Last Updated on October 2, 2023 by Kyle Whitley
Electric powered pole saws are a great way to prune limbs on trees and shrubs around your home. They are also great at pruning up downed limbs that may have fallen out of larger trees. There are two types of electric pole saws corded and cordless. When looking at a corded vs cordless pole saw, which one is right for your pruning tasks.
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What is Pole Saw?
Pole saws are like little chain saws attached to a pole. Sounds pretty simple right. You get the power and convenience of a chain saw that can reach extended heights. They really are a great idea, and a good addition to the outdoor power tools in your lawn care arsenal.
While having a chain saw attached to an extending pole might sound like a bad idea, it actually is intended to make pruning trees safer. If you can stay on the ground and not on a ladder, you are less likely to fall and hurt yourself when pruning limbs. Often these poles can extend from 6ft – 10ft which can give up an average size person up to 15ft of reach. Most of these saws have an 8″ -10″ chain bar which will allow you to cut some pretty sizeable limbs.
Corded vs Cordless Pole Saws
We will take a look at these two types of pole saws, and see the pros and cons of each type of electric pole saw.
Corded Pole Saws
Corded pole saws are just that, they are powered by a power cord attached to a standard home wall outlet. Extension cords are a must if you really want to use your corded pole saw to its full potential. Corded pole saws are fairly cheap and are manufactured by many of the popular manufactures of outdoor power equipment.
Pros
- Nearly endless supply of power
- Relatively inexpensive when compared to cordless saws
- Lighter weight
Cons
- Must be near power outlet
- Need for use extension cords for use properly
- Lack of mobility
As you can see most of the cons with a corded pole saw happen to be the fact that you are tied down to the length of your extension cord and proximity to a power source. Have a endless power source is also its biggest plus. If you have access to a long extension cord or a mobile power source that you can plug into, a corded pole saw could be good option.
Cordless Pole Saws
Cordless pole saws are power by battery packs that attach to the polesaw. Most modern pole saws use powerful lithium-ion batteries and brushed or brushless motors that can power through even the toughest of limbs. Cordless polesaw offer greater mobility so you can trim limbs at the farthest reaches of your property. Again the manufacturers who make corded pole saws usually make a model that is also cordless.
Pros
- Mobility, mobility, mobility
- Long lasting lithum-ion batteries
- Powerful brushed or brushless motors
Cons
- Battery runtime
- Heavier weight when compared to corded saws
- More expensive
The biggest benefit of cordless pole saws is also its greatest weakness which is the battery. With a battery-powered saw, you can reach parts of your yard that you can’t reach with a corded saw, and that is great. However, you are only able to make as many cuts as your battery will allow.
I live in Georgia in the southern United States, and have pecan trees in my yard. Pecan trees are known to self prune, meaning they drop branches like crazy. I had two large branches fall in a recent storm, and made over 40 cuts on branches that were 2″ – 5″ in diameter, and never had to change out a battery on my 40v RYOBI pole saw.
Let’s Talk about the Cash
Like everything in the this modern world, cash is king. Unless you are independently wealthy we all look at the bottom line when purchasing a tool. In general, corded pole saws are half the price of cordless pole saws. Corded pole saws don’t have the expense of the batteries that cordless pole saws have.
Batteries account for about half the price of cordless pole saws. That being said you are going to want to have a spare battery as well. So if cost is a factor you might be leaning toward the corded pole saw.
One thing to keep in mind is that most outdoor tool manufactures use the same batteries for multiple products so if you do buy a cordless pole saw you are almost guaranteed to be able to use that battery in another tool in the manufactures line of outdoor power equipment.
So who wins in the Corded vs Cordless Pole Saw Battle?
Well, I am not going to lie, I am really partial to the cordless pole saw. They have all the benefits of the corded pole saw minus the endless power, but you can easily take the saw from tree to tree without the hassle of an extension cord. That is really all it takes for me, mobility is the key in this head to head pole saw battle.
Like most homeowners, my trees and larger shrubs are not within convenient reach of the nearest power outlet. So having a battery powered cordless pole saw is a no brainer to me. With the power of lithum-ion batteries you sacrifice little in power but gain freedom to do the work anywhere in your yard or garden. Pole saws are super convenient and cordless pole saws are the pole saw of choice to get your pruning jobs done.
