Fiskars 393981 – 1001 Pole Pruner

Very easy to use, and virtually very little to assemble. The saw attachment is very sharp and could saw hard to reach branches as thick as 2". The cutter is also very versatile. It is an ideal pruning tool for hard to reach tree branches.

Works awesome

BOTTOM LINE: Whether you're just doing occasional trimming ...or tackling a big project, this Fiskars extendable pruning saw will amaze you with its speed and simplicity. It sawed circles around my supposed 'top-of-the-line' Craftsman pole saw. 5 STARS THOUGHTS: With Sears going out of business everywhere you look, I knew I needed to buy something besides another Craftsman unit when my old one started acting up. Surfing around, this Fiskars pole saw racked up solid reviews on every site I checked out. The brand is well-renowned for sharpness and durability, so I decided to pony up and buy one. This spring I finally got a chance to try it out... and I must tell you that I am beyond impressed. My driveway is almost 100 yards long, lined on both side by tall pine trees anywhere from 20 to 40 feet high. They've been slowly growing together for many years but I never had cause to trim much since the interwoven branches helped minimize rain and snowfall in my driveway, which is always a bonus. However I knew I had to do some major trimming recently because delivery trucks (fuel oil, UPS, etc.) coming up to the house were starting to complain about several of the lower hanging branches. So on a cool Spring weekend I headed out and began trimming the trees along my driveway with this new Fiskars pruner. First impressions were positive. The oval shape of the handle keeps the pole from twisting in your hands, which inspires confidence, especially when the pole is extended fully to reach high branches. The snap lock collar and simple push-n-pop spring-loaded retention pin make extending and retracting the pole a breeze; though the snap collar often popped open. Irritating, but it never adversely affected the saw's performance. (The positioning holes in the extension section have started to elongate after a few months' use, but this saw still works great in spite of this apparent design flaw. It's the only real complaint that I have about this otherwise excellent pole saw.) The lopping feature has a thick heavy cord with a large, easy to grasp plastic T-handle. It snips easily through anything that will fit inside the hook. But what impressed me the most was the hellaciously fast cutting power of the curved saw blade. The aggressive design of the blade & saw teeth quickly zipped through branches, seemingly in half the time (and effort!) of my old Craftsman saw. Wow! I am sold on this unit forever! After ripping through over 100 branches, ranging in thickness from an inch to well over 4 inches, I remain in awe of the ease with which this tool does its job. [I had 6 stacks of branches piled waist-high in just a few hours - check the picture! (The Fiskars is leaning against my first stack of branches, in the background.) A picture is worth a 1000 words: this saw WORKS!!!] I recommend the Fiskars 393981 to ANYONE looking for a telescoping saw. It may cost a bit more than others but this is one case where you absolutely get what you paid for! And then some!!

Excellent product but price dropped almost in half a few weeks after purchased so very p-o'd with this item or at least the way this issue was handled.

OUR FAMILY PURCHASED THE FISKARS 7-14 FT TRIMMER TO USE ON A SMALL TREE WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY 25 FEET HIGH. THE POLE TRIMMER WORKS VERY WELL ON OUTER AND LOWER BRANCHES THAT FOR THE MOST PART ARE UNOBSTRUCTED AND THE BRANCHES ARE EASY TO CUT. THE CLAIM THAT IT CAN CUT 1 1/8 DIAMETER CUTS IS SOMETIMES QUESTIONABLE BUT THEN AGAIN IT WORKS WELL WHEN THE BRANCH IS UNDER 1 INCH THICK. THE PROBLEM IS WHEN YOU ARE CUTTING BRANCHES THAT HAVE GROWN STRAIGHT UP FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE TREE. OBVIOUSLY, THESE ARE HARD TO REACH AS MY HUSBAND IS 6’2” ADDED TO THE POLE EXTENSION OF 14 FEET IN REALITY GIVES IT A 20 FOOT REACH. WHEN YOU ATTEMPT TO CUT THOSE BRANCHES, IF THEY ARE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO OTHER BRANCHES THE ORANGE PORTION OF THE PULLEY/CUTTING ASSEMBLY SNAGS OR BECOMES ENTANGLED WITH THE BRANCHES NEGATING THE CUTTING PROCEDURE. IF THE SAW IS ATTACHED THIS FURTHER COMBINES TO CAUSE THE MANUVERABILTY OF THE TRIMMER. WE DIDN’T PURCHASE THE TRIMMER FOR THE SAW AS WE HAVE ANOTHER EXCELLENT POLE DEVICE FOR THAT PURPOSE -- IT’S JUST SOMETHING TO CONSIDER. THE CORD ALSO BECOMES ENTANGLED WITH THE MECHANISM AND THE BRANCHES WHICH OCCURS IN ALL POLE TRIMMERS. THE PURCHASE IS STILL A GOOD ADDITION FOR SMALL YARD JOBS BUT NOT FOR A MAJOR TREE TRIMMING SITUATION OR FOR A PERSON THAT DOESN’T HAVE THE ARM STRENGTH TO USE THIS CUTTER FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME ALONG WITH THE ACCOMPANYING NECK PAIN. THE PRICE IS MORE THAN REASONABLE. I KNOW FISKARS HAS A ROTATING CUTER ASSEMBLY BUT THE EXTENSION REACH ISN’T 14 FEET HENCE WE DIDN’T PURCHASE THAT. GOOD JOB FISKARS!!