Can anyone recommend a good electric saw?

Hello, I'm new to this site. I've been gardening a while, but have just moved to a new house with a garden that needs a lot of work - there are several trees with branches that need removing and woody shrubs that need removing. I have a good pruning saw but there are just too many things to saw and I haven't got the strength! I thought buying an electric saw might help, and it might come in useful for other, non-gardening jobs as well. I really don't want a chainsaw. Can anyone recommend a good electric saw that will do the job? Thanks.

 

Welcome to Gardeners Corner

Someone will come up with one soon i'm sure

 

Good morning Hadron,
they are probably all out sawing hedges and trees at the moment. Welcome to Gardeners Corner, I know a few that have mature gardens needing this type of pruning . Pop in again at tea time,

Jenny namaste

 

I have a reciprocating saw, like WOO's, but I also have an "electric saw" which I think I would prefer as a fall-back to using a chainsaw. Mine is a Dewalt DW390 (which I think is known as a Alligator Saw) but I expect there is loads of choice out there.

It has twin blades, running in opposing directions, which stops it "pulling" etc. Blades available for cutting all sorts - wood, drywall, plastic, poroton blocks etc.



The latest model listed on Dewalts site (the DWE397) looks expensive - can't remember what I paid for mine, but I doubt it was that much - so might be that they have upgraded it a lot since

http://www.dewalt.co.uk/powertools/productdetails/catno/DWE397/

 

I've had a Scorpion saw for ages and although it's really useful for difficult to get at locations where you can't get a jigsaw blade to, I find it hard going cutting wood, but again it's useful to cut small branches where you can't get a chainsaw or bowsaw to them. I've just gone out in the garden and cut a couple of small branches off my neighbours' Lilac and that re-confirmed my belief that it's hard, slow work using one of them (it's OK, I'm supposed to be cutting it for them).

Reciprocating saws are supposed to be better, but I've never used one and have heard reports that they can be rather heavy, especially for single handed use.

 

I used one to take a barn down ("As you do" ) and it cut through timber members and embedded coach bolts with ease - slowing down briefly as it encountered a bolt!

Definitely heavy to wield one-handed.

For manual sawing, where a Bow-saw won't fit, I have the equivalent of a Silky Pro Sentei - lovely rip-saw teeth (which cuts on the Pull, not the Push). That model has smaller teeth at the end which makes it easier to start the cut ...


http://www.niwaki.com/store/silky-prosentei/

(Cheaper at other suppliers IME)

Similar sort of thing in this Video:

 

I've got one of these, which I think is more versatile as it can be used on the end of a telescopic handle http://www.gardenessentials.co.uk/p...CcmsjM0q6QCyhJOW7XmX0EwpuDa3gYRnO1hoCTVvw_wcB (I paid nowhere near that price as got both half price, handle's mainly used with an apple picker attachment)

Scorpions are only £30 at B&Q and Amazon.

EDIT £25 @ Asda instore only while stocks last, just seen it on their website whilst looking for something else.

 

Wow, what a great bunch of replies! Thanks, everyone! I'm busy with the kids today (school holidays) but I should get a break tomorrow and I'll look into all your recommendations. My new garden's a nightmare - I've blitzed overgrown gardens in the past with no trouble, but this one's fighting back. There's loads of flint in the ground, so getting unwanted roots out is taking ages and there are trees growing out the middle of unruly shrubs, all less than a metre apart. Nothing seems to have been pruned here for years. Thanks again. Hadron

 

Knew that they'd come up with good advice Hadron. Such a great bunch of members here on GC .... ,
Jenny namaste