I have been looking at pole saws too and the one I like best so far is the Echo because of the location of the handles. It has a handle on the top that makes holding it a lot easier. I saw them in the rental department of Home Depot and am going to rent one before buying one.

All of them are nice but many the same size as the Echo feel a lot heavier because of their design.

I have never seen a Shindawa but I have one of their engines on one of my yard tools and nothing stops that thing from running. It is really old too.

My husband looked at the Stihl today and said it was very end-heavy. So for his back, he probably would not get it, that is why he initally was interested in the hydraulically operated pruner.

I was able to purchase a used Shindaiwa pole pruner and I have been very happy with it. I didn't think it would be that great of investment, but I haven't picked up the manually operated pole pruner since I got the Shindaiwa. Dry weight on the Shindaiwa runs around 12 pounds. It runs well with the little 230 motor.

There is a used one for sale right now on e-bay so I thought I'd give you a heads up.

I have the Shindaiwa M242 multi tool engine and a hedge trimmer and string trimmer attachment. You can buy the pole attachment also. I really like the unit, easy to start. You might want to consider multi tool attachment. For lighter weight, stay with 2 cycles.

For trimmer and stuff, Husqvarna usually are lightest of the bunch, look into that. I think Echo and Shindaiwa are comparable in weight and not the lightest.

I went and double check the weight. Actually the Redmax PSZ2401 and the PSZ2500 are the lightest of all. They are 10.9 and 11.1 lb resp.

All others are way in the 12+lb range.

Redmax should be a good commercial brand, 2 cycle reliability, can't go wrong with Redmax.

artey said "Dry weight on the Shindaiwa runs around 12 pounds"
What does dry weight mean? Is 12 pounds the attachment or does that include the basic motor area also?
We have two Shindaiwa weedeaters, they are fantastic. I do not know if my husband wants to get another weedeater to use the pole pruner with or attach & unattach it from one of our current ones. How complicated is it to attach the pole pruner?

artey said "There is a used one for sale right now on e-bay"
I looked and cannot find it. I found many chainsaws, and pole pruner manuals and replacement chains but no pole pruner.
Thanks.

Shindaiwa M242 with long pole is 12lb according to the catalog. I guess dry weight is everything but without gas and oil. Just a guess.
I have Shindaiwa M242 and I love it. If you just have a regular trimmer, you can get the prunner attachment, but I am not sure you get the extension to 9 feet. If you like Shindy, by all means, I love it too. Redmax IS the lightest, I don't have Redmax but they do have just as good reputation and it is one pound lighter. Best way is to go pick one up, swing it around and get the feel. If Shindaiwa feel just as good, get the M242, you can get cultivator, articulate hedge trimmer etc. Look for promotion that you buy a pole prunner and get a free string trimmer attachment. I got the short hedge and free string trimmer as a package for $589 out the door.

Don't get a used one, do your own damage!!! Take good care of it and it will last 20 years.

It turns out that for the Shindaiwa weedeaters that we have, T230 and 22T, we can just get the chainsaw end, not a long pole. So all we would have is a regular length weedeater with a chainsaw at the end. This is not what we are looking for. Oh well.

That is what I think, you can do it this way but you can't get 9 feet long pole saw.

You have the old non carb trimmer, those are better, convert one and you save money. Is it long enough though?

The saw end still going to cost you. Depend on whether this is a tool or a toy!!!! M242 is very useful and you can have all the other options. The short reach hedge is so useful for trimming. M242 setup should be a little lighter also.

Anyway, I think you have enough info to do it one way or the other. Good luck.

My apologies for the delay. Type in a search for pole saw and the Shindaiwa item is about the 5th one down and is ending in 15 hours. They spelled Shindaiwa wrong which is why the Shindaiwa search didn't produce.

I paid $125 for a used Shindaiwa pole saw that runs great. Why would I want to fork over $500 so I could say it is new. I don't think the average home owner puts many hours on a pole saw and Shindaiwa has a good rep.

I believe the dry weight listed is for the entire unit without gas and oil.

You never know the price until the last 30 seconds. I bit a lot on ebay, that is a common pratice. I actually use two computers to do bidding. One with the final price I am willing to pay ready to send, the other keep checking the price and the last 20 second!!! Also shipping can be high. You buy it as is. My experience is you really don't get good deal on ebay, I only go on ebay for stuff that are no longer available in stores.

Of cause, if you like the excitement of the bidding war, that's another story. Key is you get what you pay.

Found the ebay pole saw, some bad spelling there. Curious to see how the auction ends.
Re: ebay. Always buyer beware. Before bidding, know the "new" price. Ask for lots of pictures. Check feedback. I just won the bid on a Packasport cargo carrier(rooftop) for $.99 I could not believe it. It is in very good condition. Luckily my brother lived in the area where it was being sold so he went over and picked it up for me. We are replacing the lock, compounding & waxing it, and it will look great.

Shindaiwa is a well-made tool at a
good price point. Quiet and pretty beefy. Works great and easy to use. The
Shindaiwa Pole Pruner has a 10″ bar and 19″ overall length for trimming short
trees or bushes. Also ideal for limbing
a downed tree. Your husband easily can carry Shindaiwa cause its 19″ length and
2.5 lbs.