Hand pruners?

[rjvjeepster]

(Asking this for my mom and dad)

They need a new set of hand pruners...anyone have a favorite pair? Willing to pay for quality. Can't find anything at Menards but haven't checked anywhere else yet. USA made is a bonus.

Thanks!

 

[tym]

I have a set of bypass pruners by Felco. Swiss-made, high quality, replaceable blades.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Felco is the standard of hand pruner quality.

 

[evilleace]

Felco x10

 

[Empty Pockets]

I have a set of Fiskars, from the local Do-It-Best Hardware Store. More than adequate for me

 

[woody 73]

Felco and never look back.

 

[7th Kahuna]

Here on the West Coast, California anyway, the traditional Corona brand pruners are top notch. I have a well used pair that has been with me since the early 1990s. They were developed for use in the orchards. Hopefully they are still made in the USA. I know recently some of their tools were being made in Mexico.

 

[Moto]

I like ARS pruners. They are worth the cost.

 

[Ainsley]

Felco or bahco

 

[gahrajmahal]

We have had Felco's and they are great but so expensive. The cheaper brands in the big box stores stay sharp just as long. What usually happens is they get lost long before they have reached their useful end. If I was giving a gift I would give Felco's but for ourselves we choose European or US brands (not Chinese).

 

[Biomed]

I love my Felco. Pretty sure I learned of Felco here on GJ. Was even able to get a left handed model.

 

[The Cobbler]

I have a pair of Sandvik, many yrs old & work great

 

[Shiftless]

Felco here.
Keep them clean and sharp with a small file or stone and oil with any light oil you have on the shelf.
I use 3 in 1 or Marvel Mystery Oil although of course you can buy a can of Felco lubricating oil.
Go to a place where you can try several different models and get one that fits your hand.
Expensive, but "buy once cry once" You can even buy complete replacement blades if and when needed.

If you're the kind of guy who leaves them next to the compost pile, I would instead recommend the previously mentioned Coronas.

 

[Rileysan]

Felco here.
Keep them clean and sharp with a small file or stone and oil with any light oil you have on the shelf.
I use 3 in 1 or Marvel Mystery Oil although of course you can buy a can of Felco lubricating oil.
Go to a place where you can try several different models and get one that fits your hand.
Expensive, but "buy once cry once" You can even buy complete replacement blades if and when needed.

If you're the kind of guy who leaves them next to the compost pile, I would instead recommend the previously mentioned Coronas.

Holy cow! I wipe mine clean with a dry towel after each use but have never had a good reason do all that! I bow to your OCD!

Brian

 

[Shiftless]

Holy cow! I wipe mine clean with a dry towel after each use but have never had a good reason do all that! I bow to your OCD!

Brian

Sorry, but I don't consider cleaning, sharpening and lubricating tools to be OCD. Pruner blades that stick are frustrating and slow down the process of cutting branches. Clean and oiled blades rarely stick or get rusty between uses. Sharp blades cut with less effort and leave cleaner cuts which heal over faster.

 

[MikeF2316]

We have a set of left hand Felcos, bought for my wife who's left handed, back when she was going to do all the pruning. She hasn't touched them in years. I used them (I'm right handed), then bought a pair of Fiskars. I still use the Felcos.

If I use them and they get wet, I put them somewhere they'll dry quickly. Every few years I sharpen the blade and take them apart and clean and oil them.

 

[Jim C.]

Good thread. I wasn't familiar with Felco, but after reading some of the posts, I'm going to check a pair out. I went to their website and see that they're pretty expensive. I've been using a pair of Home Depot purchased Fiskars for the last few years and I like them. Still, those Felco pruners look pretty good.

Jim C.

 

[tym]

^ They're worth it. Mine see only occasional use, so I bought a less expensive pair with plastic handles for around $35.

 

[Wamsutta]

Bahco

 

[CR888]

Felco or look real hard for a few other brands that are close in quality. Felco is the answer to easily rebuildable high end hand pruners.

 

[Monte]

Felco or Lowe

 

[7th Kahuna]

If you're the kind of guy who leaves them next to the compost pile, I would instead recommend the previously mentioned Coronas.

What a terrible suggestion for Corona.

During collage, I worked in a retail nursery and the few remaining 'oldtime' Japanese gardeners that came in seemed to all use Corona and carried them around in a leather holster on their belt. That's why I bought my first pair. Last year I bought a new pair of Coronas with the removable blade, but I don't like it. They are bigger and heavier. I'm right back to my old pair of traditional bypass hand pruners. I keep them clean and dry and they do the work. They are hard enough to hold an edge across multiple seasons. Mine are still chip free, but I have a pair of Stanley pruners I use for risky jobs.

I don't believe I've ever seen a pair of Felco. At least I haven't taken notice of them. Perhaps I've been missing something. Still, I can't complain about a tool that has given me pleasure for years.

 

[SteveW1000]

Stihl do some nice pruners in europe not sure whether there available in th USA. The economy one is very nice and costs the equivalent of 10 dollars and seems to have a replaceable blade.

 

[dutchgray]

I use Gerber, oil after every use, for the little I do they will last years.

 

[Shiftless]

I didn't mean to cast a shadow on Coronas. I should have just said that people who lose several pairs every year don't need to invest big money on fine tools that last. Coronas are fine tools.
Some of my heaviest days with pruners are spent on a 3 acre garden where more than a few people are working. I regularly find various branded pruners laying on the ground starting to rust.
Once I gathered 4 of the worst, took them home, derusted, sharpened and oiled them so they could go back to work. When I gave them back to the garden's owners, they were amazed and quite thankful.

 

[ChevyEFI]

I have a pair of Fiskars and a pair of Bahco from Harry Epsteins. Don't foresee need any for another 10 years.

 

[code4pay]

When I pruned fruit trees for a living I used wolf garten anvil shears

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

[Shiftless]

Good point.
Just like any other line of work, it takes different tools for different tasks.
For really close work on Bonzais you need something like this traditional Japanese format.
I have a pair of those and for the other extreme, an assortment of blades for my sawzall for home tree pruning. (lot size only 1/4 acre)

 

[rlitman]

...USA made is a bonus...

Sorry to say, that's not going to happen.

I have two pairs of Swiss made Felco pruners. Mine are the F8. The F2 is the model that is copied by all of the Chinese companies out there (some of these copies are not all that bad BTW).

Felco makes a pretty good pruner, and it will last you a lifetime, but I don't care for the locking mechanism, so they're not my go-to pair.

I like ARS pruners. They are worth the cost.

+1

Stihl do some nice pruners in europe not sure whether there available in th USA. The economy one is very nice and costs the equivalent of 10 dollars and seems to have a replaceable blade.

Funny you mention that. Stihl hand pruners are made by ARS. I use the Stihl PP-60. The smoothness of the blades made by ARS cannot be compared with anything else. Not even the finest of the European brands can touch it. I also prefer the ARS locking mechanism.

The only downside to ARS is that they're kind of difficult to adjust the tension. Felco makes this super easy with their "gear" nut retainer. ARS uses a locknut that has advantages, but can be difficult to get just right if you're the kind of person who has the urge to tinker with it.

 

[JoeMA]

I don't always prune, but when I do, I have a Bahco in one hand and a Corona in the other

 

[Schurkey]

(Asking this for my mom and dad)

They need a new set of hand pruners...

HAND pruners for your parents? That seems cruel. Trim their fingernails, not their entire hand.

 

[7th Kahuna]

I didn't mean to cast a shadow on Coronas. I should have just said that people who lose several pairs every year don't need to invest big money on fine tools that last. Coronas are fine tools.
Some of my heaviest days with pruners are spent on a 3 acre garden where more than a few people are working. I regularly find various branded pruners laying on the ground starting to rust.
Once I gathered 4 of the worst, took them home, derusted, sharpened and oiled them so they could go back to work. When I gave them back to the garden's owners, they were amazed and quite thankful.

Sounds like an interesting job you have there.

I guess I'm going to have to keep my eyes open for a couple of these other brands too.

 

[Shiftless]

Yes it is.
If you don't want to pay full price you don't have to.
If you enjoy going to estate and garage sales, you can sometimes find pruners and other yard tools that have been neglected for just a couple of bucks. Clean them up, sharpen 'em, squirt on a few drops of oil and get to work.
I scored an almost new Corona pruning saw that had been left out to rust. $2 After removing the rust I rubbed it down with boiled linseed oil and hung it on the wall. I have used it a few times and it is great.

 

[7th Kahuna]

I'm always happy to adopt other folks abused tools, if there's even half a chance of recovering them. I too recently came home with a Corona Pruning Saw. It was literally 2 seconds from going into the trash when I noticed hints of red lettering on the handle. Fortunately the beach handle held up pretty well. The blade is a little bit pitted at the bolt end but otherwise ok. I'm going to have to learn how to sharpen it though. I need a new wing nut. The most interesting thing though was discovering the blade was made in Japan.

Is the 3 acre garden a private garden or a public space?

 

[Squddle]

Tobisho. Handmade in japan. http://www.tetsufuku.com/product-group/1

 

[ALinCarolina]

I like my Felcos but I ordered a Japanese pair a few years ago and I think they are the best so far. I will have to go look and see if I can find the brand on them.

 

[rjvjeepster]

HAND pruners for your parents? That seems cruel. Trim their fingernails, not their entire hand.

LMFAO good one!

Thanks for the advice everyone! I think I'll get them either the Felcos (F-5s or F-4s) or Coronas.