I remember the last one I owned—it snapped right before I finished cutting the first branch. Those saws are a great example of a good idea poorly executed.  

The folks at Ultimate Survival Technologies have never been comfortable resting on the status quo, and their innovative version of the survival saw turned out to be an entirely different beast.

The UST SaberCut Chain Saw is a compact yet sturdy saw seemingly modeled after a chainsaw chain, which we all know eat through wood like a rabid beaver. The motor-free, noise-free, hand pulled SaberCut has 24 inches of bi-directional cutting teeth and generous nylon webbing straps on either end. The straps are soft enough to be gripped comfortably bare-handed, and the loops are large enough to accommodate gloved hands—a valid concern for use in cold weather. The whole kit is featherweight, with the saw and its carrying pouch weighing only 6.6 ounces.