Best Pole Saw? Electric, Gas and Cordless, compared

Why would you even Need One?

If you have ever worked from a ladder on soft ground you will know the answer to this question already!. Ladders are safe enough on concrete or any hard surface but on grass or soil one of the feet can easily sink and send you sliding to an embarrassing and painful meeting with something prickly.

Working from ground level also takes a lot of labor out of any work. You can see what you are doing better too- important if you want the tree to look good afterwards.

The only real question is which of the many kinds of pole saw do you need.

The Different Kinds of Pole Saw on this Page

• Manual pole pruners
• Electric Pole Saws
• Gas Pole Saws
• Cordless Pole Saws
• Loppers- these are not saws at all, of course, but sometimes they are all you need and many have a good reach.

A Good Idea before you start looking to buy a Pole Saw

There is a guide to pruning trees at the bottom of this page for anyone who is new to the task. Tree pruning is not rocket science but you can seriously harm a tree if you go about things in entirely the wrong way. A good idea is to work out what kind of pruning or tree care you are aiming to do before you buy something.

Buy a Pole Saw Online or in a Store?

Wherever you chose to buy, I would recommend reading the buyer reviews for pole saws at Amazon, Target or Buy.com. People complain plenty it there is a problem with an item. It is the quickest way to narrow your choices down and get what you really need.

Manual Pole Saws and Pruners

The best manual pole saws can outperform gas and electric models if you are only working on small or medium sized branches. They are lightweight and easy to handle so you can get to the branches that need pruning faster and with less effort.

There is no heavy power tool to lift so they can be easier on the back and shoulders overall- even if you need to supply the cutting power yourself.

Fiskars

Fiskars make the most popular range of tree pruners in the business. They have a high reputation for durability and will last for many years. They also offer some of the best design features around

Fiskars 9240 Telescoping Pruning Stik

The 12 foot telescoping model has a 15 inch saw blade included for sawing branches and a high quality pruner with one and one quarter inch cutting capacity.

The pole is lightweight fiberglass and aluminum (no rust on this tool!). The head rotates which is perfect for the careful gardener who knows that the pruning angle is important- it also makes awkward branches easier to get hold of and cut. There is no external cord to get tangled up here- the mechanism is contained in the pole. It collapses to less than three feet for easy storage and weighs only 31 ounces.

There is a lifetime warranty,

Electric Pole Saws

Electric pole saws are most popular with people who have a medium or small backyard and can get an extension cord around without problem. They are not heavy to use and have good reach. Some people are scared of cutting the power cable but with a 110V supply and good insulation on the tool itself, the chance of injury is pretty small.

They are also inexpensive compared to most other options- a reasonable quality, light duty model can be found for around a $100.

They will tackle big branches but don't expect them to be as quick as a gas model.

Remington RM1015P 10-Inch 8 Amp Electric Pole Saw

This Remington model is one of the most popular electric chain saws on the market. It is happy to saw through softwood branches several inches thick using its powerful 1.5 hp motor. The pole is fiberglass and aluminum and is about 12 feet long.

The saw can be removed from the pole for use at ground level.

It includes 1-year warranty

Gas Pole Saws

Gas pole saws need some routine maintenance. If you forget, they can be hard to start after a long lay off. On the other hand. with a little care, a good model will last a very long time, deliver great power and can be used anywhere without cords to worry about. These are ideal for larger backyards with a lot of trees.

Gas pole saws are first choice for pros but tend to be heavy and are more dangerous than most kinds of pole saw.

Poulan Pro PP446ET 17-Inch 31cc 2-Cycle Gas Powered Curved Shaft String Trimmer With Split Shaft And 12-Foot 8-Inch Pole Saw Pruner Attachment

This is one gas pole saw that homeowners can use pretty safely and easily, The big advantage is that the engine is located at the end that you hold. You are not waving around the whole chainsaw on the end of a pole.

You also get a string strimmer included with the pole saw. This makes both small twigs and big braches easy to tackle.

Cordless Pole Saws

Cordless tools offer the great advantages of portability and low maintenance. They don’t need a power cord so if you have a big back yard they could be what you need. They don’t need the kind of maintenance a gas saw needs and back be stored for long periods with starting problems (as long as you store with the battery charged). 

Black & Decker NPP2018 18-Volt Cordless Electric Pole Chain Saw

If you have used cordless tools in the past and found them to be underpowered it is worth giving them a second try. New battery technology and higher voltages mean cordless can compete in areas that it couldn't compete before.

If you have trees scattered widely across your property, cordless are ideal. There is no cable to worry about and these machines will do a steady job, safely.

If you get a spare battery and keep it on charge you will be able to work all day. 

How to Prune Trees

Trees sometimes need to be pruned to keep them healthy and for safety reasons. Sometimes it is necessary to reduce the size of a tree.

Mostly, pruning is done to thin out a tree and let more light into the center of the tree and to the ground below.

Reducing the height of is a job best left to professionals. Trees that are’ topped’ can easily become very ugly and often the stress of the operation kills them. Large trees also need specialist equipment – like climbing gear or a cherry picker- to deal with safely

What to Prune

Branches that rub together should be pruned- they damage each other and can the wounds can become infected. Suckers (quick growing shoots at the base of the trunk) always need pruning. Water sprouts are similar shoots that grow on branches and need cutting.

How to Prune Larger Branches

Larger branches should always be cut back close the trunk or whatever branch is supporting them. There is a three cut method that prevents the bark tearing when you prune. The first cut is a shallow cut on the underside of the branch. When the branch falls, this stops the bark tearing back too far. The final cut makes sure there is no long stub.

Long stubs are sources of infection that can reach into the heart wood and kill the tree. If you prune close to a trunk or scaffold branch, the tree will close over the wound and no infection can occur.

Pruning to thin a Tree

If you want your tree to keep a good shape you need to give some thought to which branches should be removed. It you remove branches in a symmetrical way, the tree will keep its symmetry too. Remove too many branches on one side and it will look lopsided, It might even start to lean!

How Much to Remove

Never thin more than one- quarter of the living crown of a tree. If you need to remove more leave it until next year.

When to Prune a Tree

If you prune in late summer it can avoid a rush of new growth. However, most people recommend pruning in fall and early winter when the tree won’t be stressed for water shortage.

Cutting with a Chainsaw

It is easy to damage a blade or get the saw stuck if you do not cut properly so always read the instructions ot check out this site:

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_prune/prun001.htm

http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-458/430-458.html