Moving sale – XUL GOLD GEAR saws 33% off

They’ve been going like hotcakes!  Thanks to all who purchased.

One MK 1 left. Yellow grip w/ green & yellow sheath.

I’d like one of these, but I’m not sure which size I should choose.

Hey Luke, what kind of usage to you envision? If it’s all small stuff, like no more than 2″ dia. for a small UL stove and such, you can get away with 6″-8″ unless you’re planning to do trail maintenance or a whole lot of sawing, where the longer stroke of a longer saw saves a lot of time and effort. At the other end of the spectrum is bushcraft – big stuff – and heavy usage. Smaller is easier to pack, but the weight difference is so small that I personally go with larger to keep my options open.

FWIW. I have used an 11″ MK I to cut up logs/branches up to 9″ diameter, although at the thickest part you only have a stroke of a couple of inches so it can take a while.

If you get an 11″ and decide it’s too much, you can send it back and I’ll shorten it to whatever length you want.

David, thanks a bunch for the quick response. I think the 11” is the ticket.

Great. PM sent.

Just recently purchased the MKII 6″. It arrived as described, but instantly had second thoughts on the size choice.

I wanted this for a light weight, ease of use option, in a pinch, to cut branches out of the way from blow downs. Once in hand, my initial thoughts that 6″ would be fine, changed. To do it over again, I’d go with an 8″-9″ blade. This is going to come down to personal preference for everybody. So just weigh your options on what you’re using it for. My only intention is to get the initial branches out of the way and or smaller blowdown trunks. The blade came with minor surface rust on some edges, most likely from the water jet. Not an issue though. I put WD40 on to condition the blade, and it wiped right off. I’ll keep it conditioned periodically through use. Also, I switched out the elastic cord strap with one of my own. This creates more of a drawcord length to it at the end, making it easier to grab and swipe off.

Took the saw to my local park greenway trail system, and was lucky enough to find a couple blow downs across the trail. One smallish fir tree, knocked down by a larger dead tree. Cut through the fir trees branches with absolute ease. Then cut the 3′-4″ cross diameter trunk in two. No problem. Tried cutting through the larger +-8″ deadfall, just to test out. Was cutting ok to fine, (many strokes) until I came towards the center. That’s when I noticed the wood cuts center edge, pushing up against the handle grip and beginning to delaminate the dipped handle while sawing. Just be aware of this limitation if you’re pushing the boundaries.

Fixed this user error by cutting the excess material off with a razor blade. Will be more careful next time.

May also just re-dip the handle with Plastidip for additional comfort. I noticed the handle does dig a bit while sawing. Not a deal breaker for occasional trail use, but if I was doing trail maintenance all day, I’d look elsewhere. One thing I’d like to see, if it’s possible, is a longer handle, by at least 1″. The handle feels slightly awkward due to my biggish hands.

At the end of the day, I’m still totally stoked with this purchase –Thank you David. The 6″ works just fine for my intended purpose, and at a fraction of the weight. Just understand the boundaries and limits each size offers. I still want a larger 8″-9″ size, and once I’ve used this properly next Spring and Summer, I’ll know better whether or not to do that.

Thanks for the feedback Simulacra. Glad to read that overall you are satisfied.

Going forward I will cut the end of the grip material more straight up and down in line with the rear-most teeth, as opposed to perpendicular across the grip. That’s as deep a stroke as possible without smashing your fingers into what you’re cutting.

Seems like a longer saw would be better for you. If you send back the 6″ I will replace it with a saw of any length up to 11″ of teeth.

I’m pretty sure the grip material coming off was not a fault of your design. I was cutting through a log that was much deeper than the blade could handle. I knew this, but was testing how far I could go through, while not paying attention to what was happening to the grip. Cutting the grip back was just to clean the edges of the grip. I intended to re-dip the grip over the existing, back to where it was originally. PM sent.

It’s a great saw – I think I have one of the early models and I love seeing the outstanding customer support!

Any more left?

All I have at the moment is a 6” MK II, although I’m working on a new 12” design if you’re interested, possibly a 14”, 16” and 18” too. PM me if you’re interested.

Here are some preliminary ideas sketched on blades. 

After exchanging the 6” for a custom 9” I’m better satisfied. Cutting is quick and efficient. Working with David is an absolute breeze with great communication all throughout. Highly recommend. For the size of blowdowns I typically deal with, my pack dimensions and needs, the 9” works perfectly. I wanted this to be easily accessible, drawing out and in, from my left side pocket without taking my pack off. To deal with early season blowdowns with the least amount of burden is ideal. Having a quick deploy action to keep my forward momentum is paramount. I did re-dip over the existing grip for added comfort. Very little added weight. Grams. This is a personal add on. The existing grip is already thick and grippy. Had to thin down the plasti-dip to conform to the handle shapes center cutout properly.

Thanks for the update. It was a pleasure working with you.