Pruned an old oak with a pole pruner vs a handsaw... night and day

I spent 6 hours last week trimming dead branches off a live oak in my own yard using a cheap pole pruner and it was a nightmare... kept getting stuck or missing cuts. Switched to a folding handsaw for the smaller stuff and finished the last 3 branches in under an hour with way less frustration. Has anyone had better luck with one tool over the other for quick cleanups?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles_burns1mo ago

Read something the other day where a guy who trims trees for a living said pole pruners are basically just for making a mess. He said handsaws cut cleaner and don't get tangled up, sounds like you found that out the hard way too.

alexbennett1mo ago

6 hours with a pole pruner on one oak??" Ngl that is insane, I would have given up after the first hour and just paid someone.

lilyp371mo ago

6 hours with a pole pruner on one oak??" facts i saw a video from some arborist guy saying pole pruners are trash for anything thicker than a finger, handsaw is way more reliable for clean cuts.