Description
Why choose the Darlac Expert Geared Anvil Tree Pruner?
The Darlac Expert Geared Anvil Tree Pruner, when teamed with a Darlac Expert pole, is ideal for pruning high branches that are hard to reach from the safety of ground level. The combination of a rack and pinion system with quad pulleys incorporated in this garden pruner adds immense cutting power so that you can sever branches up to an astounding 50mm (2”) with ease.
- Geared anvil pruner attachment
- Cuts branches up to 50mm
- Ideal for easily carrying out high tree pruning from ground level
- More power with less effort
- Geared arm supplies immense cutting power
- For use with Darlac Expert poles
- Part of Darlac High Pruning Expert system
Part of the Expert high pruning range available at Darlac Tools.
What is the Darlac Expert range?
The Darlac Expert range of garden tools are constructed from the finest materials, providing superior quality at an affordable price. Each product has been carefully crafted to suit both professional and amateur gardeners alike, offering the ultimate in comfort and performance. Backed by the Darlac guarantee, so that you can buy with confidence.
How to maintain your Darlac pruner
Prolong effective use with regular care. Remove sap after use. Oil and sharpen as necessary and store in a dry place. For comprehensive care and garden pruner maintenance advice, check out the Darlac A Pruner for Life guide here.
Ross Camm –
Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way, and please read the whole review to see just how good this is!
Firstly, balance. On a long pole (mine is 5 metres) fully extended, it can be unweildy due to the weight. As the weight is of course, right at the end (top) of the pole, you have to concentrate on keeping the pole as upright as you can. This is not much of an issue on a half extended pole, say, around 2 – 2.5 metres as you can manage the counterbalance more easily. The laws of leverage and physics come into play as you have to extend the pole further into the air.
Secondly Snagging. The anvil operates by pulling down the black lever shown in the photo, which is at the highest point of the pruner device. There are pulleys to ease the effort of closing the anvil once located on a branch. There is an operating cord which passes through two sets of wheels, including the wheels on the top arm. There is also a spring which is designed to re-open the pruners when you release the cord, so the jaws are fully opened for the next cut. In use, especially at maximum height, I often got the cord, and sometimes the spring, trapped by foliage attaching itself and tangling up in either, or both. Takes a bit of effort to free it from a tangle, from five metres away, but it does release if you twist and pull in several planes until you find the right angle to free it up. Annoying.
Thirdly, Stroke Length. Here I am talking about the length of the cord that has to be pulled through the system, to close the cutting blade from fully open, to fully closed (so the cut is complete). I find it takes about three feet of cord to do that. If you are precariously parked on a branch and need to cut with one hand while holding the pole with the other, it can be difficult to acheive the full 3 feet of pull needed. Sometimes you can put the thumb of your hand holding the pole, over the cord already pulled through, and then move your other hand back up the cord, to pull it the last 10 inches or so. Very awkward at times, and the pruner does have a tendency to slip off the branch as you do that – forcing you to start that cut all over again. A shorter pull stroke, maybe a shorter pull arm at the top, and an extra set of pulleys, six instead of the four it has now, would do the job.
So that’s all the negatives, and mostly they apply only when you are working at over 3 or 3.5 metres. When the pole is not extended that high, it is much easier to control, and hold in place for the cord swap. In fact, my wife often helps when I am working on the highest branches, she operates the cutter while I can use both hands keeping the cutter in place at the top of the tree.
The positives – wow, this thing kicks donkey aka a**. When you operate the cord while firmly hooked onto a branch, it cuts very easily. Not so great at 40mm or more, it takes a bit more effort, and you worry about breaking the operating cord, but for 40mm and less it is a total breeze. Add to it the range of 5 metres on the longer of the two expert poles, and there is nothing on the market I am aware of that comes anywhere near this thing.
If they redesign it in the future, I would love to see a shorter pull stroke, a slightly lighter body weight, and perhaps, a way of gearing the cutter so that it is at right angles to the pulley arm. That way, the arm, the cords and the spring would not have to be plunged into the tree to cut a branch, and end up getting tangled. In other words, the pulley arm and spring would be facing out, away from the hedge / tree etc, clear from getting tangled up.
Remember the expert range includes a brilliant saw, see my review. For anything bigger than 40mm it would be the better choice anyway. I hope my review has not put you off buying this at all, I would replace mine if it broke or got stolen or lost, it is the ONLY thing on the market to have this kind of range and durability – I love it. When you’ve been at the pruning for an hour with it though, you get frustrated if it slips off a branch, or tangles up, so be more patient than me, and you’ll fall in love with the simplicity of this too. Enjoy, and if you buy this, you MUST get the saw in addition, for the bigger stuff! With both tools, and a long expert pole, you should be ready for anything!