Just purchased through Amazon an ARS VS8Z pruner.
When I received it, it was a knock off and not the real thing. Do not buy this pruner from seller Qiubit on
Amazon.
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Bummer.
These are the only ones I’ll buy: Okatsune
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=okatsune+pruners&ref=nb_sb_noss
The medium fits my 7" long hand the best. The smaller was too small and the “Extra Large” was a bit too big. I have slender fingers, too. My buddy has thick fingers and a similar length hand he really likes the medium, also.
They are built like tanks. The “snap” you hear when you cut something is awesome. These things are built for work. Lots of work.
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i have the same. Absolutely love them!
I instantly knew what you meant with “snap”
It’s kind of funny, they look a bit like children toys or pruners. And the spring looks thin. But if you actually use them, you instantly know their build for using. Not for “tough” looks.
i have to note though, they have hard steel, that sharpens to a really sharp/strong edge. It does however rust. So if your someone who occasionally leaves the pruner outside in the rain. Get something else! (or just learn to take care of your tools, then your tools will take care of you)
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Absolutely. I keep mine upstairs away from all my basement grafting stuff because they will acquire rust if left over winter in a basement.
Thanks for headsup. I had ordered 2 for $35 each a week ago. Cancelled order.
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I’m weary of buying a lot of items from Amazon. There are a lot of knockoffs and there is not enough quality control for counterfeit items.
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Dax,I clicked on the link and saw the model 103 medium size.There are some comments from customers about these being knockoffs,from the seller.
Yours seem to be the real thing though.
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This is whom I’ve ordered from twice. They’re the real deal.
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I have those too and love them!
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Thanks for the info! I’ve been looking for a really good product recently.
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Awesome lady. Cheers now.
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I bought one but can’t remember if it was from Amazon or Ebay. I was not impressed so it may have been a knock off. My old cheap Fiskars work just as well.
I was wondering how @rayrose knows they are knockoffs. But I have to believe yours are knockoffs.
I’ve bought a few pair of the ARS 8s from Amazon, and I think ebay shipped from Japan. They were in the $30 range. I keep one on my mower, one on the kitchen counter, one in my car and one in my grafting bag. They are great.
I got 2 styles of Fiskars and left at my mother’s house. I don’t like them. For me ARS is much better than Felco which is much better than Fiskars. And I’m a Fiskars fan for axes, loppers, and shovels. I’m prejudiced in the their favor.
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Do you have a link or a pic of the ASS 8’s you like so well. I need to get a few pairs of good pruners to use, for a long time.
What about long handled pruners? Does anyone have this model or something similar?
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I know that it was a knock off, because I have the exact same pruner, and the new one was nothing like it. You could clearly see the differences.
That’s not a pruner. That’s a lopper.
The main lesson that I have learned from this experience is that you can’t trust Amazon anymore. They ALLOW chinese rip off crooks to list supposedly name brand products for sale on their website. It’s all about the money. They could care less about their customers, as long as they pay for their Prime membership, which is a complete rip off. I RARELY get anything within 2 days.
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Maybe the link has been changed since you posted, but by my definition and the title, its a pruner. Actuated by one hand for small caliper clean cuts. It has the same style head and handle as regular pruner, just extended reach.
And I agree about not trusting Amazon. They used to be a vendor, now they are a marketplace. And they seem to intentionally blur the lines. It’s often difficult to who the actual seller and/or shipper is. The lump them all together based on the product.
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I would never use a pruner with such a primitive closure as my main goto. ARS has a much better closure system and I believe the same hard steel, so what is the advantage of your hand pruner in a side by side comparison?
That said, this year I found my cheap Felco (cheapest Felco, that is) to work somewhat better on frozen wood than the ARS- it’s smaller blade forced the wood closer to the fulcrum.
I’m in trees all day long, month after month and need to be able to use tools with one hand, alternating between my Gomtaro 300 silky pruning saw and hand pruners. Strap closures are much too awkward and I wonder why a manufacturer of fine blades would still use one.
Of course, tool choice is personal and a matter of opinion.
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