Customer Reviews

Factory-Reconditioned Homelite ZR43160 6 Amp Electric Pole Chain Saw

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I wish I could give two reviews for this electric chain pole saw - one for the unit, and one for the refurbishment.

Let's start with the unit itself. First, a general warning: it's not going to last long if used for professional-level workloads - it's simply not heavy duty enough. However, that's not the market it was aimed at, nor what it was designed for. If you want heavy duty, buy a full-fledged chainsaw. But, for the average homeowner with a few unreachable small to medium sized branches to cut, it works great... lightweight, easy to maneuver, and surprisingly powerful.

Pros:
Great price, powerful unit, efficient garden tool...

Cons:
Filling the chain oil reservoir is a messy proposition, and the unit reaches 15' only if you're Shaq standing on a footstool, or a more regular sized person using a 6' ladder.


As to the refurbishment process, the saying you get what you pay for comes to mind. I've seen some refurbished tools look factory new... while others look like they came straight from heavy use, got shoved in a box after a cursory examination, and sent on their way.

The unit I got was dirty, had mulched-up wood pulp stuffed around where the chain goes into the unit's housing, and had dirt and oil in the threads of the pole extensions. Also, the cap on the oil reservoir must not have been closed tightly so it leaked - thankfully, the unit was wrapped in brown packing paper inside the box or it would have been a worse mess than it was.

I cleaned it up, and the saw works great, so overall I'm happy - but I did call the refurbishers a few choice names when I opened the box, I'll tell you that!

(Safety Note: like with any chainsaw, watch your balance while you're cutting - it's even more important to keep in mind when the saw is extended well away from your body - having the heavy end of the saw that far away from you takes some getting used to!!!)

UPDATE:
Now that I've had this saw a year, I'll change one comment... maybe buying new and avoiding refurbed units is the thing to do. This saw has leaked oil since the day I got it. Every time I go to use is, the pole has a film of oil on it that I have to clean off. I store this thing vertically, and apparently the seal doesn't like that... (on the other hand, I now know why it was covered in oil when I first got it.) Don't get me wrong, the saw does it's job well - but the leaking oil thing makes me dread using it.. it's really difficult to lengthen or shorten the pole when the grips are slippery, ya' know?

The only operational issue I have is having to scoop out the wood pulp from the housing around the chain after every use - it gets stuck in there and won't come out without assistance. (I unplug it and use an old screwdriver blade to reach into the housing.)

One other item of concern: The balance thing I mentioned earlier? It can be a problem, even when you know about it. I had the saw fully extended and was standing on a ladder to cut a palm frond. Palm fronds take some force to cut through - the problem came when I finally cut through it. Suddenly, I'm pushing down on a fully extended saw that is front heavy to begin with, and the resistance from the palm frond is gone. Oops. Luckily, the chain stops when you release the trigger &/or the safety... so when it hit, no damage was done. (I thought the impact might either fix or worsen the oil leak, but it did neither...)

So, after a year's experience, I'd downgrade the four star rating I gave this item. A refurbished unit would get only two stars: I'd take off one star for the oil leak, and another for the balance problem because it's a safety issue. A new unit, assuming it worked fine out of the box, would get four stars with an asterisk - the less upper body &/or arm strength you have the less stars it would get.

I purchased a brand new Homelite pole saw and it has been nothing but trouble. I've had this saw for two years and spent more time repairing it than using it. The first problem is the chain pops off very easy, when that happens 9 times out of 10 it will damage the chain and you will need to file it to make it fit the groove in the bar. The chain adjusting screw stripped out the first time the chain came off. Third problem is the plastic handle came apart and slips out of place every time it is being used. I used it for the last time today and the motor burned up and I was only cutting a few shrubs down and they were only 6 inches in diameter. I would reccomend for you to buy a Remington pole saw, they are a much better made saw and you can detach the saw from the pole to use it as a normal chain saw.

WHEN I OPENED THIS TREE TRIMMER, IT WOULD NOT CUT THE LIMBS, I CHECKED TO SEE IF THE CHAIN WAS DULL I FOUND THAT THE CHAIN WAS PLACED ON THE TRIMMER BASCKWARDS. NOT A VERY GOOD JOB FOR A FACTORY REPAIR JOB. WHEN I CORRECTED THE PROBLEM IT WORKED FINE. YOU NEED TO CHECK ON YOUR SUPPLIERS BETTER.
bjl

Purchased the Homelite "chainsaw on a stick" and to date have had excellent results. The purchase went smoothly and it was delivered as promised AND it looked new out of the box. The chain did come off at the end of a day of "limbing" but other than that this product has been flawless. More powerful than I expected.

First CPO delivered the item before the expected arrival date. It did take about 2 or 3 days after purchase to ship, but it was at my house within 2 days of that. Awesome! Second the pole saw runs exactly as I had hoped, perfectly. No problems with any leaking bar oil, because I empty the bar oil when I am done using it, like you are supposed to do. And this thing is a work horse. When I got it I tried it on a few branches just to see how it works and it was eating through 8 inch maple branches like nothing. The weight shift was a little weird to get used to, but hey its a chainsaw on a pole, the part you hold is just a trigger. The only negative part of the item is that it is not 15 feet long, it is like 8 or 9 feet when fully extended, and your height is supposed to make up the difference. Chainsaw runs like new, and exceeds my expectations for how much it can cut and CPO did an excellent job getting it to me quickly and in one piece.

I purchased this saw without doing my normal research but I was pleasantly surprised. This is a great saw. You just have to remember this is a chainsaw on a pole. Chainsaws require regular maintenance to perform correctly. Regular chain adjustments, cleaning and bar oil needs top be checked often. In short, I love this saw....

Purchased this item NEW (not refurb). I have cut about six (pickup) truckloads of branches and trees with it over the past year. It's important to remember that this is a light duty unit. Cutting anything with a diameter larger than the length of the bar may be asking too much.

Item given three stars.

PRO:
1) Item works well for live and dead growth on trees ranging from saplings to oak as long as you follow instructions and don't get in a hurry.
2) Telescoping pole is oblong so power head can be angled w/o slipping one way or the other. Pole length adjustment locks work well - pole remains at set length and doesn't slip.
3) Safety power lock and trigger can be easily manipulated while wearing heavy gloves.
4) Chain is sharp and wears well (so far).
5) Unit is nice and quiet - about what you'd expect from a 1/2" drill.

CON:
1) Design of the chain and bar adjustment is substandard. The bar/chain tensioner consists of just one stud/nut and is small enough to be stripped easily. The design allows the bar to slip back into the housing after just a few minutes of operation, loosening the chain. I carry an 11mm wrench, screwdriver and bottle of bar & chain oil at all times. Owners may want to consider adding a tapered bolt or stick into the exposed slot in the bar to maintain correct tension. A chain that loosens enough to slip out of its groove on the bar will ruin the sprocket, bar and chain in short order.
2) The unit burns through bar & chain oil faster than any other saw I've used. Operator needs to check chain tension and level of bar & chain lube no less than every ten minutes.
3) The high volume of bar & chain lube is partially responsible for the accumulation of wood chips behind the chain guard. To keep from becoming a problem, recommend operator blow it out with compressed air after every use and disassemble to clean after every 6 hrs or so.
4) The chain guard provided with the unit is only sufficient to protect the handler from the chain. It's so light/flimsy that it's only good for keeping from cutting yourself on the teeth while placing into/removing from storage.
5) Unit is not ruggedly built. Impact from one good-sized branch or chunk of wood would inflict enough damage to deadline it.

Hope this helps!

I have had two of these 1st a refurb and the a new one and the same thing happened both times. They work fine at first until the chain comes off and then it will not go back on, I thought that it was because it was a refurb but the new one did the same thing. Unfortunately I could not return it because I did not attempt to use it until long after I had it. I am done with this brand.

I have 17 large trees in my yard and I have to always trim them every year. In addition I have to trim out storm damage or broken limbs caused by large trucks trying to drive through a residential neighborhood. I have a regular pole saw but if you have to cut a large limb it can be tiring to use it. I purchased this saw to do the big stuff.

The Good 5 Star Features:

This thing cuts fast and easy. You can literally zip through a 6 inch limb with no efforts. It extends to 9 feet and lets you reach up to the areas you have to get to so you can keep limbs from coming to close to the ground and getting in your way when you cut the grass for example. The unit cuts quickly and evenly so you don't get jagged edges on the limbs you cut off. It is easy to control and cut close to the trunk of the tree or in the fork of a tree branch.

I own several gas powered saws and this is much faster than finding the mixed fuel starting the unit and then hoping it does start and not having to clean the carburetor after sitting for a year. After dropping the limb you can even collapse the pole and use the saw to cut the branch into smaller and more easily handled branches to carry away.

The Bad 2 or 3 Star Features:

This is my second unit as the first one failed within 2 weeks of owning it. While trimming a tree the electric saw end fell off of the end of the pole and was hanging by the electrical cable 3 feet below the end. This is a major safety hazard. I could have cut the cord and/or the saw could have fallen and hit me. I was not applying to much pressure because the weight of the saw is enough to provide a clean and fast cut. This is bad factory quality and extremely dangerous. I returned it and they gave me a new saw. The new one has not failed and I believe the first one was just assembled incorrectly from the factory. The store agreed with me.

The saw is heavy; the shipping weight is 9 pounds. It doesn't sound like much but holding it over your head while it is extended to the 9 foot length you can tire easily. It does cut very fast so that is one benefit of being able to lower it after you cut a branch but just be aware of the weight.

Overall the saw seems to work well but the poor quality of the first saw and having the head fall off is troubling!

The factory reconditioned Homelite ZR43160 6amp electric pole chain saw arrived looking brand new with a good sharp chain. This product makes it a breeze to trim limbs off trees, the limbs are quickly and cleanly cut making a clean and professional looking job. The saw makes reaching the limbs easy and safe as you can stay on the ground while cutting most limbs. this saw is a great product.