Craftsman 14 ft. Tree Pruner

I picked this item up on sale from Sears. I used it to prune the high branches out of a lilac and saw the dead out of two trees with no problems. The lopper did not bind up or get stuck like some of the cheaper models do. The saw blade cuts nicely but it can be difficult to get started when the pole is near its full extension. Once the pole is extended to about 12 ft. or longer, it can become a bit unweildly. That has improved with use so I think that may be more operator issue than tool issue. Also, this is quite a workout on your shoulders, so don't over do it your first time out if you don't do this kind of work often.

I would recommend this tool to a friend or family member.

I bought this tree pruner just over a year ago. There is one pole within another pole which you can extend to adjust the height of pruner. There was a black ring around where the two poles connected which could be tighten to secure the two poles together so they would not move as you sawed/pruned the branches. After using this pruner one time this black ring broke off so now I can not secure the two poles. I put the pruner away for the year and forgot about it until I used it on a neighbors tree earlier this year and remembered it was broken. I can not get a replacement "black ring" anywhere. Craftsman does not sell them separately and of course its too much work for them to obtain a new one from the manufacturer. I will not be buying another tree pruner from Craftsman.