When it’s time to deal with pruning cuts beyond the abilities of hand pruners or large 2-inch loppers, what tool do you use?

How about a saw? Not simply any saw, however a folding pruning saw– something that suits your pocket and cuts large branches. We examined the A.M. Leonard Tri-Edge Folding Saw (A700) to evaluate its efficiency.

SPECIFICATIONS
Adjustable Tightness of Blade to Handle: Yes (either with Phillips or straight bladed screwdriver).
Alleviate of Cutting: Good.
How Clean is the Cut: Clean.
Cutting Speed: Moderate.
Special Features: Lanyard or hook hole at the end of the manage.
Cutting Direction: Pull stroke.
Blade to Handle Tolerances: Very great.
Blade Locking Mechanism: Thumb Lever.
Total Length: 15 inches.
Folded Length: 9 inches.
Blade Material: High carbon Japanese steel.
Blade Plating: Chrome Plated.
Straight or Curved Blade: Curved.
Blade Teeth Design: Triple grind geometry (AM Leonard calls it their Tri-Edge).
Exchangeable Blade: None found at the time of this review.
Weight: 6– 1/8 oz.
Can Blade Be Sharpened: Yes, however it is not recommended. Attaining the proper teeth angle is very difficult, and inappropriate honing will ruin the blade.

PACKAGING.
The saw showed up in a cardboard box and endured the trip with no damages or dings. The item packaging is a cardboard placard backing with a plastic, transparent window that moves over the placard.

CURVED HANDLE WITH EXPOSED BLADE WAS NOT FOR ME.
Off the bat, I didn’t especially like the exposed “Tri-Edge” teeth when the blade was in the closed position. I really captured my gloved fingers on the saw blade without even trying.

Other manufacturers offer the same design of exposed blade with a curved manage. I’m just not a fan of these based on my experience above. I highly suggest using a pair of leather gloves when utilizing this saw (or any competitive brand names’ saws with exposed blades).

THE SAW OFFERS TIGHT TOLERANCES.
One of the things I like is the tight tolerances of the manage to blade interface. This part of the saw is well created, as is the adjustable stress bolt that holds the saw blade to the manage. I might produce simply the right amount of pressure so that the saw blade opened with practically no “play” (blade wobble in the handle when open). The thumb lever to lock the blade outdoors and closed position has a good, high profile and is simple to trigger.

ADJUSTABLE TENSION MADE EASY.
A bolt runs through the handle and blade at the blade’s pivot point. I like that the saw blade to handle tension can be adjusted with either a straight bladed or Philips screwdriver. No unique tools are required.
RUBBERIZED HANDLE MADE FOR EXCELLENT GRIP.
The hook at the end of the manage is high enough to get good purchase with my pinky finger– no slipping here. Like all the folding saws I checked, this one has a hole at the back of the manage to put a lanyard or hang it from a hook.

SIMPLE TO CARRY.
When folded, the saw is only 9 inches long. It’s easy to carry in my hip pocket. Depending on the depth of your back pockets, the saw might move around a bit, but I didn’t have any issues with it falling out. Nevertheless, I choose the extra security and comfort of carrying it in my front pocket.

HIGH QUALITY JAPANESE HIGH CARBON STEEL MADE FOR A SUPER SHARP BLADE.
The Japanese are revered for their exceptional metallurgy– just consider Samurai swords. A.M. Leonard uses premium carbon steel to develop their Tri-Edge saw teeth. The Tri-Edge teeth are typical of most high carbon steel folding saw blades on the market. Basically, the teeth are triple ground at precise angles, producing a cutting innovation that is two times as fast as a standard hand saw. The A700 tooth geometry is created for cutting on the pull stroke.