First off, don't expect to cut anything significant at 26 foot pole extension. Once I get to around 15 feet, more poles just increase the force required from the ground and control precision is lost at the cutting edge. That said, the overall quality is good with a few issues. Firstly, the pin lock does not always engage fully across all sections of the pole. This can be easily remedied with some filing or sanding at the receiving hole for the pin and no functionality or strength is lost from the joint. Secondly, the blade material may be a little to soft for longevity. Upon receipt, I cut a dozen 3 in and probably two dozen 1-3 in oak branches from a living tree. Upon completion, the very tip of the blade tooth shows a significant rounding and wear of the cutting edge tip. I'm guessing the tips are now around 0.005 \"flat\" whereas a new blade has no flat area on the tips. This blade will require regular sharpening to maintain efficient cutting and I'm not aware that harder and more wear resistant blades are available. However, for the cost outlay, the easy storage and the flexibility of the pole, I am willing to sharpen blades for the short term