Long-reach polesaw and hedge trimmer options for serious garden use?

[MisterBoy]

Hi, new member here. As a non-pro I figured I'd start off in this section... I have a large garden set in woodland with a lot of big, established trees. I also have two large leylandii hedges each of the order 12m tall and 25m long which I want to keep nicely maintained though we are likely going to get them reduced.

 

I like to do myself what I can, if I feel I can safely. I have a small Stihl saw and the PPE which is fine for small stuff at ground level but I am not interested in climbing trees and buying arborist saws... for the big stuff I have a local tree surgeon but it gets pricey having him come out to face up the hedges. I quite enjoy doing it as well.

 

I've looked into consumer-grade/semi-pro kit for long-reach saws and trimmers (Ryobi, Dewalt, etc) but they don't seem to be available beyond about 2.5m giving a cutting reach of ~4m. My tree surgeon has the Stihl HT 103 and HL 94 C which are super long reach and he says they are wonderful, but another level in terms of price. I reckon they will pay for themselves but if I want to go this route, are they the best option given I will not be using them day in day out?

 

I was recommended the Stihl electric stuff e.g. HLA 85 and HTA85 which seem a direct match to the petrol ones. I'm a fan of battery tech for my hand tools and even my regular strimmer and trimmer (Dewalt XR) but I have no experience with Stihl's. Seem to cost about the same as the petrol stuff all told, are they the same sort of build quality we expect from Stihl? For infrequent use, would electric reduce my maintainence?

 

Or are there other makes/models you'd recommend? I need proper long-reach stuff, which seems to mean I have to buy pro gear? It should be a good investment, right?

 

Sorry for long post! If you'd like photos I can provide some when the rain stops

Edited June 3, 2020 by MisterBoy

[Steve Bullman]

2 hours ago, MisterBoy said:

A few people have mentioned Echo and I've seen it elsewhere on the forum too. Outside this section I'm assuming the forums are dominated by pro users, so Echo is up there with Stihl as a pro-grade tool? I'd never heard of them so in particularly I am curious about the engine, since Stihls have such a great reputation in that area.

 

On their website, the PPT-2620ES mentions the extension pole and also the HCAA-2402A LW HEDGE TRIMMER attachment, but that part says it is compatible with the ECHO PPT-265ES which is a dead link. Is that the older model pole-saw, and these parts all fit each other?

 

If you went to America its a different story, Echo are massive over there. I guess Stihl market more heavily than Echo here in the UK.

[kkk2]

https://www.agrieuro.co.uk/silky-hayauchi-6300-ksi-017939n-professional-pruning-saw-on-aluminium-telescopic-pole-p-12388.html

Professional hand saw extends to 6.3m

https://www.agrieuro.co.uk/ama-pp-26430-engine-driven-telescopic-pole-chainsaw-p-8541.html

semi pro saw extends to 4.5 m

 

[Steve Bullman]

4 minutes ago, kkk2 said:

https://www.agrieuro.co.uk/silky-hayauchi-6300-ksi-017939n-professional-pruning-saw-on-aluminium-telescopic-pole-p-12388.html

Professional hand saw extends to 6.3m

https://www.agrieuro.co.uk/ama-pp-26430-engine-driven-telescopic-pole-chainsaw-p-8541.html

semi pro saw extends to 4.5 m

 

Might take a while to trim a hedge with that

[kkk2]

8 minutes ago, Steve Bullman said:

Might take a while to trim a hedge with that

Oops didnt read it properly, my bad ?

[MisterBoy]

3 hours ago, kkk2 said:

Oops didnt read it properly, my bad ?

I'm happy with recommendations in general... though I must say I've never got on well with maual pole-saws. My Fiskar UP86 long-reach lopper is absolutely wonderful as a lopper and it has a saw blade you can attach... but I can't get much out of it. It wobbles and bounces around on nice stiff branches, and branches just too thick for the lopper but still springy are even worse.

 

Would I see a difference with a good, dedicated polesaw? I know a good handsaw is a wonderful bit of kit - replaces a chainsaw for many of my uses - so have been disappointed with polesaw versions.

[MisterBoy]

3 hours ago, Steve Bullman said:

If you went to America its a different story, Echo are massive over there. I guess Stihl market more heavily than Echo here in the UK.

If pro arborists consider them in the same breath as Stihl and Makita I will take your word for that  Perhaps they only do higher end stuff? 

 

Coming from the consumer market, are there other pro brands I might look out for that aren't household DIY names? Husky obviously but those would be the 3 I think of. 

[Steve Bullman]

Dollar/makita speak to @shavey on here for prices on those.

 

tanaka makes ok stuff at a slightly cheaper price, not sure if they do any long reach stuff though 

[scbk]

Tanaka is great quality professional kit, don't think the prices are as keen as they used to be, don't know what happened there.

 

If you were local I would sell you a spare tanaka long reach hedge/polesaw unit