Silky... Worth the price?

[dc59222]

Hey all,
I have used a silky 330 zubat hand saw for a long time now and I love it. Because I am so careful with my handsaw, the blades last long enough to justify their increased cost over fanno or corona. Now it is time for me to buy a pole saw and I cannot help but be attracted to one of those fancy extendable silky models, but the increase in price is quite drastic compared to other manufacturers. I know from experience that pole saw blades are inherently abused more often than handsaw blades because they are used at the end of a pole that is anywhere from 6 to 20 feet long. So this brings me to my question.... drum roll please.... From your experiances, are the silky pole saws, and subsoquently their blades, that much better than the competition? I can get a pole saw/pruner kit for $159 plus shipping and the replacement blades are between $15 and $25. But the silky's that I am looking at are either, the Longboy which is $179 and the replacement blades are $38, or the Hayate which is $239 and $62 per blade. Basically, I am a believer in the Silky handsaws, but are the pole saws really all that? I have also thought of the Zubat Pole Saw because is uses that same blades as my handsaw, but I am concerned about durability. Any info, opinions, or thoughts will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Daniel

 

[Frank Boyer]

I just got the 21' Silky pole saw and it works well. I have a 12' Corona and a HT 101. It was $199 and $8 freight from Silky in N Calolina. The end cap got lost the first day that I used it. I should have taped it on.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Having the reach and telescopic use is great. I have clients who have several of them. Get the hook and it will hang in the tree.

The draw back is that they damage easily being tube aluminum.

Several of my clients have the Jamison telescoping fibeglass pole and love that.

For working big trees with a lot of fine pruning, I like a 12ft basswood with marvin head and ARS tricut blade. It is not as big of a deal if it falls off of a branch while moving around.

 

[Bermie]

I got my Hayauchi 21' from Forestry Suppliers for $172, two years and its still going strong. Cuts like a bomb.
If you are tough on your tools, it is aluminum, not wood or fibreglass, but then you get the tradeoff in lighter weight for all that length.

 

[Timberhauler]

I love silky handsaws,but I just cannot justify spending that much on a polesaw without an engine..I have several Jameson poles,an adapter and a Fanno blade...I hardly ever need any more than three poles,and I've had that blade for over three years and it still does fine.

 

[rbtree]

I had a Hayauchi, first generation. The detent clips were junk...supposedly they've remedied that problem. The red clips are pretty much worthless as they won't hold the sections in place. Fragile saw. I now have an ARS, privately labeled as Stihl. Better unit but heavier, prolly more in line with the Hayate. Great blade, and has a hook that allows it to be hung, plus a well designed scabbard that has places to hang it...as did the Hayauchi, if I recall.

I just saw the 21' Barnel, which had what looked to be well designed and effective locking mechanisms. The pole seems light, which is a benefit of the Hayauchi, but did look fragile.

I just got another Zubat....I guess it was the 11 footer, from Arborteam's ebay store, (along with a mess of other gear for cheap)..for $68!!! The lightness of that small polesaw is awesome, though the lack of a hook on the blade end is a pain, and there's no hook for hanging the saw...so it must be always on a sling--which is safer anyhow.