Every Major Pole Saw Brand Ranked Worst To Best
Sometimes, a chainsaw just won't cut it — literally. In cases where you need a longer reach to cut small-to-medium limbs, a pole saw is the only tool for the job. If you're shopping for a pole saw, it seems simple enough to grab a brand you recognize and head to the checkout.
Yet even the most popular pole saw brands aren't perfect, and there's a lot to think about post-purchase, like warranties, customer service, and how hard it is to return. To help you narrow down the options, here's every major pole saw brand ranked worst to best, based on consumer feedback, Better Business Bureau (BBB) ratings, and product reviews.
For this comparison, most of the product review information comes from The Home Depot, the largest home improvement retailer with the most locations worldwide, with some information from Lowe's or the retailer's website in cases where The Home Depot doesn't stock a particular brand.
These comparisons also use BBB listings and customer ratings to help shape the bigger picture of how responsive each company is to its consumers.
11. Troy-Bilt
Troy-Bilt is one of the biggest names in home maintenance. Although its lawnmowers are the brand's best-known products, pole saws are in the lineup too. Unfortunately, customers seem to have plenty of complaints about the products via both Consumer Affairs and the BBB.
Consumer Affairs has over 600 reviews (and 900-plus ratings) for Troy-Bilt, and the company averages just over one star (out of five). With 97% of the ratings offering only a single star, it's clear that most consumers are not happy with their Troy-Bilt equipment. Most of the negative reviews are complaints about lawnmowers and snowblowers, so it's possible — though not guaranteed — that the company's pole saws perform better.
MTD Products, the company that owns Troy-Bilt, has an A- BBB rating based on responsiveness to over 240 complaints in the past 3 years. According to consumers, Troy-Bilt has some of the worst-performing products as well as poor customer service.
Another drawback of Troy-Bilt is that neither The Home Depot nor Lowe's carry the brand's pole saws.
10. Black + Decker
Black + Decker is a well-known brand and its parent company, Stanley Black & Decker, has a long history in maintenance equipment. The company has also acquired different brands over the years, including Stanley Works and DeWalt.
Brand recognition might be key with this purchase, but the Black & Decker (U.S.) Inc. BBB listing shows the company is not accredited. Its rating is A-, with hundreds of complaints addressed each year.
It's worth noting that the BBB rates companies based on how likely they are to interact with customers. That means if the company has thousands of complaints but it responds and tries to make things right, it could still have an A+ BBB rating. Ratings can drop when a company fails to respond, but the rating is also the BBB's "opinion," which it says is based on public information.
When it comes to pole saw products, though Black + Decker and DeWalt have the same parent company, the two tool lines are separate and distinct. Unfortunately, Black + Decker pole saws have some of the worst reviews at both The Home Depot and Lowe's.
Compared to other popular brands, Black + Decker appears to be one of the worst based on product performance. The company also addressed 200-plus complaints via the BBB over three years, which is on the higher end.
9. STIHL
STIHL is one of the best-selling chainsaw brands, but it also proves that brand recognition isn't everything. STIHL Incorporated's BBB listing shows that the company has an A+ rating, but there are too few reviews to give any meaningful insight.
Around 30 complaints were addressed by the company, but many consumers complained of problems with their equipment and having to fight with STIHL to resolve them. A related problem, apart from product failure, is that STIHL equipment is not available (or serviceable) at many home improvement store locations.
STIHL pole saws are not available at Lowe's or The Home Depot, which may be a point against them for consumers looking for convenience and easy access to replacement parts. On STIHL's website, its pole pruners receive decent reviews, though not as high as the reviews of higher-performing brands available at multiple retailers.
On STIHL's website, the brand's HT 56 C-E has the most and best reviews. The gas-powered pruner has STIHL Easy2Start tech and costs about $400.
8. Worx
Compared to other big-name brands, Worx pole saws are affordable and receive decent reviews. Customers can pick up Worx equipment at a variety of home improvement stores, making replacement parts easy to find if needed.
Worx's BBB listing shows an A+ rating, but there are too few reviews to determine what consumers' thoughts are. Its parent company Positec Tool Corporation also has an A+ rating but very few complaints or reviews from customers.
Few complaints are a positive thing, but the lack of reviews means both Worx and its parent company have very low ratings from a handful of poor reviews. That doesn't mean buying a Worx pole saw is the worst decision, only that there are stronger contenders at your local home improvement store.
Worx pole saws receive decent reviews at Lowe's and The Home Depot, with over 400 reviews averaging just over four (out of five) stars on the 10-inch 8 AM Electric Pole Saw. On Worx's website, the top-rated pole saw is a 5-inch pruning saw that requires an extension pole add-on to work as a pole saw.
7. Sun Joe
Snow Joe, which owns Sun Joe, has a reputation for producing decent enough tools, many with a four-star (out of five) rating. However, other brands have far higher reviews, knocking Sun Joe down a few pegs in the rankings. However, Sun Joe also has an excellent reputation for customer service, based on both the BBB's ratings and customer reviews.
Snow Joe LLC's BBB listing illustrates its reputation best. It's the top-rated — based on customer reviews — of all the major pole saw brands listed here. Snow Joe has over 1,200 customer reviews and averages more than 4.5 stars on BBB.
The company's track record for addressing customer complaints isn't 100%, however. With over 450 complaints in the past three years, Snow Joe seems to have missed some, earning only a B from the BBB. Like other brands, Snow Joe's complaints aren't all about its pole saws, and some issues stem from its relationships with suppliers and contractors. On the consumer side, Sun Joe's parent company seems to do a decent job.
Sun Joe's pole saw reviews are not the worst, but also not the best. The two top home improvement stores each carry a few Sun Joe products, so customers won't have many options in-store. Plus, Sun Joe's pole saws are battery-operated, with no gas-powered options — a negative for consumers looking for more robust tools.
6. Husqvarna
Husqvarna is known for manufacturing motorcycles and power tools, so its reputation often precedes product performance. That said, Husqvarna isn't near the top of the list of "best" pole saw brands.
Consumer Affairs hosts nearly 600 reviews and 250-plus ratings for Husqvarna, with the company averaging just over one star (out of five). With 96% of consumers giving the brand a single-star rating, it's not surprising that product failure is a common complaint. Pole saws are not a major player in Husqvarna's reviews, though customer stories suggest a lack of customer service across various product failures.
Husqvarna Professional Products, Inc.'s BBB listing reflects its A+ rating and the company is accredited, but — like Consumer Affairs — the consumer reviews show another side of the company. With around 200 closed complaints in the past three years, BBB's rating makes sense for Husqvarna. Customer reviews, however, average one star.
Fortunately for die-hard Husqvarna fans, it does offer one of Lowe's top-rated pole saws. A potential con? The Home Depot does not appear to carry any Husqvarna saws, making this another exclusive and elusive brand to shop for.
5. Makita
Makita tools have various proprietary technologies that make the products competitive, and it's one of the best-known brands on the market. There are only two potential drawbacks: limited availability and a lack of consumer feedback.
Makita's BBB listing reflects an A- rating, with very few complaints — not enough to determine customer service or product quality. Thus, Makita gets a middling rank on the worst-to-best list. When its pole saws are available, they receive positive reviews.
Lowe's doesn't sell any Makita products online, but The Home Depot carries a few of its pole saws. Makita pole saws don't have the highest ratings or most reviews at The Home Depot, with the highest-rated product being a budget-friendly bundle of products.
For under $1,000, you can pick up a battery-powered string trimmer, pole saw, leaf blower, hedge trimmer, and chainsaw. Ratings for the 18V bundle number over 1,400 and average about 4.5 stars — not the worst, but also not the best.
4. Ryobi
Ryobi is another well-known name in the home maintenance industry, with thousands of positive reviews on its pole saws through The Home Depot (Ryobi is not available at Lowe's). The one drawback with Ryobi is product reviews.
Ryobi's parent company, Techtronic Industries Power Equipment, has a BBB listing with an A+ score and accreditation, but consumers have shared plenty of negative feedback through reviews. Over 40 customer reviews average a single star on BBB, and 250 customer complaints were addressed in the past three years.
As was the case with other pole saw brands, BBB complaints span every product category that Ryobi sells, but many consumers expressed frustration with customer service. Ultimately, Ryobi does make things right, but many customers claim they were given the runaround first.
Ryobi's products perform decently reviews-wise, though they rank much lower than ones from competing brands. Ryobi has a variety of tools for tree trimming, including an 18V, 8-inch kit suitable for small pruning jobs. At The Home Depot, that kit has over 3,000 reviews and earns over four stars. The most common complaints, which knocked a star off, focus on the battery quality and perceived flimsiness of the pole saw.
3. Echo
Japanese company Yamabiko is the parent company of Echo, a hardware brand largely manufactured and marketed in the U.S. While Lowe's doesn't appear to carry Echo products, The Home Depot has many that are highly rated.
Echo pole saws are competitively priced, though there are fewer options and configurations than bigger-name brands. Echo Power Equipment also has a reputation for offering decent quality, but the brand is lesser-known than others on the market.
Echo Incorporated's BBB listing shows that it's accredited (a rarity for the industry) and has an A+ rating. With over 50 years in business, the company has had time to accrue a handful of negative consumer reviews, but complaints are minimal compared to other brands.
Given its BBB accreditation, low number of customer complaints (78 in three years, per the BBB), and high product reviews, Echo is one of the best pole saw brands out there. The only bad news might be that its pole saw kits start at over $400.
2. DeWalt
DeWalt power tools have a great reputation for being innovative and reliable, but part of its success lies in a merger with Stanley Black & Decker. Post-merger, however, DeWalt and Black + Decker products are marketed differently, and DeWalt stands apart as one of the best pole saw brands based almost entirely on product reviews.
DeWalt Industrial Tool Co's BBB listing reflects an A+ rating and the complete lack of customer reviews could be a positive thing. With around 200 complaints closed in the last three years, DeWalt also has a handle on its customer service, according to the BBB. Stanley Black & Decker's BBB complaints also reflect complaints about both Black + Decker and DeWalt products, but a review of those complaints suggests that the majority are not for DeWalt products (nor its pole saws).
As reviews go, DeWalt pole saws receive almost five stars at The Home Depot, with the most affordable model earning over 2,500 positive reviews (with a price tag of $179). Higher-priced models have fewer reviews, but they're still positive ones, suggesting that DeWalt is an excellent pole saw brand to consider.
1. Milwaukee
Milwaukee, like Ryobi, is owned by Techtronic Industries Power Equipment, which means the A+ BBB rating and accreditation are in its favor, but those negative reviews are still worth considering. Plus, Milwaukee Tool has its own BBB page — it's not accredited and has a B- rating.
However, the relatively low number of customer complaints via BBB is what makes Milwaukee the best pole saw brand on our list: Only 90 complaints are attached to Milwaukee products specifically. Compared to other brands with hundreds of complaints and dozens of negative customer reviews, Milwaukee's lack of negatives is impressive.
Not only that, but after 100 years in business, Milwaukee tools have evolved to include cordless options, lithium batteries, and One-Key inventory systems for crews with tons of tools. The Milwaukee M18 Fuel Telescoping Pole Saw receives rave reviews, though it's pricey even without the battery and charger included.
Milwaukee is also hands-down the best-reviewed pole saw brand, based on The Home Depot's customer reviews. Pages of Milwaukee pole saws populate the retailer's "top rated" selection, with many of its more affordable pole saws (around $229 to $279) receiving near-five-star ratings. Milwaukee's equipment bundles also receive thousands of positive reviews at an affordable price (under $800).
Milwaukee's customer service might be annoying, especially if the parent company takes things over. However, even bearing that in mind, Milwaukee seems like the best option on the market for a pole saw.
Methodology
When ranking the best pole saw brands, we have considered notable features of the most popular products (sizes, gas vs. electric), the available product range, reliability (based on product reviews), and consumer feedback (from reviews and customer complaints). Our data comes from Consumer Affairs, the Better Business Bureau, brand websites, and retailers The Home Depot and Lowe's.