Customer Reviews

Silky Telescoping Landscaping Pole Saw HAYAUCHI 390 16-Feet 178-39

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I looked long and hard for a good pole saw. I tried the typical hardware store saws with the cord operated lopper. ($60) The round steel handle had way too much flex and it was so heavy at the blade end, I'd only want to use it a few minutes at a time. Next I tried the type with the mini chainsaw at the top. Even worse. Arm fatigue was killing me. And the cutting, very slow.

Finally I bought the Silky. Unbelievable! This saw is so light, I can work for hours. I live on 11 acres in the forest. I limb up the pines and firs for forest fire mitigation. Over the last two years, I have limbed a couple hundred trees (a few thousand limbs) with the silky. The blade is incredibly sharp and thin. This is typical of Japanese cutting tools. It will glide through a three inch fir branch in a dozen strokes.

But, as with all Japanese saws, force does not make it work better. This saw requires a very light touch and it will go through just about anything. Which is good, because it lowers your fatigue level. If you try to add force, you will cause the handle to bow and the blade can bounce out of the cut. This is a user problem, not the saw's. Cutting something 20 feet above your head is not the time to be impatient.

The build quality is very nearly bulletproof. The handle locks are easy to use and rock solid. Not once have they failed. The handle is oval shaped in cross-section, which gives this saw a wonderful stiffness when extended, compared to others I've used. After two years of moderately heavy use, the blade still cuts like new. Again, not surprising when you consider that the Japanese had steel figured out before the Mayflower landed. Just look at those Samurai swords from 400 years ago.

Considering the one-star negative review from another user, I would suggest that the company send instructions with the saw. Japanese saws work on the pull stroke, which is lighter and more accurate than our western saws, (which we push). This is a difficult concept for westerners to grasp. But once you get the feel of it, it works like a charm. The act of buying a good tool doesn't automatically make you a craftsman. But this beautiful instrument will teach you what it wants, and if you pay attention and learn, it will outperform any other pole saw you can buy. Maybe it's a zen thing.

I bought this 16' Silky Pole Saw to trim queen palm fronds that were getting too high for me to cut using a ladder. I just wish I had bought this year's ago. It is safe (no ladder needed), cuts like a hot knife through butter on fronds as I have used now on Mexican fan palms, Queen palms, Canary Island Date Palm,and also Water Oaks, and Green Ash limbs that were about 3" in diameter. Don't go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy one of those gas or electric chains saws on a stick, when you can buy one of these pole saws that work great and are SAFE to use.

Definitely beats the Fiskar pruners - this allows you to trim larger limbs twice as high up. Very easy to put together and made of high quality material - I use to have to get on ladders to reach higher, but not with this tool.

This is just what I needed, bought it for around $130. The 20 ft Hayate would probably be better, but at $250 was more than I wanted to spend. I am very happy customer. Ordered the Silky hook also, to help pull limbs down.

My sprawling shade tree needed the canopy cut back twenty to thirty feet. Estimates from tree professionals ranged around $800.00 Deciding to do it myself, I researched for the right tool, read reviews and took an educated risk on this product. Works to perfection. Cuts 4-6 inch branches effortlessly in just a few strokes. So light weight that I can use one hand while holding on to the ladder with the other. The Japanese have a long history of making the best blades in the world. A tool to be proud to own.

The silky pole saw I got broke within two days. The push-button at first would not come out, allowing one shaft to slip and slide unrestrained in the other. Finally the coup de gras was when the push-button fell out. The saw gives the appearance of being sturdy, but there are these weak links that when they break, the saw as a whole fails. The saw I bought is now rendered virtually useless to me. Warranty, hmmm, the web site makes it seem wonderful, but the devil is in the details. There are several claims made on the site about the saw and it's handling that I have not found to be so.