Spear & Jackson 4930FZ/09 Razorsharp Telescopic Tree Pruner

Product Information

The internal rope pully system is what assists with closing the blades and causes them to cut. Instead of a squeeze handle, which is what many other tree pruners have, this method is easier on the hands. It’s quite a revolutionary way of cutting, and sets the Fiskars pruners apart from others on the market. It’s a good quality machine, and comes in three separate pieces to allow the length to be adjusted. The handle attaches to the end of one section, the saw to the end of the other, and then there is an additional extension piece. This pruner can be used without the extension, and will measure approximately 1.8 m, or with the extension, measuring 2.7 m. They’re chrome-plated and made from carbon steel, resulting in a high-quality tool that can comfortably cut branches up to 6 mm. In some instances, the blades can cut up to 10 mm. The pole is extendable from 130 cm to 200 cm, and is suitable for both mid-range pruning, and cutting higher up. One small criticism would be with the number of plastic components on the pruners. Both the extender mechanism, and the cutting head angle adjuster, are plastic, which seems less durable than if all the important parts were made from metal. The handle extends from 1.37 m to 2.5 m, so you can neaten up hedges as well as tall trees. Weighing just 1 kg in total, it’s easy to use these pruners comfortably for long periods of time.

One other issue is that the cord isn’t quite long enough when the handle is at full extension, so you may need to lengthen it if you’re regularly pruning at full extension. The blade is made from alloy steel and has sharp, solid serrations. There’s 4 cutting angles to choose from depending on what you are cutting and at what height. There’s no bypass mechanism. Instead, the branch is held in place while the two-way blade produces a smooth and clean cut. Some telescopic/extendable pruners are manually powered. They have a ‘squeeze’ handle that causes the blades at the top to close and cut. As long as the blades are sharp enough, this shouldn’t be too hard on the hands. These manual pruners are usually best suited to cutting fresh, live stems/branches as opposed to woodier ones. They’ll work best on bushes, hedges and small, young trees. They are also fairly comfortable to hold, although noticeably less strong when fully extended. There’s a comfortable non-slip foam grip at the end and in the middle of the handle, so it can be operated with two hands. Instead of allowing free adjustability between its lengths, you can only one of three positions: no extension, half extended or fully extended. Therefore, there are some limitations.To make it easier to cut stems that are in awkward positions, the top section of the pruner can be adjusted through different angles. It’s therefore simpler to reach specific branches and stems. The cutting head also rotates, to help create precise, well-positioned cuts. Remember that the further the pruner is extended, the harder it’ll be to control and use safely. Therefore, it’s best to only extend the pruner as far as necessary, depending on the job.

They come with a 330 mm saw which gives the user extra cutting power on larger branches, although it’s worth noting that this saw is a little weak and not particularly effective. The saw also occasionally gets caught on branches and needs to be removed. While the initial testing period was four days. The Gardena Starcut 410 has been used several times since and as of February 27th 2023, there are no issues to report. Manufacturers often overstate how high you can safely prune branches and while I’m 6ft2 and with a long reach, I was unable to reach any of the stated heights, even when I was standing on my toes! I suggest you look at the extended length of the pole rather than the “up to” cutting height, which is an estimate. 2) Only choose a cheap product for occasional use, they aren’t built to the same quality

Razorsharp Lightweight Telescopic Tree Pruner

If you also want to use the pruner for some close-range jobs, make sure that its non-extended length is manageable. Extendable pruners tend to be over 1 m long even on their shortest setting, so there may still be jobs that will still require a pair of smaller hand pruners.