Loading…
14
Dropped $340 on a gas pole saw before I learned the pros just use a $60 manual one for 90% of limb work
Two springs back I bought a Stihl gas pole saw thinking it would speed up my small crew's pruning days on residential jobs around Bakersfield. Spent $340 on the unit plus another $80 on a spare bar and chain, and I was pretty proud of it for about a month. Then I started noticing the guys who actually climb and prune for a living barely touch a power pole saw unless they're doing storm cleanup or big deadwood high up. Turns out the vibration tires your forearms out fast, the thing weighs a ton at full extension, and I was making way more finish cuts than I needed to because the thing just rips through stuff. Meanwhile a decent manual pole saw with a good tri-cut blade runs about $60, cuts cleaner, and I can feel exactly what the wood is doing. I still use the gas one for takedowns, but the manual gets used on like 90% of my limb work and I paid 6 times more for the tool I reach for less. So here's my real debate question for folks in the trade: am I missing something, or did I just buy an expensive answer to a problem a $60 tool already solved?
0 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In0 Comments
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this discussion.