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How to use a Silky saw

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have a pull saw in your hand, and the habit from a British panel saw is to push. A Silky cuts on the draw. The return is a light slide, and a hard push or a twist is how the thin plate bends or snaps. The notes follow Silky Fox and Silky Europe, then UK review themes on the five saws in the [Silky saw comparison](/hub/power-saws/silky-saw). Which length to buy stays on the buying guide. Whether you may cut the tree stays on the pruning page. Peter F. compared the listings. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a pull saw in your hand, and the habit from a British panel saw is to push. A Silky cuts on the draw. The return is a light slide, and a hard push or a twist is how the thin plate bends or snaps.

Our top picks

Silky Silky Zubat Professional 270-33 330 mm

Best overall

Silky Silky Zubat Professional 270-33 330 mm
8.4/10about £69.99
View offer
Silky Silky F180 folding saw 180 mm

Rank 2

Silky Silky F180 folding saw 180 mm
6.4/10about £28.26
View offer
Silky Silky Gomboy 121-24 240 mm

Best value

Silky Silky Gomboy 121-24 240 mm
7.6/10about £57.93
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Cut on the pull
  2. 2.If the plate sticks
  3. 3.Teeth you do not file
  4. 4.Sheath, fold, and stop

Cut on the pull

Start the kerf with the teeth nearest the handle, not with the tip stabbed into the bark. Silky Europe's sequence is a few short pulls, then a longer draw once the plate tracks. Support the branch so its weight does not close the kerf. Silky Fox includes gloves and eye protection: UK reviews say these teeth can catch a finger before you feel the cut. The working stroke is toward you. Slide back without cutting on the return. A hard push puts the thin plate into compression, and Silky Fox says wrenching is how these blades get damaged. The curved Zubat seats more easily overhead. The straight Gomtaro shows the line at chest height. The Gomboy and the F180 still cut only on the pull.

If the plate sticks

A bind means the kerf has closed. Silky Europe says take the weight off the blade. Support the branch, ease the plate, and pull again with less pressure. Do not twist, and do not lever the slot wider. The 270-33 bullets give 1.5 mm of plate and a 1.4 mm kerf. Gomboy reviews include plates that snapped when pushed or twisted, one of them on a second job in an old plum. F180 reviews include snaps on light shrub work and a first cut on a 50 mm branch the reviewer says was not under pressure. One Zubat user snapped a tooth, then the last 50 mm of plate, after using it as a bramble hacker. If you cannot hold the limb open, stop and reduce it. Wipe resin instead of pushing harder.
Silky Silky Zubat Professional 270-33 330 mm

Testsieger

Silky Silky Zubat Professional 270-33 330 mm
8.4/10about £69.99
View offer

Teeth you do not file

Dark tips usually mean impulse hardening. Silky Fox says those tips are not a file job. The heat makes them hard and brittle, which is why a tip can leave a Zubat or Ultimate plate while the saw still looks new. Chrome-plated lines without black tips, such as Sugoi and Katanaboy, are the ones those pages allow a file on. None of them is in this set. Do not invent an angle for the 270-33, the Gomtaro, the Gomboy or the F180. If your plate shows dark tips, do not file. A spare Gomboy blade can cost close to another saw. Olive oil, then a dry wipe, is Silky Europe's resin step. Three times the life is a claim, not a measured result.

Sheath, fold, and stop

Cover the teeth before you walk. The Ultimate and the Gomtaro name a scabbard in the box. The 270-33 sheath is in the bullets, with a belt holder, and missing from the box. The Gomboy box says Case, and some reviewers call that clear case brittle. The F180 says Bare Tool, and one review says the lock does not hold the blade closed. Do not carry a weak lock shut against your body. Silky Europe says keep the saw away from children. Which length to buy is on the Silky saw buying guide. A preservation order, a nest in use, or a chainsaw on a tree at work is the Silky pruning saw limit.

Common questions

Does a Silky cut on the push?
No. The cut is the pull toward you. The return is a light slide, not a second stroke. Silky Fox warns against a hard push and against wrenching. Forcing the push bends the thin plate. Curved and straight saws in this set work the same way.
How do I start the kerf?
Use the teeth nearest the handle and a short pull, with the branch held so it cannot pinch. Silky Europe lengthens the stroke once the groove tracks. Do not stab the tip in. Overhead, the Zubat curve helps the plate sit. At chest height, the Gomtaro lets you see the first groove.
What if the blade sticks?
Support the branch so the kerf opens, then pull with less force. Do not twist the plate. The 270-33 bullets give 1.5 mm of plate. Folder reviews include snaps after a push, including on a 50 mm branch. If you cannot hold the limb, cut it down in sections.
Can I sharpen it with a file?
Not if the tips are impulse-hardened. Silky Fox treats dark tips as the sign, and they are not on the file list. The fileable chrome-plated models are not these five listings. This page will not invent an angle. Olive oil, then a dry sheath, is the maintenance those notes describe.
How do I clean resin?
Wipe the plate with a little olive oil, Silky Europe's suggestion for sap, then dry it. Do not store a wet plate in the scabbard, and do not call the teeth blunt because sap has filled them. If dark tips have gone dull after proper pull cuts, look at a replacement blade.
Where do the teeth go when I stop?
Into a sheath, a case, or a lock that holds. The Ultimate and the Gomtaro name a scabbard. The Gomboy names a case. The 270-33 puts the sheath in the bullets. The F180 says Bare Tool, and a review says the lock does not keep it closed. Cover the teeth before you turn around.

Related pages

Best Silky saw

Silky saw

Silky saw buying guide: curve, straight, or folder

Silky pruning saw: collar, nests, and when to stop

Silky Zubat vs Gomtaro for overhead or chest height

Sources

Public sources named in the research digest, plus the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Retrieved October 2026.

  1. Silky Fox: how to use a Silky saw and blade maintenance (retrieved October 2026)
  2. Silky Fox: what sized Silky blade for which sized branches (retrieved October 2026)
  3. Silky Fox: tooth configurations (retrieved October 2026)
  4. Silky Europe: how to use (retrieved October 2026)
  5. Silky Europe: fixed saws (retrieved October 2026)
  6. BBC Gardeners' World: best pruning saws (retrieved October 2026)
  7. GOV.UK: tree preservation orders and trees in conservation areas (retrieved October 2026)
  8. HSE: Chainsaws at work (INDG317) (retrieved October 2026)