This is a well made tool that performs well if you use it properly. My huge Sycamore tree died in late Spring and I was hoping to save some money and remove as much of the tree myself as I could. Make sure you clean the chain after each use and lubricate it with chainsaw oil to prevent it from getting stuck. I used a tennis ball filled with sand and a screw eye bolt attached to kite string to target a specific limb. Because of the height, an underhand straight up throw worked best, but took several tries. Do not try to cut the limb right at a Y or anywhere near a knot. The denser wood can cause the chain to get stuck. I was surprised at the strength of the chain and rope. At one point it was stuck and I used my full almost 200 lb. weight to try and pull it loose. It didn't budge, but the chain didn't break either. The couple of times I got stuck, I was able to lift the chain out of the cut with a long pole saw while standing on my roof. So far I have managed to remove 2 huge limbs from the trunk of my tree using about 5 cuts to shorten the limb a little each time. I was trying to avoid damaging my roof. The main limbs were about 11 inches in diameter and took about 900 pulls each to cut. I am getting a little older, so I would do about 100 pulls and take a 5 minute breather. You need enough energy to run. While cutting, as soon as you hear the slightest pop, RUN LIKE CRAZY! This is especially true with drier dead wood as it doesn't tear and swing, it just snaps and comes straight down fast. I don't know how long it will last, but it is more than worth the price for the amount of work I have been able to do so far.
