The Fiskars Pruning Stik pole pruner thread

I don't understand. How can you change the collar orientation? I can see it on reduction/ heading cuts (back to a lateral), but not on thinning cuts (all the way to the origin of the branch).
 
im talking about changing the orientation of the blade to the collar by moving the branch rather than moving the pruner. if i need to make a cut say, and the stem is facing out and away from my position, i hook the intended stem as close to the collar as i can and then pull the whole branch around till the stem is 90 deg to the blade. if the stem is too big to bend then it is usually big enough to get with a handsaw or from my next work position. on thinning jobs i almost never even use a pole pruner nowadays. most of our jobs are monterey cypress or coast live oak. both of which are very easy to get around in (esp with the HH!). plus i have a 6'6" arm span and a 16" handsaw;).
 
Truth be told, I don't really use a pole pruner much. More polesaw use then anything. I get some ornamental prunings here and there, but more of my pruning is trees larger then what can be done from the ground. I wish I could sell more ornamental work. Hour for hour, pound for pound, the profit is better for me. I have tried and tried to sell it, and now and again I do. But around here, people prefer their ornamental trees be handled with a set of hedge trimmers, and I don't do that. They want ornamentals groomed into a perfectly round ball.
 
Bah..razzberries...Nick put yer T-shirt on and join me on the picket line...

;)
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #80
We shall hold our signs at the end if our fully extended pruning stik!

Mine will say

I'll be starvin
Before I use a Marvin!!!


love
nick
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #82
For what it's worth, I think Fiskars has cheapened the design to cut costs. I've noticed some if the levers for the adjusters are flimsier. And in the past few months we've noticed a marked reduction in how long they are lasting on the jobsite.

Right now it's no skin off my back. I am usually going to Home Depot once a month for this or that anyway- so I just take the broken pruners with me as keep swapping them out. As long as they keep honoring the 90 day return policy, I don't care how long they last. I love these things.


love
nick
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #84
You got a point! I only remember once or twice ever sharpening them!

Recent failures include:

1- Blade snapped - this happens in like 10% of our failures. It's pretty rare
2- Internal mechanisms of pivoting head failing- not the pivoting part- but the pulley stuff on the inside that transfers your pulling power into a cutting motion. This is the most common failure for us. It happens randomly it seems. Id say 70-90% of our failures are from this.
3- Chain link failure- this happens rarely. It's a short piece of chain up by the cutter head. Maybe 5-10-% of failures are from this.
4- Fiberglass splitting lengthwise- only had this happen once to a brand new pole. And I know why it happened. There is a plastic screw on ferrule where the fiberglass and aluminum meet in the middle. Those bolts were not tightened properly at the factory so the ferrule slipped up and the end of the fiberglass got flexed with the weight.
5- general disfunction: nothing broke, but things aren't working any more. Like the spring isn't strong enough to open the blade, the webbing constantly gets jammed under the lock lever- stuff like that. If I can't figure out how to fix it in ten minutes, I take it back to Home Depot. Again- this one is rare. Usually things just straight up break.

I'd never recommend this for general tree guy use, but there is nothing else on the market that is as versatile AND light.

And a pivoting head? C'mon. Who else has that?


love
nick
 
I agree, Nick ... there's nothing out there that does as good a job on getting the right angle for a cut. I've been able to fix the few problems I've had. However, I ONLY use it on the light stuff out where I can't reach. So, I've rarely ever pushed it past it's limits.
 
Got my first one. It is a nice pruning stick.
But at 75bucks I hope it lasts the year.
Its not perfect but the light wt, articulation and easy pull is pretty sweet.
 
We should send Fiskars corporate a letter praising it but asking for a more durable version for us commercial folks. Undeniably it is a awsome positioning pruner.
 
My 5 yr old one is getting stuck under the lengthening lever, the strapping that is..minor nuisance but seeing how old it is...

I gave my 5' one to a friend who has a gardening service, once I got the extendable one the fixed one never got used.
 
anyone try the corona version?
http://www.osh.com/eng/product/corona_long_reach_pruner/5963236
7752_81159_v1.jpg
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #95
That corona one is too short. Less than 6'. The Fiskars extends to 12'

Yesterday I got 2 more of the Fiskars- free exchanges from Home Depot.

I've been noticing changes in the design. Things are getting flimsier and I'm noticing that they aren't lasting as long.

I'm gonna etch the date into these two. They should last a lot longer.

I just bought a 10' adjustable ARS one. I've had a 6' one for like 4 yrs. Never sharpened it. Works like a champ.

I ordered this one: http://www.growtech.com/LA-ZR.html the 6-10 footer with pivoting head. $135 (vs $80 for the fiskars) but if it lasts more than 2 months it'll be well worth it.

It gets here next week.


love
nick
 
Hey Nick...do you have or know if there is...a digram of the internals of the head? How the cord wraps round inside?
 
NickfromWI said:
...but there is nothing else on the market that is as versatile AND light.

And a pivoting head? C'mon. Who else has that?
Click to expand...

NickfromWI said:
I ordered this one: http://www.growtech.com/LA-ZR.html the 6-10 footer with pivoting head. $135 (vs $80 for the fiskars) but if it lasts more than 2 months it'll be well worth it.
Click to expand...

I havent used the fiskars but I have that 6-10' ARS. Its a fantastic tool. Its really ingenuitive and for light detail work its unmatched. HOWEVER you still need a standard pruner, the ARS is <3/4" and no more. You will screw it up trying to push it over that. For Jap maples, dogwoods etc I love my ARS. The thing is "the screw that holds it all together" fell out on mine and I stripped the hole out, so I need to fix and until I do its dead weight.

Its $130 At treestuff with free shipping
https://www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?category_id=214&item=1353#detail

180ZR305.jpg


Here is a thread where I was talking about getting the ARS... I ended up with the ARS long reach, Corona Bull Pruner, the phoenix saw head and a traditional Marvin pruner I picked up at Big Green (missing one part, easily replaced).

https://www.masterblasterhome.com/s...her-Ornamental-Equipment&highlight=ars+pruner

I shouldnt bother to comparison shop since I buy one of everything anyway,.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #98
Bermy said:
Hey Nick...do you have or know if there is...a digram of the internals of the head? How the cord wraps round inside?
Click to expand...

I'm sure there is. I've never seen it though. I figured it out. Its sorta complicated and a description would be 3 pages long.

Who's gonna call fiskars and ask?!!


love
nick
 
I've been in contact via email twice waiting on a third and they seem to be receptive to the concerns. The next person I get to I will send a link to this thread and or pass along the email address so commentary can be had by all.
 
Cool, if they kept the quality that they started with, and don't cheapen it, I'll still say its one of the best tools I've ever bought for my kind of tree work.
We need a working diagram of the internals...because they can go wonky...its tool being used by professional tree surgeons after all!
I wonder if they anticipated that it would get take up outside the homeowners market?
 
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