IMO! You might get an independent Yardman that has
the needed equipment to do your initial “Total Job” (of cutting back all needs). This will give you “A Start To Maintain”. This will give you a chance to see “Equipment
At Work” and “Possibly Future Needed Equipment”.

Sounds like you have a Mega Challenge. Good Luck!

Good suggestion. That was the other thing my husband mentioned - renting heavy duty yard equipment to get on top of the job, then using the regular homeowner grade stuff to maintain the new growth that appears subsequently. Being the independent "I can do it MYSELF" sort, though, I picture myself out there with the pole saw and getting this done, lol, though it could be more than I bargained for.

As I read your post it sounded like you will be using the pole saw mainly for trimming tall bushes. If so a chain saw will not work well, as you can not get a "bite" on the branches to cut them. I think the only thing that will truly work for trimming bushes is a hedge trimmer.

In my opinion a hedge trimmer would be more practical that a chainsaw on a stick as again in my opinion you will have more bush trimming than you will cutting 1" and greater limbs.

The thing about a hedge trimmer is that I can't get the reach I need, but this was the concern my husband had, krnuttle, that the pole saw wouldn't cut the branches of the bushes other than the main, thicker ones.

The reviews of the hedge trimmer attachments for string trimmer power sources (so I could have a power hedge trimmer on the end of a pole) is poor, in general, however. Looks like I need a cherry picker and a gas hedge trimmer, or, as loger_gw suggested, hire someone to get me back to baseline and then use a regular hedge trimmer. Climbing up on ladders and leaning WAAAAAY over to reach with a hedge trimmer is prescription for disaster....

I am a sorry excuse for a home landscaper and tend to let things get out of hand. However, with that said, I wonder if it wouldn't be easier to go at some of these 'shrubs' with some lopers to bring them down to 6-7 feet where regular tools would suffice. In my gardens, I have some hedges. I sometimes use hedge trimmers. I note that it just gets bigger, so sometimes I just cut main branches way back to get it partially under control. This partially seems to work. I imagine the original owner/builder should have chosen different plants.

If you still want to go the tall route, I have a little info that might be of some use. A few months ago I scrounged up an old non-working trimmer. While replacing the primer bulb and fuel lines, I recently realized that it was one of the cheap end tools that you were asking about. It is a Ryobi 430 2 cycle Expand-It tool. It seems to be slightly heavier than the same named recent models. It seems to run well. I got the roto-tiller and blower attachments and they all work. I just ordered the pole chain saw, so I don't know how well it will work. My tool is a little heavy and it may not be real easy to control but I see some user reviews that said it worked for them. I passed on the option to buy the hedge trimmer, knowing that all my plants are near power and still under seven feet tall.

It certainly appears that Ryobi has some failure issues. I suspect that it may be due to emission and lack of adjustment controls and one might wonder if similar problems will apply to the more expensive brands also. Like others here, I sometimes cut a slot in the shielded adjustment nuts to create screw driver adjustment. If you or your husband or relative is willing/happy to mess around with small engines, I have a suggestion. I know that Ryobi gets a lot of returns because I spend more time than reasonable on e-bay watching a reseller of returned, mis-marked, unboxed, crushed box, goodness knows what, items. These items are usually essentially (usually completely) new although in the case of outdoor tools, there is a greater chance that they were actually used and returned for cause of some sort. They usually sell for a fourth of normal or less. The e-bay seller is karensbarn. Her angle is that she allows returns for any reason but you are responsible for your shipping. She charges 'only' $9 for one item and if you buy more than one item in a week, only $3 shipping for any additional items. The very good and very bad point for a heavy item is that others would charge more to ship it, but you would have to pay more to ship it back. If someone is handy, it is likely worth the shipping risk. She usually has Expand-It stuff.

The post so far have been about saws vs trimmers.

There may be another solution to your problem.

What kinds of bushes do you have that have gotten out of control.

Depending on the bushes you may be able to reduce the size by cutting about a third of the older main older trunks over a couple of years. By cutting a third each year, in three years you should have a lot of small bushes that you can then properly prune to keep them under control.

Once you have the older trunks cut out you may be able to prune the existing bush into several smaller bushes that you can walk between.

One of those that can be cut back this way is Lilac. By selectively cutting the old trunks the new will slowly replace them and then you can trim it properly.

There are other bushes that you can do this with, so again it depends on the specific bushes you have

Totally agree with Loger, get it under control and make sure you're there to observe tools and techniques for future reference. Also, ask questions, they're the professionals. In fact, I'd have them take it down farther than you initially think would be OK, with that root system, it'll be back in no time and will give you an opportunity to groom it to the hight, etc. you want and can comfortably maintain. Also, if you want to maintain it at six feet or whatever with a hedge trimmer, the main stems should be cut under that height, so you can trim hedges and not main limbs.

IMHO, buying a power head and various attachments is a way to spend a lot of $$ and end up very unhappy. The attachments often end up costing as much as a discrete powered tool as 'they" have a captive audience. Also, what happens when the power head goes and you have all these neat and expensive attachments? Replace power head-IF they're still available. Manufacturer's have a way of discontinuing good stuff so they can sell you more and newer good stuff.

Good luck,

Pains and strains from having 2 trees trimmed two weeks ago are teaching me more.

Since the mid 80s I have trimmed our trees and others and it has been pure luck that I have not gotten hurt worst than I am. About 2010 I made a promise to keep my feet
on the ground and pole saws at a reasonable reach. That dictated getting young experience trained tree trimmers to put all of my out of reach limbs on the ground and I would take the jobs from there. Their equipment and training can be life saving. The volume of wood is hard to judge standing or dropped without experience…

Standing wood is hard to estimate the amount and dangers that will be involved in getting the wood on the ground without Experience. There was still enough safe
work and savings in the 6 hours I had in hauling the 4 loads 2-3 miles (like 2 mid
size cars cut smaller) to the City’s landfill (from 2 trees) The 37.50 per 4’X8’X2’ is the rate for the trimmers to Dump at Land Fill Drop Off vs 4 Loads free to Home Owners. Actually I could have put the trimming on my drive or curb for the Monthly Bulk Pick-up (if cut and stacked 8’ long X 6’ high X 4’ deep). That is a specific week per month. That is worth it if you can work in the schedule.

The Bottom Line Is Safety! That is not easily seen if you have not had experience in Tree Trimming.

Remington RM1025p Ranger is a great gadget!

I've used this to take down a 30' hemlock, 30' hazelnut, and 30' flowering plumb. Readily cut through 16" diameter limbs. I keep the chain properly lubed and tensioned and have not had any problems whatsoever. The neighbors are really surprised what I can do with this little saw. So much better than messing with a 2-cycle, and the extension pole is a huge safety benefit.

If you want to know more details about the pole saw go to the link

Remington RM1025P Ranger 10-Inch 8 Amp 2-in-1 Electric Chain Saw/Pole Saw Combo

Remington , Mikita are the least expensive options for this usage . Stihl has a Pro Grade unit that would out last either elect model for long term usage .