@Shibumi Phil, I doubt you will regret it. The job of thinning a plum tree with tons of overgrowth - for instance - goes so much faster. And of course, it will be easier on your hands - without all that squeezing it takes to get through thicker branches. I don’t think it’s overkill. As we all age - almost everything gets harder to accomplish - and takes about 3X the time. I wish I’d bought mine sooner. It saves a lot of energy.
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It’s on my doorstep now waiting for me to get home from work!
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It takes me so long to figure out what to cut and what not to cut that the actual cutting is the smallest part of the pruning project. 
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I need to pick up some tanglefoot sealer tomorrow before I use it.
It is tempting to do it now though!!
https://www.directtoolsoutlet.com/
Are they expensive tools if they’re refurbished? (They constantly have deals, wait for a while to see what ‘real’ sale prices are).
Many recommend not using sealant… Fireblight weather is the one time I can think of where I would say to seal more often. That said I also have a tub! Tool in the toolbox.
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I see fireblight on a pear 2 doors down… I’d offer to remove the tree (it doesn’t bear fruit) but it’s a rental house and the owner won’t even cut down a 35 foot cedar in the yard just 15 feet from the house that’s an unbelievably huge fire hazard.
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I have been using a battery powered last couple of years but I too am afraid to cutting off a finger, there are units that are flesh sensing but sell for $2000 and upwards, almost bought one this year, maybe next. I figure a finger, doctors bills, lack of a finger is probably greater than $2000. I totally expect Consumer protection will step in someday just like they did with hedge clippers.
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OK, so that was fun!
Couldn’t stand it so I went out to prune my Asian pear tree. I now have 9 varieties added to the parent tree. Had to make room for the grafted ones so the mother tree doesn’t dominate.
Like butter! I think I’ll be very happy with this purchase.
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@danzeb
me too, Dennis. I can stand there . . . or walk around the tree for 45 min of the process. And still not actually cut anything! 
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@scottfsmith - That sounds fabulous. I still have to do an old lady climb on a ladder to reach the taller cuts with the battery powered clipper. That adds to the disaster possibilities - for sure! But - I am a scaredy cat so I am super cautious.
LOL That must be my Frankentree philosophy. I’ve had trouble putting it in words but you stated it very nicely.
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The thing is I know the parent tree can and will always be waking up hidden buds, and I already have that variety on a smaller tree, so I am happy for now simply using that tree as the host for all the other varieties.
I’m the short term it may allow the others to grow more evenly.
