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How to use a cordless pole saw

Updated: October 2026

The branch is still on the tree, the chain is new, and the oil may not be in the box. A dry bar, a slack chain, a flush cut and a ladder under a live bar are how a first afternoon goes wrong. This is how to use a cordless pole saw from the ground: oil and tension with the battery out, then a stub cut just outside the branch collar. The [cordless pole pruner comparison](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/cordless-pole-pruner) is the product table. Peter F. used the RHS pruning guide, a Stihl UK pre-use check, Electrical Safety First, and the saved amazon.co.uk reviews. We did not run the saws. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The branch is still on the tree, the chain is new, and the oil may not be in the box. A dry bar, a slack chain, a flush cut and a ladder under a live bar are how a first afternoon goes wrong.

Our top picks

POSENPRO POSENPRO PGCS132GB

Best overall

POSENPRO POSENPRO PGCS132GB
9.4/10about £50.55
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Ryobi Ryobi OPP1820

Rank 2

Ryobi Ryobi OPP1820
9.0/10about £106.95
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Bosch Bosch UniversalChainPole 18

Alternative

Bosch Bosch UniversalChainPole 18
8.4/10about £143.98
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On this page
  1. 1.Oil and tension before the battery goes in
  2. 2.The cut, from the ground
  3. 3.When the chain comes off or the saw runs on
  4. 4.Where this job ends

Oil and tension before the battery goes in

Take the battery off before your hands go near the chain. That is the order that matches the failure you do not want: a saw that runs the moment the pack is fitted. Look along the bar for a cracked guide, a stiff link, and a chain that is hanging off the nose. Fill bar-and-chain oil, not cooking oil. Run the chain briefly and confirm that oil flings onto it. If the bar stays dry, stop. Set the tension cold, with the battery still out. The chain should sit in the groove and still pull around by hand. A new chain stretches. Too slack and the chain walks off, which is the Ryobi and Bosch complaint. A shear does not take this oil. If the head is a jaw, use pole saw or electric pruning shears.

The cut, from the ground

Stand with both feet planted, both hands on the shaft, and the bar where you can see the whole branch. The pole exists so you are not on a ladder. The Royal Horticultural Society describe a three-part cut for a limb that could tear. Undercut about 20 cm out from the trunk, so the bark cannot rip. Overcut a little further out, so the branch drops and leaves a stub. Then take the stub off just outside the branch collar, the swelling where the branch meets the trunk. A flush cut takes the tree's closing wood with it. This is RHS advice. If you are clearing a line of overhang, stop and read cut overhanging branches UK before the first undercut. A clean collar cut does not make a protected tree lawful.
POSENPRO POSENPRO PGCS132GB

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POSENPRO POSENPRO PGCS132GB
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When the chain comes off or the saw runs on

If the chain walks off, take the battery out, reseat it, set a snug tension and check the oil before another cut. Do not open the motor to chase the oiler. If the saw starts the moment the battery is fitted, or keeps running when you release the trigger, stop using it. That pattern is in the Gxpjycfob reviews: a saw that ran as soon as the pack was on. Unclip the pack, if it will come off safely, and do not put it back on over your head.

Where this job ends

Stop when the branch is in the wires or you would have to climb. Electrical Safety First put pole saws 15 m from power lines. That distance is the stop, not a challenge for a longer shaft. A limb you cannot control is also a stop. HSE leaflet INDG317 is about petrol chainsaws at work, not a ticket for one apple branch in your own garden. Use the pole from the ground, leave the collar, and stop when the chain, the wires or the tree's status say the cut is over.

Common questions

Where do you cut so the tree can close the wound?
Just outside the branch collar, after you have removed the weight. The RHS method is an undercut about 20 cm out, an overcut a little further out so the limb drops, then the stub cut outside the swelling at the trunk. Cutting flush to the bark takes the collar away. This is RHS advice, and it assumes the tree is yours to cut.
What oil goes in the tank?
Bar-and-chain oil, the tacky oil sold for saw chains. The Ryobi box includes some. Other chain listings do not, and an empty bottle still has to be filled. Confirm that oil reaches the chain before you commit to the branch. Shears have no chain tank. Do not put cooking oil or a solvent spray in the reservoir.
How tight should the chain be before you start?
With the battery removed, the chain should sit in the groove and still pull around the bar by hand. It should not hang off the nose and it should not be bar-tight. A new chain stretches. Heat and a dry bar will throw a slack chain anyway.
What do you do if the chain comes off?
Battery out first. Reseat the chain, set a snug tension, and check the oil before another cut. Ryobi and Bosch reviews both describe chains coming off when tension and oil are neglected. If it comes off again on the next short cut, stop. Forcing the same dry bar is how the chain leaves harder the second time.
Can you stand on a ladder with the pole saw?
No. The pole is the alternative to the ladder. Electrical Safety First want both hands on the saw and overhead work avoided where you can avoid it. A ladder plus a live bar puts the fall and the cut in the same place. If the pole will not reach from the ground, leave the branch.
When do you stop and call someone?
Stop for a power line within 15 m, for a saw that runs on when the battery is fitted, for a branch you cannot keep on your side of the drop, and for any tree that may be protected or may not be yours. A tree surgeon is the right call when the wood is in the wires or over a roof you cannot miss.

Related pages

Best cordless pole pruner

Cordless pole pruner

Cordless pole pruner buying guide: head, box, reach

Pole saw or electric pruning shears: choose a head

Cut overhanging branches UK: boundary, order, nest

Sources

Legal and safety points are from GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk, Electrical Safety First, the RHS, Stihl UK and HSE INDG317. Prices and star lines are the saved amazon.co.uk listings for the eleven kept ASINs. Updated 22 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK, Tree preservation orders and trees in conservation areas (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Town and Country Planning Act 1990, section 211 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK, When a felling licence is needed (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK, Wild birds: protection and licences (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK, High hedges, trees and boundaries (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Citizens Advice, If you disagree about a tree or hedge (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Electrical Safety First, Pole saws (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. RHS, Tree pruning guide (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  9. Stihl UK, Chainsaw maintenance (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  10. HSE, Chainsaws at work (INDG317) (retrieved 22 October 2026)