Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First off, I'm a Certified Arborist, ISA. I own two retired Hayauchi saws. I used them, daily. If you are a homeowner in need of a reliable saw that you can baby and take great care of as you use it and store it, this saw may be the one for you. Then again, why would you need to spend such big bucks for a saw you will only use a few times a year? There are pole saws out there for less than half the price and they will do you just fine. For professional use, this saw is a joke, plain and simple. If you look at it wrong, it will bend, making it impossible to fully retract. In no time at all, the webbing on the handle begins to unwind. The end cap disappears, as well, just as the webbing stabilizer band, midway up the lowest section, lets loose. Yeah, great quality, right? The blades are nothing to write home about. They cut OK, but just OK. For about a third of the price, you can order blades, drill holes to match, and use them. I only bought the second saw because I chalked up the poor performance of the first to a fluke. Nope, both are mostly junk. I gave this saw two stars because for the first two weeks, or so, they are fun to use, and do a very good job. Thing is, with regular use, they bend, start falling apart and become a real pain, literally, to use. The sections do not smoothly telescope, after about those first two weeks, if you're a production worker. Pull one totally out---Oh yeah, real fun putting it back together. The "Hang Fox" is a hoot. It is a hook-like piece you screw onto the blade housing. It is made to fit only this model, as I recall. It made me laugh when I received it in the mail after shelling out, I think, about $30, delivered. It's made of chromed plastic over tin. Yeah, I really liked trusting my skin to that piece of garbage--NOT! Silky is overpriced on all of their stuff, no lie. They know that there is a "snob factor," in owning their garbage, and they now are capitalizing on gullible arborists and homeowners. Want a far, far better alternative? Order two, six-foot, Jameson fiberglass pole sections that snap together. Order one eight-foot section. Order a Jameson blade head that has an integral hook. Order a few blades. You will spend less money for this equipment, about $150, and it will last a lifetime, remaining mostly trouble-free. FWIW, when it comes to fiberglass sectionals, that I just described, you can buy the same/similar equipment made by different manufacturers. It's all good, for the most part. There is a reason why this fiberglass sectional equipment is still found in the kits of 99% of all working arborists, out there: You can't improve on hard-working equipment that lasts. Silky is a con. Don't get taken! UPDATE: 4/6/14: I was cleaning out my warehouse and found my two old Hayauchis. I decided, on a whim, to cut out their bent sections and restore these saws with new bat tape, improvised end caps, etc. OK, that I did. They were looking good and telescoping fine. Then I took them to the yard to try them out. Whoa! These guys are heavy and awkward to use! I had forgotten how heavy they were compared to my fiberglass sectionals. Also, even with light sawing, I could see how the 21' unit, now about 18', was flexing and threatening to get yet another bend. I couldn't believe that I ever used these units on the job. Again, I do not recommend these saws, and I can add that their weight is another negative factor. Also, while I have not researched, in depth, the many electrocutions that happen to workers in my profession when their pole saws contact power lines, I can bet that most of the saws they were holding were, most likely, metal ones, like these. While dirty fiberglass, including foam cores, will also conduct electricity, I would much rather take my chances with them versus the Hayauchi.