28 June 2025
I decided to roll the dice and buy a cheap Coleman Folding Saw on Amazon.ca for $14.50 CAD.
This is essentially a cheap Coleman answer to the rather expensive Silky Pocketboy. Nothing against Silky, they make a quality product which is why is costs what it does. That said, personally I would much rather go with the cheap stuff when I can because I am a lowly poor fudd. Plus, you are going to eventually lose some of your kit in the bush no matter how diligent you are. If the cheap stuff will last and is easy to replace, I’d rather take that hit.
The Coleman has the same features as the Pocketboy; 7-inch straight locking blade. It has a plastic handle that has rubber grip inlay. It packs up small, it has very aggressive teeth and (at least so far) has been savagely sharp and rips through 2-4 inch branches with ease. It actually cuts on both forward andback strokes, which really helps speed things along. I put my caliper on the blade and it came in at exactly 1mm. I don’t have a Pocketboy in front of me to compare, but I think it’s probably safe to assume the Coleman is thinner than the Silky. It means the blade does flex. Depending on your standards you may call it flimsy or pretty good. I’d say for what it is that it actually isn’t all that bad, but yea there is some flex and give.
The locking blade is a great feature. It can be a little bit of a fiddle to unfold but the part that matters, locking it into the unfolded position is easy and pretty solid. The latch is pretty out there and open and I have worried about how it will hold up in the long run but so far, it’s been good and I have had pretty positive engagement with I clamp it down. I guess the issue is that I would like a more solid ‘click’ when it clamps down. That could ultimately just be a physiological thing. I haven’t seen it undo on its own. The latch is in the open sitting on top of the back of the handle so I could see it getting caught on something and pulling open. Given its location I would think the odds are slim when sawing unless you’re in a very dense bit of bush. As far as in the folded position, I don’t see it being an issue. This is small enough when folded that you could stash it just about anywhere. If I had to predict what (if any) problem you would have with this lock you would be more likely to have issues with it staying closed than open.
The handle seems solid, It’s always hard to gauge with plastic but I don’t see any obvious signs of cheap manufacturing. If you look online at Amazon you will see some pretty mixed reviews. I would say the big thing is to be realistic. This is a great saw for the price. Especially when you consider that you can buy five for the price of one Pockeyboy. I’ll take that deal.
Feature Photo: Coleman Folding Saw. Photo: Chris Murray, 2025
Inset Photos: Coleman Folding Saw. Photo: Chris Murray, 2025.
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