Black & Decker 2018 Cordless Pole Chain Saw
Written: Oct 18 '05
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: No power cords or gasoline engine to contend with, smooth and quiet when operating.
Cons: Operating time limited by charge on battery.
The Bottom Line: For a totally portable and virtually maintenance free extended reach pole chain saw, this one is hard to beat.
|
|
|
| NZ9E's Full Review: Black & Decker Npp2018 18-Volt Cordless Pole Chain... |
Features:
1.) Totally house current and gasoline free cordless battery operation.
2.) Battery recharges in 3 to 6 hours.
3.) Battery charges off of the tool, so extra slip-on batteries may be purchased.
4.) Easily operated by an average strength adult.
5.) Easily taken apart for transport in the included heavy duty carrying bag.
6.) Smooth and quiet operation.
7.) Works well for pruning limbs and branches up to 6" in diameter.
8.) Rated by the manufacturer at 100, 1-1/2" branch cuts per charge (approximately).
9.) Price range $150.
The Black & Decker 18 volt cordless Model 2018 is my first powered pole mounted
chain saw and I must admit that I'm impressed. Most pole saws are either gasoline engine
powered (too heavy and too much maintenance) or 120 volt AC driven (can't be used
away from the reach of a 120 volt AC outlet and I don't like using 120 volt AC power
cords around portable saws that can all too easily cut into the power cord). The Black &
Decker 18 volt cordless overcomes all of these objections. It's compact 18 volt DC motor
is efficient, quiet and does a surprisingly good job on tree limbs (up to 6" in diameter),
dead wood, brush and other lighter duty outdoor cutting needs. Keep in mind that this
chain saw will not completely replace a larger gasoline powered chain saw for heavy duty
cutting jobs like felling trees, but it will handle the bulk of the tree pruning and dead
wood clearing that most home owners are likely to run into in a season.
The overall construction of the B&D 2018 is also impressive, it's built very well and
should last for many years with ordinary care and caution. Any chain saw should be kept
clean and well oiled at all times. The chain should never be allowed to contact the ground
and its use around on anything with metal nails or screws should be avoided.
The B&D 2018 is made in three sections. The first section houses the battery holder and
on/off trigger switch with safety lockout button. The lockout button must be engaged
before the trigger on/off switch will work. The battery clicks in nice and firmly and extra
batteries are available if you feel that you'll need a charged and ready spare. It's also
nice to be able to completely remove the battery when working on the saw, for safety
sake. By the way, the battery must be removed from the tool for charging. The charger is
a simple wall cube with a slip-on assembly that fits onto the top of the battery for
charging. After the initial 9 hour charge, subsequent charging times are anywhere from 3 to
6 hours depending upon how depleted the battery has become. Black & Decker
recommends not running the battery totally flat (which also applies to all rechargeable
batteries) and not leaving the battery on charge for more than a 30-day stretch (B&D
suggests that this will shorten the usable life of the battery pack). As you no doubt know,
any battery will loose some capacity to hold a charge each season, so prolonging the
usable life of the battery pack as much as possible by following the manufacturer's
recommendations is always a good idea.
The second section of the 2018 pole saw system is a 48" extension section. This is simply
a ruggedly built tube that extends the saws working length from 10 feet to 14 feet and
carries the DC voltage on through to the saw's motor. It may be used or not depending
upon the job to be done. Very nice idea.
The third and final section is the power head with its compact 18 volt DC motor and the
chain saw itself. The sections connect together without the need for any other tools
(simply by hand twisting the rugged built in connectors) and can be quickly and easily
taken apart for storage or transport in the well made synthetic canvas carrying bag that
Black & Decker thoughtfully supplies with the tool package. Again, the maximum reach
without the center section connected is about 10 feet, and with the center section in place
it's about 14 feet. This will vary somewhat depending upon the height and reach of the
individual user.
They've really put a lot thoughtful design considerations into this product. Even the chain
blade scabbard has a dual function. It covers the chain for protection and safety and it
stores the chain adjusting tool and chain oil container. The chain must be hand lubricated
from the chain oil squeeze bottle during operation to keep the chain and bar lubricated in
order to prevent unnecessary heat and metal-to-metal wear. All chain saws have this same
requirement, but most have a built in oiler. This one does not. The oiler is separate.
The most important questions that most people probably want to have answered about a
product like this is "how long does the battery last" and "how heavy is the unit while
operating it"? Unfortunately, both are difficult questions to answer because they are both
somewhat subjective, they depend on the owner's usages and strength. The battery will
last a reasonable amount of time before recharging is needed, how long depends upon the
size of the branches being cut, their hardness (dead wood is usually very hard) and the
technique used by the operator (leaving the saw on for as little time as possible before and
after the cut). Black & Decker indicates that you can expect to be able to cut one hundred
1-1/2" in diameter branches per charge. That's quite a few. How unwieldily is it to
manage? Every pole chain saw is a fair amount of weight at the end of a pretty long pole,
so by its nature, it's not the easiest tool to wield, but once you get the hang of it, it's not
the hardest tool to handle either. The whole unit weighs 7.6 pounds and I would guess
that it can be easily managed by the average adult of average strength. Again, this is a
difficult thing to accurately quantify. I don't see how they could make it any lighter and
still make the tool rugged enough to work reliably. I would imagine that it's a lot easier to
handle than a gasoline engine driven chain saw on the end of a pole, though I've never
actually used one. That's the only other way to achieve complete portability in a pole
chain saw, and the complete portability factor was my first requirement when I purchased
this tool. The B&D 2018 does what I've needed to do and does it well, so I've been very
happy with mine and I think that you will be with yours too.
NZ9E
A spare #244760 battery pack lists for $62.99.
Negatives: Only obvious negatives:
1.) The battery has a limited operating time, just like all batteries.
2.) The tool is a little unwieldily to handle with the weight of the saw at the end of a long
pole, but all pole saws share this same drawback.
3.) It's a bit on the pricey side, but it is well designed and well built and that doesn't come
cheaply. I would shy away from any pole chain saw that seems too low priced, you
usually do get what you pay for.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
NZ9E
|
|
Member: Dave Miller
Location: Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Reviews written: 17
Trusted by: 3 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.