Last updated on March 26th, 2024
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Comparing the best long reach tree pruners for reaching those hard to reach branches
If you have tall trees to maintain, whether it be fruit trees in an orchard or even an ornamental tree in your garden that needs pruning to maintain a certain size or shape. Perhaps you have a small wood to maintain as my dad does. If this is something that sounds familiar, then a long reach tree pruner is one kind of tool I wouldn’t be without.
So after endless hours of testing telescopic tree pruners/chainsaws, I give my recommendations with their pros and cons, and I discuss their features. My buyer’s guide explains what to look for when choosing the best long reach tree pruner for you.
My Best Pick is the Fiskars PowerGear X Telescopic Tree Pruner. This is a premium tree lopper that, with little manual power on your part, cuts large branches cleanly and has an amazing reach of around 6 meters. This is probably my personal favourite as it’s so easy to use.
My Professionals Pick is a model I have been using for many years and is the Stihl Long Reach Pole Pruner and what a machine it is. This is a petrol-driven model, although it’s still relatively lightweight, it has an impressively long reach of 3.9m for the tallest branches and will make light work of most branches. The only downside is its price, it’s expensive but the quality and performance are unmatched.
My Runner-up is the Draper Expert 32mm Diameter Tree Pruner. This is an affordable tree pruner that maintains a high quality and is more than sufficient for any domestic use and affordable.
Best Pick
Professionals Pick
Stihl Long Reach Pole Pruner
When I need some serious power and have some bigger branches to remove, this is my Stihl pole pruner I use and it has never let me down. Powered by a very reliable 36.3cc 2-stroke Stihl 4-MIX engine that always starts the first time every time and is surprisingly quiet for a petrol model. This petrol Stihl tree pruner easily cuts through anything and works well with everything from general tree work and pruning. The long reach of this model at around 3.9 meters gives me a total reach of around 5 meters so lends it to working well with taller, well-established trees. It’s easy to use with a good balance that makes it a joy to use. This premium Stihl HT133 Long Reach Pole Pruner is certainly an investment but well worth it if you have a lot of tree work to do.
Runner-up
If your looking for reviews on just chainsaw pole pruners then I recently reviewed some of the best models here where I tested the BUKO and Stihl pole chainsaw pruners
The best telescopic tree pruners in our review are:
- Fiskars PowerGear X Telescopic Tree Pruner – BEST PICK
- Stihl HT133 Long Reach Pole Pruner – PROFESSIONALS’ PICK
- Draper Expert Telescopic Tree Pruner – RUNNER-UP
- GARDENA Telescopic StarCut Pruner
- Silverline 245077 Extendable Pruning Saw 1.5-2.5 m
- Wolf Garten Tree Pruner
- Fiskars PowerGear X Telescopic Tree Pruner
Top 6 Telescopic Tree Pruners Reviews
1. Fiskars PowerGear X UPX86 Telescopic Tree Pruner
Buy on Amazon.co.uk
First things first, what an amazing piece of kit and how impressive is that reach, if there is one long reach tree pruner I had to recommend, this would have to be it. At least for most people and for me personally.
So why do I like it so much? firstly, the Fiskars PowerGear X Telescopic Tree Pruner is a lightweight aluminium long reach lopper that can be used to precisely reach the high branches in trees. What I will say is that at full reach, it can start to get a little more difficult to see where I’m cutting but that is probably just my eyesight but I still manage without too much trouble.
The aluminium telescopic pole of this model extends from 2.4 meters (which also happens to be one of the only downsides, more on this in a second) to a very impressive 4 meters, which means that it can reach up to around 6 meters high when you factor in your own height. This is quite a ways up into your trees.
So a quick word of warning about storage, this model at its smallest setting is 2.4 meters long so you need somewhere suitable to store it with enough space. For me, it easily fits in the rafters of my garage.
So the jaws of the lopper head have easily pruned pretty much any branches I have tried to cut but it is limited to around 3.2cm in diameter. However, to be honest, I often don’t find myself needing to prune branches larger than this in diameter. It also helps that the blade is coated with a non-stick surface and are made from hardened steel. It really is a substantial high quality lopper head. In fact the whole lopper has proved to be very high quality.
Now, a feature I really like is that the cutting head itself is optimised for precise cutting. You can adjust the angle of the head up to 230 degrees which means I often find myself rotating the head just 90 agrees by tuning the orange dial, moving the blade to a right angle left or right and then tightening the orange dial back up. This feature is one that I use more than you might think as it helps cut the branches where the angle is a little awkward to position the lopper in when used in a traditional straight setting.
And don’t worry about being able to keep hold of the handle on this model – there’s a non-slip coating to grip on the two orange handles and the actual system works really well.
You simply hold the handles in both hands and then pull down the top handle and this closed the lopper blade and cuts the branch. For most branches, I only need to pull it down once and it cuts straight through with little effort. However, for some larger branches, I have to pull it down, release and pull it down again and cut it in two or three pulls.
Although it comes with just the lopper attachment, you have the choice of making this a multi-functional tool with the purchase of additional parts. There is a Fiskars multi-function cutting saw and there is multi-function cutting fruit picker so you can turn this lopper into a true pruning tool for your orchard or smallholding. I don’t have these extra attachments myself but have linked them below for you to see.
Finally, it does come with a 25-year warranty that will help you rest easy about your purchase. I have not personally been able to test the warranty or customer service as I’ve not ever had any issues with Fiskars products.
Pros
- Aluminium lopper with non-stick and hardened blades for clean cuts.
- Pole extends from 2.4m to 4m to extend your reach, plus your height.
- Cuts branches and bushes up to 3.2cm in diameter so can handle most of your tree needs.
- The adjustable cutting head moves up to 230 degrees to reach those awkward place at the top of the tree.
- Compatible with Fiskars cutting saw and cutting fruit picker (both not included) to create a multi-function tool.
MY THOUGHTS
The Fiskars PowerGear X Telescopic Tree Pruner is an excellent mid-range lopper for pruning your trees and bushes and is my go-to long reach pruner I really like its adjustable cutting head to reach out of the way branches, it really is worth its weight in gold.
Although I have not used them, I really like the idea of the optional attachments, multi-purpose saw and fruit picking tool, that extends this unit’s use into an all-round picking and pruning tool for your orchard or smallholding. I have the telescopic pole pruner chainsaw, 2 of them in fact so I have not had a need for the pruning saw attachment but it could be very useful for you if you have some larger branches to prune that are too large to be cut with the lopper.
Overall, I think the Fiskars PowerGear X Telescopic Tree Pruner is an amazing piece of kit and probably the best choice for most people looking to prune branches that are out of reach when using a regular lopper. I’ve been really impressed with this model and highly recommend considering it.
Optional attachments
2. Stihl Long Reach Pole Pruner Chainsaw
PROFESSIONALS PICK
Buy on eBay.co.uk
The Stihl Long Reach Pole Pruner is powerful and well balanced and is my go to long reach pruner for the branches that are too wide to cut with my Fiskars long reach hedge trimmer.
I recommend this model more for professional use as it’s fitted with a powerful 36.3cc 2-stroke engine and being an expensive piece of kit, it is something you need to consider you will use enough to warrant the cost. Yes, this is a petrol-powered tree pruner, and it’s still relatively compact and lightweight at only (7.2kg).
The Stihl engine is easy to start so don’t worry about having starting issues. I have found it to be very easy to start and always starts first time every time but I keep it well maintained.
This petrol pruner has a maximum output of 1.4kW so you can cut through branches of varied thickness and it cuts really well, but again I keep the chain sharp and the oil tank full. This model is equipped with a 1/4 PM3 saw chain that gives a clean cut when pruning trees. To be fair, I also have the BUKO multi tool which also has a chainsaw attachment as that also cuts just as well but the build quality is nowhere near the same standard, however, it’s also a quarter the price.
You will see a link after this review to the BUKO Multi tool if you are interested in learning more.
To reach those far off branches requires a telescopic handle. This pruner has a telescopic handle that extends from 270cm to tackle the lower down branches to the extended length of 390cm which provides a maximum reach of about 5 meters from the ground.
It also features a loop style firm grip handle and features accessible controls so you don’t have to reach far or move your hands to make adjusts to the pruner when you’re in the midst of working.
This pole pruner comes with a one-year commercial warranty and a two-year domestic warranty for those who are just looking for a reliable model for personal use in their own garden or orchard. I mainly use it in a small wood that overhands the paddock and at the nursery to keep the larger trees pruned back.
Pros
- Powered long reach tree pruner with a Stihl 36.3cc engine for reliability and quality.
- Cuts branches using a 1/4 PM3 chain saw for a clean and neat cut.
- Maximum extension is to an impressive 3.9m which, plus your height, reaches way up into your trees.
- Weighs 7.6kg.
- One-year commercial and two-year domestic warranties back up the manufacturer’s claims of a high-quality product.
My thoughts
The Stihl Long Reach Pole Pruner is a great product designed for both domestic and commercial purposes. It is a fairly expensive piece of kit, especially compared to manual saw methods in this review and even similar models from other brands but most don’t even come close in terms of build quality and more importantly reliability. It’s worth it if you need a power saw to prune large branches or many trees.
The Stihl Long Reach Pole Pruner is my Professionals Pick. I chose it for its high quality and reliability, its power and its stability. This is definitely a long reach tree pruner for long term use and one I have enjoyed using for a few years now.
Considered a long reach garden mult tool?
Another alternative to a long reach or telescopic pruner is to invest in a good quality garden multi tool. These often include a chainsaw attachment, hedge trimmer, strimmer and brush cutter and my model of choice is the BUKO Garden Multi tool which I have also recently reviewed.
Read my review here (don’t worry it opens in a new tab so you can continue reading this review too)
3. Draper Expert Telescopic Tree Pruner
RUNNER-UP
Buy on Amazon.co.uk
The Draper Expert Telescopic Tree Pruner is a quality garden tool at an affordable price. It’s built with professional gardeners and landscapers in mind as well as the average domestic gardener.
The telescopic pole is manufactured from aluminium which makes it both lightweight and strong. The unit has a heavy-duty grip handle that’s comfortable to keep hold of for extended periods. This tree pruner has a four position locking system so you can extend it in steps from 1.5 metres to 2.5 metres. Extending the tree pruner to just the height of the branch you want to cut makes it safer and easier to use.
The detachable curved saw blade is 35.5cm long and can cut thicker branches with ease. The nylon cord-operated pruner works like a lopper and cuts branches up to 32mm in diameter.
You do need to do some assembly when you receive your pruner. Online reviewers report that this task is not too difficult but the provided instructions weren’t much use to them. Check out videos on YouTube if you do need help.
MY THOUGHTS
The Draper Expert Telescopic Tree Pruner is a lightweight pruner that extends to a respectable 2.5m to accomplish most tree and bush pruning tasks in the domestic garden. Its price fits most budgets yet it’s still a quality model.
We’ve made the Draper Expert Telescopic Tree Pruner the Runner-up in our review. We like its affordability and ease of use for the average home gardener or landscaper who doesn’t need to regularly prune many tall, fully established trees.
Compare the best prices from available sellers below
4. GARDENA Telescopic StarCut 410 Plus
Buy on Amazon.co.uk
The GARDENA Telescopic StarCut 410 Plus tree pruner provides effortless manual cutting of your tree branches on all fronts. This pruner is classed as a lopper, so it works with a scissor-like motion rather than as a saw.
The telescopic handles opens from a length of 2.3m to 4.1m. But you don’t have to increment it by pre-set steps; it’s infinitely adjustable so just open it as much as you want to each time. Adding in your own height, you can have about a 6.5m reach with this pruner.
The gear ratio is a large 12:1, which means that you only have to apply a little force yourself to get significant cutting power. There’s no problem cutting branches as wide as 33mm in diameter. If your cut branches get tangled up in the tree, use the innovative hook just below the cutting head to just pull them down. There’s also an internal pulling strap to make sure that the lopper itself doesn’t become caught up in the branches.
The cutting head moves up to 200° to adjust precisely to strangely angled branches. What’s even better, though, is that you can adjust the angle from the ground without having to bring the entire pruner down to ground level.
And to top things off, there’s a 25-year warranty to back up how serious the manufacturer is about the service length of this lopper.
Pros
- Steel telescopic lopper for durability and strength.
- Compact cutting head with a 200° cutting angle to get into the fiddly branches.
- Maximum telescope handles stretches from 2.3m to 4.1m to reach the high up branches.
- Steel gearing works on a 12:1 gear ratio so applying minimum force translates to a lot of cutting force.
- Cuts branches up to 33mm wide to get your chunkier tree eyesores.
- Hook under cutting mechanism lets you pull stuck branches down.
- T-handle for comfortable handling and less strain.
- The warranty is an exceptional 25 years.
MY THOUGHTS
Two words describe GARDENA Telescopic StarCut 410 Plus tree lopper – quality and precision. The quality is backed by a very impressive 25-year warranty. The precision is through the 200° adjustable cutting head that you can adjust from the ground without having to bring the pruner down.
I like everything about it from its 6.5m reach through to its high gear ratio for minimal effort for maximal cutting power. This is definitely a quality tree lopper and a good alternative to my best pick by FISKARS.
Gardena also make a smaller version of the 410 Plus so I have linked to that below as well!
5. Silverline 1.5-2.5m Extendable Pruning Saw
Buy on Amazon.co.uk
The Silverline 1.5-2.5m Extendable Pruning Saw is one of the most affordable models in our review. It features a durable, triple-ground blade that cuts cleanly on both the forward and reverse strokes. this doubles your cutting ability and halves your cutting time.
The long 47cm blade is curved to reach around the branches and cut sharply. The telescopic handle extends to 2.5m which, when you add in your own height, gets quite high up into your trees. Although this is a lightweight long reach tree pruner, it can feel a little heavy when fully extended as you move it around.
Pros
- Lightweight tree pruner with a saw blade that lets you cut through small to medium diameter branches for as long as you want.
- The saw blade is curved and 47cm long to get around behind your awkward branches.
- Blade cuts on both forward and reverse strokes to save you time and effort in your pruning tasks.
- Handle extends from 1.5m to an adequate 2.5m for most tree and bush pruning tasks.
MY THOUGHTS
The Silverline 1.5-2.5m Extendable Pruning Saw is a tree pruner that fits most budgets. You use its saw blade with a, well, sawing motion. The saw lets you prune quite thick branches for as long as your arm strength holds up. While it doesn’t extend as far as some of the other pruners in our review, this model is enough for the needs of most home gardeners.
We recommend the Silverline 1.5-2.5m Extendable Pruning Saw for those gardeners who have a few trees with medium-size branches that need to be tidied up.
Compare the best prices from available sellers below
6. Wolf Garten Anvil Tree Pruner with 3-metre Telescopic Handle
Buy on Amazon.co.uk
The Wolf Garten Anvil Tree Pruner with 3-metre Telescopic Handle has a different cutting mechanism than the other tree pruning models in our review. It’s actually a lopper which is just a pruner – it does not include a pruning saw. However, the saw can be purchased separately as an add-on product. (See our Buyer’s Guide to find out about loppers vs saws.)
The lopper comes with a three-metre lightweight aluminium telescopic handle which has a PVC sleeve for extra comfort. It is the only telescopic tree pruner in our review that has an anvil-style lopper. This type of cutter crushes the branch so don’t expect a clean cut. This anvil tree pruner cuts branches up to 38mm in diameter which is 8mm more than most other models.
This Wolf-Garten model uses a 4:1 pulley system which makes pruning larger branches possible without having you use too much effort. The pole that comes with the lopper is adjustable, from 1.7m to 3.0m in length.
The pruning saw, which needs to be purchased separately, is of a very high quality and designed with extended use in mind. It will cut through even the thickest branches. The pruning saw comes with a slightly long four-meter telescopic pole.
Pros
- Anvil looper tree pruner comes with a three-metre maximum length telescopic pole to reach medium-high branches.
- Cuts branches to a maximum 38mm in diameter to prune your chunkier specimens.
- The Pulley system of 4:1 takes minimal effort to make the cuts.
- A pruning saw can be purchased separately if you need cleaner cuts.
MY THOUGHTS
This Wolf-Garten Anvil Lopper is a high-quality pruner intended for frequent and extended use. It’s a lightweight model and cuts larger branches than any other tree pruner. You do need to purchase the saw separately but that comes with a longer (4m) telescoping handle. The combined price of the two parts reflects that this is a premium product that lasts for a good number of years.
We recommend this Wolf-Garten Anvil Lopper for those dedicated tree lovers who want a high quality, high performing tree pruner set.
Buyer’s Guide
We’ve identified the long reach tree pruners in our review as either loppers or those with saw blades or those who have both of these cutting mechanisms. Here we explain in detail the differences between these methods of cutting tree branches or bushes.
Lopper
Loppers are scissor-like cutting implements that cut wood. They’re sometimes known as pruners or pruning shears.
The most common type are bypass loppers or pruners. These have two blades that slide past each other just like scissors. These give the cleanest cut on wood and are used primarily on like, green wood. Clean cuts allow the wood to heal more quickly. Some bypass loppers have adjustable heads in which you can turn their orientation to suit the angle of the branches you want to lop off.
We have an anvil lopper in our review, the Wolf Garten Anvil Tree Pruner. Anvil loppers have a blade that closes against a metal anvil that’s on the lower jaw and is softer than the blade. Anvil loppers require less manual power on your part to operate than other kinds of loppers. However, anvil loppers tend to crush the material they cut, so only use them where you don’t need a clean cut. For instance, when you’re shortening a branch before cutting it off entirely.
Saws
Saws are the only way to cut branches that are too big for the lopper blades. Most of the loppers in our review handles up to a maximum of around 3cm thick. Saws can keep going as long as your arms can squeeze the trigger.
Look for saws that cut both coming and going to make the most efficient use of your time and effort, like the Silverline 1.5-2.5m Extendable Pruning Saw in our review. The length and shape of the saw blade also affect how quickly and conveniently the sawing pruning process goes. Curved saw blades let you go around behind branches and longer lengths give you more cutting edge.
If the pruning product that you prefer is a lopper, check whether you can optionally purchase a saw that’s compatible with the unit to extend your tree cutting options.
You can also buy pruning saws which we talk about here and maybe use with a good quality tripod ladder.
Final Conclusion
Prune your tree branches and straggly high bushes safely with a long reach tree pruner. The products in our review are in a range of prices and extendable lengths to meet most people’s needs, from gardeners with just a few trees to look after to professional landscapers. Whether you choose to lop off your branches or to saw them, do it safely.
My Best Pick is the Fiskars PowerGear X Telescopic Tree Pruner. This high quality tree lopper is designed for your convenience, with its unique hook to loosen stuck branches and its pulling strap to ensure that the unit itself doesn’t get caught up.
The Draper Expert 32mm Diameter Tree Pruner is our Runner-up selection. This is an affordable model and is suitable for home gardeners and landscapers.
Our Professionals’ Pick is the Stihl Long Reach Pole Pruner. This is the only powered tree pruner I reviewed, and it’s 2-stroke petrol engine lets you easily cut through most branches.
If you find yourself on a pruning kick, check out our other reviews of pruning tools. Look into the Best Garden Lopper for pruning secateurs for trees, the Best Long Reach Hedge Trimmer for neat sides and tops to your hedges and the Best Garden Shears for general pruning work.
Last update on 2024-03-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
