A bow saw is a different tool from a folding pocket saw. The wide frame holds a long blade under tension, so it clears sawdust and rips through firewood rounds and downed logs several times faster. The trade is bulk. It does not fold into your palm, and it is not the thing you clip to a belt for quick limbing. That narrows the field to a handful worth buying.
Who this guide is for
Anyone processing real firewood at a camp or cabin: bucking downed logs into rounds, cutting standing deadwood to length, clearing a trail. If what you actually want is a small saw that folds into a pocket for trail work and light limbing, that is a different tool, see the best folding saw for camping and the best folding saw for bushcraft. Not sure which side of the line you fall on? We laid out the split in bow saw vs folding saw.
What to look for
Frame length
Frame length sets how thick a log you can cut in one pass and how fast you clear it. 15 inches is packable and handles wrist-thick to leg-thick wood. 21 inches is the common all-round size for camp firewood. 24 inches and up cuts fastest on big rounds but is heavy and wants two hands and room to swing.
Folding or fixed
A folding bow saw like the Agawa Boreal collapses to a flat bundle for a pack. A fixed steel-frame saw like the Bahco or Fiskars is stiffer and cheaper, but it rides on the outside of a pack or lives in a truck. Pick by how you carry it.
Blade for dry versus green wood
Blades are cut for a job. Green-wood blades (Bahco 23 pattern) have raker teeth that clear wet fibers and pull sap-heavy branches without clogging. Dry-wood blades (Bahco 51 pattern) have peg teeth that cut seasoned firewood and lumber faster. Most bow saws let you swap the blade, so keep one of each.
In the field: all five bow saws
Agawa Boreal21 ($70)
A 21-inch folding bow saw at 18 oz. The 3-hinge aluminum frame opens in one motion and tensions the blade itself, no wingnuts to lose in the leaves. It cuts firewood rounds at close to fixed-frame speed but packs flat, which is why it is the pick for anyone who carries the saw on their back. The 15-inch Boreal15 (15 oz) is the same idea in a smaller frame if you want less bulk.
Bahco 10-24-23 ($30)
A 24-inch fixed steel-frame saw at 26 oz, fitted with the 23-pattern green-wood blade and an ergonomic handle with a knuckle guard. The long frame and high blade tension make it the fastest cutter here on fresh-cut and sappy wood. Too bulky to backpack, but for a base camp, cabin, or truck it does more work per stroke than anything else on the list, for a third of the Agawa's price.
Sven-Saw 15 ($45)
The original packable bow saw. The 15-inch blade folds flat into the aluminum handle, which doubles as its own sheath, at 11 oz. It assembles into a rigid triangle that cuts wrist-thick to arm-thick wood cleanly. Smaller frame than the Boreal, so slower on big rounds, but it has been a canoe-trip standard for decades and costs less than the Agawa.
Bahco 10-21-51 ($25)
The honest budget pick. A 21-inch fixed steel frame at roughly 24 oz with the 51-pattern peg-tooth blade for dry, seasoned wood. No folding, no frills, just a stiff frame that holds tension and cuts firewood fast. If you want one bow saw for the woodpile and do not need to pack it, this is the most cutting for the least money.
Fiskars 21-inch Bow Saw ($30)
A 21-inch tubular-steel frame with a hardened, rust-coated blade and a tension lever that snaps tight without tools. The lever makes blade swaps quick, and the coated blade shrugs off the rust that kills cheap saws left in a damp shed. A solid all-round fixed-frame saw for camp and yard, close in price and speed to the Bahco.
How to choose
- Carrying it in a pack: get a folding bow saw, the Agawa Boreal21, or the Boreal15 for less bulk.
- Base camp, cabin, or truck: get a fixed steel frame, the Bahco 10-24-23 for green wood or the 10-21-51 for dry.
- Canoe or lightweight kit: the Sven-Saw 15 folds into its own handle and weighs the least here.
- One saw for the yard and occasional camp: the Fiskars 21-inch, tool-free tension and a rust-coated blade.
- Keep a green-wood blade and a dry-wood blade, and swap for the job. It matters more than the frame.
- If you mostly need to split and buck a few rounds, an axe may serve better, see the best bushcraft axe.
A folding bow saw buys you pack size, not cutting speed. A $25 fixed-frame Bahco cuts a firewood round about as fast as the $70 Agawa. You pay the extra to make it fold.
Should you buy it?
Packing it on your back: Agawa Boreal21. One saw for the woodpile: Bahco 10-21-51 for dry wood, 10-24-23 if you cut a lot of green. Lightest kit that still folds: Sven-Saw 15. All-round camp and yard saw with tool-free tension: Fiskars 21-inch. For rounds you also want to split, pair any of these with the wood you cut and a fire, our how to build a campfire guide covers the rest. Browse the full saws category for more.
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