BLACK+DECKER20V Max Pole Saw for Tree Trimming, Cordless, with Extension up to 14 ft., Bare Tool Only (LPP120B)

I have to admit, my expectations for this tool were not sky-high when I purchased it. I decided to buy it for a number of reasons but mainly because I already owned two 20v B&D Li-Ion batteries which came with other B&D tools I already owned. The other reasons for the purchase were: 1) I could buy the tool bare, without the battery which cut about 40 bucks off the price and 2) B&D was offering a $10 discount at the time so all-in-all it seemed like a good time to make the purchase.From my experience with the B&D tools I already owned (leaf blower & hedge trimmer), I definitely went into this purchase with muted expectations. The 20v blower is good for blowing dry leaves and debris off the deck but that's about it, otherwise it's totally under-powered to perform more heavy duty leaf blowing (like when the leaves become a little wet). The hedge trimmer works well enough. So basically out of the two B&D 20v tools I already owned I was going into this with about 50% confidence that it would have enough power to do the job and then you have to wonder just how effective a cordless 20v electric pole saw could possibly be....Well let me tell you, pretty darn effective! When I received the package it arrived well intact and in good time considering the time of year the purchase was made so no complaints there. In the box were: instructions, the pole saw itself (which breaks down into three segments), a plastic bar/chain cover that has built in space for the bar oil container (small dropper container for the bar oil included) and the Allen wrench (also included). Again I went with the bare tool so no battery.After a brief overview of the instructions I put the saw together. The segments connect via heavy duty plastic twist-type connections which is one very small complaint that I have. If the connection could be a little more heavy duty it would be nice but the plastic seems heavy duty enough to hold up if you're careful when putting the tool together. You definitely have to be careful that you have the weight of whole thing under control somehow as you put it together. When you first insert the smaller plastic end into the larger plastic end (which only goes in one way as the power connection is made inside the joint) there could be a lot of stress on the connection if you're just trying to hold the saw without balancing the weight on something or have the unit laying on the ground while attempting to join the segments and tighten the joint at the same time. Once you get the connection completely tightened the joint becomes pretty strong. I'll definitely keep an eye on this as I use the saw this season and update my rating if the plastic connections fail me but otherwise no complaints after my trial run.We have a decent sized wooded lot with lots of small/medium sized trees so having something that doesn't require a plug-in is a must. We recently had a wet heavy snow bring a willow part way down. The trunk was split and the tree was hung up in a pine requiring a tool such as this to give me the reach to get up into the pine to alleviate the pressure. I found the 14' reach to be more than adequate for the job at hand. Once I got everything lined up, safety gear on, figured out where I was going to stand and bar/chain oiled and all that jive, it was time to cut.At first it felt like the saw was just bouncing on the limb, which I later measured to approximately 5 inches in diameter. Then I realized it was just the way I was holding the saw. Once I pushed it all the way to limb so that the grooved area of the saw body just below the bar was against the limb things totally stabilized and the saw did the rest. It sawed through the limb with ease much to my surprise. I really thought there would be some catching or motor slowing but there was not. I proceeded to cut the branch into more manageable pieces, then I but a couple of birch branches that needed to be cleared away, cut another willow branch about the size of the first one and cut that one up into smaller pieces. All this on one charge and no sign of the battery losing charge. It certainly appears that will two fully charged batteries I should be able to do all my summer cutting with ease.All-in-all I'm very happy with this tool. My only question is about the durability of the unit with the plastic connections but so far so good so not going to knock it until there's a reason to. I'll continue to be careful when I put the unit together and report any issues. I'm looking forward to a summer of pruning some of the higher trees we've been wanting to prune but could get to the limbs but now I have a tool that will help me accomplish this. I definitely recommend this saw to anyone looking for an inexpensive cutting tool that'll give you some reach. Given the price and performance of this tool I couldn't be happier.

I have owned this for over two years and find it has worked well for trimming the dead palm fronds from my trees. I have had to adjust the chain a few times - but it still cuts well. My tallest tree became difficult to trim because it has grown so tall that the last time I cut it with the pole saw, as it came, I had to stand on the second or third step of my ladder. To remedy that I went looking into the questions and answers here just last month and found that another extension could be purchased at https://www.ereplacementparts.com/middle-ext-pole-p-1803807.html; and that it would require that the orange rib on one end be removed and the opposite side of that connector would need to be flattened. Several people indicated that having a pole that long would also be difficult to maneuverer and that you would probably need to keep it as vertical as possible while using it.I decided to follow those suggestions as I'm too old to be falling off ladders with a pole saw in my hands. I bought the extension and installed it as suggested. I found that the shaft needed support and was afraid that it might flex too much and possibly break with a whiplash after cutting a limb. I decided to provide more support to the shaft by clamping on a 1-in x 10-ft 450-PSI Schedule 40 White PVC Pipe. I bought two swivel clamps here at Amazon, Global Truss Jr Swivel Clamps. The outside diameter of that one-inch pipe and the diameter of the pole for the saw are both around 35mm - so these clamps worked.They allow me to quickly remove the support from the saw when In need a shorter saw. I also used three velcro straps to better secure the pipe to the pole where the extensions connect. See the picture. If you do this you may want to buy cheaper clamps (but these swivel clamps and Velcro allow me to easily dissemble it) as my reinforcement including the price of the extension costs me around $80. Place the pipe so the it supports the shaft in the plane of the chain saw blade - I believe it's preferable to have it on the bottom side of the saw, which I use to make the cut.What I will say is that the combination is difficult to maneuver with five or so pounds of chain saw on the end of an almost 11 foot pole. After completing this reinforcement and extension I cut 12 palm fronds which were from 16 to 17 feet above the ground. I found that I could best prepare to cut one by holding the saw vertical and resting the blade on the trunk of the palm. After sighting where I wanted to cut I would slowly raise it to where the frond joined the trunk and then step to the side a little to allow the weight of the saw to assist in the cut by holding it less vertical. That was the reason I reinforced it with the pipe - because after it cuts through - there's a need to pull the saw back causing the pole to flex if it's not reinforced.Modifying the extra extension was easy - I ground off the rib using a bench grinder and also used it to flattened the opposite side. In conclusion - try this at your own risk - but it has worked for me. Being long in the tooth - I was tired after wielding that long pole saw for 12 cuts though.I've found no issues with this saw in more than 2 years and therefore gave it a 5 star rating.