I used this rope saw to trim a few limbs before felling a tree about 8 feet from my house. My girlfriend and I ended up roping out two branches with a couple lengths of rope, a pulley, and this saw, all without climbing the tree. Cutting ~3 inch limbs took maybe 5-10 minutes, but the 6 inch limb must have taken closer to 25 or 30 to get through. You can usually get through smaller limbs without a problem, but on bigger ones the chain tends to bind after you're most of the way through the cut. Throwing some rope over the end of the branch and giving it a yank manages to get the branch down at that point though. Regardless, that's a rope saw flaw and not specific to this one.If you need to bring down some high-ish branches and don't mind a bit of a workout, this is a solid choice.

I thought this was going to be a gimmicky thing that I would use once and then get it stuck up a tree.Turns out I was wrong - it's a legit tool that works exactly as well as advertised.I have a pole saw (basically a little chainsaw on a stick). It works really well, but there were lots of branches I needed to cut down that I simply couldn't reach with it. I wasn't expecting this product to work well, but I thought it was cheap enough to give it a go.I was very pleasantly surprised. It paid for itself in the first 20 minutes or so.It is pretty hard work to saw through large branches, but better than spending hundreds of dollars to have an arborist come and do it for you.So far, the largest branch I have sawed through has been about 10" in diameter, but the saw would likely be capable of sawing through even larger branches, it would just take longer.I have been working alone, which does make things harder. It is perfectly safe, because the ropes are long enough that you are nowhere near the branch you are sawing through (and could be extended with extra lengths of rope if need be).The problem with working alone is that the chain has to be wrapped almost completely around the branch, which means that when the branch is sufficiently weakened, it will sag and trap the blade.This is not a fault of the saw itself, it's just unavoidable if working alone.The best solution would be to have a helper standing opposite you, so that the saw only cuts downwards.In my case, I have been cutting down box elder maple branches. Box elder maple is brittle, and has a habit of dropping branches (which is the reason why I am sawing them off), My solution is to wait until the branch sags and traps the blade, then throw another rope over the end of the branch and pull it down.This works with box elder maple, because the branches are brittle, so they snap easily. If you're working with other types of tree, you may have no choice but to enlist someone to help you.In summary, this tool is remarkable. It is not unreasonable to expect to be able to completely fell a smallish tree with it, piece by piece.My plan is to cut all the branches off my box elder maples, leaving only the trunks, which I will then cut down with a chainsaw. Removing the branches first will make the trees short enough that I won't risk hitting my house or garage.Considering that it costs well over a grand to have a tree professionally removed where I live, this tool will save me at least $5,000. I can't praise it highly enough.As for this particular product, it seems to be a really good example of this type of tool.It is pretty long, so it's capable of sawing through quite thick branches.It has saw teeth on both sides, so it doesn't matter how it is oriented when you get it up the tree, it will cut no matter which way it lands.The accessories are good too. It comes with two decent lengths of rope so you can work from a safe distance, and the ropes have comfortable straps on the ends to hold onto so you don't get friction burns from the ropes.There is also a small bag which can be filled with rocks to act as a weight for throwing the rope over the branch.The weight bag and the hand straps for the ropes are colored bright orange, so it's easy to see them on the ground.In summary, rope saws are excellent tool, and this specific product appears to be a particularly well executed version.There is nothing about it I would change - the kit includes everything you need, and the price is right too. The only thing I would add would be a decent pair of work gloves.

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I had a bunch of branches on my tree that I had to take down but I could not get much closer than about 20 feet away. The "48 Inch High Limb Hand Rope Saw Chain Saw" got through them... mostly. It cuts until it binds and then you hope for the best and, for me, I was able to break off what was left. I recommend having a second rope tied to the end of the branch so you can pull it down when it does not cut off completely with this saw.When I bought the 48 inch version, I wondered why anybody would want the longer 55 inch version and when I was cutting a branch about six inches in diameter, I realized that if I had the longer chain, I'd be able to cut with longer strokes. As it was, it took forever. Pull left, pull right, repeat, over and over about 200-300 times. Each stroke produces saw dust so you'll get there eventually. If the branch is big, expect to spend a long time.The chain cuts both directions so you don't waste time on the return strokes. The chain has teeth on both sides so you don't have to worry about getting the correct side facing down.The two nylon handles would be functional if you were up close which I was not. I used the supplied polypropylene ropes (and some of my own rope) with leather gloves. The little "stainless steel spring buckles" are good, if a little small given the size of the rope and the nylon handles. The "big aluminum snap hook" is crap; the threads to not reach far enough to properly engage if it is opened but it was functional with the "throwing weight pouch." The pouch has a Velcro closure inside to keep the rocks from coming out as it lands. I loaded it up with rocks and it works pretty well if you need to throw less than ten feet. I discovered that no amount of my throwing could get it where I wanted it on the branch 20 feet away. I finally shot a weighted arrow with fishing line over the branches to pull up the rope and get the saw into the tree.