The 5 Best Pole Pruners

Manual pole pruners are often the best choice for pruning smaller or higher branches.

Compared to gas, electric and cordless pruners, they are lightweight, easy to handle and won’t leave you with a sore back (if you are careful). Also, you don't need to run cables or struggle to start a gas engine that doesn't want to start!

They can also be found in much longer lengths than powered pole saws.

Professional pole pruners can reach up to 21 feet- and you don't need to be Hercules to use one.

How to Choose?

I can tell you straight away that the things that don't want are:

• blades on pruners that separate when you try to cut a tough branch
• poles that bend too much when you use them
• telescopic poles that start to twist around each other after a while, as the friction lock wears out.

Also ropes on the outside of the pole are more likely to get tangled in use than chains. Chains inside the pole are even better- they will never get tangled up.

Fiskars 9240 Telescoping Pruning Stik- Versatile and Great Build Quality.

This a versatile pruner that can be used as a pruner or with the saw attachment provided. It has the tough build quality you would expect from Fiskars and is one of the most popular pole pruners of any kind in the US.

The telescopic pole gives you a reach of about 16 feet fully extended. It has an aluminium inner pole and a fiberglass outer sleeve for rigidity and lightness. The head can be rotated to give you the best angle for cutting.

The pruner will cut branches up to one and a quarter inches in diameter. The bypass pruner design means a clean cut of the kind professionals recommend- anvil pruners bruise wood and can leave it open to infection. The sturdy construction prevents the blade blades separating.

The 15 inch saw blade will tackle big branches- up to five or six inches across.

One of the best features is the internal chain that operates the pruner. There is no rope to wave around in the wind or get tangled up in foliage!

There is also a smaller, 62 inch, version that is perfect for shrubs and smaller trees.

Gilmore Pruning Saw- use as a 6 foot, 12 foot or 18 foot pole saw! A pruner attachment is available.

A saw blade on an extension is the simplest kind of pole saw. Simple means there is not much to go wrong!

Gilmore make products for tree professionals. The pole here comes in three, six foot sections. If you use all three, that will give you an amazing reach of about twenty feet- unless you have very short arms!

The whole assembly is very rigid and the hexagonal poles will never twist in use, One disadvantage with any kind of telescopic pole- even the Fiskars above- is that they can flex when you apply pressure to saw. That is not an issue with the Gilmore.

The blade is 16 inches long and can tackle branches up to eight inches across. It is easily replaceable so you can have a sharp tool at all times. It is curved so cuts easily on the pull stroke.

You can buy a pruning head to go on the same pole. It will cut branches up to one inch across.

Corona Clipper TP 6850- Good reach with pruner and saw in a single compound head.

The advantage of a compound pruner head is that you can easily switch to the saw if the branches are bigger than the pruner can handle. The disadvantage is the saw can get in the way if all you are using is the pruner. It can also be damaged if you are using it in a dense tangle of branches. On the plus side the saw blade comes off- after a bit of a wrestling bout- with a spanner.

This particular model has a fourteen foot pole. The blade is operated by an easy glide chain pull not a rope. This makes it smoother in use and means you use less effort to cut.

This is a popular model with pros as well as homeowners.

Silky 179-39 Telescoping Pole Saw- a professional quality model with a 25-Feet Reach.

This is the most expensive model on this page and is aimed at professionals or homeowners with a lot of trees to care for.

Some people are sceptical about a pole that offers a 25 foot reach. The fact is, anyone who uses one, soon realizes they can cut as easily as cheaper models at half that height, The pole is a rigid, aluminium, high quality construction that weighs around 8 pounds. This is heavy for a manual pole saw but lighter than the average gas or electric pole saw.

The pole has two seperate locking mechanisms to keep it from twisting in use- a friction lock of the kind most pruners use and pins which ensure no movement is possible.

The saw blade is unique. It has four rows of teeth that clear wood quickly making it difficult to jam in the wood. There are also two cutting areas. The lower sickle under cuts a branch to prevent bark tearing back during pruning and injuring a branch. The upper sickle cuts the branch. Hooks at the ends of the saw mean that it cannot slip off the branch that is is cutting.

This is the model for people who have big trees and want to take the best care of them.

Best Economy Pole Pruner-

Fiskars 9301 Power-Lever 14-Foot Tree Pruner

This pruner will do light pruning and it will last for many years.

It has a good reach at 14 feet on a lightweight fiberglass pole.

The pruner is operated by a cable outside the pole which can get tangled in branches but this is small drawback if you are only looking after a few trees. The pruner shears will tackle one and one eighth inch thick branches.

A saw blade is included to tackle bigger branches.