Pole Saw vs Reciprocating Saw: Which Is Better for Pruning Branches?

Pole saw vs reciprocating saw comes down to where the branch is. A pole saw cuts above your reach while you stand on the ground, and a reciprocating saw cuts what is already at hand height.

I prune an orchard of apricot and plum trees planted in 2016, so I meet both kinds of limb every winter. Below: how each saw cuts, where each one wins, the safety floor for both, and a table that matches saw to job.

Pole Saw vs Reciprocating Saw: Which Fits Your Branches?

A pole saw suits a limb above your reach. A reciprocating saw with a pruning blade is suitable only for a limb you can reach with both feet on the ground and the saw at or below shoulder height, and only when the limb can be secured as the saw’s manual requires, without holding it by hand. A pole saw is made for the first job, and its manual says to cut from the ground. The reciprocating saw is a hand tool made to cut at arm’s length, and the DeWalt and Milwaukee manuals tell you to hold the shoe, the metal plate at the front, against the work. For a hand tool in the same job, my guide on pole saws versus pruning saws sets out which fits your branches and reach.

Two real cases show why that rule leads. A New Jersey tree-care worker on an aluminum ladder was electrocuted when his extendable pole saw touched a 7,200 volt line (1). A Massachusetts landscaper on a raised platform died when the top section of his pole saw touched an overhead line (2). Both were working cases, not homeowners, and each is a single event, but both involve a long pole near a wire.

Ladders are the usual way people try to make a hand-height saw reach higher. US emergency departments treated about 136,000 ladder injuries a year from 1990 to 2005, and about 97 percent of those with a recorded location happened in non-occupational settings such as homes and farms (3). Iowa State University Extension gives the same advice for pruning: stand on the ground rather than on a ladder, whenever possible.

The Short Rule by Branch Height

On my land the dividing line is simple. If I can make the cut with my feet on the ground and the saw at chest height, it is a hand-height job, and a cut I have to look up to see is a pole job. My guide to the pole saw reach you need starts from the height of the branch.

• Branch at hand height: a reciprocating saw with a pruning blade, or a hand pruning saw, if the limb is within what the tool can cut.
• Branch above your reach, small enough for the manual: a pole saw, cut from the ground at 60 degrees or less.
• Branch above reach and thicker than the pole saw’s manual allows: a certified arborist.
• Branch near, touching or tangled in a wire: the utility, never you.

Where Neither Saw Belongs

Some limbs are not a job for either saw. A limb under tension or hung up after a storm, a large limb over a house, car, fence or road, and anything that needs a ladder, climbing or a lift goes to a certified arborist. Iowa State University Extension also says to call a trained arborist for large high branches. Anything near a power line goes to the utility and its qualified line-clearance crews.

I leave a storm-broken limb alone and call someone, because a half-broken limb can move when the cut finishes. Anything thicker than my saw’s manual allows goes to an arborist as well.

How Each Saw Cuts

The two saws share a purpose and almost nothing else. One drives a chain around a bar, the other pushes a straight blade back and forth. That difference decides how far each can reach, how it behaves when the wood closes on it, and what you must hold still. My guide on chainsaws against reciprocating saws sets those two tools against each other on wood.

The Pole Saw as a Chain on a Bar

A pole saw is a chain saw on a long pole. A motor or engine drives a chain around a short bar, and the bar rides on a shaft you hold from the ground. The bars in the manuals run 8, 10 and 12 inches, and the maximum branch is whatever the maker states: 8 inches for EGO, Ryobi, DeWalt and Echo, 6 inches for the Greenworks 1400702CT, and a 9.75 inch capacity for the Milwaukee 3013-20, with a warning against anything over 9 inches. A pole saw cuts a branch up to the manual’s stated maximum, never a multiple of the bar length. My guide on what a pole saw is covers the types, the parts and what each can cut from the ground.

The Reciprocating Saw as a Blade on a Stroke

The reciprocating saw drives a blade straight in and out of the body of the tool. According to Milwaukee, its M18 SAWZALL 2621-20 runs at up to 3,000 strokes per minute with a 1-1/8 inch stroke, with no load. Milwaukee’s manual wants the blade to extend beyond the shoe and the whole workpiece throughout the stroke, and it warns that blades may shatter if they hit the workpiece or the shoe. DeWalt’s DCS367 manual says the shoe must be held firmly against the material, which stops the saw from jumping and keeps the blade from breaking.

What a Reciprocating Saw Does Well on Branches

A reciprocating saw for tree branches at hand height is a good choice when you already own one. It is short, it cuts in a straight line, and a pruning blade fits it. The limits are real: it stays at arm’s length, it needs both hands, and it moves the branch as it cuts. If you do not own either tool yet, my guide to buying a pole saw looks at costs, limits and alternatives.

Choose a Reciprocating Saw Pruning Blade

A reciprocating saw pruning blade is made for green wood. Milwaukee’s 9 inch, 5 teeth per inch pruning blade is described as one that clears limbs, branches and green wood, with teeth that cut in both directions and a thin kerf. That is the kind of blade to fit for live wood. Reciprocating saw blades for tree branches come in different lengths, and Milwaukee’s manual wants the blade to extend beyond the shoe and the entire workpiece throughout the stroke, so a 9 inch blade cuts less wood than its length suggests.

Hand-Height Limbs and Tight Spots

This is where the tool earns its place. I keep the hand-height tool for the low limbs around the yard trees and leave the upper scaffold limbs of the orchard to the pole in dormant winter. A limb at chest height, a branch in a crowded part of the crown, or a thick stub at the edge of the yard is within a saw at arm’s length. Cutting tree branches with reciprocating saw blades demands the same care for the cut as any other tool: cut just outside the branch collar, because in a four-year study of ten species, conventional cuts through the collar left wounds 30 to 50 percent larger at first than cuts made outside it, though closure was slow and results differed by species (4).

There is an orchard reason too. Cutting apricot and plum wood leaves gum on whatever touches it, and I clean a blade only after the saw has stopped, the battery is out and my gloves are on. Under my trees the drip lines lie on the soil, so I move a line aside or cut a limb in short pieces before anything heavy lands on it. My roundup of pole saws for fruit trees lists the saws I would reach for in that kind of pruning.

Limits of the Reciprocating Saw

A branch on a living tree is not a clamped workpiece. DeWalt and Milwaukee both tell you to secure the workpiece with clamps or another practical way, and a limb that sways under the blade does the opposite. Make stable support a condition of every cut: if the branch cannot be secured as the manual requires, without holding it by hand, skip the reciprocating saw and use another tool or call a professional. DeWalt also warns that the blade may suddenly bind in the work and kick the saw back toward you, and that vibration may cause permanent injury to fingers, hands and arms, so take frequent rest periods.

What a Pole Saw Does Better

A pole saw does one job a reciprocating saw cannot: it cuts above your reach from the ground. The pole carries the weight of the head, the angle keeps you out from under the cut, and the whole tool is built around a branch that falls. For the parts inside, my guide on how a pole saw works follows the saw from trigger to chain.

Reach From the Ground

Read the maker’s reach carefully. The Milwaukee 3013-20 manual gives a collapsed pole length of 106 inches and a maximum extended pole length of 156 inches, which is 13 feet of tool. DeWalt says its pole shaft extends up to 10 feet for a total reach of 15 feet, and that figure assumes a 6 foot person holding the pole in a straightened position at shoulder level, 60 degrees from the ground. One figure is a tool length and the other is a reach claim, so never compare them. My guide on how reach is measured explains the difference between pole length and a reach claim.

Angle, Fatigue and the Overhead Cut

The cost of that reach is the load on your neck and arms. In a lab study of 18 workers, neck and shoulder muscle activity was significantly higher when an overhead task sat 20 centimeters above head height than 10 centimeters above it (5). I notice the same thing in the field: a pole feels heavier after ten minutes of overhead work than at the first cut, so I work in short rounds and rest between limbs. My guide on how heavy pole saws are lists weight by power type and what each figure includes.

In an electric pole saw vs reciprocating saw comparison, the pole saw also adds a chain, an oil tank and a pole to look after, while a reciprocating saw adds nothing if it is already in the shed. My guide on chainsaw compared with pole saws looks at which tool fits your yard and trees.

Can You Put a Reciprocating Saw on a Pole?

No. A cordless reciprocating pole saw is not a tool the DeWalt and Milwaukee manuals describe, and the shoe rule explains why. Both manuals depend on you holding the saw with two hands and pressing the shoe against the work; on a pole you cannot do either.

A homemade pole rig removes the control the manual relies on and puts a moving blade at the end of a long lever. Neither the DeWalt DCS367 nor the Milwaukee 2621-20 manual approves mounting the saw on a pole, and you should not improvise one. If a limb needs a pole, a pole saw built for that job is the tool. If it is beyond a pole saw, it is a job for a certified arborist.

Safety Differences That Matter

A reciprocating saw binds and kicks back at hand height, and a pole saw brings kickback, a falling branch and an overhead line into the same cut. Power tool injuries are common at home: US emergency department data for 2006 to 2016 show power saws caused 89 percent of 18,250 saw and axe injuries, most often lacerations to the fingers and hand, and 65 percent happened at home (6). That figure covers all power saws, not pole saws alone.

Reciprocating Saw Binding and Hidden Wires

DeWalt’s DCS367 manual says to hold the saw firmly with both hands for all cutting operations, because the blade may suddenly bind in the work and kick the saw back toward the operator. It adds that angle or scroll cuts, which put pressure on the blade, increase the chance of vibration, kickback and blade breakage. Both DeWalt and Milwaukee say to hold the tool by its insulated gripping surfaces when the blade may touch hidden wiring, because a live wire can make the exposed metal parts live. DeWalt also asks for extra caution when cutting overhead and for attention to overhead wires hidden from view, and to anticipate where branches and debris will fall.

Change or clean a blade the safe way: release the trigger, switch the saw off, wait until the blade has stopped completely, remove the battery, and put on gloves before you touch the blade. DeWalt says to turn the unit off and remove the battery pack before removing or installing accessories, and Milwaukee says the blade must stop completely before you pull the saw out of the work.

Pole Saw Falling Branches, Angle and Kickback

Before any cut I check what is overhead and behind the limb, and I keep a clear way back. Kickback is the hazard both saws share. Laboratory tests of portable chainsaws show that the risk depends on the wood being cut and on where the bar tip meets it (7). That study measured chainsaws, but a pole saw carries the same kind of chain and bar.

Protective Gear, Bystanders and Weather

Which Saw for Which Job

Match the saw to the branch, not to the tool you own. This table gives the sort of job each saw suits; the manual of your own saw sets the limits. If a pole saw is the right tool, my roundup of pole saw picks ranks battery, corded and gas models.

Mistakes I Watch For With Both Saws

Most trouble with these saws comes from a handful of habits.

1. Reaching higher with the wrong tool. A reciprocating saw on a ladder is the same ladder hazard as a pole saw on a ladder.
2. Letting the tip touch another branch. DeWalt warns against it for a pole saw, Echo warns about branches behind the cut, and the DeWalt reciprocating saw manual warns that the blade can bind.
3. Treating a pole saw as a felling tool. The Ryobi, DeWalt and Remington manuals say not to use a pole saw for felling or bucking.

I look up before and during every overhead cut, because dead wood can break before the cut finishes. I also stand to the side of a limb, never under it, and watch it come down.

Pick the Saw by the Branch, Not the Tool You Own

Three things to remember: a reciprocating saw cuts at hand height, a pole saw cuts overhead from the ground, and an arborist takes the big or tensioned limbs. Anything near a wire goes to the utility. My tip is to look at the whole branch, the wires above it and the ground below it before you pick up either saw. The pole saw vs reciprocating saw question is settled by where the branch sits and how thick it is, and a wire or a ladder rules out both.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a reciprocating saw to cut tree branches?

You can use a reciprocating saw to cut tree branches at hand height, from the ground, with a pruning blade fitted, both hands on the saw and the limb secured as the manual requires. Milwaukee describes its 9 inch pruning blade as one that clears limbs, branches and green wood. Keep it off ladders, away from overhead work and away from any wire, because DeWalt’s manual warns of hidden overhead wires and of blade kickback.

What should you not do with a reciprocating saw?

With a reciprocating saw, never cut with one hand, never hold the work in your hand or against your body, and never cut overhead or overreach, because DeWalt asks for extra caution with hidden overhead wires. DeWalt and Milwaukee both say to secure the workpiece and to hold the tool by its insulated grips where the blade may meet hidden wiring. Wait until the blade has stopped completely before you pull the saw from the cut or lay it down.

Will a reciprocating saw cut down a tree?

A reciprocating saw cannot cut through a trunk wider than its blade can pass, and a 9 inch pruning blade must also extend beyond the shoe and the whole trunk throughout the stroke. Felling a tree is outside what the DeWalt and Milwaukee reciprocating saw manuals describe, and it is a hazard for any saw in a homeowner’s hands. Tree removal is a job for a certified arborist.

Can I use a hand saw to cut tree branches?

You can cut tree branches you can reach with a hand pruning saw, and Iowa State University Extension says to use a pruning saw on branches larger than 1-3/4 inches in diameter. Its blades are narrow, tapered or curved to fit crowded spots, and many cut on both the push and the pull. It needs no battery, fuel or cord, but it only reaches as far as your arm.

Can you use a pole saw like a regular saw?

A pole saw cannot be used like a regular saw: it is made to cut overhead branches from the ground, and the Ryobi, DeWalt and Remington manuals say not to use one for felling trees or cutting logs. Felling a tree with a pole saw is a serious hazard, and tree removal is a job for a certified arborist.

References

1. New Jersey Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program. Tree-care worker electrocuted while trimming branch near power line. NIOSH FACE report 13NJ074. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2016.
2. Massachusetts Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program. Landscaper working from a raised portable work platform was electrocuted when a pole saw contacts overhead power line – Massachusetts. NIOSH FACE report 13MA019. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2015.
3. D’Souza AL, Smith GA, Trifiletti LB. Ladder-Related Injuries Treated in Emergency Departments in the United States, 1990-2005. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2007;32(5):413-418.
4. Neely D. Branch Pruning Wound Closure. J Arboric. 1991;17(8):205-208.
5. Shin SJ, Yoo WG. Effects of overhead work involving different heights and distances on neck and shoulder muscle activity. Work. 2015;51(2):321-326.
6. Sritharen Y, Hernandez MC, Zielinski MD, Aho JM. Weekend woodsmen: overview and comparison of injury patterns associated with power saw and axe utilization in the United States. Am J Emerg Med. 2018;36(5):846-850.
7. Dąbrowski A. Kickback risk of portable chainsaws while cutting wood of different properties: laboratory tests and deductions. Int J Occup Saf Ergon. 2015;21(4):512-523.

Safety Note: Only an adult who has read the manual and understands the controls should use a pole saw, never a child or anyone tired or impaired; practise first on small, low branches you can reach easily from the ground. A pole saw is made for cutting branches from the ground, never for felling trees, and never from a ladder, a roof, a tree or any unstable support. Power lines can kill. Before you start, look for every overhead wire, including wires hidden in leaves, and keep yourself, the saw, the pole and any branch you cut or that could fall or swing at least 50 feet (15 m) from every line, the distance many pole saw manuals give, or farther if your manual asks for more. The saw is not insulated, and electricity can jump through the air and travel through branches, especially wet ones. Treat every wire, and anything touching one, as live. A branch near or touching a line is a job for the utility and its qualified line-clearance crews, not for you and not for a general arborist. If the saw or a branch touches a wire, do not go to the saw or touch the saw, the branch or the wire, keep everyone away and call the utility, and 911 if anyone is hurt. Before you cut, look for loose, dead or hung branches above you and clear trip hazards from the ground. Never stand under the branch you are cutting: stand to the side, out of its path, plan where it will fall and keep a clear way back, because a cut branch can bounce toward you when it lands. Cut long branches in sections, and if a branch falls or swings unexpectedly, get clear at once. Hold the saw with both hands, keep the pole at 60 degrees or less to the ground, the limit several makers set, keep your hands below shoulder height, and never overreach. Let the chain reach full speed before it touches wood, and never start a cut with the tip of the bar. If the bar tip touches anything, the saw can kick up and back toward you, and wood pinching or binding the chain can push it back or pull it forward: keep the tip clear and use only the reduced-kickback chain and bar your manual approves. Wear safety glasses with side shields marked Z87.1 (and a face shield over them where your manual asks for one), a hard hat or safety helmet rated for falling objects, hearing protection, work gloves, close-fitting long pants and long sleeves with no loose clothing or jewelry, and non-slip boots, and tie long hair up. Keep people and pets, helpers included, at least 50 feet (15 m) away, or farther if your manual asks, and out of the whole area where the branch can fall and bounce; stop cutting if anyone comes closer. Never cut in rain, high wind, a storm or when lightning is possible, or in light too poor to see the branch, the wires and your footing. Before each use, check the chain, its tension and the oil, the telescoping locks and the switch as your manual describes, and do not use a saw that fails a check. Before you touch the chain, clear a jam, adjust the tension, fill the oil or change the pole length or head angle: release the trigger, switch the saw off and wait until the chain has stopped, then take the battery out, unplug a corded saw by the plug, or on a gas saw let the engine cool and pull the spark plug cap off; wear gloves. To carry or store the saw, release the trigger, switch it off and wait until the chain has stopped, then take out the battery or unplug it, collapse the pole and fit the chain cover. Use only the maker’s battery and charger, charge and store them within the temperatures your manual gives and never in the wet, never use or charge a damaged, swollen or leaking pack, and keep loose batteries away from metal objects that could short the terminals. Use a corded saw only with an outdoor-rated extension cord of the gauge your manual gives, plugged into GFCI-protected power, and never in rain or wet conditions: GFCI protection does not make that safe. Start a gas pole saw on the ground with the chain clear of everything, at least 10 feet from where you fuelled it; refuel outdoors with the engine off and cool, with no smoking, flames or sparks nearby, and never run it indoors or in a garage or shed, because the exhaust contains carbon monoxide. A branch thicker than your manual allows, a limb under tension or hung up after a storm, a large limb over a house, car or road, or anything you cannot reach from the ground is a job for a certified arborist. Stop when you are tired.