Pole saw recommendation

Mother nature recommended I buy a pole saw last night. Ice storm in the panhandle while the trees were fully leaved ended up causing a lot of damage. My oaks were holding their own until the wind got up last night. Now it looks like I have a lot of limb trimming to do. I need to cut up to 16 ft off the ground. I am considering both Stihl, Echo gas and the Ryobi, Dewault and Milwaukee cordless. Who has and used these saws? Pros and cons?

I got one to fit my Ryobi cordless weed trimmer. I already had several attachments.

I have a Ryobi and though it works, though the chain gets loose very quickly. It does what I need but overall length is max 9.5 feet so for 16 feet you are having to reach up a lot. It is not as good as the Brushless chain saw I have from them.

I have the ryobi and love it.

Bill and Kmon1,

Are your units 40v or the 18v units? I have been running Sears cordless drills and saws for many years, but they are about worn out. I want to change cordless platforms and will start with the power pruner if I go cordless, if the pole saw is good enough. I've spent time this morning watching Youtube videos on the various pole saws, but that isn't the same actual experience.

Thanks

I have the 40V version. So far, I have been pretty impressed.

I have the greenworks 40V pole saw. I was a bit leary of a cordless saw at first, but this thing will [censored] and git! It is a good 10' from tip to tip, so you should be able to get up to 16'.

I have the stilh extendable believe it stretches to 14ft. great saw but it's a workout reaching up there high. I would recommend the shoulder harness if you got a bunch to do

I’m buying everything Ryobi these days

Here is what I have. I also have a edger. The chainsaw is extra. I didn't know it at the time but it has the same 40 volt baterery. All these attachment met my expectations. The edger exceeded expectations.

I have this one

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-O...ry-Pole-Saw-Tool-Only-P4360BTL/304598941

but would go 40v if I did it again. it's 10" and this one is 8". still a beast though

Thanks guys!!! I have a toss-up between yellow and green (Dewalt and Ryobi). I love my 25 year old Echos trimmers and chain saws, but no more use than I hope to see with a pole saw, I am leaning battery powered. Has anyone had experience with the Dewalt?

Picking mine up today. The reason I went with DeWalt and not a 40V is because I have the DeWalt set of everything else. Wanted to stay with the same batteries and chargers. I'm going to use it this weekend around the deer blind and see how it does.

Stihl, but as said before, it's a workout. It will eat some wood though, in a short time.

We have an 80 volt EGO we have been using at the ranch cutting all manner of south texas brush and its cut a 40 foot container load of oak limbs from my folks house. Its not old yet, but very surprising!

Brother and FIL both Have Poulan gas ones. I have used them both quite a bit and been impressed also.

For the run time etc. the electric is a winner to me.

There is a point where I will hire mine done. I still like the feel of dirt under my fingernails and sawdust in my hair.

Also, the attachments cost from $60 to $100 each. I don't remember how much the trigger end runs. My guess is that the trigger end would wear out first. It has a two year warranty.

I gave away a Kobalt pole saw because of the weight, and difficulty of removing the extension. I mostly never use my extension. I figure its better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

I have the 18vt Ryobi pole saw and it's been great. You can buy extension sections for the other Ryobi pole saws pretty cheap. They all will give your arms a workout going up high.

I've been using a Kobalt (not sure who makes it) 40v for the last 8 months and love it. Maybe used it for 30 - 40 hours. Surprisingly lots of power and the battery always lasts longer than I think it will. The only thing is that the chain has started to loosen up easier. It does not take long (5 - 10 seconds) to retighten, but that would be the downside.

Thanks guys!!! I just pulled the trigger on a Dewalt. I have been looking at going to Milwaukee or Dewalt and taking my old Sears tools to the ranch. This might make the decision on which way I go. Otherwise my son may end up with it.

I have a separate one hand held blower for my kitchen and patio. I no longer. Use a dust pan. I sweep everything to my door and blow it out.

Stihl or Echo gas. That way you can pretend you don't hear your wife screaming at you that you're "butchering" the trees. Maybe that's just me.

I have both an Stihl for when I need to be completely mobile and this one for around the house:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B009FT54CQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The electric one is very impressive and I even sometime take it when riding my UTV with a small generator (EU2000i) to trim shooting lanes. At $82 it performs as good as my Stihl and I don't have to mix fuel.

This is what I have, works excellent.

I HATE small gas motors.

I went through those 2 cycle weed trimmers like Sherman went through Georgia.. THFers posted that they work fine it you bought the two cycle reddy mix @$30 per quart. Duh.

As I promised, here is my review of the Dewalt pole saw. I got it in Monday evening and gave it a good workout over 3 days at home and around the deer blinds.

Pros:
Uses Dewalt 20v platform, so drills, grinders, etc use the same batteries
Plenty of power, cuts 5 inch diameter oak limbs quickly
10ft overall length with extension
Easy to extend, (in sections)
Fairly light weight, but a little awkward when extended since the motor is at the top
Saws a lot of limbs on a single 4ah battery

Cons:
Safety trigger lock stinks but can easily be removed and safety still works
Telecoping would have been better for in-between height when limbing
Dewalt doesn't recommend using a second extension for added height, (is it height/leverage or wire volt losses?)

I am sure the Ryobi works just as well, but for Dewalt users it is a great addition.

Overall it was $200 well spent and has already paid for itself. I would buy another.

Reddy mix is $5.99 (sometimes $4.99) a quart...not $30.

I have a Stihl HT133 that’s been bulletproof but I also have a Stihl KM131r Kombi system with a pole saw attachment that works great and it’s universal for other uses as well. If I had to have just one it would be the Kombi system. Best bang for the buck imo. I’m sure the other brands are great as well but Stihl’s never failed me. I’m a firm believer in you get what you pay for, buy once and buy good stuff that will last a long time.

Greenworks battery, I use it and abuse it and it has been great

Sorry did not get back to this one before now. The Ryobi chain saws I have are 18 volt both the pole saw and the brushless chain saw. both can outlast me before I need a break but that isn't really saying much. The brushless chainsaw has impressed me though

I have the same saws and have the same opinion.

I just bought the non extendable Stihl. love it! I had borrowed the top of the line extendable but it was way to heavy and wore me out real quick. Wish I had got it sooner.

They must all be pretty good. Only a couple of THFers had problems the same ones that others swore about.