BLACK+DECKER 20V Max Pole Saw for Tree Trimming, Lightweight, Rechargeable Cordless, Extension up to 14 ft Reach, Tool Only, Electric Pole Saw (LPP120B)

There were a few different brands and systems available for limb trimming at between 12 and 20 feet from the ground. I chose the Black & Decker Pole Saw because I have several other power tools from B & D. I have found them reliable, and...all of the tools take the same 20v lithium battery, including the pole saw. I found that I can cut 20 to 30 limbs between 1/2" and 4 " with a single battery charge. I started by cutting about 25 limbs from some spruce trees. They tend to die off at the bottom and continue to go upward with the die off. Dead limbs can be found two thirds of the way up the trees. I then cut several branches from an oak including a 4' limb. I had not run out of power at that point. Since I have 5 other batteries which will also fit this unit, I can work as long as I like. I used to bring over a ladder and a chain saw and balance as I cut, it always made me nervous. This is really the answer; no cord, it's very light and cuts easily and quickly; and I'm safely on the firm ground. I was very surprised at how well this saw works and the battery life is great. I also learned something interesting. It was recommended that I use vegetable oil when cutting limbs on live trees. The mineral oil (bar and chain oil) I would normally use in my chain saws can harm a live tree. I use olive oil from the kitchen with this saw, it was handy. This pole saw does not have an automatic chain/bar oil feed. I was concerned about this at first. Since the saw does not go as fast as a gas powered saw and I will seldom cut hour after hour as I might cutting fire wood, the auto oil feed is not needed. After every 15-20 limbs that I cut, I use the oil bottle supplied by B &D to add a bit of oil to the chain. The oil container and an Allen wrench to set the chain tension, fit into a clip on the saws chain/bar cover. This is good design and very handy. I highly recommend the Black & Decker Pole saw.

I have to admit, my expectations for this tool were not sky-high when I purchased it. I decided to buy it for a number of reasons but mainly because I already owned two 20v B&D Li-Ion batteries which came with other B&D tools I already owned. The other reasons for the purchase were: 1) I could buy the tool bare, without the battery which cut about 40 bucks off the price and 2) B&D was offering a $10 discount at the time so all-in-all it seemed like a good time to make the purchase. From my experience with the B&D tools I already owned (leaf blower & hedge trimmer), I definitely went into this purchase with muted expectations. The 20v blower is good for blowing dry leaves and debris off the deck but that's about it, otherwise it's totally under-powered to perform more heavy duty leaf blowing (like when the leaves become a little wet). The hedge trimmer works well enough. So basically out of the two B&D 20v tools I already owned I was going into this with about 50% confidence that it would have enough power to do the job and then you have to wonder just how effective a cordless 20v electric pole saw could possibly be.... Well let me tell you, pretty darn effective! When I received the package it arrived well intact and in good time considering the time of year the purchase was made so no complaints there. In the box were: instructions, the pole saw itself (which breaks down into three segments), a plastic bar/chain cover that has built in space for the bar oil container (small dropper container for the bar oil included) and the Allen wrench (also included). Again I went with the bare tool so no battery. After a brief overview of the instructions I put the saw together. The segments connect via heavy duty plastic twist-type connections which is one very small complaint that I have. If the connection could be a little more heavy duty it would be nice but the plastic seems heavy duty enough to hold up if you're careful when putting the tool together. You definitely have to be careful that you have the weight of whole thing under control somehow as you put it together. When you first insert the smaller plastic end into the larger plastic end (which only goes in one way as the power connection is made inside the joint) there could be a lot of stress on the connection if you're just trying to hold the saw without balancing the weight on something or have the unit laying on the ground while attempting to join the segments and tighten the joint at the same time. Once you get the connection completely tightened the joint becomes pretty strong. I'll definitely keep an eye on this as I use the saw this season and update my rating if the plastic connections fail me but otherwise no complaints after my trial run. We have a decent sized wooded lot with lots of small/medium sized trees so having something that doesn't require a plug-in is a must. We recently had a wet heavy snow bring a willow part way down. The trunk was split and the tree was hung up in a pine requiring a tool such as this to give me the reach to get up into the pine to alleviate the pressure. I found the 14' reach to be more than adequate for the job at hand. Once I got everything lined up, safety gear on, figured out where I was going to stand and bar/chain oiled and all that jive, it was time to cut. At first it felt like the saw was just bouncing on the limb, which I later measured to approximately 5 inches in diameter. Then I realized it was just the way I was holding the saw. Once I pushed it all the way to limb so that the grooved area of the saw body just below the bar was against the limb things totally stabilized and the saw did the rest. It sawed through the limb with ease much to my surprise. I really thought there would be some catching or motor slowing but there was not. I proceeded to cut the branch into more manageable pieces, then I but a couple of birch branches that needed to be cleared away, cut another willow branch about the size of the first one and cut that one up into smaller pieces. All this on one charge and no sign of the battery losing charge. It certainly appears that will two fully charged batteries I should be able to do all my summer cutting with ease. All-in-all I'm very happy with this tool. My only question is about the durability of the unit with the plastic connections but so far so good so not going to knock it until there's a reason to. I'll continue to be careful when I put the unit together and report any issues. I'm looking forward to a summer of pruning some of the higher trees we've been wanting to prune but could get to the limbs but now I have a tool that will help me accomplish this. I definitely recommend this saw to anyone looking for an inexpensive cutting tool that'll give you some reach. Given the price and performance of this tool I couldn't be happier.

Wow. I don't know why I waited so long to buy one of these. I'm a homeowner on an acre which is about 50% covered in trees. I've owned a couple of Poulan Pro 16-inch chain saws, and a telescoping manual pole saw / pruner, for the past 15 years. The manual pole saw works good but takes a lot of work to saw branches. Now, I've added the Black and Decker LPP120B Bare 20V Max Lithium Ion Pole Pruning Saw to the mix. What a joy to use. It lets me get into fuller trees (like a Holly) that I couldn't previously with the manual pole saw. Be sure to read a few of the reviews as they provide really good information as to what to expect when you first use your new saw. After reading all of the helpful reviews I opted to buy the B&D Pole Pruning Saw for $89 WITHOUT the battery or charger, and used the $43 savings to buy the better charger, and then bought 2 higher capacity batteries. The charger which comes with the $132 set takes about 8 hours to recharge your batteries. You can buy a quick charger that will charge your batteries in 30 minutes. And it does! Either the Black & Decker L2AFCBST Lithium Ion Fast Charger for $43 or the Black & Decker L2ACF-OPE 20V MAX Lithium Ion Fast Charger for $40 will do the trick. The ONLY difference between the two is that for $3 more the L2AFCBST charger can "Flash Charge" your battery up to 30% capacity within 10 minutes. Why bother? I saved the $3. I also bought 2 of the 20-volt Black & Decker LBXR2020-OPE 2.0 Ah Lithium Battery Packs at $49 each. (The $132 set comes with one Black & Decker LBXR20 Lithium Battery Pack, which also sell separately for about $42 each or $79 for a pair). The LBXR2020-OPE that I bought are 2.0 Ah cells that allows for 33% more run time than the LBXR20 (which is just a 1.5Ah cell). Having two batteries is a must. It's no fun being in the middle of a project and running out of juice. I spent 3 hours cutting branches and got through it all with my two batteries, with some juice to spare. Now, I wasn't cutting all that time. 80% of the time was spent setting up for the cuts or dragging all the carnage into a pile on the side of the yard to shred later. I cut 1-inch to 3-inch limbs almost effortlessly, as well as 4-inch limbs with a little more patience. I'm used to cutting tree limbs like butter with my gas chainsaw. You just need to take a little more time with the B&D battery-powered chain saw. And it succeeds with flying colors. I also had no trouble felling a 5-inch Cherry tree with a nice clean horizontal cut after I had thoroughly pruned it. I am very happy camper with the combination of the B&D saw, fast charger, and 2 higher capacity batteries. (Total cost = $239). I just wish I had owned these sooner. 4-year update: well, after 4 years the two bolts that hold the chain bar in place stripped the internal "nuts". The bolts can no longer be tightened enough to keep the bar tight, leading to a loose bar and a chain that falls off the bar as soon as you try to cut. While I did get 4 good years out of this pole chainsaw, I'm still removing one star (going from 5 star to 4) since it's now rendered useless.

I bought this recently and have used it a few times. It is just great. I have sawed through some branches that were at least 4 inches in diameter with ease. The battery life seems more than adequate to me. I have yet to run out of power and I have used this for over an hour, not constantly of course, but no problem with battery dropping out. I also have the 20 volt weed trimmer which comes with two more batteries and one more charger that is interchangeable with the pole saw. Love that. I have used it mostly in just two sections instead of all three sections together. When all three are connected it does become more difficult to manage and the weight becomes a factor. The poles do slightly curve under the weight when all three are connected which of course changes how you wield the pole to make a cut. The actual cutting of a branch is rather straight forward but you must remain focused. I have found in a few instances probably due to being on an angle and such that when you make the top cut on a branch the blade will dance and bob around a bit...it helps to tighten your grip on the pole with both hands to steady it...like others have said you sort of have to lay the weight of the saw on top the branch without pulling downward too much just let the weight of the saw/pole dig in at its own pace. Once it starts to go down into the branch it will finish cutting pretty quickly and with little assistance from you on the other end other than keeping a firm grip on the poles with both arms. I found that making the undercut is essential for a simplified cutting...read the directions...I also found that the undercut is more stable and there is less dancing and bobbing for whatever reason...I go about a third of the way through the branch with the undercut like the directions advise then finish with the top cut. The instructions that come with it are good and I would advise to get familiar with them especially regarding tightening the tension on the chain and tightening the guide to the housing. The chain guide screws will loosen up with use, so you need to keep that tool nearby to retighten when needed. You also need that tool to tighten the tension of the chain itself the way the directions tell you to do it. I was cutting through an oak branch. Oak is very hard wood. I must have become complacent on checking the chain tension because when I started to make an undercut the chain made an unusual grinding noise. I stopped and found the chain all loose and on further inspection saw that the blade was stuck to the plastic housing behind the sprocket. I thought it was completely ruined but I read the directions on installing the chain and was able to get it back in working order. This likely would not have happened if I had double checked the blade tension more often....cannot stress enough to check that tension every few cuts or so. Just keep the tool handy and it will be a cinch. You all might be interested to know that I am using Canola oil to oil the chain and guide. Yes, the cooking oil. It is working fine with it, does not smell all oily, like petroleum does, is easy on your trees in an eco-friendly way, and if you get any splatter on your clothes it is easy to wash out (honestly have not noticed any splatter with it at all). I was reluctant to use it at first and was prepared to get a petroleum based bar and chain oil but am glad I decided to try the Canola oil. No problems so far. So it is easy to use, quiet (no ear plugs required with this), great battery life, and makes my life so much easier. I would have never gotten as much trimmed this spring if I hadn't bought this. I needed to remove some branches that were encroaching on the side of my house before the summer storms hit. I would have never been able to even reach them without this pole saw. Not to mention manual saws wear you out after a couple of branches. This is a wonderful tool. Love the tote bag that comes with it for storage and for taking it all with me as I walk around the property. Just great! 2/21/13 update - I sawed through a tree that was lying horizontally across my yard that was nearly 10 inches in diameter at its widest part. It is a Locust which is rather soft wood, but anyhow the blade went through it well, not like butter, but well enough to get the job done. I had to work from both sides of the trunk at the widest point but hey I got it done. I am so impressed with this tool.

First off I'm not very experienced with chain saws, and have never used a pole saw. We had a lot of damage from a freak October storm and the canopy over our dirt driveway was hanging down very low. In addition a few other limbs on trees were broken and hanging down. The battery: It didn't last very long, but long enough to get a lot of work done. It actually overheated and didn't run out, so an hour on the charger to cool down and it worked for a little while longer. I don't know why it overheated as I was not running it long or hard. All in all the battery life was better than many of the other reviewers said, but still not long. If I had a ton of work to do I'd buy extra batteries, but I was pretty tired anyway and didn't mind putting off finishing the job the next day. Probably got about an hour and half of work (not of sawing) done. Maybe 15 or 20 cuts made. It is very quiet and cuts very well. You do need to be sure to make an undercut and it did bind on the top cut a couple of times, but I was able to free it without climbing a ladder, by pulling down on the end of the branch and then starting it up. For 1-2" branches it is awesome, just cuts through them effortlessly. I was able to cut a small pine tree down, maybe about a 6" diameter, and a few other things of 3-5" so it does the job. Leaving the center section out was of course easier to use, but when I had to use the full length it was not that hard to handle. Hard to see up to what you're cutting at times of course. Assembly was nothing, just screw the three pieces together and pop in the battery (after charging it in the external charger.) Carrying bag is great for storage. Tightening the blade is very easy too with the included tool. All in all I like it very much and for the price was better than hiring someone to do the work. I don't think I could have done this job with a manual pole saw, this tool made it easy. I will say that I will be very resistant to loaning it to anyone as it is not a very heavy duty tool, it does get bound up during cuts and someone else may not take as good care of it, so if I want it to last I want to be in control of it's usage. If my yard wasn't so large I might prefer one with a cord so not to have to worry about the battery, but it's nice to just bring it to the area you want without a cord running behind you. I'm a 60 year old male in good shape.

This pole saw delivered exactly what I needed. I was easily able to remove some dead tree limbs (around 3/4 inches thick) and some large branches (larger limbs being 11 to 14 feet high) that had grown out and were hanging down causing me to have to either duck or lean over in order to avoid them when cutting the grass. It preformed very well. It cut cleanly and quickly , no more than 8/10 seconds for the thicker stuff and probably 3/4 seconds on the thinner ones. It is kinda heavy especially using all 3 sections but still manageable for me (and I'm 72 yrs. old and in average shape). I bought this because I have become too leary of working off a ladder with a chain saw or a sawzall. I also have had great results with several other Black and Decker power tools I have......and the price was right too (can't forget that part). And remember to follow the instructions in the owners manual concerning maintenance and care as well as actual cutting.

I am a Licensed General Contractor and have used dozens of gas and electric chain saws over the years. I am impressed with a number of Black and Decker 20-Volt Lithium tools I have purchased over the past few years. This pole saw is relatively light weight and very useful for tree trimming overhead. The power of the small lithium pack is surprising. It is no Husqvarna but if you keep it sharp, and do not push it beyond limits, it can do some serious cutting. I keep a couple of fully charged backup batteries. If you are cutting 2" and 3" branches, it lasts for a long time. However when you get into 6", it cuts well but may not give you more than 6 or 8 cuts, depending on the hardwood. This is no problem if you have some backup batteries to throw on. I often start charging the 1st of 3 batteries after it drains. However, you need to let the batteries cool for 15 or 20 minutes before the charger will begin charging as it will come up with LED feedback saying the battery is too hot to charge. So plan your work sessions accordingly! Unless you have backup batteries or the B&D Fast Charger you can get frustrated. Overall it is a great tool for shorter projects and it is great to have no fumes or gas to deal with. It makes it easy to move freely about your property. It is also important to keep an eye on chain tension. Adjustment is pretty easy, but if you neglect to keep it at proper tension and it gets too lose, the chain will come off the sprockets and that is a pain and can be frustrating to reinstall. it is pretty easy to do but a bit of prevention saves a lot of time. Overall I highly recommend this tool! Just don't push it too hard and it will surprise you how useful it can be working safely from the ground.

I've got a bunch of B & D cordless tools. I think it's an under-rated brand. This pole saw is fine. The biggest flaw I've noticed is that leaves and sticks get caught in the chain, which jams the machine. It's fine for soft woods. My neighbor has a thicket of Tree of Heaven in her yard that reaches over the fence and I cut them back with almost no problem (the problem being the aforementioned leaves in the chain, causing it to jam.) I think it will struggle with a denser wood. The good: it's relatively light weight for a pole saw.