Chain Drive Tree Pruner

I am a 78 year old woman that has taken over yard maintenance since my husband has been having more problems with mobility. We have a crab apple tree that had a number of dead branches in addition to other trees with the same problem. I trimmed as many as I could with my new extendable lopper, but many were still out of reach. My husband had a similar tool, but the lopper was controlled with a rope pull. In addition, the saw was not detachable. I did try to use this tool, but most often, the saw got in the way when trying to position the lopper. In addition, when I could position the lopper, the rope cut into my hand when I tried to cut anything over 1" in diameter.I found this tool and decided to buy it. This tree pruner/pole saw works so much better than the one my husband has. Granted, at least for me, the weight at an extended length is heavy holding it on an angle with or without the saw, but this could be an age thing. So what do I like about this tool.1) The adjustment to extend it up to 12' is very easy.2) The saw is removable. So it doesn't get in the way when you are using this only as a lopper.3) Cutting dead branches up to 1" in diameter is much easier than using the rope type.4) The saw works well, but only on branches that are near a stable branch or trunk.5) The pole and design of this tool looks to be very durable.6) Cutting small branches is extremely quick, but thicker branches take some effort.Overall, I like this pruning tool much better than the rope type my husband has, and would recommend it. Cutting small branches is not hard when doing it from an angle, but much easier when doing it from below the branch. Just have to make sure the branch doesn't fall on on you. I find the lopper much more useful than the saw. It may be an age thing, but, when the pole is extended, even just the lopper at the end feels heavy especially when cutting on an angle. Cutting from below is easier to control the weight.UPDATE 09/02/25:Since we have quite a few trees with dead branches, I have been using the trimmer part of this tool quite often. Any dead branches 1" or smaller are very easy to cut on any tree, but I have noticed that anything larger than 1" can be more difficult for hard wood trees. Today, I tried to cut a 2" branch on a crab apple tree. I got the trimmer onto the branch, which required the full extension. I couldn't cut the branch, so I asked my husband to help. I held the cutter while he pulled the cutter. We braced the end of the pole on the banister of the deck. Between the two of us we couldn't even make a dent in the branch. Tomorrow I will try to remove this branch with the saw.Maybe it's an age thing, but I have noticed that I can hold up the trimmer when it's fully extended for only so long before I need a break. I do have strong arms, but this tool gets heavy after extended use.I hope this review was helpful for you.

The Fiskars quality we've come to expect. The cord is still a cord, but it's a whole lot less cumbersome than a 16-ft long cord. ; )The grip pole and the knob pole are both nicely effective at different positions of extension. You do have to watch your fingers not to get them. Pinched, I hope you're wearing gloves anyway, and safety glasses.I got this in addition to the electric shears and chainsaw on a pole.Highly recommend.

BOTTOM LINE: Whether you're just doing occasional trimming ...or tackling a big project, this Fiskars extendable pruning saw will amaze you with its speed and simplicity. It sawed circles around my supposed 'top-of-the-line' Craftsman pole saw. 5 STARSTHOUGHTS: With Sears going out of business everywhere you look, I knew I needed to buy something besides another Craftsman unit when my old one started acting up. Surfing around, this Fiskars pole saw racked up solid reviews on every site I checked out. The brand is well-renowned for sharpness and durability, so I decided to pony up and buy one. This spring I finally got a chance to try it out... and I must tell you that I am beyond impressed. My driveway is almost 100 yards long, lined on both side by tall pine trees anywhere from 20 to 40 feet high. They've been slowly growing together for many years but I never had cause to trim much since the interwoven branches helped minimize rain and snowfall in my driveway, which is always a bonus. However I knew I had to do some major trimming recently because delivery trucks (fuel oil, UPS, etc.) coming up to the house were starting to complain about several of the lower hanging branches. So on a cool Spring weekend I headed out and began trimming the trees along my driveway with this new Fiskars pruner.First impressions were positive. The oval shape of the handle keeps the pole from twisting in your hands, which inspires confidence, especially when the pole is extended fully to reach high branches. The snap lock collar and simple push-n-pop spring-loaded retention pin make extending and retracting the pole a breeze; though the snap collar often popped open. Irritating, but it never adversely affected the saw's performance. (The positioning holes in the extension section have started to elongate after a few months' use, but this saw still works great in spite of this apparent design flaw. It's the only real complaint that I have about this otherwise excellent pole saw.) The lopping feature has a thick heavy cord with a large, easy to grasp plastic T-handle. It snips easily through anything that will fit inside the hook. But what impressed me the most was the hellaciously fast cutting power of the curved saw blade. The aggressive design of the blade & saw teeth quickly zipped through branches, seemingly in half the time (and effort!) of my old Craftsman saw. Wow! I am sold on this unit forever! After ripping through over 100 branches, ranging in thickness from an inch to well over 4 inches, I remain in awe of the ease with which this tool does its job.[I had 6 stacks of branches piled waist-high in just a few hours - check the picture! (The Fiskars is leaning against my first stack of branches, in the background.) A picture is worth a 1000 words: this saw WORKS!!!]I recommend the Fiskars 393981 to ANYONE looking for a telescoping saw. It may cost a bit more than others but this is one case where you absolutely get what you paid for! And then some!!