Extendable pruning saw suggestion
- Thread starter TeeDee
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I went for a middle of the range one, not a cheapie but not an expensive pro. I bought the 4.9m pole and saw head from this range: https://darlac.com/product-category/gardening-products/high-pruning-expert-range/
It cuts well and has lasted ok for the jobs I've used it for.
It cuts well and has lasted ok for the jobs I've used it for.
Does the pole retain the tension ? I've used a few and they just lose the rigidity pretty quickly.
The best pole I've used is the Wolf Garten metal extending pole but it's pricey. If you're going to be doing a lot then go for a battery pole chainsaw - that's all I use nowadays.
I'm not quite sure what you mean but the pole is oval and fairly strong so it doesn't really bend in use. The bits that lock the extended pole in place also seem robust so no flexing when extended. The only flexing I notice is when the narrowest top pole is extended to get the full reach but no more that one would expect.
Possibly worth popping to a large garden centre to see what they are like.
What battery saw do you use? I tried one but wasn't impressed with the one I could afford. It didn't oil properly and the reach wasn't great.
I could do with something with a very long reach to sort out some ash die back but the cost puts me off.
I use the Ryobi with some unbranded batteries and charger from ebay which cuts the cost. It's put in 5+ years of occasional/moderate professional use.
I gaffer taped my Laplander to an extendable decorating pole I got in Wickes. That worked well to cut back a load of over growth in our silver birch and beech trees when we first moved in…..and was easy/cheap 
I got a cheapy from lidi or aldi i think £9 it cuts like a dream and was nice and firm and it cut silver birch nice and easy , i will say it only gets use very little but our gardener borrowed it to chop down his laylandii and he used it to chop off all the outreacher branchs to clear a path to put the ladder up and he loved it , i will say i do wash the blade after use with hand sanitiser i find that removes any sap or gum fro mthe blade a treat .
Oh silky like they said about the americans in the war "Over priced and over here " would be the term
Oh silky like they said about the americans in the war "Over priced and over here " would be the term
The jobs I’ve done I used mostly two but once three sections of wood 2.4m long… and that was about the limit. The pole is getting heavy, it isn’t super rigid and the finesse to get the blade in the cut is getting tricky. Extra reach was obtained using a step ladder
I lost about 2 foot with a long handle to ensure enough leverage, "1+1" feet of overlap where I joined the 1st and 2nd wood, "1+1" feet of overlap where I joined the 2nd and 3rd wood. And I was holding the pole close to my body, rather than overhead. Once the saw blade is touching it's target, the self weight was plenty.
In terms of saw I used my Bahco XT7 secured using four #75 rubber bands using the wrap and tuck method. It’s very similar to the Laplander, it’s a gardener’s saw for ‘general purpose’ namely hardwoods, fruit trees and vineyards.
Tip for everyone: Remember to wear eye protection, it will be snowing fine sawdust and you’ll be looking up.
I felt the Bahco was like a light sabre. This very sharp saw was able to cut through thick tree limbs with very little pressure. The biggest cut about 14 or 15 cm Beech.
I have a Samurai GC-330-LH and it’s a big step up. The Samurai will cut resiny trees like Cherry (I rate Cherry as the most challenging stickiest wood to cut) and storm damaged Pine. The Samurai will easily drop branches heavier than I want to pick up. With this saw, the ergonomics are absolutely lovely. Normally I have mouth foaming hatred of finger grooves, but this saw really got the ergonomics right. You can brush the branches away as if remove house dust with a painting brush. Such little force or pressure is needed and the saw keeps cutting deeper and deeper.
I’ve never owned or tried a Silky… I’m a little put off by the price, or rather the price for a complete package to match a Samurai. Plus the blades seem to snap or shatter more easily. I don’t feel I have a role for a Silky.
If I did jobs again, I’d use the Bahco because it smaller, lighter, older and has more wear on it. If I needed a replacement (a general purpose folding saw for use and ‘misuse’), I’d look at Samurai. I’ve put Opinel knives on a pole for removing litter and other tidying up. I don’t see the return from a specialist saw blade.
addition: If the job is thicker branches, but much lower down: I'd lean towards a Samurai or Silky. Or even just lower down, I'd use my Samurai if I felt the risk was low enough. The Samurai is a lot sharper and could cut bigger branches if needed.
@TeeDee
Q1. Outside the box: Any thoughts on throwing a line over and using a double sided pocket chain saw?
I lost about 2 foot with a long handle to ensure enough leverage, "1+1" feet of overlap where I joined the 1st and 2nd wood, "1+1" feet of overlap where I joined the 2nd and 3rd wood. And I was holding the pole close to my body, rather than overhead. Once the saw blade is touching it's target, the self weight was plenty.
In terms of saw I used my Bahco XT7 secured using four #75 rubber bands using the wrap and tuck method. It’s very similar to the Laplander, it’s a gardener’s saw for ‘general purpose’ namely hardwoods, fruit trees and vineyards.
Tip for everyone: Remember to wear eye protection, it will be snowing fine sawdust and you’ll be looking up.
I felt the Bahco was like a light sabre. This very sharp saw was able to cut through thick tree limbs with very little pressure. The biggest cut about 14 or 15 cm Beech.
I have a Samurai GC-330-LH and it’s a big step up. The Samurai will cut resiny trees like Cherry (I rate Cherry as the most challenging stickiest wood to cut) and storm damaged Pine. The Samurai will easily drop branches heavier than I want to pick up. With this saw, the ergonomics are absolutely lovely. Normally I have mouth foaming hatred of finger grooves, but this saw really got the ergonomics right. You can brush the branches away as if remove house dust with a painting brush. Such little force or pressure is needed and the saw keeps cutting deeper and deeper.
I’ve never owned or tried a Silky… I’m a little put off by the price, or rather the price for a complete package to match a Samurai. Plus the blades seem to snap or shatter more easily. I don’t feel I have a role for a Silky.
If I did jobs again, I’d use the Bahco because it smaller, lighter, older and has more wear on it. If I needed a replacement (a general purpose folding saw for use and ‘misuse’), I’d look at Samurai. I’ve put Opinel knives on a pole for removing litter and other tidying up. I don’t see the return from a specialist saw blade.
addition: If the job is thicker branches, but much lower down: I'd lean towards a Samurai or Silky. Or even just lower down, I'd use my Samurai if I felt the risk was low enough. The Samurai is a lot sharper and could cut bigger branches if needed.
@TeeDee
Q1. Outside the box: Any thoughts on throwing a line over and using a double sided pocket chain saw?
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The jobs I’ve done I used mostly two but once three sections of wood 2.4m long… and that was about the limit. The pole is getting heavy, it isn’t super rigid and the finesse to get the blade in the cut is getting tricky. Extra reach was obtained using a step ladder
In terms of saw I used my Bahco XT7 secured using four #75 rubber bands using the wrap and tuck method. It’s very similar to the Laplander, it’s a gardener’s saw for ‘general purpose’ namely hardwoods, fruit trees and vineyards.
Remember to wear eye protection, it will be snowing fine sawdust and you’ll be looking up.
I felt the Bahco was like a light sabre. This very sharp saw was able to cut through thick tree limbs with very little pressure. The biggest cut about 14 or 15 cm Beech.
I have a Samurai GC-330-LH and it’s a big step up. The Samurai will cut resiny trees like Cherry (I rate Cherry as the most challenging stickiest wood to cut) and storm damaged Pine. The Samurai will easily drop branches heavier than I want to pick up. With this saw, the ergonomics are absolutely lovely. Normally I have mouth foaming hatred of finger grooves, but this saw really got the ergonomics right. You can brush the branches away as if remove house dust with a painting brush. Such little force or pressure is needed and the saw keeps cutting deeper and deeper.
I’ve never owned or tried a Silky… I’m a little put off by the price, or rather the price for a complete package to match a Samurai. Plus the blades seem to snap or shatter more easily. I don’t feel I have a role for a Silky.
If I did jobs again, I’d use the Bahco because it smaller, lighter, older and has more wear on it. If I needed a replacement (a general purpose folding saw for use and ‘misuse’), I’d look at Samurai. I’ve put Opinel knives on a pole for removing litter and other tidying up. I don’t see the return from a specialist saw blade.
@TeeDee
Q1. Outside the box: Any thoughts on throwing a line over and using a double sided pocket chain saw?
Good thinking - maybe , Its a bit of a tangle fest ref branches but I may well end up fixing my silky on the end of a pole or scaffolding rod and going Ham.
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