I've several palm trees and I don't like calling a *tree guy* every time there's a dead frond or seed pod, I do my own and so I've been searching for a really nice pole pruner. I found one - Bannel B88T at
Barnel.com: Telescopic Ultra Reach(R) Pruners/Loppers from Barnel USA(R)
I'm telling you, it's got a large 1-3/4" head, it's quite sharp, and no da*n rope. It's lightweight and works great, and I'm not one to easily impress. Anyway, thought I'd pass that along.