I am a professional gardener and have a four-acre garden in Herefordshire that is open to the public. It contains an impressive collection of mature trees and shrubs and pruning plays a large part in my daily work throughout the whole year. Over the last month I’ve swapped out my usual tools to test these powered pruners.
Each mini chainsaw reviewed below has been tested and scored for its design, performance, ease of use, power and cutting capability. I was also looking out for value for money, innovative safety features and importantly for a busy gardener, how comfortable they are to use.
I wore safety goggles, ear defenders, safety boots and gloves to test out each power pruner, using them during a dry day in the garden. All the manufacturers recommend that you work from the ground and refrain from using the machines while on a ladder or platform.
Visit our Who We Are page to learn more about our testing process.
How to choose the best mini chainsaw
When selecting the right pruner for your garden consider the weight and size of the tool. Will it be easy to manoeuvre and light enough to use for the amount of pruning and trimming you need to do? To clear an overgrown garden with mature shrubs then you’ll require a tool that has a higher cutting capacity, otherwise a lighter, smaller model may be better.
If you’ve never used a chainsaw before then the thought of tensioning and replacing the chain might seem overwhelming. The pruners tested here all offered clear direction about how to do this, just remember that you must use oil with the machines, which may be automatically applied or require you to do it manually.
It’s advisable to wear ear defenders when using mini chainsaws but you can also check their noise level. The sound power level, which is the volume the pruner makes independent of its surroundings, and the sound pressure level, which is the noise measured from a distance that factors in the environment where the pruner is used, should be recorded. Neither are exactly what you’ll experience but give you an idea of what to expect.
Before you buy, check:
Does the weight and balance of the tool match your strength?What thickness of branch can it cut?What is its battery charge time and run time, and how many cuts can it do in that time?What safety features are there?
Comments are closed.