written by on 20/09/2013
I have been looking for an electric pruner for some time as the manual one I have is not suitable for thicker branches. I decided I needed a mains electric or petrol driven model. Rechargeable batteries seem not to last through a cold winter in the tool shed. I looked at 3 models in a local DIY centre, and chose the Ryobi. Not the dearest, but not the cheapest. A brand name I was familiar with. Took the box home. Unpacked it. Read the multilingual instruction book. Worked out that there were FOUR black rubber packing pieces to remove. Assembled 1 of the 2 telescopic joints. The other would not fit at all. After 3 hours struggle took it back to the store and asked for help. Their After Sales Serviceman struggled for an hour, using more force than I dared. He filed, scraped, pushed, eventually getting the parts to fit. Even so it does not compact down to the size shown in the photos on the box. I have used it successfully and am happy with it so far. Rain has stopped any further play. I wish I had bought a pre-assembled model, it would have saved 48 miles car travel and a lot of stress.
Ryobi need to look at this problem. Why not pre-assemble the pole fully at manufacture? It would be easier for the purchaser to assemble the head if there is a need for some customer work.
Full marks for the manual. 9/10 for the eco-friendly packaging; would have been better if the box could open along its length and not just at the ends.
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