Hey tinkerers and inventors!

ARS makes some really great squeeze handle extendable pruners. If you're just making a bunch of small diameter cuts, they're the bomb. I use them for mangrove pruning and wouldn't want to be without them. They're solid tools and parts are available, so maintenance and repair will keep them in the game for a long time.

Products | ARS CORPORATION

www.arscorporation.jp www.arscorporation.jp
 
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theatertech87 said:
why not qo electric? battery pack at one end, little motor drive snips at the other end... might be a bit on the heavy side, but i'd trade weight for ease of use
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No experience with it, but electric pole snips are already available. https://www.amazon.com/Cordless-Ele...cphy=9016679&hvtargid=pla-1185222897254&psc=1

Admittedly they don't look very durable. Maybe find a warranty for them if your looking to purchase?

cerviarborist said:
ARS makes some really great squeeze handle extendable pruners. If you're just making a bunch of small diameter cuts, they're the bomb. I use them for mangrove pruning and wouldn't want to be without them. They're solid tools and parts are available, so maintenance and repair will keep them in the game for a long time.

Products | ARS CORPORATION

www.arscorporation.jp www.arscorporation.jp
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I keep a set of the ARS pruners on the truck. They store nicely in a 2" PVC conduit with the exception of the squeeze handle to keep from getting damage in storage. They certainly have their limitations with cutting diameter but are golden when needed. Personally I find that the larger pole pruners do not cut the smaller diameter as well anyways in addition to the extra weight compared to the ARS.
 
I saw somewhat recently, but I cannot find it now, where someone installed eye bolts on either end of their poles to store a pull rope that was the length of the pole. It kept the rope tidy and less likely to snag in brush. If you needed another pole length, you attached the pole like normal and clipped the two ropes together.


It doesn't help the weight issue, but keeps the rope visible and less tangles.
 
Adding Barrel Knots to pull ropes sure makes pruning easier. Choosing a stiff kernmantle rope with a pretty knobby sheath makes for easier gripping too.

The attached rope system is clever. Over the years I've seen some real streamlined setups.

How-to-Tie-a-Barrel-Knot.jpg
 
I use the silky pole with a lopper end sometimes it can get a little unwieldy when it's fully extended but the first 3 sections are pretty easy to manage.
 
Serf Life said:
Can you design an ultra light pole clip head with an internal pull?
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Shelter Tree carries carbon fiber pole sections. They aren’t cheap, but I think they’re worth every red cent. I just bought a kit of one long and two short sections, along with a saw adapter. Makes me wish I bought them a long time ago.

That would make the pruner head the heaviest part. You could probably drill holes in the sleeve of the head in honeycomb fashion to lighten it up, and find ultra light cordage with no stretch. Going with the external, but tidy routing as others have described here might work a treat.
 
Kind of hard to beat the sort of pulley reduction method of the Fiskars articulating Stik. Mostly high tech high strength reinforced plastic. 2:1 pulley inside the tube and then drum gizmo running a chain to the blade lever. How can you tell you're abusing your Fiskars stik? (aside from the sound of it snapping) The bruises from bracing the base against your chest when two hand pulling. Right about on the pec muscle.

I have a historical collection of them. And one spare still in the package.

How about a Fiskars head on carbon fiber pole sections? Design challenge.
 
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Could you snap some photos of them if the design/material has changed etc in your collection. What’s the weak point(s) you’ve found with the Fiskars design?
 
oceans said:
You could probably drill holes in the sleeve of the head in honeycomb fashion to lighten it up, and find ultra light cordage with no stretch.
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Great idea, the Marvins definitely have excess meat. I have one of the lightweight corona hook pruners too which is nice to use and could be lightened, but it isn’t a clean bypass (blade goes through a slot).
 
The only visible difference was a date stamp and place of manufacture, except recent units had a looser braid in the pull band and the band failed/fuzzed up prematurely. They went back to the tighter braid. I've worn out the pulley mechanism in one, snapped the little cord with the 2:1 pulley, popped a chain master link off and most surely with abuse you can develop a crack at the slot in the aluminum where the cord comes out. I splinted my first unit to fix said crack. Without abuse failure you'll eventually have the return spring fail by snapping off an end. Rebend the end, put it back on. Never had a head outright break. Hope that helps.:)

Within their limitations I find them invaluable. Place and retrieve ropes with it too. Forget about the saw blade.
 
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