Quick Pole: Big Silky or Small Topper?!

[Sambo]

Ok People!

Over my climbing career I've noticed a gradual change in preference for equipment as my knowledge and experience (and possibly gaining some wisdom / shedding the excess macho-ness!) and also equipment development. Where I used to be well up for cutting everything with a chainsaw (and thought bigger handsaws were a bit silly), having tried some models like the Natanoko and Sugoi I tend to cut branches up to 4" by hand now and reserve the chainsaw for bigger branches and limbs. I find the big Silkies so much more pleasant to use and, of course they give you a spare hand to hold, support, or push the cut piece!

 

But what do other people prefer? Do you take advantage of the smaller top handles? Hand saws or even some of the lighter pole saws?!

[Steve Bullman]

Small top handle for me

[Treespasser]

Small top handle. Using the Stihl 150 on anything up to 6" is a dream.

[Haironyourchest]

The problem with handsaws is they only work well when you pull toward you, if you have to pull perpendicular to your body it's hellish hard, even with small stuff, so battery top handle it is for me. Silky for risky cuts, finishing hinge, very small twigs, inline cuts above me, and so on. Need both, and various sizes of regular saws.

[Darrin Turnbull]

Ms 150 t or whatever chainsaw  is available. 

[stihlmadasever]

150 or 2511

[Sambo]

3 minutes ago, stihlmadasever said:

150 or 2511

Intrigued What do you mean by 2511?

[Conor Wright]

200t and don't mention the wrist pain to anyone.. but in all seriousness I have recently had a look at the silky pole pruners, i do a lot of overgrown conifer hedge work from a cherrypicker and the extra reach coupled with the silence compared to a polesaw appeals to me. plus its a cleaner cut.. not that the connys seem to care..

In agreement with sambo that it may be a loss of machoness..that said there's nothing too manly about spending the evening sprawled on the sofa bleating in pain after a back wrenching 200 ft long slog through a manky wet 25 ft high leylandii hedge covered in old clippings left from the previous cheap quoters who never came back a second time.. engine powered saws get heavy in conditions like that... must admit that rarely happens since i bought the cherry picker, just the odd out of reach branch in a corner these days.. on another note.. how do people not see their gardens disappearing under a mountain of needle bearing green crap?! I've seen thirty foot wide "hedges"

[carlos]

getting on well with the msa 160 stihl battery saw for pruning work.

[Sambo]

52 minutes ago, Haironyourchest said:

The problem with handsaws is they only work well when you pull toward you, if you have to pull perpendicular to your body it's hellish hard, even with small stuff, so battery top handle it is for me. Silky for risky cuts, finishing hinge, very small twigs, inline cuts above me, and so on. Need both, and various sizes of regular saws.

Out if interest what style of saw do you use? I find a curved saw a lot easier for cutting 'up and down' as it were. so if things are above me or doing a lot of reaching out. I'm with you in finishing a hinge (section fell right?).

Do you carry you topper with you all the time or get it sent up when you need it?