This Beautiful Japanese Backcountry Tool Brings New Meaning to the Term ‘Folding Blade’

The latest and largest Silky Katanaboy offers more than 27 inches of jagged-toothed, human-powered wood-shredding bliss.

By Steve Mazzucchi

Published 20 hours ago

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Play word association with the term “folding blade” and your mind immediately goes to pocket knives, amiright?

However, it’s important to remember there are other excellent applications for hinges that enable something sharp to be stashed safely within a handle.

silky katanaboy 700 folded beauty — The new Katanaboy 700 is not only incredibly capable but also quite stunning to behold.

There’s Gerber’s Doubledown Folding Machete, for example, not to mention its Bushcraft Saw and Scandinavian brand Woxna’s Folding Saws too.

Not to be outdone by the USA and Sweden, Japan’s Silky Saws just dropped an absolute beast: the Silky Katanaboy 700, which boasts the biggest folding blade of any kind I’ve ever seen.

Truly a cut above

How big are we talking? The 700 in the name connotes 700mm, or just over 27.5 inches.

That’s incredibly robust, especially when you consider the nickel-plated resharpenable blade packs four ultra-aggressive, extra-large teeth per 30 mm (or 3.4 per inch).

silky katanaboy 700 saw teeth — Packing 3.4 teeth per inch, the Katanaboy 700’s saw blade is optimized to chew through thick wood like a champ.

Those impressive specs translate to what the brand calls “chainsaw-like cutting power.”

Considering it is capable of quickly and efficiently ripping through logs, limbs and branches up to 14 inches in diameter, they ain’t lyin’.

That’s no surprise, as Silky Saws — founded by Katsuji Miyawaki in Kishi, Japan in 1919 — has a long, strong history of wood-cutting prowess.

silky katanaboy 700 blade — The entire saw is tough to fit in a single image, but here’s the blade in all its two-plus feet of glory.

The brand now manufactures a range of fixed and folding saws, plus various choppers, in nearby Ono, on the bank of the Kakogawa River in Hyōgo Prefecture.

While this saw is most definitely professional grade — suiting the demands of full-time arborists — it’s appeal is not limited to those folks.

It’s a compelling tool for anyone serious about clearing trails, processing firewood or tackling other formidable pruning, trimming, construction or backcountry tasks.

silky katanaboy 700 semi-folded — Silky Saws has been crafting premium wood-cutting tools like this one for more than a century now.

That means bushcrafters, serious DIYers and mountain bike trail builders, among others.

Not hard to handle

The Katanaboy 700 shown on this page is the newly released latest edition, which boasts an open length of more than 60 inches, a weight of 4 pounds and a security screw that protects against accidental opening or closing of the blade.

This new edition offers a couple of user-friendly updates, too.

silky katanaboy 700 folded — Designed for two-handed use, the 33-inch handle has been upgraded to go easier on your mitts.

First, the handle has been redesigned to be stronger and more ergonomic, supporting extended two-handed use.

Second, the saw comes with a new lightweight synthetic fiber carrying case, which offers a hook-and-loop opening to make it easy to remove and deploy.

Even with these refinements, I can understand how a 27.5-inch blade might feel like a bit much. In that case, may I direct you to the Katanaboy 550? That one’s saw measures a mere 21.6 inches.

Availability and pricing

The Silky Katanaboy 700 is available now for $435.

Silky Katanaboy 700

$435 at Silky Saws

About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.