Centurion ® Garden and Outdoor Living, a business begun by a previous Fiskars executive, kindly sent us a sample of their folding pruning saw to review.
It’s the time of year to prune. Numerous plants that require attention are far too large for hand pruners or perhaps a 2-inch-capacity lopper. You want something portable that will fit into your pocket. A folding pruning saw is the perfect tool for the job.
As a side note, this is the third saw that Centurion ® sent me to examine. The very first saw contained faulty cutting blade teeth. The second saw included a faulty thumb lever system, and the saw’s cutting performance only partially enhanced compared with the first, defective saw. The 3rd saw had somewhat better cutting performance than the second and remained secured the open position (Read more on this below).
SPECIFICATIONS
Adjustable Tightness of Blade to Handle: Yes (either with a Phillips or straight bladed screwdriver).
Unique Features: Lanyard or hook hole at end of the manage.
Cutting Direction: Pull stroke.
Blade to Handle Tolerances: Loose.
Blade Locking Mechanism: Thumb lever.
Total Length: 15-3/4 inches.
Folded Length: 9 inches.
Blade Material: High carbon steel.
Blade Plating: Chrome plated.
Curved or Straight Blade: Straight.
Blade Teeth Design: Triple grind geometry (Centurion ® calls it DoublekutTM).
Replaceable Blade: No.
Weight: 8– 3/8 oz.
Can Blade Be Sharpened: Yes, but it is not suggested. Attaining the appropriate teeth angle is incredibly hard, and improper sharpening will ruin the blade.
BLADE TO HANDLE TOLERANCES & BLADE LOCKING MECHANISM.
Most of folding saws have some up and down, along with side-to-side, wiggle– known as “play”– when the saw blade is open. I found the play in the Centurion ® saw relatively normal compared to other saws that I have checked. The play fell in the acceptable range, so I did not mark off for it. I did discover the side-to-side play loose but fixable (more listed below).
The blade locking system is a thumb lever. It is one of the simplest to run (least expensive thumb pressure) of any of the saws I have evaluated.
ADJUSTABLE TENSION.
A reasonable bit of side-to-side play happened when I initially took the saw out of the bundle. I eliminated the play by tightening up the adjustment bolt that runs through the handles and blade. I valued that Centurion ® used a standard bolt that could be tightened or loosened utilizing either a Phillips or flathead screwdriver.