Gardening

Best Hand Saw for Cutting Trees in 2024: 6 Options Reviewed

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by Bryan Mckenzie

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Home » Gardening » Best Hand Saw for Cutting Trees in 2023: 6 Options Reviewed
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Nurturing trees in your garden can be an exciting, yet intimidating task. With the potential to live for decades or even centuries, it’s crucial to get it right. Don’t let years of hard work go to waste by neglecting the essential maintenance phase after planting.

Transform the way you care for your trees by having the right tools and knowledge at your fingertips. In this article, I want to show you that maintaining the health and beauty of your trees is easier than you think. As a seasoned gardener, I understand the fear of trying something new. But with the proper use of the best saw for cutting tree branches, you’ll be able to confidently care for your trees without causing any harm.

Preview
Top Pick
Corona 7 Inch RS 7245 Razor Tooth Folding...
Runner-Up
Corona Tools 10-Inch RazorTOOTH Folding Saw |...
Heavy Duty
Corona Tools 18-Inch RazorTOOTH Pruning Saw |...
Purpose
Cutting small to medium-sized branches
Pruning small to medium-sized branches
Cutting tree limbs and branches
Blade Length
7”
10”
18”
Blade Type
Curved
Curved
Curved
Non-Slip Handle
+
+
+
Top Pick
Preview
Corona 7 Inch RS 7245 Razor Tooth Folding...
Purpose
Cutting small to medium-sized branches
Blade Length
7”
Blade Type
Curved
Non-Slip Handle
+
My Review
Runner-Up
Preview
Corona Tools 10-Inch RazorTOOTH Folding Saw |...
Purpose
Pruning small to medium-sized branches
Blade Length
10”
Blade Type
Curved
Non-Slip Handle
+
My Review
Heavy Duty
Preview
Corona Tools 18-Inch RazorTOOTH Pruning Saw |...
Purpose
Cutting tree limbs and branches
Blade Length
18”
Blade Type
Curved
Non-Slip Handle
+
My Review

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6 Best Hand Saws for Cutting Trees

I have compiled a list of the top garden tools typically categorized as “tree pruning saws,” but they can be used for various other tasks as well. This list should assist you in effectively maintaining your trees. I want to emphasize that only one of the electric hand saws on the list has truly impressed me throughout my experience. Thus, don’t be misled by the numerous options of hand saws for cutting trees mentioned.

Also, if you’re searching for a left-handed or right-handed circular saw, you won’t find them included in the list. These types of saws are not suitable for the precise task of pruning trees, unlike the hand saws for cutting trees that are discussed below.

1. Corona RS 7245 Razor Tooth Folding Saw – Best Hand Saw for Cutting Small and Medium Trees  5/5 

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This is my personal favorite from the list: the easiest 5 stars I have ever given in my life. Corona RS 7245 is not your mediocre Stanley hand saw. The brand offers high-quality gardening equipment of general-purpose, encompassing shovels, rakes, loppers, etc. Its motto is “season after season”, and it proves to be true. 

I recall having a great initial experience with the Corona RS 7245 hand-held saw when I first started using it. It has since become a staple in my shed and frequently travels with me on overnight camping trips.

In terms of specs, the Corona RS 7245 is a straightforward 7-inch saw. It features a high-quality Japanese-made curved steel blade with very sharp teeth (6 per 1”) which contributes to its durability. The saw also has a blade lock, which has prevented accidents in my experience, and an ergonomic red-black handle made of plastic that fits comfortably in the hand. Overall, this saw is an excellent performer that can handle tough hardwood with ease, despite its compact size.

[wpsm_pros title=”ADVANTAGES:”]
  • Superior durability with a lifetime warranty to boot
  • Heavy-duty steel that is capable of coping with any task
  • Astonishingly effective and sharp teeth that cut through wood effortlessly
  • Incredibly ergonomic: the hand doesn’t get tired quickly
[/wpsm_pros]

2. Corona RS 7510D RazorTOOTH Trimming Saw for Hand Cutting Tree Limbs and Branches 4.8/5 

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The American company Corona has been around for over a century and has established a reputation for reliable garden tools. The RS 7510D saw features an impressive 18-inch steel blade, much longer than the average hand saw and capable of cutting small and large branches up to 10 inches in diameter. However, due to its length, it may not be very suitable for pruning trees that have branches growing close together.

The sharpened teeth on three sides are angled to each other to make cutting easier, with six teeth per inch. Unfortunately, there is no replacement blade if it gets dull, but the manufacturer offers a special impulse sharpening and chrome plating to prolong its life.

The ergonomic handle fits comfortably in the hand and the lightweight design of 1.05 pounds makes it easy to work with for long periods of time. While no scabbard is included, the blade is durable enough to be stored on a shelf in the garage safely. For optimal safety though, a box or scabbard should be used.

ADVANTAGES
  • Extra-long blade;
  • Special sharpening;
  • Comfortable handle;
  • Lightweight.
DRAWBACKS
  • Doesn’t come with a cover;
  • Doesn’t have a replacement blade.

3. Black+Decker PHS550B: the Smallest Hand Saw yet Astonishingly Effective  4.3/5 

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The last product to be discussed is the Black and Decker PHS550B hand saw. Black and Decker is a highly renowned and esteemed company that is popular around the world for its products such as cleaning machines, lawn tools, and power tools. This is why it is on this list.

I personally adore this little electronic saw. It has a 3.4 amp, 4,6K SPM motor that allows for cutting through both metal and wood, and the 6-foot cord provides a great deal of versatility. Furthermore, it is easy to replace the blade in case of breakage. This saw is also suitable for trimming small to medium-sized trees, however, I would recommend against attempting to cut a century-old oak with it as it will probably not withstand it.

ADVANTAGES
  • Cute design
  • Powerful motor
  • Makes gardening extremely easy
  • Modular
  • Empowers disabled people
DRAWBACKS
  • Only a 2-year warranty
  • Can break under heavy workloads

4. EverSaw Folding Hand Saw: the Best Hand Saw for Cutting Tree Limbs? It Sure Is  4.7/5 

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If you don’t want to get bogged in all of the various saws, considering all of the pros and cons and determining what saw is the best one for you, then go for EverSaw Folding Handsaw. This saw is my best contender for the title “good at everything, great at nothing”. In other words, the folks at EverSaw created a perfect little compromise.

EverSaw itself is an excellent company that sells its products via a number of retail stores: if you go to your nearest Walmart, you will surely see dozens of EverSaw items. So, even buying one of these saws is minimal trouble for you.

EverSaw Folding Hand Saw has an 8” straight, sturdy blade. The blade’s teeth are quite sharp and can cut not only through wood but also through bone and PVC. What’s most impressive is that the teeth stay sharp for quite a long time after using the saw on various materials.

The most attractive aspect of this saw is its multitasking feature. If you like to fix up the things around the house, then EverSaw Folding Hand Saw will definitely come in handy. One of the biggest downsides is its “ergonomic” design: the saw’s handle doesn’t actually cause a nice feeling when being in use, that is why your hand may tire quickly.

ADVANTAGES
  • Sharp teeth stay sharp for long
  • Lifetime warranty
  • Multi-purpose feature
  • Can be easily taken on trips
DRAWBACKS
  • Not a nice fit in the hand
  • Hand tires quicker

5. Flora Guard 9 Inch Folding Saw – Actually the Best Hand Saw for Cutting Christmas Tree  4.5/5 

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Flora Guard is a lesser-known brand that specializes particularly in delivering excellent garden tools to the customers. Flora Guard 9 Inch Folding Saw upholds the company’s reputation by being another amazing product in their line-up. This saw’s curved blade excels in efficiently cutting through to the center of the tree.

I am almost certain that this saw is the best hand saw for cutting trees between all of the handheld type saws. The handle with enhanced grip definitely helps when sawing trees down. I used it more times than I can remember for cutting Christmas trees, and it became my favorite for this task specifically.

Also, I used this saw as a Japanese tree pruning saw, and it handled the task quite well. However, there’s a considerable minus to the Flora Guard 9 Inch Folding Saw. The blade is simply not suitable for big household projects.

ADVANTAGES
  • Great at sawing trees down
  • Handle allows a firm grip
  • Responsive and strong 3-way blade lock
DRAWBACKS
  • Not household-oriented

6. Tarvol Heavy Duty Pruning Saw: A Superb Hand Saw for Cutting Wood  4.5/5 

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This saw comes from a popular brand Tarvol, known for its varied heavy-duty equipment. It offers protective gear, tool bags, electronics, measurement tools, and so on. Tarvol Heavy Duty Pruning Saw is an impressive 14” curved, Japanese-style blade. The handle is curved, making sawing seem not a painful process.

What’s interesting is that this saw isn’t a folding one, unlike the two previous entries. You receive a special enclosure with the saw that fits it perfectly. In my opinion, enclosures are better than folding mechanisms because they make the structure of the saw sturdier and less prone to breaking. However, you can always lose the enclosure and end up with a sharp dangerous tool waiting to hurt someone in your shed.

When compared to Corona RS 7245, Tarvol Heavy Duty Pruning Saw performs not as effectively as the first product under review, but it can take on trees with considerably bigger trunk diameters. Also, the blade’s specific curvature makes decorative trimming a walk in a park.

ADVANTAGES
  • Structural sturdiness
  • Pleasant handle
  • Enclosure fits perfectly
  • Great for decorative works
DRAWBACKS
  • Possibility of losing the enclosure
  • Not as efficient as Corona RS 7245

The Art of Plant Maintenance and Tree Pruning Specifically

Gardening is a wonderful hobby, and you shouldn’t let your fears stop you from trying to look after your garden. It refers especially to the maintenance of your plants, as some of them may simply die without your active help and care.

Yes, I know the argument: “Plants of all kinds have been living on our planet for hundreds of years, so why bother to help them?” While true, this statement is not relevant at all: you are trying to create a garden, not a forest, that is why each plant in your collection requires great attention.

In its essence, tree pruning is a simple removal of tree limbs by sawing them off with various types of hand saws. This is necessary in order to improve the tree’s health. However, I must hammer down the point that each branch you get rid of should be removed for a reason. Sawing off branches just for fun will only stress the tree and may even kill it! Nevertheless, here are the reasons for justified pruning:

  • removing dead and weak branches;
  • amending the tree’s structure to be more natural;
  • regulate flower/fruit produce;
  • lower wind resistance;
  • minimizing the risk of an accident.

Answering Questions About Pruning Hand Saws

Folding Hand Saw Wood Saw

I love surfing the web to find out something new and interesting about gardening, so I constantly do it. And when it comes to pruning trees, I see the same questions pop up all the time. For this reason, I decided to answer the most common queries in one place.

How to use a tree pruner saw

  1. Decide on which wood you want to make a cut and which you don’t.
  2. Pick a comfortable position for yourself and choose an angle where the saw wouldn’t slip and damage neither other trees nor you (saws have a tendency of slipping, so be extremely careful).
  3. Think whether you need to saw off parts of one branch before sawing it off from the stem (some branches are heavy and will break off under their own weight when being sawed off).
  4. Make an indentation (a groove) for your final cut to minimize the risk of the saw slipping.
  5. Saw, keeping the blade straight and supporting the branch simultaneously.

How to sharpen a hand saw

  1. Acquire a teeth-resetting saw set and a taper file (measure number of teeth per 1” – this is how you’ll buy the correct saw set).
  2. Eliminate the rust from the saw’s blade with sandpaper and clamp the saw in a vise rigidly.
  3. Set the correct width for the kerf with the pliers-looking tool from the saw set. Put the set against the individual tooth you want to correct, and the tool will bend it.
  4. File the individual teeth with the taper file. You can use both single- or double-cut files.

How to attach saw blade to a tree pruner

Please note: tree pruners and tree pruning saws are two completely different tools, though people mix them up constantly. Tree pruners look like pliers with a small sawing blade piece while a tree pruning saw looks like a regular saw but (usually) smaller.

  1. Detach the old blade. Achieve this by removing every bolt that connects the blade with the trimmer part. Apply lubricant to the bolts to make the process easier.
  2. Recycle the old blade and clean the bolts.
  3. Slide the new blade into the slot for the saw blade.
  4. Screw in the bolts firmly.

After All of the Tree Pruning Saw Reviews

After reading this article, your tree pruning questions should all be resolved. I have provided you with the best tree pruning saws on the market currently, including the best one (at least in my opinion) – I Corona RS 7245. I have also given you advice on maintaining the saw itself, for example, how to sharpen hand saw blade. So, you should be a tree expert by now!

Nevertheless, I would really like to hear from you now. Did you like the article? Did I miss out on some important tree pruning detail? If you’re a gardening veteran like me, maybe you can share the way you started out with tree pruning and encourage the newcomers! Please share your ideas in the comments below.

About
Bryan Mckenzie
Hi there — my name is Bryan McKenzie. Before I’d got into gardening, I worked as a landscape designer at landscape design and consultation company in Jacksonville. I enjoy sharing the vast gardening experience I’ve accumulated throughout the years with like-minded green thumbs. Read more about me and my wife.
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