Spear & Jackson 4930FZ Razorsharp Telescopic Tree Pruner

My house was under attack from an indiscriminate tree and its army of branches that was getting ‘too close’ to the house according to my wife. Lacking the required tree felling knowledge and not wanting to actually kill a tree, I opted to get something that would allow me to trim the branches in some way. Now, my arms are pretty long, but not 3m long and even on a ladder I needed something that extended my chopping ability to longer than arms length. A trip to B&Q proved useless so I decided to go to the only manufacturer of things that sounds both tribal and warlike. Anything made by a company called ‘Spear and Jackson’ sounded like it could deal with things. It also sounds like the kind of 70s cop show that you know didn’t mess around. I ordered the item which looked, to me, like some kind of medieval weapon used in the Battle of Hastings. A sharp saw jutted out one edge, then a branch dismembering claw poked out the other with a long pulley cord to activate the mechanism. A short set up, and the Battle of the Bush could begin. That is also probably a title of a 70s film though more adult on nature. I digress, the blade is the sharpest thing I have ever pulled with a 2m cord. That thing was slicing through thick tree branches like they were nothing. It was also light weight which meant hoying it up a ladder was easy peasy. Before long I’d savaged that pesky tree within an inch of its life, it had gone from a 70s Barclays Bank - loads of branches - to the 00s version. Barely any branches. I was very pleased with how this operated and amazed at how sharp it was. The saw blade I never needed to use though I can see how effective it would be. After I was satisfied with enough dismembering I then realised I had about a lorry full of tree branches and leaves to somehow transport from the drive to the tip. That was the moment I regretted going at it like a mad chopping maniac. But this was well worth the money, all hail the Spear and Jackson Tree Branch Destroyer. Get one but… think about what you’re doing too!

One of my resident trees decided an insane growth spurt was appropriate meaning I couldn't reach some of the branches to trim back.Along comes this saw; and wow did it impress. I found the set up easy peasy but I did manage to pull the rope out of the lopper part. After a quick re-thread; we were ready to go.The saw part is detachable so you don't have to have a razor sharp saw swinging around if you are just using the lopper blade (and trust me it's SHARP!) The lopper blade is very sharp and pulley operated, so can slice through some decent branches. Very versatile tool.Once the right angle was achieved; it slid through a hefty branch with ease. It was just a bit harder than butter on warm toast, but not as hard as putting on brand new shoes.The whole tree was trimmed with ease within a 30 minute window and it was actually exciting to use the saw. I felt like a character from Monster Hunter! Or Xena Warrior Princess (however, I saved my neighbours the displeasure of an impression as they're good people).I would recommend, though it seems obvious to me, to wear gardening gloves or something kind of good protective gloves when using this as you might end up hurting your hands a bit. I didn't, but I can see how it could happen without hand protection.I really recommend this saw for any tree trimming needs, and it doesn't really lose stability when extended either as long as you don't do silly wiggles when using it! Very adjustable, not too heavy and handles well.

I read all the reviews of the other cheaper makes before buying this one.ProsStrongly made.Blades are very very sharpWorks well.Saw is well made too.It is not difficult to use even when fully extended.ConsIt's not what I would call light weight, as it is well made, but not using aircraft aluminium, which of course would make it much more expensive.You have to pull on a rope handle pulley system to get the blade to cut, you need gloves or rope can abraid your fingers. This could be better designed.Rope gets a bit tangled up.Nothing elseI previously had a cheaper make but this one much much sharper and works well on big branches, and the saw is not flimsy either. Though my cheaper version had a better nylon webbing pully cutting system

This is the best gardening tool I've ever used. As it's name suggest this is truly razor sharp. It cuts thorough branches like slicing a butter using a knife :)Arrived with a small damage, but Amazon gladly agreed for a partial refund.For the positive side, I can certainly give five star because it's sharp cutting blades (which is the most important part.. obviously). I've used both pruner and the saw tool and both are really really sharp, so I don't need to put much effort to cut thorugh branches. Also, the build quality is very good and seems like I can use it for years to come. Saw blade is very sharp and I've cut though 2-3 inch branches in a snap.If I come come to negative side of the tool, it's little bit heaviour but I think that's because of the quality of the materials used. The provided string is not too good but you can replace it with any other suitable one in no time. Also as some other reviewers said, two fly nuts get loosen when you use it, so it has to tighten up reguraly.All in all, for the price I think this is a very good deal. So grab it... you won't get disappointed :)Update 2016:I'm still using this product and used it for usual gardening every summer. Now the string is worn out, but still usable. When it break I will replace it with another string. The blade still good and I never sharpened it. Still cuts through about 1.5 inch branches with bit of effort. I've used saw blade heavily last summer to cut down 10-15 branches and it now has a small bent on it. Still usable though :)All in all, this is worth every penny and when this breaks I'll buy another Spear & Jackson product. Well Done Spear & Jackson!Hope this review and review update help someone out there!