Berger ArboRapid

Some of you who live in wooded areas might be familiar with a pole saw or even a pole pruner. These handy tools let you trim parts of trees you can’t easily reach even with a ladder and keep you from having to climb the tree in question. In addition to making fine pruners and saws of all sorts, Berger makes pole pruners and saws, but they are part of a larger, modular system, with features that you may not be familiar with. This is what Berger calls the ArboRapid system.

As you might imagine, the heart of the ArboRapid system is the pole itself. Ranging in lengths from 2’ 9” to 19’ 4” (0.83 to 5.90 m), the poles are traditionally made of durable, lightweight and corrosion-resistant aluminum tubing. One of the poles has a fixed length of 4’ 8” while the remaining sections are telescoping, yielding a broad range of lengths. These telescoping sections are steplessly adjustable by means of a heavy-duty metal cam clamp, which operates easily, yet holds absolutely firmly. All of the telescoping poles collapse to a length of 5’ 12” (1.75m), allowing easy transport and storage.

Now, for those of you who might use such tools professionally, or just want the absolute best, the poles are now also available in fiberglass and even carbon fiber. Why the new materials? Well, the fiberglass is slightly lighter, but it also has a much better resistance to dings, dents, and all the other minor damage that can happen when you use and transport your pole on a regular basis. Also, the fiberglass is very stiff, so even at full extension, you won’t find a bit of sag or swaying. Critical for once-a-year use? Probably not. But if you use these every day, year in and year out, the extra durability is worth consideration. Finally, there is a carbon fiber pole, which as you might imagine, is the lightest and stiffest material. The pole can range from just under 6’ to 14’ and weighs only 3.3 pounds! Both the fiberglass and carbon fiber poles share the same rock solid, infinitely adjustable metal hardware as the aluminum poles. Also, a short aluminum section at the end of the pole serves as an adapter, allowing you to use all of the ArboRapid accessories.

Right off, the first attachments are two different saws. Both are chrome- plated carbon steel, impulse hardened for durability, and have Japanese- style teeth, which means they cut on the Pull stroke. The 63811 has uniform fine teeth for a precise, straight cut. The 63951 has additional skip grooves that allow an even more rapid cut, and also has a pull hook on the end to boot. Saws are available individually or as part of a set bundled with the different poles.

The pruner attachment has a solid metal body and anti-stick coated blade, but what makes it work so well is the triple roller pulley system, which reduces the cutting effort. A handy wooden pull handle also helps it cut branches up to 1.5”. Then we also have the fruit picker, which, well, you can guess it’s purpose, but it has a sturdy, yet soft mesh basket and is great for apples, pears, plums, etc. Finally, several media adapters are also available and allow the attachment of action or still cameras for handy visual inspection of high or just hard-to-reach places.

So whether you’re a once-a-year tree pruner or an industry professional, take a peek at Berger’s complete system of poles and pole-mounted tools. You’ll appreciate the craftsmanship and attention to details that make them a pleasure to use for years down the road.