Used to climb with a handsaw and a prayer until I finally bought a pole pruner last spring

Spent 8 years fighting branch angles on ladders and wasting time, then dropped $150 on a good pole pruner and cut my job time in half on a single oak in Eugene. Has anyone else held onto old gear way longer than they should have just because you were used to the hassle?

3 comments

3 Comments

jordan_webb1mo ago

8 years on a ladder with a handsaw? That's insane, man.

grace_gonzalez4626d ago

Seth's "butter knife" description hits way too close to home, I swear my old grinder was doing more damage than good. My first pole pruner had a duller blade than my kitchen scissors and I convinced myself for a year that I just needed to get stronger. Now I look back and laugh at how much easier things are with a tool that actually works.

seth_harris361mo ago

My first pole pruner was a fiberglass extension pole with a blade I sharpened on a bench grinder til it was basically a butter knife. I spent 6 years fighting that thing, snapping branches off instead of cutting clean, scraping my knuckles raw when the locking collar slipped. Finally got a Fiskars with the geared pulley system and it felt like cheating, like I'd been digging with a spoon and someone handed me a shovel. The worst part is I still keep the old one in my truck bed as a backup, even though I know I'd rather walk home than use it again.