Best Pole Saw of 2019 Review

Sometimes, you've got to prune. When you're working on your property and you need to cut down shrubs and tree branches, you have to have the right tools. While shears and other implements often work well at low heights, it's a real pain in the neck to have to bring out a ladder and shear away branches and limbs on the trees on your property. This is where the best pole saw of 2018 comes in handy.

These devices add a lot of convenience to the gardening and pruning process and are ideal for taking care of overhanging limbs. With that said, in this guide, we're going to provide you with some reviews of pole saws so that you can easily find the best model of pole saw to fit your needs.

Buying Guide

What's the Point of a Pole Saw?

Pole saws are effectively chainsaws on poles that you can use to cut down branches and limbs that aren't quite in reach. They are very handy appliances that can save you a lot of effort in your yard, and it's easy to wonder how you ever got along in your yard without one.

Some pole saws are designed to be used as a chainsaw as well. A detachable pole saw can be separated from the pole and used to manage shrubs, logs, and other wooden objects that might be lying around your property.

Pole saws can even add a lot of safety to your daily routine. Typically, when you want to cut high limbs, you have to climb a ladder, which might sound convenient. Despite this seeming convenience, according to a report on ladder safety done by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in a year, more than 90,000 people are admitted to the emergency room as a result of a ladder accident.

Now consider this: if you're on a ladder attempting to saw off a branch, you're adding a lot of instability to the ladder with your sawing motion. This is what makes a pole saw so useful; a good pole saw lets you cut down those branches from the safety of the ground.

Just remember to keep the area clear and to wear a hardhat while working and you'll be amazed at how effective one of these devices can be.​

When to Use Shears Instead?

A standard pole saw can't do everything. If you're doing a bit of landscaping and you come across dense foliage and branches at ground level, then you can use shears or a standard chainsaw to clear the path. That being said, detachable pole saws can provide extra options in this situation; simply detach the chainsaw end and cut away the low-lying material.

What You Should Look For

When you're looking into a pole saw, it's important that you consider the needs of the job and the property that you'll be working on. When considering these, there are a few features that you should look for:

Safety Mechanisms

The primary safety mechanism that's available on most pole saws is the safety switch. This feature is usually located somewhere around the trigger and you'll usually have to activate the switch first before you can trigger the device on. This feature is designed to cause the product to turn off should you suddenly lose control of the pole saw.​

Types of Pole Saw

There are three chief types of pole saw: electric, gas-powered, and lithium-ion. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Let's take a closer look at each type:​

Does the Pole Saw Length Make a Difference?

It certainly does. While most property owners only need about an eight-foot-long pole saws to help manage the more annoying limbs on their trees, there are many trees that have higher limbs. Since it is recommended that you have a firm footing when you're cutting, you should always try to get a pole saw that's at least eight feet in length.

Optimally, this length will provide about ten feet of overall reach so that you can cut the branch and limbs that you seek. It's also important to understand that you'll be cutting downwards in most situations, so you'll need some clearance above the tree when you're going to cut, so longer poles can be very useful.

The best part about a pole saw is that it's fairly variable. If a branch or limb is a little closer, you can always change your angle in order to cut lower.​

Cutting Bar Length

It's a good idea to err on the side of a larger cutting bar length; this will allow you to manage very thick limbs, but always try for an inch or two thicker than your widest average tree limb, so that you won't run into any issues during your work.​

Are Pole Saws Noisy?

There's no way to really sugarcoat this: as power tools, pole saws have a tendency to be a bit on the noisier side. Having stated that, some pole saws are quieter than others. For example, gas pole saws, which are typically the most powerful, also have a tendency to be a lot louder than other types. There's no real way to avoid this, so if you plan on doing yard work with a gas-powered model, then it's better to do it at a time when you won't wake the neighbors.

​Corded electric pole saws, on the other hand, are a lot less noisy than gas-powered models, but will probably have a lower power output. That being said, these can be very quiet, which makes them adept at doing work at earlier times.

Electric pole saws that are cordless are also quieter than gas pole saws, but they have a lower power output than corded varieties.​

Do I Need to Use a Ladder?

As you might expect, chain saws and ladders don't mix too well, which is why for most applications, you won't need an additional ladder when you have a pole saw. It's important to understand that the advertised length of the pole saw takes into account the length of your arms, so if the product says ten feet, then it will be at least a foot shorter than that.

If you find that you're constantly trying to cut branches that are over 25 feet high, then ladders still aren't an option; just about every manufacturer recommends that you have as stable footing as possible when using a pole saw.

This means that you shouldn't be on a ladder or in the tree itself when you're trying to make trims and cuts. When you're using your saw, you should have a firm two-foot stance.

That being said, if you really need a longer reach in order to get to higher branches, then you can consider a more professional model of pole chainsaw. These types of power tools can have a reach as long as 25 feet, which will help you manage even the highest branches on your property.​

Best Pole Saw of 2018 Review 

The following are the best pole saws in the market in 2018.

The pole on this device has a seven-foot reach, which means that it should easily reach heights over 10 feet when in practical use. One of the more useful features of this device is the fact that it can be extended via two height options from Troy-Bilt. While this does require an additional purchase, this allows for users with higher canopies to get work done without the need for a ladder.

The cutting bar on this product is eight inches in length, and while this isn't the largest, it certainly is big enough to handle most mid-sized branches and tree limbs. The head assembly automatically oils itself, which removes one aspect of upkeep.

This feature is perfect for converting the limbs that you just cut down into firewood. This Remington Ranger pole saw doesn't even require tools to quickly convert to and from chainsaw mode, which means that you can get your yard work done more quickly.

In everyday use, this Remington pole saw has a lot of useful features. Since keeping control of the saw is crucial, it's advantageous that both the pole and the chainsaw itself are easy to grip. The pole accomplishes this by having a nonslip surface and the saw itself has a built in grip for easy control. Also, to ensure control and safety, the 10-inch bar and chain assembly are designed to have minimal kickback.

The RM1025P is also our pick for the best electric pole saw for power. Though it's no gas-powered tool, its eight amp motor definitely has some kick to it.

The engine also utilizes Remington's QuickStart technology; pulls are easy, and you'll need less of them to get the device started. Like the Ranger product that we covered, this Maverick tool also has a low kick-back design that provides a good amount of safety for the operator.

The cutting bar on this product is eight inches, which should cut through most mid-sized branches with relative ease, especially considering the gas motor. There's also a degree of versatility because the pole can be customized for the job. Do you need a shorter length? You can simply remove a section of the pole and work that way.

The Maverick RM2599 is considered one of the best gas pole saw products on the market for good reason; it accepts multi-purpose attachments, it has a maximum extension of 12 feet and has an easy-to-use design. Once you take a look at the features, it's easy to see why we consider this to be one of the best pole saws gas on the market.​

When it comes to the lithium-ion battery, the pole saw takes about three hours to charge. Black & Decker states that you will be able to get about 100 cuts per charge with this product, which means that on a full battery, you can expect about an hour of life per pack. This is fairly convenient, especially considering that most trimming jobs are short enough that you should be able to get multiple sessions out of a charged battery.

While it's not what anyone would call a professional model, it does have a good level of range; you can get a maximum length of about 10 feet. This should be long enough to take care of the more annoying branches and limbs that always seem to crop up.

Assembly is simple and the device is very easy to use. All in all, the Black & Decker LPP120 provides a great experience for anyone that needs to do some light yard work.

The cutting bar is also larger, which means that you'll be able to cut through larger branches and logs that are up to nine and a half inches in thickness. The bar also self-lubricates during its usage via an auto-oiler; this adds a bit of convenience and safety during use.

Also, with your safety in mind, the Sun Joe SWJ803E has a safety switch that'll prevent the tool from accidentally starting.

Conclusion

As you might suspect by now, a good pole saw can provide a lot of value to the work that you do around the house. All of the products that we've reviewed in this guide will serve you and your property well, so take another look at our reviews and decide which one would work best for your property. Each of these products has its own unique features, but if we were to pick an overall winner, the best pole sawof 2018 in this review would probably be the best corded pole saw, the Remington RM1025P ranger.

Its chainsaw can be detached, it's a workhorse when it comes to small jobs, and it has a 10-inch cutting bar, which will allow it to manage most tree limbs with ease. While it does have a couple of limitations, it still comes out ahead of the others because it is a very well-rounded product that just about anyone can use.