Saws for Pruning
Although most pruning can be accomplished with hand pruners and loppers. there are times when a person needs a saw because of the diameter of the wood. I have used several hand saws and have settled on a Silky Pocket Boy as a convenient and versatile saw that is in my pruning box along with hand pruners, spacers, and spay disinfectant (needed for pruning apples and pears in our fire blight prone region). However, there are occasions when I have a lot of larger limbs to be removed. A couple of years ago I tried out every pruning blade I could find that work in a battery powered Sawzall tool, comparing them in terms of cutting speed and neatness of cut. The winner was the Diablo 3 TPI blades in 6 inch, 9 inch, and 12 inch lengths. This year I also evaluated a Milwaukee 9 inch, 3 TPI that appears identical to the Diablo 9 inch, 3 TPI blade (and cuts in the same way).
Here is a picture with some prices of the Diablo and Milwaukee blades that made the final cut.
Here is a picture with some prices of the Diablo and Milwaukee blades that made the final cut.
Over on the right is a 12" Diablo that cost $12. Just to the left of the 12" blade is a 9" Diablo that cost $9. The 6" Diablo in the middle was $6. All three of these were 3 TPI (teeth per inch) blades. These had deep gullets and clean out nicely as you cut. The labeling on the blade that is second in from the left failed to come out in the photo, but it is also a Diablo (5 TPI for $5), but with a different tooth arrangement than the other Diablos (and similar to the other blades I evaluated from other venders like Porter Cable, Craftsman, and Harbor Freight). Although it cut ok, it was not as fast as the other Diablos. The blade over on the far lest is Milwaukee 9", 3 TPI for $10. It seemed to be identical in tooth arrangement to the 9" Diablo and preformed like it as well. I tend to like short Sawzall blades (they tend to do less vibrating or whipping out on the end). If I were cutting larger limb that might require a 12" blade I would probably select a chain saw rather than a Sawzall so I think I would have either a 6" or 9" in my Sawzall tool.