Spear & Jackson 4930FZ/09 Razorsharp Telescopic Tree Pruner

Product Information

The Fiskars Pruner was selected as an alternative as it’s very similar with only subtle differences. 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.

Telescopic tree pruners are either motorised or manual. Which to choose will depend on what you’ll be cutting. The pole is very easy to extend to a maximum of 3 m, making this tool suitable for taller trees. The blade can be removed from the handle if you want to use it for handheld pruning. To make it easier to cut stems that are in awkward positions, the top section of these pruners can be adjusted, giving you greater manoeuvrability and allowing you to reach specific stems. It doesn’t have a gearing or ratchet system, so you must use brute force to cut through branches. I’m quite strong, but after prolonged use, even my arms got tired. Whether you need to prune roses, or cut high-reaching bamboo canes, the Garten Primus Rose Cavalier Pruner makes it easy to do all the jobs around the garden without requiring multiple tools.There are also pruners on the market which extend further, up to 4m, and are ideal for taller trees. I liked the fact that the pullies and mechanisms were all internal. I’ve used loppers before where the rope has got tangled or frayed and the mechanism dusty and dirty; this won’t happen with this tool. Most telescopic tree pruners for residential use will extend up to approximately 2 m. This tends to give enough reach for the majority of small trees and bushes without needing to use a step or telescopic ladder. Of course, if you have some trees that are slightly larger, you will be able to use the pruner in conjunction with a ladder as well. However, for the most part you won’t need to. Unless you want a workout, sore arms and painful shoulders, I suggest you buy lightweight pruners if possible. Holding a heavy pole above your head isn’t an issue if you do it once but could be painful and awkward if you’re doing it all day. 4) Consider a telescopic pruner with a saw attachment

With a blade that cuts and holds whatever gets pruned, the ARS 160ZP Long Reach Pruner is great for dead-heading, manicuring and harvesting. Instead of instantly dropping the pruned material on the spot, where it will never be found again, the blades allow you to have more control over where it will be placed. This pruning tool also comes with a good quality blade cover so you can protect the blade from damage when not in use. 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 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. Extending and collapsing the pole couldn’t be easier; I just opened the lever, slid the inner pole to the desired length and then closed the lever.

The tool has two handles which activate the cutting blades, and I found myself using the one at the end of the pole for higher branches and the sliding handle on the shaft of the pole for the lower branches. 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.

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. 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. I’ve used the Gardena Starcut 410 Plus lopper to cut many hundreds of branches on trees and tall shrubs in 2022, and overall, I’m delighted with the tool’s performance.Telescopic tree pruners make neatening up your garden easy. They’re convenient, safe and easy to use; however, there are a lot of different styles to choose between. It’s lightweight at only 2.1kg (4.6lbs), which is important as I recently spent the best part of two whole days pruning dozens of trees and bushes. I’ve seen competing products that weigh double and even triple this and I can only imagine how much arm ache the user would experience! 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. The presence of a motor increases its weight, so it’s not the lightest pruner at 3.8 kg, but there is a shoulder included to help make it more manageable. Whilst the strap does help to some extent, using the RPP750S still requires a fair amount of upper body strength.

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.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. 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. 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 With an adjustable handle that can extend from 2.4 – 4 m, this pruner is the longest model featured on this list, and one of the best telescopic tree pruners for reaching higher branches in treetops. Combined with arms-reach, it will be able to access branches approximately 5 – 6 m high. If you’re after a set of pruners with a simple mechanism, the Sunorchid Telescopic Tree Pruners are worth considering. These pruners have a dual use pruning saw that can be used either for pruning tall trees or as a handheld tool for neatening bushes at eye level.