My orchard ‘thinning’ jobs have been super-charged after I decided to buy a battery powered clipper. I chose the Milwaukee battery-powered clipper, (M12 12V Cordless Lithium-Ion Brushless Pruner Shears with Ah High Output Battery), because I already have several of their M12 series tools, and use them constantly. But, there were other factors which influenced my choice. The difference in the time it takes to finish work on each tree - and the improvement in the cleanness of the cuts - is significant. I would recommend this tool with a 9 out of 10 stars.
I held back the 10th star because it is a little bulky - which sometimes makes it difficult to get in between branches and keep the angle I would prefer. But, then, this problem exists, even with a hand saw, as well. And I do wish this tool was a bit lighter in weight -and price. However, these three problems sort of go with the territory, when it comes to these tools - no matter what brand you choose. I’m not too good with a hand saw . . . so I was delighted to be able to ditch the ‘Silky Hand Saw’ - and use this clipper instead.
All in all - this tool has been a game changer for me! And I would recommend it ‘till the cows come home’ . . . if you are ready to put out the (roughly) $200.
I have had the Kebtek battery pruners for several years.
I really like them. A little heavy at arms length for extended periods. But quick, effortless cutting otherwise.
Need to pay attention to where your fingers are.!
I know. My stomach was ‘flipping’ the first few times I used mine. I kept imagining being left with 4 fingers! (vivid imagination, here) I just try to cut everything - without holding onto the branch I’m cutting, with the free hand. And if I have to hold onto the branch - it is way far away from where I’m making the cut.
I’ve tried a number of these tools and the 40 mm ones seems to work the best and have the most power. They’re all made in China and usually have 21v batteries. The one that I liked the most and ended up keeping cost $76. You can find them on walmart.com and they let you use them for 90 days with free shipping and free returns.
Well , I think mine have a two finger cutting capacity, per trigger pull. Since most people have 10 fingers to start .,.and it would be just about impossible to cut a finger off of the hand that is on the trigger. (Most people would stop after the loss of the first finger )
I do believe you have a wildly vivid imagination.
Not likely you will be left with only 4 fingers .
Hope you find this relives some of your fears and comforting !
.
Now , the loss of one finger is a real possibility !
So….
Do .pay attention to where your fingers are.
If you happen to find any laying around ?
Might be a good place to practice grafting ?
.
And.
. Yes I am trying to scare the sh@t out of you !
These things are potentially very dangerous.
Be careful
Fingers are ….
Well …?
handy !
I have the Klezhi brand. It sure makes pruning a delight! I used to say “oh well” when I encountered 1" branches that were out of place. Too much trouble to put down the pruners, get off the ladder, and climb up with the lopper. Now it’s a quick chop. So easy that you can get carried away with chopping!
I did once slice the index finger of my left hand. That was enough of a scare to put me on alert - hasn’t happened since!
So I ended up ordering a battery powered pruner today. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. Overkill perhaps, but I think I will do more when I have it…and I’m not young anymore.
I went with the Black & Decker 20v since I already have a suite of B&D 20v tools.
We all know that batteries are not cheap so we end up getting all the same manufacturers tools to avoid another battery purchase!
I had some hand overuse issues a few years ago so I got battery powered pruners. They totally solved that issue and made pruning a lot faster as well. I was always worried about losing a finger (came close once with mechanical pruners) and the pruners had an extension pole they could be mounted on. I put them on the pole and found I could do all my pruning with the pole on, just stand back from the tree a bit for the lower stuff. So, I never took them off the pole extension, and I stopped worrying about cutting off a finger since the blades were several feet away. I can also prune almost everything without a ladder since the pole is long enough. Only my mulberry tree needs a ladder.
Battery operated anything is a good bet for Joe Suburbanite. At least a high-powered battery operated device in my opinion.
I have a fairly powerful 56v string trimmer. Slap the battery in, put on the safety glasses and do 28-30 minutes of weed whacking. That’s actually a lot. Buy a spare battery and you can really lay waste to the weeds. No muss no fuss.
My Dad is 82 this year and loves his. Its a Ryobi and pole mounted.
For a lot of my stuff on a few trees i like my Milwaukee Sawzall- if its something my hand pruners can’t easily tackle. Might have to get a pair as i expand.
Too bad Milwaukee does not have an extension pole for this tool. We also have their battery pack (2). Problem is that we need to trim the top branches of our cherry trees and these are about 16 feet off the ground. The manual extender pole-saw that we bought at Home Depot is difficult to handle at this height. So I am looking for a battery powered saw. FYI we did have a Ryobi gas powered extension saw but it broke in the center after one week.
Yeah, that would be nice. I have the M12 system, and tools have been like crack… I think I have at least a dozen of them now.
They do have a M18 version pole pruner, but I’m on Makita for 18v. I don’t see they have one yet, but imagine they will follow suit soon. I have a traditional pole set with pruning heads, but the issue with those is they are cumbersome and you need space around the head when you pull down on the cord. Works, just not as smooth as something like an electric.
Don’t think these work with the electric pruner that could cause a crushing injury, but I have taken to wearing cut-resistant gloves when using hand saws.
There are cut-resistant gloves and then there are cut-resistant gloves, and the best have Kevlar fibers of the type used in the body armor police and soldiers wear.
Anyway, I was using a Fano tri-cut pruning saw free-hand, and the blade slipped and raked across the back of my left hand holding the branch. This drew a little bit of blood because the tri-cut pointed saw teeth pressed through the fabric, and I don’t have the Kevlar kind. I had to go back in the house to clean up. But this was nothing like the gash I would have gotten without those gloves.
OK, I learned a lesson about using a hand-held saw in orchard pruning and I should be more careful. But I think the cut-resistant gloves helped avoid a serious injury.
They sure are! Wow. I just looked at that pole pruner. Cuts 1 ¾ " branches. That’s impressive. The M-18 is always a bit too heavy for me.
And I only allow myself one expensive toy a year. Darn.
