laplander making it thicker. If I was in fact concentrating on bushcraft and just wanted wood for fire or something similar, this would be the laplanders time to shine as I feel it is the tougher saw. If I went a little further and concentrated particularly on the walking stick vein, as the diameter of the wood is never much more than 25mm/1 inch, pay a little more and get a Silky Pocket Boy 130.

Sharp and ergonomic

excellent. 👍