Stihl HTA50

 Follow-up 3d · Coincidentally I had the pole pruner out yesterday for the first time in maybe 6 months and it worked a treat. My only concern remains the battery housing - seems flimsy. You need to be careful with this device. Questions: How long does the battery last? I've never run the battery down. I have noticed that the pole pruner seems to make less demand on the battery than the lawn mower as not much charge is used and so it recharges quickly. I haven't done a lot of tree cutting with it - just a few branches in a session but I'd imagine the battery would last approx. 30 mins. based on my lawnmowing experience. How thick a branch can it cut? I've been cutting wrist-width branches but I accidentally cut into wood three times as thick and it seemed at ease. What’s the maximum reach? You'd need to look at the specs on Stihl's site. I bought the extender but it starts to get a bit heavy. Conclusion This pole-pruner is for the casual maintenance person. If you're careful with it (don't bang it around); choose suitable (wrist-width) branches, it should last a long time. I'm still using the original Stihl batteries I bought with my lawn mower over 5 (I think) years ago and they don't seem to have lost any of their power probably because I treat the tools gently and don't strain them.