Just realized the difference between a $50 and a $200 pole saw is about 3 years of service life and a lot less swearing.

My cheap one from the big box store lasted maybe 18 months before the gearbox stripped, but the Stihl HT 103 I replaced it with is still going strong after 4 years of residential pruning in Austin, so what's your go-to brand for pole saws that actually last?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_andrew1mo agoMost Upvoted

Austin heat would kill a cheap gearbox in a season, no question.

viola_white251mo ago

Yeah, the "kill in a season" part sounds about right... my neighbor's kid went through two cheap ones last summer on his project car. I read a whole forum thread where people in Texas said the heat just cooks the fluid and wears everything out super fast. They kept saying to spend more upfront on something built for the heat or you'll just be doing it again... seems like a total waste of money to go cheap in that weather.

ericgonzalez1mo ago

My old Civic's cheap gearbox lasted three Texas summers before it gave up.