Awesome for trail clearing!

Reviews: Fiskars 9234 62-Inch Pruning Stik

I had been using a mix of a chainsaw, machete, weed whip, and pruning sheers to clear trails through heavy under growth (thorns, raspberry, honey suckle, etc) and became frustrated with needing to carry all these different tools. Using a chainsaw (I have a large 72cc husky) gets really tiring and is difficult to cut weeds close to the ground. The terrain is too steep and rocky for a DR mower too. I saw this in the local hardware store and thought I would give it a shot, and paid about $10 more for it than what Amazon is offering. Once I got home and tested it out around the house I could barely contain my excitement. It was EXACTLY what I was looking for. You can change the angle of the head so the cutters are almost perpendicular to the pole (think of a hockey stick). With this configuration you can comfortably stand up and snip weeds right at the ground level all while walking and moving forward. I no longer had to deal with getting my arms and face scratched from having to reach in close to thorns and raspberries. You can also use it to trim up in the air or to fling cut weeds and branches out of the way. Once you get comfortable with it you can even use it as a grabber to pick up brush and sticks and drop them where you want. I rarely use the "light cord" handle at the end, only for high limbs, and primarily use the sliding handle on the shaft to cut. When not cutting with it, it doubles as a good hiking stick too. I cut a half mile path through heavy undergrowth in a couple of hours. The tool is so light, and the cutting motion so easy/ergonomic that you can cut all day and not get fatigued. Try that with a chainsaw, machete or weed whip! The only minor complaint is that every once in a while small sticks can get caught in the blades, causing them to stick together. If you have leather gloves on it takes just seconds to push the blades apart though.

All in all, this is a great tool that makes my other tools obsolete. I still need the chainsaw for large limbs and larger saplings, but if you are a forester, or need to clear/maintain hiking paths you NEED this tool! It is hands down the biggest bang for the buck tool you can buy. I am buying a couple more to give to others who hike with me, so I can put them to work too! :)