On Wed, 15 Mar 2006 17:48:16 GMT, "Karl Townsend"
remove .NOT wrote:

I do a LOT of sawing outside in the cold, pruning apple trees. I've been
using a 24 volt Dewalt sawsall. Battery life is terrible and getting worse
as they age.

I'm thing of trying a pneumatic sawsall or sabre saw. I found this one:
http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/cpt881.html

Chicago Pneumatic 881 - Saw Air Reciprocating Heavy Duty


Anyone know anything about these units, or can recommend a better one? Do
they take the standard sawsall blades?

Karl

I have an import version of that. It doesn't have nearly the power of
an electric one and it stalls easily. A more expensive one like the
one you show might work better -- but I would think that an air line
would be a lot heavier to drag around than an extension cord even
though the tool itself weighs less than an electric one.

Milwaukee has a new line of cordless tools called V28 that use
28-volt Lithium Ion batteries. They are claimed to last twice as
long while being considerably lighter in weight -- but they are
pricey. List is $755 but I see them online for about $360. Extra
batteries are about $125.

I have a compound-action bypass lopper that easily lops off branches
up to about 1-1/2" dia. The brand is Corona.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...lance&n=228013

They claim up to 2". Maybe, but that might be a struggle. 1-1/2"
branches are easy.

A small lightweight chainsaw makes quick work of thicker branches. I
have a little Stihl that I like a lot because it starts and runs very
reliably. If I did a lot of chainsaw work I'd probably invest in an
Husqy.