are chainsaw pruners any good?
I don't do a lot of review videos preferring to just weave tools into project videos, but when I was asked if I wanted to review this for Stihl (for free of course - I don't do paid videos), knowing what a good reputation the brand has I was like oh yes! I mean, look at it, can you blame me?
This is my very honest review of the chainsaw pruner after, as you can see from the state of it, putting it through its paces for quite a while. In fact it was November 2021 this was sent to me. Companies sometimes have to be patient if they want something reviewed.
The GTA26 - looking a bit worse for wear after I’ve put it through its paces since getting it in November 2021
And I'm going to be honest. I've been holding off doing a video on this because I couldn't decide what to make of it. But I've recently grilled someone at Stihl, and so with a bit of inside intel, I've finally got my head around what to say about it.
Is it a pruner or a chainsaw?
They call it a cordless pruner. I call it a mini chainsaw. Which begs the question who it’s aimed at, and this is the key, because this cordless pruner is aimed at home owners, not the trade, not really even DIY’ers.
It’s a gardening tool not for construction or DIY - although I used it for our pergola more on that in a minute.
Why isn’t it for the trade? Mainly due it it’s lack of longevity and run time - which is basically about 25 mins on one battery - and this is where I think Stihl are missing a trick. It ships with just 1 X 10.8v lithium ion battery. Compare it with my Milwaukee M12 BPD combi drill driver that ships with 2 X 12v batteries for a similar price. This is no doubt to keep the price down and also because Stihl are hedging the fact that a lot of users will already have the Stihl HSA26 which uses the same battery
A spare battery is £32 and so I ask, is the pricing so critical that bundling the GTA26 with a second battery would push it into a price bracket that makes it uncompetitive? I don't know? What I do know is for me, having to wait for the battery to charge mid job is not acceptable so if I use this long term I’ll have to buy a second battery.
Battery Systems are Key
One of my subscribers (Gregory) made a very good point after I posted my YouTube video review on this and I hope Gregory doesn’t mind me repeating it here: “ the problem with Stihl is the battery platform. You are buying into a battery platform that does not work on your drill, impact driver etc wheras Ryobi, DeWalt and Milwaukee all offer small compact chain saws and cutters for outdoor work. “ And this is absolutely true. Yes, you can use the 10.8v battery on your HSA26, but the battery on my Milwaukee M12 BPD combi drill would also work on their M12 Fuel Hatchet Pruning Saw which by the way goes right up to a 6Ah battery and indeed that battery would work right across their M12 range.
One thing, I was constantly comparing it to my Ryobi RCS 1830 18v chainsaw and the one thing you can't do is compare it to that or Stihl's own MSA120 which with battery retails at around £300 compared with £140 for the GTA26
So it's a pruner. The point being particularly for more elderly users who are losing the strength in their hands to use secateurs other pruners - it's an invaluable aid, but is it?
A Problemmatic Design
What do I mean by this? Well, the design of this screams one handed tool, and actually from a practical point of view it works best when you hold it in one hand and hold the branch in the other - particularly for dead branches like those pictured below, which bounce around when you try and cut them. It’s easier to steady the branch with one hand, and prune it with the other.
The GTA26 has to be used 2 handed for safety reasons
However Stihl are insistent that it should be used with 2 hands - which is eminently sensible for preventing any potential kick back - it is a chainsaw after all, however mini!
Wish you had a chainsaw but a bit scared?
Perhaps it's a half way house for people who would like a chainsaw but are a bit intimidated. Well, I've got to say, if you do sit in that camp get yourself an electric chainsaw. My Ryobi RCS1830 has been a proper game changer and the lack of a combustion engine and slower chain speed - it chomps around at about 10 meters per second rather than the 20 m/s you’d expect from a petrol version - means it’s really not intimidating!
Anyway, back to the review.
it's very simple to assemble - tool free chain replacement - you simply lift the black lever in the image below and unscrew the plate to remove the chain or clean the tool
You want to leave 1-2mm of slack in the chain when tensioning - you’ll know if you’ve over tensioned it because it won’t run properly
The guide bar is 10cms long
There's a battery status indicator on the tool as you're expect - as you can see below.
It comes with a 50ml bottle of multi oil which you're meant to apply 2-3 times per application - or as the instructions say, whenever you break to recharge the battery. That's a bit of a faff - particularly if you're used to a chainsaw that has it's own dedicated oil reservoir and something I forgot to do if I'm honest, but again it's the sort of thing a doting DIYer who's very proud of it might be more inclined to do.
You need to oil the chainsaw pruner regularly as it doesn’t have an oil reservoir
No ear protection required apparently
Quite a nice non slip rubberised handle
And it’s light. I weighed it at just under 1.5kg with battery
The chain speed is 8metres per second - a little slower than the 10 m/s of my 18v Ryobi
Accessories
52ml oil £6.92
Battery £32
Chain £11.77
And it really is worth replacing or sharpening the chain from time to time, not to mention cleaning the pruner with an old paint brush, and not forgetting to align the arrows on the chain in the direction of rotation when you put it all back together. My original chain had become very blunt and so I noticed a huge improvement in cutting performance with the new chain in place and the tool fully lubricated.
Chain Sharpening
I should just point out that rather than spending £12 on a new chain every so often, you can keep that chain out of land fill by sharpening it. Stihl do a 2 in 1 chainsaw sharpener. I haven’t used this myself, but again, I’m grateful for my YouTube viewers for pointing this out, after they watched my video.
Design Flaw
It has a slightly annoying protective hood which in my case has already been slightly mashed by the blade. Some extra design work required from Stihl there, me thinks.
The protective hood has too much movement and clashes with the chain
Tool Roll for a Carry/ Storage Case
And finally the carry case tool roll thing Stihl have designed to keep it all in… is annoying. I had to Google where everything goes because I couldn’t work it out and because it's open at both ends everything tends to fall out.
I sound very ungrateful here. Well done Stihl for giving us a storage thing for want of a better word when other manufacturers can't be bothered - I love my power tool cases - but please give us a bag rather than this odd tool roll. Oh, and there’s no room in here for the holster. You basically have to jam it in once the tool roll carry case thing is velcro’d shut.
Is it a tool roll or a case??
Wild West Holster
What about the holster? Well if you don't want us to view this as a one handed weapon, you're not doing a very good job, with this wild West style holster! I haven't used it to be honest but I'm a big fan of tool belts for keeping your hands free. Maybe let me know in the comments if you've used it, and particularly if you’re left handed as I’m intrigued to know if this works in reverse.
OK for right handers but what about if you’re left handed?
And Performance?
Well, I used it a lot when digging the 65m trench for the car charger cable, to cut through various roots. I really put it through its paces here and it didn't disappoint. Neither would a reciprocating saw or indeed my Ryobi electric chain saw but anyway.
For the job it was intended for, it cut through low branches on our bay tree with ease - it's good for this as they're static enough to use it two handed as I've been asked to do as much as possible.
The GTA26 makes impressive work of quite thick branches, with its new chain
With the rather puny 10.8v I did find it conked out if I tried to cut too thick a branch - but I can hear you shout "it's only meant to be a pruner, Charlie"
However in spite of that, most surprising was how effective it was at cutting through a 4 inch square pergola post to put an angle on it before installing the roof just after Christmas. And that was being used by my son for the first time and who doesn't do a lot of DIY. Two points here a) it's not designed for this but it's reasonable soft wood b) the stiff blade enabled it to cut without wandering which wouldn't be possible with say a reciprocating saw and c) the fact my son took one look at it and said cool, I've got to have a go with that - and he's not easily excited - underlines the attraction of this tool.
And just look at the way it chomps through this thick branch with the new chain fitted, although admittedly cutting through something like this almost completely drained the battery from fully charged.
When you’re a pruner… but also a chainsaw, it’s fun to see what you’re capable of!
Conclusion
I said I was confused when I set out on this review, and I still am a bit. Because I genuinely don't know what to make of this tool, possibly because I'm a home owner but have enough trade type tools to want decent run time or at the very least two batteries, and crucially I already have an electric chain saw. And I think that’s the point. With my YouTube channel I’ve amassed a lot of tools over the years, and am still relatively young! Bottom line, this tool wasn’t really designed for me, so I mustn’t allow the fact that I sit in the trade and also the DIY camp to cloud my judgment on the Stihl GTA26 cordless pruner.
I suppose my big issue is this is a chainsaw pretending to be a pruner, and that’s the problem. When you’re pruning, you sometimes need to hold branches as you prune them, which the health and safety police say you can’t do with this tool due to the fear of kick back and injuries. For me, using this tool, there’s no danger of kickback, but for the more elderly homeowners this is perhaps designed for, who maybe aren’t strong enough these days to chomp through a 25mm thick branch with their secateurs, who knows, that could be more of a risk.
And then there are things like this 20v DeWalt pruner I saw ToolsbyDesign preview on Instagram literally a couple of days ago - although it’s not available in the UK yet, and with battery will be quite a lot more than the Stihl.
However telescopic loppers are widely available and you can get a decent pair for under £50, so maybe that’s the answer for all of us whatever the age.
Whilst the DeWalt 20v pruner isn’t widely available and is expensive, you can pick up telescopic loppers like these for under £40
For me, I'll probably struck to my chain saw for now, at least until someone says I can use it one handed 😉 and if can find those telescopic loppers I had but which maybe I threw away - I can’t remember, those are a perfect solution when that branch is too thick for a pair of secateurs to get through.
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