sharpshooter996
08-10-2008, 09:38 PM
This is a review on a Trail Blazer Sawvivor. This is a very lightweight 10oz survival saw, that is highly packable and able to cut logs up to 5" in diameter. I have used this saw for about 2 weeks now and am very impressed with how well it cuts. I have made about 100 cuts with it so far with logs averaging 5-7" They say it can cut up to 5" but that is only the clearance from blade to top arm. If you turn your logs as you cut you can cut larger pieces with out any problems. This Saw was purchased thru E-bay for $30 and it came with 2 blades. The blades are very aggressive and cut very fast. They advertise it as being able to cut 5" in 15 sec. I did not believe this claim and put it to test for myself. I tried several time to see how quick I could cut thru a dry 4-5 1/2" log. My average time was 32sec which was not the 15sec as advertised but was still very very fast. Especially if you think about how long this would take to chop thru with a knife. Well I tried with my Chopweiler and then with my Gurkha Kukri and I could not beat 5min 30sec. And doing this took so much more effort. Dont get me wrong I love chopping with my knives but for fire making purposes ill take the Sawvivor any day.
Like all things the Sawvivor is not perfect. When making the blade tight you really need to crank down on it or else the blade will come off the retention hooks when doing heavy cutting. I found this out a couple of times. Easy enough fix. One other thing I noticed today that is not been a problem is where the handles are riveted to the frame I noticed their is a very small amount of play when the blade is off and handles are free. When the saw is put together the play can not be felt even when trying to flex it. The saw here is rock solid. I dont know if this is normal as I just discovered it today after very close observations and cleaning was done. I dont see this being a problem as the saw is solid when assembled. Thats all.
Overall I am very happy with its performance and wish I had one years ago. This blows the doors off of any folding saw i have ever seen. It is like going from a folding knife to a heavy duty fixed blade. Most excellent. I recommend this one.
Like all things the Sawvivor is not perfect. When making the blade tight you really need to crank down on it or else the blade will come off the retention hooks when doing heavy cutting. I found this out a couple of times. Easy enough fix. One other thing I noticed today that is not been a problem is where the handles are riveted to the frame I noticed their is a very small amount of play when the blade is off and handles are free. When the saw is put together the play can not be felt even when trying to flex it. The saw here is rock solid. I dont know if this is normal as I just discovered it today after very close observations and cleaning was done. I dont see this being a problem as the saw is solid when assembled. Thats all.
Overall I am very happy with its performance and wish I had one years ago. This blows the doors off of any folding saw i have ever seen. It is like going from a folding knife to a heavy duty fixed blade. Most excellent. I recommend this one.