Hooyman Pole Saw Lopper Pruner Review
Russ Chastain 07.26.18
While testing the Hooyman pole saw with 16″ pole for review (see review here), I was also able to use the Hooyman Pole Saw Lopper attachment. This Hooyman SK5 lopper (manufacturer’s item number 655233) will attach to all Hooyman pole saw poles to convert them to rope-operated pole-mounted tree pruners.
This item comes with a tough black nylon carry pouch which has straps for strapping it to your Hooyman pole saw. The pruner and pouch add about 2.5 pounds of weight to your setup. MSRP is $60.99. The pouch is oddly-shaped, but it does contain the lopper attachment well and the velcro is of good quality.
After receiving this lopper in June, 2017 I was initially disappointed. Here’s why:
- The rope was wound up in such a way that it was quite difficult to unwind
- Once unwound, a portion of the core of the rope was exposed (see photo)
- It was difficult to attach to the pole (burrs left during manufacture)
- The rope broke after just a few light uses
- I replaced the rope with one of my own but the blade didn’t bypass far enough to always cut all the way through a limb.
I complained to my contact at the manufacturer and received a replacement unit, which has so far been just fine. So if you get a dud, seek a replacement rather than giving up on it. And oddly enough, both loppers had the same 09/30/2016 date.
Back to performance: The compound action of this rope pruner allows it to cut pretty well without having to pull terribly hard on the rope, most of the time. When setting up to cut a limb and before you begin a cut, look at the rope where it comes out the bottom of the lopper, and make sure it’s not hooked on part of the tree or one of the locks on your Hooyman pole saw.
If you wait until after the cut is begun, the blade may get stuck into the tree and you will be unable to re-route the rope until after the cut, and the cut may be pretty hard to finish with the rope hung up around something.
The compound action produced by all those pulleys means cutting is a lot easier than it would be otherwise, and most cuts are smooth and easy.
All of the lopping I did with the replacement lopper was satisfactory, but the blade only bypasses just a little bit. This is a design flaw and should be remedied in future manufacture, because sideways force on the blade during a cut can allow it to leave part of a limb uncut, which is unsatisfactory.
The plastic T-handle on the end of the rope is generously-sized and designed so you can slide it up the rope and lock it in onto the rope, when you’re lopping at less than the full 16-foot length. That’s a nice touch.
This lopper attachment will supposedly cut branches up to 1.5 inches in diameter, but that’s a stretch. The widest portion of the thing is barely 1.5 inches, so you can’t even hook it around a branch that large. Realistic capacity is more like 1 to 1.25 inches.
The portion of this Hooyman pole saw lopper that attaches to the pole is made of cast aluminum, so it’s unlikely to break where it attaches to the pole.
All in all, this lopper pruner can be effective, and usually is, but it just doesn’t live up to the Hooyman hype. I’d give it 3 stars because the replacement unit serves pretty well, but if I were to rate it based on the first one I received, it would be rated much lower.
If you’d like to own one, check it out on Amazon.
