Draper DRA45334 Expert Diameter Tree Pruner with Telescopic Handle and Cutting Capacity,Blue,32mm

The media could not be loaded.  A sturdy well built product. I’m not an expert when it comes to using a tool like this but it was very easy to set up and use right from the start. Good quality plastic and metal used in the right places. Cutting blade seemed flimsy to me, but I used it to cut several branches that were more than 32mm. I thought I was going to break it, but worked a charm. The pruner was perfect, easily cut 15mm branch, however can be difficult as saw gets in the way, be patient when pruning. I love that the black pulling handle on the orange cord is easily adjusted to the length of the pole. You need strong forearms when using at full length and reached out. Requires a little balancing at full reach. I agree with previous reviews that a small black clamp comes loose when operating it and causing it to rotate the locking nut when knocked against other branches and affects the use of the pruner, no big deal, just time wasted in putting it back in place.

I've just used this pruner/lopper tool for the first time and was surprised how easily it cut through the high tree branches that have for so long been in my 'sights'.Before opening the transparent packaging I was a little bemused about exactly how it worked, especially as I couldn't see anything suggesting to be a user guide - considering how fearsome a 'weapon' this is, with ultra-sharp guillotine and saw blades, it is surprising that there isn't even some kind of warning paperwork in the interests of 'ElfandSafety' when you see how much is often supplied with the most mundane of products...Anyway, once opened and examined more thoroughly all became clear - after attaching the saw blade (with ease) it seemed that sawing/flexing motions, and the required effort, would not be a very desirable way to try and cut branches holding a tool in the vertical and it being over 2m long.So, I immediately decided to remove the saw blade and try the guillotine blade tool instead (it looks a bit like a very large cigar snipper); it dealt with branches of up to some 30mm in diameter with ease - the combination of a thin blade, it being immensely sharp and the efficient way the linkage system works to convert your effort pulling the cutting cord into a very effective mechanical 'snipping' action is excellent.I've attached a photo of that blade arrangement.Once I'd mastered the cutting process (with controlling a flaying-around cutting cord being the most challenging aspect) I found myself able to prune lofty tree branches at a speedy rate almost equivalent to when I go around pruning ground-level plants with secateurs/loppers.I don't see myself ever needing to use the saw blade as that guillotine has proved to be so effective and anyway, with the saw unattached it makes moving and positioning this tool when fully extended (it has 3 lockable settings) so easy to do and make that cutting process so speedy for me.The lack of a user guide is now largely redundant, but there is one fastener arrangement at the base of the blade-holding head which allows it to slide a little along the topmost part of the handle - the purpose of which still eludes me, but seems to be unimportant as I've used the pruner fine without touching it anymore....!The build of this 'Expert' tool suggests robustness and the materials used for the extendable handle and associated fasteners etc is very good (a definite notch above what I think is the more usual 'utilitarian' Draper type of construction), providing confidence that everything is secure and rigid.The combination of that effective guillotine blade/cutting mechanism, and the maximum extendable length of the handle, is really what makes this tool so indispensable as I have rarely had to use ladders to help reach any of the topmost branches requiring attention.I've attached photos showing the extension locking mechanism, the pole construction and the tool at both it's shortest and longest length.Aside from blade 'H&S', the only other thing you have to take care with is to remember that almost everything you prune will fall vertically downwards - which is where you are likely to be ! I learnt the hard way, with a large branch clobbering me and some still-attached apples becoming loose and falling onto my head = v.painful. I should have heeded the advice from other reviewers beforehand as there is the potential for injury, especially as it is possible to get 'carried away' since you can move around/prune so quickly....I had bought this on an Amazon 'Lightning Deal' of about £24, which I think is about the right price for such a comparatively 'simple' tool, despite it being so effective. There is a cheaper Draper model which seems to offer the same capability, but the materials used for it appear to be lower quality/more basic and the extendable handle constructed of tubular steel, whereas with this model the handle is lightweight and ridged/elliptical in form. The cheaper model also seems to omit that mystifying fastener arrangement at the base of the blade-holding head, so perhaps it has more significance than I realise...?----*** I've asked an Amazon question to on this webpage in the hope that someone can please enlighten me and attached photos showing that mechanism in the 'closed/locked' position and the 'open/unlocked' position.----This is one type of tool I discovered by chance when Internet browsing, which has quickly proved to be indispensable. It solves my tree pruning 'problem' with a process that, with a little care, is entirely safe - removing the need to extend oneself/wobble around on step ladders etc.

This is an excellent piece of equipment that paid for itself within hours. It takes a little while to acquire the knack of using it effectively but can then be used with confidence. It is light when fully extended, yet folds down for easy storage. The secateur blade does regularly stick in the closed position due to sticky sap, so you just have to get used to releasing it. The secateur cuts very effectively and the saw is super sharp. I did have a problem with the pull cord, which frayed after several days use (no, I didn't cut it - probably due to rubbling on branches). Rather than return this valued tool I contacted Draper, who swiftly send me a replacement, which was easily fitted. Very happy with my purchase and happy to support a UK company.

I'm not a gardener but I decided that some of my trees and taller bushes needed pruning and I couldn't reach with my normal 'loppers'. Looking around on Amazon, I found this piece of kit.I set to on one of the trees and it worked ok but the cutting mechanism didn't release very well. As a result, every time I cut a branch, I had to pull the lopper back to me so I could push back the cutting mechanism. It is very sharp so make sure you are wearing gloves before you go anywhere near the blade with your fingers.Then I made a discovery. It is hard to explain but there is a part of the lopper that is in the wrong place when it is packed for shipping (not an Amazon issue). They don't tell you but you have to lock this part to the main pole. You can see how it should look in the photo that Amazon give with the description of the product (ignore the saw blade).Anyway, it isn't difficult to do, no tools are required and once you have, the blades release much better. After that, I was happily chopping through branches of at least half an inch thickness. The maximum is somewhere between 0.5-1 inch I would say. As some others have noted the lopping mechanism is quite bulky but I don't really see how it could be easily improved without a chain or something like that.It isn't too heavy but my back certainly noticed the following day after an hour of lopping at full extension. That could age though.My only real gripe is the saw. This attachment has several holes in it which at first, lead you to believe that you can attach it at different angles. This would have been quite useful but in fact, there is only one way of attaching the saw blade. The trouble is I couldn't actually saw anything.I had hoped that any branches that were just too thick to cut with the lopper could be addressed with the saw. The problem is at maximum extension, there is no way to hold the branch steady while you saw it. I think a really thick branch of a couple of inches would probably be ok but the 1 inch ones are just too 'bendy'. In the end I gave up on those and I am looking into getting a bigger ladder.Overall, if I was just rating the lopper, I would have given it 4 stars. It lost one for not telling me to fix the mechanism to the handle. Then, because of how useless the saw is, I dropped it to 3 stars.Having said all this, I have already made a lot of use of the lopper and find it difficult to understand how I lasted so long without it.