The best folding saws for the garden

By Dan Fauzi

Published: Wednesday, 28 September 2022 at 12:00 am

Folding saws are a universally-helpful piece of kit to have. They can easily be stored safely, thanks to the blades being folded away, and as they’re so compact it means you can save more space in your toolkit for other equipment.

Arborists will know the benefits to having a handy folding saw that can clip right onto your belt. To choose the right one, it’s important to make sure the blade is tough enough to handle the thickness of the branches you’ll be cutting.

Different blades have different PPIs (or TPIs), meaning how many teeth there are per inch. There’s also a variety of different cutting lengths available – longer lengths can help with thicker branches while shorter lengths can help in tight spaces.

Read on for our favourite folding saws available, perfect for pruning and for the maintenance of your garden.

Best folding saws to buy in 2022

Corona Pruning Saw

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This pruning saw from Corona has a 7″ blade, making it ideal for small to medium branches up to 3″ in diameter. It’s well-reviewed for its hardness and durability, and the tempered steel saw blade goes through four manufacturing processes to make sure that it’s up to scratch.

Three-sided, impulse-hardened razor teeth make the blade sharper and more reliable. The handle is cushioned and slightly curved to better suit the shape of your hand, and arborists will appreciate the finger hook to make it feel more ergonomic.

Niwaki GR210 Folding Saw

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For branches up to 7cm thick, the Niwaki GR210 uses its impact-hardened steel blade to thin shrubs and trees. It’s a narrow blade that cuts on the pull stroke, rather than the push, to alleviate the pressure on the blade.

The folding saw is designed to only be used on wood, so avoid cutting through wire, plastic or other hard materials to help preserve the blade’s longevity.

Agawa Canyon BOREAL21 Folding Bow Saw

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A useful folding saw to use for a variety of different purposes, the BOREAL21 from Agawa Canyon can be folded into a neat, compact size without having to touch the blade. The saw weighs only 530g with a length of 53cm, to help keep it as portable and packable as possible.

The triple-hinged, trapezium-shaped saw frame helps when cutting materials with larger diameters. The blade itself is made from stainless steel that’s been coated and hardened, and the aluminium frame has a fibreglass-reinforced nylon handle.

Spear & Jackson Razorsharp Folding Saw

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Spear & Jackson have become known to be a reliable supplier of garden tools, and their Razorsharp Folding Saw is designed to handle most cutting jobs in the garden. It has a 7″ carbon steel blade with 7ppi, meaning there are seven teeth per inch of the blade.

The blade locks in the open and closed positions, helping to make it compact and safe when stored away.

Draper Folding Pruning Saw

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This pruning saw from Draper is a great piece to have in your tool kit. It comes with a carry case that can clip onto your belt so that you can always have it ready to hand when gardening.

The blade is made from hardened and tempered carbon steel with an anti-rust oil finish and a gripped handle. The Draper Folding Pruning Saw comes with the Draper lifetime guarantee.

Felco Pruning Saw

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With a carbon, chrome-plated steel blade, the Felco Pruning Saw can cut through branches up to 8.8cm thick. The blade’s teeth are thicker at the base than the top to prevent clogging, by making sure the teeth are the only part of the blade in contact with the branch.

The blade is 35cm long – a perfect size for manoeuvring through tight spaces and busy shrubbery. The pull action also helps to give you more control over each individual stroke.

Still looking for more cutting tools? We have guides to the best pruning saws, loppers, gardening knives, and pruning tools.