Ryobi has come out with another new 18V cordless power tool, a branch lopper!
This isn’t the first cordless non-chainsaw-style lopper or branch pruner that I’ve seen, but the first and only other tool of this kind that I’ve ever seen came out a full decade go.
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The Craftsman 12V Nextec cordless pole pruner came out back in May of 2011, and had a 3/4″ cutting capacity.
This new Ryobi cordless pruner is going to be much more powerful, thanks to its 18V battery, and it can cut branches up to 1-1/4″ thick.
The Ryobi cordless lopper has a bypass cutting action, which they say allows for precise cuts.
It also has a branch hook, so you can dislodge and remove the newly cut branches.
The tool measures 2.5′ long, which gives you up to 8.5′ of reach.
Ryobi says this tool is ideal for pruning and limbing.
- 1-1/4″ cutting capacity
- 2.5′ length
- up to 8.5′ reach
- Kit comes with 2.0Ah battery and charger
Price: TBA for the kit, $119 for the bare tool (P4362BTL)
Buy Now: Bare Tool via Home Depot
Thank you to Cody for the heads-up!
Discussion
Yesssss!
I broke a Fiskars hand pruner last year, and a pole lopper a few years ago. I now have a wide-opening Corona lopper, an adjustable handle Fiskars lopper, and two kinds of pole loppers. There’s no best tool for every branch-cutting task, but one thing is for certain – I’ve been waiting for a tool like this!
The older Craftsman Nextec pruner was okay, but I found it a bit underpowered. I passed it along to someone else for further testing. Sears discontinued the product line very quickly, and I never found out why.
The concept of a cordless lopper for pruning tree and bush branches is a great one, and I’m surprised that it took 10 years to see a product like this again.
Some other parts of the world are getting a Ryobi One+ pole lopper, and it appears they’ve had earlier access to a similar cordless handheld lopper. There’s also a pole lopper coming out in Europe.
MFC
This seems like it could actually be built correctly if they made sure to use properly specc’ed materials at critical points. The connection points at the cable ends and the point where the jaws intersect and connect to the shaft. I also wonder how it would handle when the machine takes too large of a bite. I know occasionally with my manual ones I have to either free them quite forcefully or risk applying too much leverage to the handles to get through a branch. I enjoy seeing all the quirky ryobi tools and some of them really should get more attention.
Avi
If they can make a crimper for those massive cables, surely a lopper would be quite similar?
Koko The Talking Ape
I wonder why they used cable instead of threaded rod. I wouldn’t think you need the flexibility, and cable will stretch until it settles in, at which point it will have to be adjusted to take up the slack (as every cyclist knows.)
Mopar
Because it looks like the angle on the head is adjustable. Using linkages through that would be far more complex and expensive (we ARE talking Ryobi here).
Mopar
Actually, maybe I looked at the wrong video. It looks like the OLD one that wasnt for sale in the USA has the angle head? The new one looks fixed. So maybe just carry over from previous design? Why re-engineer it if the old one worked?
Also, maybe it retracts by winding the cable on a spool instead of moving a lever? Seems that could have more torque or the given space compared to a lever.
Joshua Smart
This looks similar if not the same to the one that has been available in Australia for a while https://www.ryobi.com.au/garden-tools/products/details/18v-one-bypass-lopper-skin-tool-only-olp1832b?list=all_products&list_name=All+Products
Of course the USA one is much cheaper (Even after currency conversions)
Jerry
I’m guessing if the jaws can’t quite cut all the way through a cable won’t get bent from the user wiggling it back and forth the wah a cable would. I’m assuming when you let go of the trigger, it opens and a cable will just go slack where a little late will either bind or even bend if jammed up tight enough.
Jerry
Man I hate auto correct. I was trying to say cable and linkage and it changed it to little late.
I don’t drink but I bet posts like that make people wonder.
fred
I’ve seen some smaller ones – and extension poles for them – for some time on Amazon. But I always wondered about how functional they might be – and what you might have to do should the blade get stuck part way through the cut:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=cordless+pruner&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
Alan
The nextec one was promising. I never found out why that was discontinued either. It was one of the best priced 12v systems out there and I used mine for years. Only recently I gave it to a friend as I was using it less and less. But size, weight and power was great on it. I always wanted to replace it with Milwaukee 12v but those were priced much higher.
Doresoom
It seems like they’ve had these in Australia and Europe for a while already. There’s a fixed version and an extendable version. Here are my patent research notes from my last Ryobi video: (I left these off since they were already available overseas, d’oh!)
Telescoping Pole Lopper: https://www.ryobi.com.au/garden-tools/products/details/18v-one-32mm-bypass-telescopic-pole-lopper-tool-only-olp1832bp
– Available in Australia already
– Almost 9’ reach
– 1.25” capacity
– 100 cuts on a 1.5Ah battery
Non-Telescoping Loppers: https://www.ryobi.com.au/garden-tools/products/details/18v-one-bypass-lopper-skin-tool-only-olp1832b
– Available in Australia
– Yet another head design, with a cable
– 200 cuts on a 5Ah battery
– 1.25” cut capacity green, 1.125” dry
Non-Telescoping Loppers: https://uk.ryobitools.eu/garden-tools/tree-cutting-and-pruning/loppers/olp1832bx/olp1832bx-1/
– Available in Europe
– About 3’ long
– 1.25” cut capacity
– Different head design
And here are the patents:
Extendable Lopper: https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2018205126A1
Pole Lopper: https://patents.google.com/patent/AU2020102112A4/en
OldDominionDIYer
That return spring seems like it will get stuff in it and will be a weak spot, but for a first go I guess it will work, I just bought a great set of Corona loppers and I still have my pole saw/lopper so I am not in the market but its good to see them expanding there tools.
Jared
When would I need a lopper instead of a saw? Is it better for the tree?
For thicker branches I just grab my cordless reciprocating saw. For thinner/flexible ones I would use my cordless hedge trimmer.
Big Richard
This is probably geared towards the homeowner that does NOT own a reciprocating saw, or pole saw. Also, the reach on this is much better than a reciprocating saw and is much more user friendly/safe, especially since it would eliminate a ladder in most cases.
fred
My wife (a certified arborist, certificate holder in horticulture and avid gardener) has told me that a bypass lopper generally makes a cleaner cut than a saw blade and is less injurious to the plant. She also advised me that anvil loppers are only used on dead wood – never live plants as they are more injurious.
Her favorite hand secateurs are ones from Felco (made in Switzerland) and ARS (made in Japan). She uses Felco and ARS long handled loppers. I also see her using a Fiskars 9240 pole clipper (made in Finland) – but when I thought to buy her a second one (now made in China) I shied away based on bad reviews on Amazon. When she does resort to using a scabbard saw – she uses a Silky (made in Japan) – and gets me to wield a Silky Hayate pole saw.
Stuart
In my experience, a reciprocating saw often requires certain clearances and different angles and positions can require pressure placed at awkward angles. Plus they can be noisy.
Something like this would be more comfortable to use at eye-level or overhead.
Jared
Thanks everyone. I appreciate the insight.
Bob
Ryobi really knows their core market and makes some great tools for that segment. This is a great pruner tool for homeowner Harry or Sally.
Decent amount of reach, will probably cut reasonably large limbs, even has a hook to pull the branch out of the tree.
I would recommend this over the little Ryobi chainsaw pruner. Chainsaw can theoretically cut larger branches BUT most people have no idea how to sharpen a chainsaw chain. These pruners will stay sharper way longer.
fred
Maintaining the blades on this should be easy enough – with a few strokes of a file (or perhaps an abrasive stick or diamond hone) from time to time – plus some light oiling and sap removal after use.
BTW – while many homeowners and commercial (some less professionally trained than others) gardeners use reciprocating hedge trimmers because they are fast – they are not the best for the health of the plant. Hand pruning allows for much greater finesse in getting at dead wood, cutting at the proper spot along a stem – and opening up the plant so that sunlight can penetrate deeper.
https://pruningguide.com/pruning-versus-trimming-whats-difference/#:~:text=Pruning%20is%20always%20done%20by,placed%20based%20on%20bud%20growth.&text=Pruning%20results%20in%20a%20more,the%20health%20of%20the%20plant.
razl
The video at :13 says the tool is 2.5′ long but has an 8.5′ reach. Is it extendable somehow? I didn’t see any details on the product page that explains this.
razl
Sorry, just saw the second video which shows the extension – NICE!
Stuart
The extending one is NOT available in the USA.
The way I interpret this – it means the average-height user can trim branches at a height of up to ~8.5′ without the assistance of a ladder.
Nathan
supposedly bypass is easier of living plants. makes some sense if you see a smooth clean cut. ragged edges on small tree limbs can hold sap and knot over holding an infection. or something like this.
With replaceable blades and a tensioning adjustment the design would make a lot of sense. could even telescope a bit further really.
Dave the tool
While my main segment of tools is Dewalt 20v and Milwaukee M12, as a DIYer homeowner, I have been obtaining Ryobi 18v tools in the last 1-2 years because if the cool stuff they come out with and the 18v wide platform of tools to choose from. Cordless glue gun, led spotlight, portable flood light, hand vacs have been what I have purchased Ryobi and am impressed. I have also been purchasing Ryobi’s 18v tools for my son just starting in the cordless tool market. Brushless Drill and Impact, impact wrench, impact gun, glue gun flashlight etc.
I will continue to switch out my Black and Decker 20v garden tools with Ryobi also as needed. This is a great example of a tool I will end of purchasing for my yard and garden. Good job Ryobi!
Nate B
Nice thing is, those are all low-power tools and should work just fine with a dewalt-to-ryobi battery adapter. (The additional contact points and electrical resistance mean these adapters aren’t ideal for high-power tools like heatguns.) So you don’t even need a second battery fleet, unless you want it.
Adam
Been asking for an M12 version of this, well more handheld for years. Guess Ryobi heard my crys, sort of.
I totally see the convenience for most, using the extension feature. If you are trimming a lot of short trees (fruit), it can be faster to get right in there. This is where a Ryobi solution would have a battery back tethered to pruners.
James C
My FIL is an orchardist. When they do a large pruning job they break out the air powered pole loppers and run them from a compressor pulled by a tractor. I’ll ask him what he thinks about a battery powered version. I think it will come down to weight of the tool, runtime, and speed of the cut. Battery powered would be much faster to setup and probably a lot quieter. Maybe good for smaller jobs. Nice to have more options!
JoeM
Maybe I’m getting lost in the “Outdoor Power Equipment” releases, but I thought they already had this one… Maybe I’m thinking a different brand? I don’t know anymore. This is where being colourblind sucks on this site. I see the tool, I rarely look at the colour, unless it’s Red or Yellow… Not because I’m devout to Milwaukee and DeWALT, because I’m not That kind of tool user… Red and Yellow are the only colours I can see, so somehow all these other releases blend together.
Have they released this kind of thing before, and this is an update? Or am I thinking of a different brand all together?
Adam
You are most likely thinking of a pole *saw*. This is a pruner. Just about every other OPE maker has a pole saw now, including Ryobi.
A pruner leaves a much cleaner cut, which is healthier for the tree. It’s much more important in fruit trees when preventing disease.
There are also no wood ships coming down when cutting, as well as no oil or chain sharpening.
This is why I’m not entirely sure why Milwaukee thought the hatchet was necessary.
JoeM
Okay. I will trust you. I live in an apartment, so Outdoor Power Equipment is entirely handled by the management company… But when I see an image on the site, of an item I swear sends chills down my spine out of Deja-Vu, it truly bugs me. Like that one spot you can’t scratch on your back, and you can’t think of anything else until you find some way to scratch.
I’m pretty sure I sound like a total moron at this point, but this one was bugging me really bad. I know what a pole saw does, and a pruner, and I even did some training while in Scouting about Branch Splicing, and spent some time with an Arbourist to learn some “Living Construction” techniques. You’d think I would recognize the different tools automatically, but this just blended into a whole slew of releases of OPE in the past few months… Like a blur or something.
But I think I’m okay now. Thanks Adam!
Derek
Has no one else noticed the typo in the very first sentence…?
(corded)
Stuart
Thanks! *fixed*
Sorry, I don’t even know what that was supposed to be – corded is wrong, and cordless would have been a bit redundant.
NigelDH
I am ordering one. The “boarding house reach” will be great for trimming wild roses and other shrubby brush. Not to mention overhead clearing without needing to use a pole pruner and the often hard to pull lopper head, or saw blade.
This Ryobi Lopper will also save my shoulders from reaching up to clip during trail maintenance. The North Country Trail National Scenic Trail standards are a minimum of vertical clearance 8 ft, 10 ft in WI, or higher depending upon snow depth.
I guess I will be getting a Ryobi cordless reciprocating saw. Insteading of carrying several different brands of cordless tools and their battery packs. Milwaukee or Bosch are my current choice with a pruning saw blade. The rep saw and pruning saw blade combo might be slower than a chain saw. But it doesn’t require the 2 person sawyer and swamper crew that a chainsaw requires. I can cut up to ~12″ dia stuff that is already down.
Mac
I’m interested in this for trail maintenance. Anything I can operate one handed from horseback with minimal noises to spook animals is an absolute win in my book.
Hard part would be rigging…not like you can buy a leather or nylon saddle or molle backpack sheath for these tools.
Bolt
I’d be a little leery of it for trails unless it’s already very well maintained considering it can only do up to 1-1//4″. I know a lot of people that love the silky katanaboy folding saw for trail maintenance since it has great reach and can cut some serious limbs too.
fred
The Katanaboy series (like most Silky Saws) are a class act. The only issue is the $950 price tag for the 1000mm one. Doubling the length (from 500mm to 1000mm) ups the cost by a factor of 6.6 times ($145 to $950). The 650mm version is slotted in between at about $270.
https://www.amazon.com/Silky-KATANABOY-Professional-500mm-Folding/dp/B002GKB5PQ?th=1
Plain grainy
Recip saw with pruning blade, or pole saw for higher limbs. I don’t see myself using this.
Plain grainy
They have their place for pruning. But i’ve used the 60v recip saw on many apple tree heavy pruning tasks, with very clean results(pruning blade).