I guess since this thread has evolved into a yard tool disscussion, I just received a pole saw that I ordered from Amazon.com. It's a Fiskars 9301 Power-Lever 14-Foot Tree Pruner, and I used it to trim back some branches that were touching the roof and brushing again my gutters. I debated about whether to get it, or a chainsaw on a pole.

Since I don't plan to trim my trees very often, I decided the manual pole saw would be sufficient, and I'm quite happy with the Fiskars. It's significantly lighter than some I looked at from Lowe's, and the Woodzig blade (though made in China rather than Finland or the US) is an aggressive cutter. It was a lot easier to use than what the salesperson at Lowe's described; I have no doubt that I made a good decision to order the Fiskars rather than what they had.