Hello! I read a lot about this two silky saws but still cant decide between them. I read that a lot of arborists use both. My work is mostly pruning but where i live there are also many thick old trees that i need to rejuvinate and i dont have a chainsaw. So my question is if the zubat arborist 330 with 5.5 teeth can compete with sugoi 360 6.5 teeth on a bit bigger wood and which of these two would you suggest. In the future i hope to own both. Thank you for reading and for the advice!
Silky zubat arborist or sugoi 360
- Thread starter LET
- Start date
Talon Tree Service
New member
- Location
- Bargersville
After owning almost every silky curved saw I prefer the sugoi. The scabbard seems more durable too
I have both and recommend both. Sugoi is better for larger cuts and denser wood.
I also recommend the Tsurugi with a straight blade for finer touch pruning. I have the longest one available. Heard great things about the Gomtaro Pro-Sentei but haven't gotten one yet.
I also recommend the Tsurugi with a straight blade for finer touch pruning. I have the longest one available. Heard great things about the Gomtaro Pro-Sentei but haven't gotten one yet.
Last edited:
cerviarborist
Very stable member
- Location
- Florida, USA
That's not what she said.
I noticed the Sugoi doesn’t have impulse hardened teeth like many other Silky saws. The hardening is advertised as staying sharp 3x longer. The trade off I guess is the blades without hardened teeth can be sharpened with a feather file, while the hardened teeth cannot. I’m not sure there’s much difference really... too many positive reviews about the Sugoi to think it’s lacking much.
I went back to the straight blade Gomtaro, just my preference. This one flexes a lot more than the Gomtaro I had 15 years ago, but no biggie, it just flexes if it gets some resistance when pushing the saw, it doesn’t stay bent.
Still loving my Zubat pole saw. One of these days I’m gonna spring for one of the 20’+ Silky pole saws.
I went back to the straight blade Gomtaro, just my preference. This one flexes a lot more than the Gomtaro I had 15 years ago, but no biggie, it just flexes if it gets some resistance when pushing the saw, it doesn’t stay bent.
Still loving my Zubat pole saw. One of these days I’m gonna spring for one of the 20’+ Silky pole saws.
SomethingWitty
Arkansawyer
- Location
- LR
In my experience, you can get 4-6 months of heavy use out of either hardness, but sharpening is slow work so I don't bother.
It could be that the larger teeth don't wear as quickly because of a larger cutting area.
I refuse to use my best blade when I am deadwooding blackjack oaks. That's a great way to take the magic out of a blade.
I would like to vote for the large sugoi/sugowaza. The extra large teeth on the super long blade really mean that you don't need a chainsaw on most prunes. I like the hand guard on the sugowaza as well.
Tsurugi is the way to go for delicate pruning. It really makes it easy to avoid damage to pieces you don't want to cut.
Im really grateful for everyones advice, please keep them going! After reading everyones comment: zubat is good all-around saw, tsurugi/gomtaro for finer cuts and sugoi/sugowaza bigger. Also as @Bango pointed out, do you guys sharpen your blades or just buy new? And what sugoi lenghts are you using 360 or 420? Does anyone find shorter/longer more beneficial/practical.
Maybe after a lot of practice you might get skilled at resharpening the blades, but doesn’t seem worth it to me.
I tried sharpening a pole saw blade a long time ago, a corona or fanno. The teeth felt and appeared to be sharp after, but it ended up cutting worse than before and I gave up.
Dull Silky blades still cut ok, they just don’t have the “ Holy shit!” performance like a new one. Really impressive for the first couple hours of use.
I tried sharpening a pole saw blade a long time ago, a corona or fanno. The teeth felt and appeared to be sharp after, but it ended up cutting worse than before and I gave up.
Dull Silky blades still cut ok, they just don’t have the “ Holy shit!” performance like a new one. Really impressive for the first couple hours of use.
Like our pin oaks. Dull blades quick
Jehinten
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Evansville
I went from a 420 sugoi to a zubat arborist. The Zubat is a great saw but I am missing the Sugoi, if for no other reason the 420 version is a curved handsaw with a straight scabbard that allowed it to fit in either direction. Now with the zubat if the saw or scabbard gets turned around during use, the saw gets stuck halfway in the scabbard due to the curves going the opposite way. The extra length can also be easier to grab ropes that are just out of reach.
Neither....lots of noise. I am a straight blade handsaw man. Prosenti is my thing. Have tried all the silky line. A curved saw sucks. Used zubats for years and sugois. The minute I found a gomtaro I never looked back. The prosenti is a gomtaro with fine teeth to start cuts and finish cuts in fine thin bark but aggressive teeth extending to the handle. Great for finishing difficult topping cuts. But it shines for pruning. Low profile for a sawpod.
ATH
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Findlay, Ohio
I have most of the Silky saws (notable exception is Sugowaza). I use the Sugoi the most. However, if I were going to just have one, it would be the Tsurugi with a straight blade/medium teeth. It is more versatile as it fits in smaller spots.
I sharpen the Sugoi on a regular basis. Just like a chainsaw chain, if you get it before it is dull, you just need to touch it up a little with the feather file.
I've had some luck using a really thin diamond wheel for the Dremel for the impulse hardened Tsurugi...but then I saw blades on Amazon for $17 each so I bought 3 or 4 of those (should have bought more!) and I'm still working through those.
cerviarborist
Very stable member
- Location
- Florida, USA
I guess I must be pricing my work right, because whenever I dull a Silky blade I think to myself about all the money that blade made me, and then I cheerfully buy and install a new one.
Points to consider about blade length are 1. The length of your own arms. You'd want to be able to make comfortable full draws, rather than dulling just one portion of the saw, and 2. The type of work you're going to be doing and the areas of the canopy in which you'll be doing it. If you're doing a lot of work in tight confines, you may find yourself wishing for a less unwieldy blade. On the other hand a longer blade can extend your reach.
Points to consider about blade length are 1. The length of your own arms. You'd want to be able to make comfortable full draws, rather than dulling just one portion of the saw, and 2. The type of work you're going to be doing and the areas of the canopy in which you'll be doing it. If you're doing a lot of work in tight confines, you may find yourself wishing for a less unwieldy blade. On the other hand a longer blade can extend your reach.
Another reason I like the long Tsurugi. It fits in tight spots and has a long reach. I like that it is straight as well for removing branches that are tight to the stem. I've found a curved blade can cut into the stem on the other side cuz you don't see it as well as straight blade.
This is intelligence.
climbstihl
Branched out member
- Location
- Germany
I use the Sugoi 360, never tried a Zubat though. If you don't have a chainsaw, you should definitely get the sugoi. The 360 is also the maximum length I'd want on my leg, which is where I carry mine. I plan on at least trying to sharpen mine.
I like pie and shiny things.
