I have a few trees that need pruning and I'm too damn old to do it from a ladder with a chain saw. My shoulders are too far gone to do it with a manual pole saw.

So, I'm thinking my next toy will be a power pole saw. It will see VERY infrequent use, maybe a couple of hours a year or perhaps a bit more.

Based on such minimal usage, the price and maintenance of another gas-powered saw seems silly, and I'm thinking electric.

Still, I'm a big believer in "Buy Once, Cry Once" so I'm willing to pay what it takes for a good, solid unit.

Suggestions? Experience?

i have the Stihl Kombi unit which allows me to add attachments like pole saw, weedeater, hedge trimmer, edger etc. One motor for all of that stuff.

You might also check to see if you can rent one in your area. Some small engine shops do that around here. Get the job done, and then take it back.

I have a Stihl fs85 that I can swap gearboxes on. Similar to the Kombi shafts but takes longer to do. I have the pruning saw gearbox for it and it works great. Obviously it doesn't have the reach of a true pruning saw but it reaches far enough for clearing everything that I hit my head on while mowing.

I have a Fisker's 14 ft. manual that does a great job and its very quiet

The electric model I have doesn't have any provision for chain/bar oiling, which is in my view a deficiency. I don't recollect what brand it is, but you might check to see whether the model you look at offers chain oiling.

This is the one I bought recently and I was pleasantly surprised with it's performance. The charge on the battery out-lasted me.

Another nice thing about it is, you can remove the center section and make it shorter if you don't need to reach way up there.

Just noticed arfmel's post. This one does have an oiler.

http://www.cpogreenworks.com/g...LUsdQCFQimaQodM0wKKQ

quote:

Originally posted by petr:
I have a Stihl fs85 that I can swap gearboxes on. Similar to the Kombi shafts but takes longer to do. I have the pruning saw gearbox for it and it works great. Obviously it doesn't have the reach of a true pruning saw but it reaches far enough for clearing everything that I hit my head on while mowing.

just yesterday i bought a 4ft extension for my kombi saw. Dad needs help at the lake and the extra reach will help. The extension was 69.00

Can you rent one from HomeDepot or other such tool rental outfit?

Or you can purchase an electric pole saw with about a 10 foot reach for $100 or less.

I had several backyard trees "deadwooded" by a professional tree outfit. They sent a tree monkey who did it all with ropes, muscle, and a power saw. The ground man dragged the dead limbs out to the chipper. It may be worth getting a quote, at least.

I just bought the Remington RM1025SPS Pole Chain Saw off Amazon for $80 bucks. It worked great so far. Pole saw reviews has this one as their best electric: Pole Saw Report

We bought an electric one from Harbor Freight. Needed to meet your same criteria. I want to say about $75 and have had no issues with it. Used it for a few hours at work and a few at home. Already paid for itself. If, by some chance, it didn't work next year - I'd just buy another one again next year.

I also went low ball at Harbor Freight, had a specific job to tackle. It works fine, I've used it a few times since and it's holding up well so far. With HF's liberal return policy, hard to go wrong.

I'm no kid and the saw beats me up good. The head weighs a lot more than a manual saw and the manuals are plenty tough to use on their own. Pole saws are a chore.

I have the smaller of the dedicated Stihl pole saws. Extends to something like 11 feet, and balancing it when it is out there is a bit of a task. However, it burns through live oak like it isn't there so I can't complain. I use it once or twice a year, but the quality and power are worth it.

I have an Echo and Stihl dealer within less than two miles of each other, which made it easy to compare, and, after hefting both of them, opted for the Echo. That was 5 or 6 years ago, and have yet to have any reason to regret my decision. I remember thinking that I liked the balance of the Echo better, but can tell you that it's still a bit of a workout some days. And I found that it's good for more than just height; sometimes I will grab it for low trimming or whatever, rather than one of my regular Stihl chain saws because I can reach through surrounding brush without getting all scraped up.

Remington electric pole saw. Works great cuts wonderful and has an oiler. You can cut more limbs in 10 minutes than you can haul off all day. Had one 10 years. Excellent buy. And beware when you cut a limb it will fall directly in your face.

One more happy owner of the Remington 10" electric. Got mine from Amazon a couple years ago and it has performed very well. So well that neighbors borrow it and use it as much as I do. Whichever saw you get, be watchful of the chain tension and check before each use. They do stretch and cause problems if they slip off the bar in the middle of a branch 10' off the ground.

It is sometimes helpful to think of the consequences if things do not go according to plan and also add in the emergency room copay. I have used electric pole saws in the past and have come out okay. Of course there is always one limb you can reach only by standing on the ladder with the pole saw.

I see where you live. You should have plenty of folks with those skills in Maine. Tree monkeys are impressive to watch as well.

watched a small crew trim a nut orchard recently;
used a self propelled hydraulic platform & a silent battery pole saw....mucho efficiency and no noise.

Thanks for all the input.

All the trees that need cleaning up are within extension cord distance of the house/garage and if it's out of reach of an 8' saw, I don't need to cut it anyway.

Based on recommendations here and on review sites, I'm gonna go with the corded Remington from Amazon.

ok waiting on your pics.