Saw Pod

The Sawpod came into being simply because inventor Tony Darbyshire thought that there must be a better way of carry his pruning saw than having it dangling off his belt. Tony had the first prototype nailed after experimenting with a couple of bits of insulating tape, he then moved on to a vinyl and tree tie version before coming up with the final design. The production model thankfully retains that early simplicity.

The Sawpod allows the user to carry their pruning saw on the outside of their leg, which keeps it out of the way whilst being convenient to access. Construction is from neoprene with VELCRO band straps and has been designed to fit comfortably, and most importantly, unobtrusively even when working at height. Sound good! So how did it do on test?

Euroarb put the Sawpod out to be tested in the field, the response was generally favourable, however a few niggles were apparent! One was that the Sawpod worked its way up the wearers’ leg and became uncomfortable. This tended to happen when the wearer was walking around a lot and not using the saw. Another was that when the Sawpod was used in a tree the length of lanyard need to keep it attached to the user tended to get in the way and snag on branches and bark, although this could be overcome by attaching the lanyard to something else, quite possibly the belt or harness, rather than the scabbard. On the other hand, it was seen as a viable alternative to belt or harness mounting, as this brought its own problems of snagging and poor accessibility, especially if climbers are in the habit a carrying a lot of equipment attached to their harness.

In all fairness the Sawpod is the sort of thing that when you need it it’s a godsend. Typically this would be groundsman feeding wood chippers or anyone engaged in work such as general ‘shaping’ of trees or sucker removal in parks and gardens. Orchard workers, or anyone doing intensive tree or shrub pruning, will also find it a boon – no more sticking pruning saws down the inside of your wellingtons!

British designed and British made, the Sawpod is being retailed at around the £20.00 mark and at this price it’s a useful bit of equipment to keep in the kitbag. You may not use it every day but when you do you’ll be glad you’ve got one. Generally we reckon you won’t regret buying one.