Any new homeowner quickly learns that those lovely trees on their property have a tendency to grow where we don’t want them to. Whether it is branches growing over the roof, interfering with our electric lines, or blocking the walkway, the problem is the same; the branches need to be trimmed and the longer you wait, the worse it gets.
I’ve gotten the chance to try out the Vevor 2-in-1 Mini Chainsaw to handle those pesky branches, and here, I document my experience.
Tree Cutting and Its Challenges
Before we go into the review itself, I want to discuss first our options when it comes to tree cutting.
One is to hire a “professional” to cut the trees. Having tried that, I’ve found that most professionals really aren’t all that professional. They’ll cut your tree; but probably not the way you want.
It will end up ugly and they may not even take care of the problem you hired them to do. If they damage anything in the process, there’s a chance they won’t take responsibility for it. The reality is, they might even try and hide their mistake.
The other option is to trim our trees ourselves. This either involves climbing a ladder with a chainsaw, not something to be desired, or using a pole saw of some sort or other.
Manual “pruning saws” have been around for roughly a century and have always done a reasonable job, for those who have the energy to use them. Personally, my thoughts on the subject are that if the branch is over one inch in diameter, I don’t want to cut it manually.
This brings us to power pruning saws, otherwise known as pole chainsaws. I have had one for several years and dread taking it out of the shed. It’s not that it doesn’t do a good job, because the 10-inch chainsaw on that unit cuts better than my big chainsaw.
Rather, it’s that the weight of the saw, on the end of that pole, makes it very hard to maintain control of. I feel like a cartoon character who is trying to fish with a pole that’s too long and weighs too much. The pole is swinging me, not the other way around.
Considering the challenges of both professional services and traditional DIY methods, finding an effective and user-friendly solution for tree pruning becomes essential. Here’s where the Vevor 2-in-1 Cordless Pole Saw and Mini Chainsaw comes in.
Vevor 2-In-1 Cordless Pole Saw & Mini Chainsaw Features
Maneuverability
This mini-chainsaw allows for fast and easy cutting of brush and branches near the ground and as high as 14 feet off the ground, all without the use of a ladder.
The mini-chainsaw is a powerful tool in its own right; but when coupled with the eight-foot telescoping pole, it becomes a real powerhouse, allowing for trimming of anything but the tallest trees.
With its light weight and the battery mounted at the base, to provide some counterbalance, it is extremely easy to control while helping to avoid operator fatigue.
The saw itself has a five-inch bar, which may not seem very big; but you’ve got to remember that chainsaws cut to the end of the bar, allowing the saw to actually cut through logs or branches that are twice the bar length.
In my personal testing of the saw, which we’ll get into in a moment, it has no problem going through logs that are longer than the bar length.
(If you want a cordless and compact unit, the Imoum Cordless 6” Chainsaw might be what you’re looking for!)
Safety Features
For safety, there’s an ambidextrous trigger lock, allowing both right and left-handed people to use it with equal ease. There’s also a spring-loaded chain guard, protecting you from the back side of the chain in case of kickback.
When the trigger is released, the chain stops quickly, helping to further prevent accidents.
Chain Adjustment and Oiling
All chainsaws need a chain and bar oiler and being small doesn’t give this one an exception. There is an internal oil tank, with a sight glass to see the remaining oil level.
A squeeze bulb, of the same type that is used for priming the carburetor on a lawn mower, pumps a small amount of oil out onto the chain. When oiling the chainsaw needs to be held with the blade pointed down, allowing this oil to flow over the whole chain and not onto the floor.
Chain tightening and adjustment is extremely easy, with a knob on the left side of the saw, right over the chain sprocket. Loosening this knob ½ turn allows the spring-loaded bar to move forward, taking up any slack in the chain.
Then all that’s needed is to tighten the knob again, before cutting. This is considerably easier than the typical chainsaw adjustment, which requires the use of a special wrench to loosen two bolts, and then push the bar forward, before tightening it again.
Pole
The pole portion of this package extends out about 50% over its closed position, giving a total of eight feet of reach. For an average 6-foot-tall person, that should provide 14 feet of total reach, or a touch more, off the ground.
The Vevor 2-in-1 Cordless Pole Saw & Mini Chainsaw is mounted on a swivel head, which allows the business end of the chainsaw to be rotated from 90 degrees back to about 70 degrees forward, with positive stops at every 22.5 degrees.
This allows cutting branches at whatever angle they occur. When used in this configuration, the battery and battery holder are moved from the base of the chainsaw to the base of the pole, which also has a trigger for operating the saw.
Testing the Chainsaw
For my personal testing, I started out by removing some branches that were getting in the way of an electric line in front of my house. These branches were from a white oak tree and ranged from 2 to 4 inches in diameter.
Even though I was operating at the extreme extent of my reach, the saw cut through those oak branches in seconds.
That was good, but still within the realm of what one would expect from such a saw, so I decided to up the ante a bit. My next test, on the workbench, was to cut through a 7” diameter piece of elm.
That’s not as hard as the oak, but the overall size could have been problematic, as it was 2” longer than the chainsaw’s bar. The saw cut through that log, which was dry, in 1 minute and 10 seconds; and it was a nice, neat cut, without a lot of saw marks.
In addition to the chainsaw and pole, the kit comes with a 4Ah lithium-ion battery, battery charger, blade cover for when the saw is not in use, and a pair of safety goggles.
Conclusion
To sum up, the Vevor 2-in-1 Cordless Pole Saw & Mini Chainsaw evidently addresses some of the challenges that come with tree trimming. Its maneuverability, features, and overall performance make it an excellent tool that deserves a spot in every homeowner’s toolkit.
If you ask me, it’s definitely worth the price, as it will pay for itself the first time you don’t have to pay someone else to trim the trees.
Rich is a second-generation woodworker, having grown up in his dad’s workshop, “making sawdust.” Fifty years later, he’s still studying and working on improving his own woodworking skills, while also helping new woodworkers “catch the bug” for the smell of fresh sawdust. While Rich has done some custom woodworking projects, his greatest thrill is helping the next generation of woodworkers along, regardless of their age. His background as an engineer and a writer just adds to his ability to teach his true passion, woodworking.
