The best pole saw for most yards is a cordless 10 inch model on a telescoping shaft, like the EGO Power+ PS1000, which reaches up to 13 feet and is rated for up to 100 cuts per charge. If your limbs are thin and you prune once a year, a manual pole saw does the same work.
Pole saw listings lead with reach, and reach is the number that decides the least. Reach tells you which branches you can touch. Bar length and cutting diameter decide whether anything happens once you get there, and weight at full extension decides how long you last before you come down. Below are six pole saws for six real jobs, including the best cordless pole saw for most yards, with the specs each maker publishes. This page is one stop on our fall yard cleanup tools checklist, which puts every fall job in order.
Best pole saws at a glance
| Pole saw | Best for | Why it wins | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
EGO Power+ PS1000, 10 inch, tool only (best overall) |
Regular pruning on a lot with mature trees | Reach up to 13 feet, up to 100 cuts per charge, carbon fiber shaft, LED cut line | amazon |
 Greenworks 40V PS40B210, 8 inch |
A complete cordless kit on a budget | Battery and charger in the box, 11 foot maximum reach, automatic oiler, about $140 | amazon |
 Notch 21 foot Sentei telescoping |
High limbs, quiet work, no batteries | Extends to 21 feet including the blade, 15.4 inch Sentei blade, rigid aluminum poles | amazon |
 Husqvarna 122LKP gas, 21.7cc |
Long sessions and one engine for several jobs | Reach up to 12 feet, X-CUT chain, automatic oiling, detachable shaft that takes click-on attachments | amazon |
 BLACK+DECKER LPP120, 8 inch |
Occasional trimming and a small storage corner | Overhead reach up to 14 feet, 6 inch cutting diameter, battery and charger in the box, disassembles for storage | amazon |
 Fiskars 8 to 12 foot 2-in-1 tree pruner |
Clean pruning cuts plus a saw for the thick ones | Manual, with a pruner head and a 15 inch saw on an aluminum pole under five pounds | amazon |
What is the best pole saw?
For most homeowners it is the EGO Power+ PS1000, a 10-inch cordless saw on a telescoping carbon fiber shaft rated for up to 13 feet of reach and up to 100 cuts per charge, for about $299 as a tool only. If you own no cordless platform yet, the Greenworks 40V kit is the cheaper start.
That answer flips as soon as you count how often you prune. A homeowner who takes down four or five limbs a year is buying a battery, a charger, and a maintenance habit for a job a manual saw finishes in an afternoon. The Notch 21 foot Sentei extends to 21 feet, against 14 feet for the powered saws here as sold, or 17 feet if you add EGO's extension pole, and it never needs a charge.
Tree size decides the rest. Ornamentals, fruit trees, and young shade trees are pole saw work. A mature oak with limbs 25 feet up and 6 inches thick is a certified arborist's job, whatever the reach figure on the box says.
Pole saw vs pole pruner: the difference that matters
The two tools look alike on a shelf and do different work. A pole saw puts a chainsaw bar or a curved hand saw on the end of a pole and cuts by sawing, so it handles thick limbs and leaves a rougher face. A pole pruner puts a bypass cutting head up there, closes it with a rope or a chain drive, and takes a branch off in one clean pass.
Clean matters, because a smooth cut at the branch collar seals over and a torn cut invites decay. Most of what a homeowner removes overhead is thin enough for a pruner head. Buy a saw for storm damage and structural limbs, a pruner for shaping and fruit wood, and a 2-in-1 pole if you want one tool to cover both.
1. EGO Power+ PS1000: best cordless pole saw overall
A pole saw is a chainsaw held at arm's length above your head, so the shaft matters as much as the motor. EGO builds this one on a telescoping carbon fiber shaft that extends to a total reach of up to 13 feet, or up to 17 feet with the EP1000 extension pole sold separately. The 10-inch bar runs a quarter-inch pitch chain at speeds up to 20 meters per second off a brushless motor. For trunk and firewood work at ground level, see our best chainsaws guide.
The detail that separates it from cheaper saws is the LED cut line indicator, which EGO says is the first on a pole saw. Look up into a canopy on a bright day and the bar disappears into shadow, so a lit cut line replaces a guess. EGO rates the saw at up to 100 cuts per charge with a recommended 2.5 Ah battery, sold separately, and it runs on any EGO 56V ARC Lithium pack. Tool-free chain tensioning, a quick-adjust handle, and a shoulder strap hook finish it. About $299 on amazon.
Where it loses: this is a tool-only listing, so a battery and charger add real money unless you already own EGO 56V packs, and the 13 feet is EGO's total reach figure, not the length of the shaft.
2. Greenworks 40V PS40B210: best value cordless pole saw
Everything you need to cut a branch is in this box for about $140: an 8-inch bar and chain, a three-piece aluminum shaft that extends up to 9 feet for an 11-foot maximum reach, a 2.0 Ah 40V battery, and a charger. Nothing here is sold separately, which is the whole argument for it.
The shorter bar is honest about the job: water sprouts, storm-damaged limbs, and the low branches that make mowing under a tree annoying. An automatic oiler and a quick chain adjustment keep upkeep short. Greenworks says it starts instantly with no gas, oil, or emissions, so there is no fuel to mix and no starter rope to pull. Find it on amazon.
Where it loses: Greenworks publishes no cutting diameter for this model, and 11 feet of reach runs out quickly under a mature shade tree.
3. Notch 21 foot Sentei: best manual pole saw
Manual pole saws win on height and on the two things a battery cannot give you, silence and no runtime limit. This Notch rig is a four-section telescoping aluminum pole that extends to 21 feet including the blade, against 14 feet for the powered saws on this page as sold.
The head is a 15.4-inch Sentei blade, hard chrome plated, with a protective scabbard for storage. The poles use an ovular profile in large-diameter rigid aluminum that resists bending, the cam collar locks add rib lock protection, and the saw head quick-connects with no tools. Notch's own listing states that pole saws are not for use around energized lines and should be considered conductive of electricity, which is the right way to think about any 21-foot metal pole. About $450 on amazon.
Where it loses: it costs more than any powered saw on this page, and every cut is arm work, so a dozen limbs turns into a real afternoon.
4. Husqvarna 122LKP: best gas pole saw
Gas earns its place when the job outlasts batteries. The 122LKP runs a 21.7cc engine with a Husqvarna X-CUT chain and automatic bar oiling, and Husqvarna lists reach at up to 12 feet.
The reason to choose it over a cordless saw is not power, it is the shaft. Husqvarna sells this as a multi-purpose tool with a detachable shaft that accepts click-on attachments, including an edger and a hedge trimmer sold separately, so one engine covers several jobs. Smart Start is Husqvarna's easier-pulling starter system. About $311 on amazon.
Where it loses: 12 feet of reach is modest for the money, and you take on mixed fuel, a carburetor, and real noise.
5. BLACK+DECKER LPP120: best pole saw for occasional trimming
Once or twice a year, a saw that stores in a corner beats a better one you have to make room for. The LPP120 comes apart for storage and transport, then assembles with a center extension that gives a usable length of 6.5 feet or 10 feet, for an overhead reach of up to 14 feet.
The 8-inch bar has a maximum cutting diameter of 6 inches, and BLACK+DECKER rates the 20V MAX pack at up to 100 cuts of 1.5-inch pine branches per charge, a fair description of light pruning. The in-line power head keeps your sight line open between branches while you set the cut up, and an oil bottle, wrench, and blade guard come in the box along with the battery and charger. About $159 on amazon.
Where it loses: BLACK+DECKER calls the design lightweight but publishes no weight, and one 20V pack is not a long session.
6. Fiskars 2-in-1 tree pruner: best pole pruner and saw combo
A pruner leaves a cleaner face than a chain does, and this Fiskars pole carries both: a chain-drive pruner head for clean cuts on the thin stuff and a 15-inch double-grind saw for anything the head cannot close on.
The aluminum pole extends from 7.9 to 12 feet and weighs less than five pounds, the number that decides whether you finish the row. Fiskars puts a low-friction coating on the blades so sap and debris are less likely to gum them up, and a double locking system holds the extension where you set it. It also handles cuts low enough that bending or kneeling is the real problem. About $128 on amazon.
Where it loses: the pruner head only closes on branches its jaws fit around, so a thick limb means switching to the saw blade, and Fiskars publishes no cut capacity for the head.
How to choose a pole saw
Five decisions cover almost all of it.
- Buy reach for your tallest target, not your average one. Check what each number counts. Greenworks publishes a 9 foot shaft and an 11 foot maximum reach, while EGO and BLACK+DECKER publish reach only, and every figure is a maximum measured straight up.
- Match a battery platform you already own. A tool-only saw plus a pack from your shelf beats a kit on a new platform, and every tool you add later gets cheaper.
- Read cutting diameter, not bar length. BLACK+DECKER publishes 6 inches on an 8-inch bar, and it is the only maker here that publishes a capacity at all. Treat an unpublished number as unknown, not generous.
- Weight ends sessions before power does. A saw held at full extension works your shoulders, not your arms. Fiskars is the only maker here that publishes a weight, under five pounds, so on the powered saws you are buying a number you cannot look up.
- Decide powered or manual by frequency. A few limbs a year is manual work. A dozen limbs every spring is worth a motor, and so is wood thick enough that each hand cut takes minutes overhead.
Whatever you buy, never work near a power line. Treat every pole as conductive, and if a branch is near one, call your utility company instead. Stand to the side of the limb, never directly beneath it, undercut first so the bark does not tear, then finish from above just outside the branch collar. Keep the small stuff on the ground with pruning shears and a pair of hedge shears, and if the tree is new, our guide to planting a tree covers the first cuts a young canopy needs.
Frequently asked questions
How high can a pole saw reach safely?
Published reach figures run from about 11 to 21 feet, and safe reach is lower. Keep both feet on the ground, never on a ladder with a powered saw, stand outside the drop zone, and stop when the head wanders because your arms are tired. Above roughly 20 feet, hire a certified arborist.
Is a cordless or gas pole saw better?
For home yards, cordless. Battery saws need no fuel mixing and no starter rope, and the strongest cordless picks here reach 13 and 14 feet against 12 feet for the gas saw. Gas still wins on all-day runtime and on a detachable shaft that takes an edger or a hedge trimmer, both sold separately.
Can you use a pole saw near power lines?
No. Treat every pole saw as conductive, including fiberglass and carbon fiber models, because wet or dirty poles conduct too. Notch prints that warning on its own listing. If a branch is anywhere near a service drop or a utility line, call your utility company and let them clear it.
How thick a branch can a pole saw cut?
Bar length is not cut capacity. BLACK+DECKER lists a 6-inch maximum cutting diameter on its 8-inch bar, and most makers publish nothing at all. A pruner head like the Fiskars closes only on branches its jaws fit around. Cut what you can hold the bar square against, and leave thicker limbs for a chainsaw on the ground.
Is a manual or powered pole saw better?
Frequency decides. If you prune a few limbs a year, a manual saw is quieter, reaches higher, and has nothing to charge or maintain, though the Notch pick here costs more than any powered saw on this page. If you clear a dozen limbs every spring, a powered saw finishes in a fraction of the arm work.
The bottom line
Buy the EGO Power+ PS1000 if you want one saw for years of pruning and you already own or will buy EGO 56V batteries. Buy the Greenworks 40V kit if you want a complete cordless saw for about $140, the Notch Sentei if your limbs sit higher than the 14 feet the powered saws here reach, and the Fiskars 2-in-1 if most of your cuts are thin enough for a pruner head. Then keep the rest of the yard in shape with our guide to the best hedge trimmers.
Disclosure: some links in this guide are affiliate links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, Spear Head Spade earns from qualifying purchases. This is at no extra cost to you, and it never changes our honest, use-based recommendations.
A word on who wrote this: we are Spear Head Spade, a family business in New Jersey, and what we make is digging tools, the double-patented spades and one long-handled hoe, with over 600,000 sold. Tree work usually ends at ground level, so if a stump is what is left, our guide to removing a tree stump picks up there. The digging half of that job is ours, and the tool for it is the 40 inch D-grip spade.
