Gardena Telescopic StarCut 410 plus: Telescopic tree lopper for cutting branches, adjustable length of 230-410 cm, 6.5 m total reach including user, up to 200° cutting angle (12001-20)

I love this , but would recommend that any potential purchaser checks that this is long enough for the use they need it for, maybe the bigger one would be better ? . Light and easy to position , the cutting blades are sharp and easily get through hard wood . Two positions to close the jaws , half way up the pole , and from the bottom of the poleI thoroughly recommend this

I have a large garden with various trees planted over the years. My neighbours, who I am on good terms with, also have trees along our boundary that sometimes overhang more than I would like. I already have an extending lopper with a saw attachment which is useful for cutting fairly substantial branches around the thickness of an arm but it is heavy and can be awkward to use for a lot of smaller branches and large twigs and works with cord pull mechanism that sometimes gets snagged up so I bought this and am pleased with using it in conjunction with my older lopper. It extends a long way and the internal pull mechanisms - there are two options depending on how much it is extended, make short work of small branches. It is long even when it is unextended so think about where you will keep it. Fully extended it will need care when using so a little bit of strength is required if you are going to be using it for a lot of trimming. I think it’s good value for money because it’s well constructed, simple to use (no trailing cords) and a lot cheaper than calling in a tree surgeon every time you want to get at small high branches.

Starcut 410 plus modelThis trimming pole is well engineered and the reach is exceptional - as the pole is made of alluminium, extending it is not a problem as with some other similar heavier tools.Storage could be a problem for some, as fully collapsed it is a tad under 8 feet in length.It will cut thin branches up to 3/4 of an inch (19mm) - I found it wouldn't cut thicker than that, and the claim of 32mm must be for balsa wood.The attached label does show the 25 year warranty - top right-hand corner in a black & white circle. Apparently, registration is required. Having read the T&Cs, it appears that the woven pull strap is not covered, which is the most likely thing to break. A really poor opt-out imo by Gardena.The pole came in a box, and I would describe the packaging as adequate - it arrived two days before the stated delivery time and was delivered without damage to the box by DPD. The cutter was protected by a plastic shield that was held in place by a screw at the corner of the head - a neat and very effective idea, being easily removed with a screwdiver in seconds.When cutting anything near 3/4" I found it helpful to put the end of the pole into my shoulder while pulling on the midway slide handle - the end pull handle could be shaped to suit this purpose much better than the current design.I have to say the claimed 12x gearing is disappointing - I have a shorter pole with no gearing and it cuts as well as the Gardena, i.e. similar effort.Not sure about being able to angle the head, as I found it moved around when in use and was more of a nuisance than a advantage - I suspect the cutter requires more effort to pull when angled too.Imo, the star quality of this pole pruner is the fact that it is light, and I would recommend it to anyone concerned with handling heavier poles, but imo, it is expensive and I think £75 would have been a fair price, particularly as the true cutting capacity of 19mm is pretty standard.If you are not put off by the details in my review, then I think you will be happy with your purchase.

Very easy to use, well designed, light to hold, effortless cutting. UPDATE April 2025: Still using & works well, but after nearly 5 years of trouble-free use, the shorter webbing strap has a tendency to twist which compromises the ability of the jaws to spring back fully. The long-reach function using the t-shaped handle still works well. I was so pleased with this, I bought the longer model as well. This works very well & has amazing reach. The extension function is very smooth & feels solid with no signs of wobble, but I must admit, although surprisingly light for its size, as you'd expect, it is rather more difficult to handle when fully extended. You have to think carefully about your surroundings before extending it fully as it's easy to lose balance when you're gazing up for long periods.

this pole is very long and quite difficult to handle it does reach very tall trees but only cuts rhin branches

I remember my father buying a long pruner to tackle his conifers about 45 years ago. It was about 14 feet long, made of wood, weighed a ton, and the blade was operated by a simple pull handle connected to the head with a rigid metal rod. It was incredibly unwieldy and struggled to cut anything bigger than a twig. These are in a totally different league. They are very well made, very light to handle, very easy to adjust with simple levers to lock the sliding movement which can be adjusted tighter as required, and the head is beautifully engineered. It has a very smooth precise cutting action, and is operated by sliding the handle part way up the shaft down towards the bottom. This handle travels 2 feet or more to operate the cut, so the amount of pressure this gearing provides is immense. I tested them on a conifer and it snips through inch thick branches like butter. All the workings are internal so there are no strings or belts to get caught on branches, nothing to adjust when you alter the length. I was a bit dubious about how something so long could deal with slightly thicker stems, but it just glides through them. A really lovely piece of kit.