Thank you so much for the link. 
I have gone through several ARS VS pruners over the years in my business and have never had a single instance of any movement of the grips. We use these pruners continuously for over 6 months of they year. That suggests to me that yours are counterfeit.
Filing the metal may lead to opening up too easily, which is dangerous if you keep them in your pocket. Murky is correct that normal use quickly loosens up the mechanism. I hope you were cautious, I overdid it when I used a file to loosen a particularly tight ARS pruner about 10 years ago. If they open up in your pocket you run the risk of getting a gash on your hand when reaching for them.
Incidentally, the newer model has a more complicated fulcrum bolt system similar to the one Felco has used for decades now. I donāt think the change will matter to most people. It takes a tremendous amount of use before the blades become loose at the fulcrum and need to be tightened even with the old system. I assume it takes even longer with the new one. I have both and they work the same way as pruners.
Ope sorry, I was referring to the Okatsune secateurs, not ARS. The ARS Iāve seen have a more molded handle, which Iād assume would negate any issue with the grips moving upward. The white side on the Okatsune is mostly straight, which does allow the grip to travel up the handle just a smidge (usually with some effort). Itās only been an issue for me once in the 3 years Iāve used them, but it did cause a temporary issue with not being able to easily close the lock since the grip was crowding the spring. I moved it back down and havenāt had any other issue. I agree with you that Iād be hesitant to modify the lock due to risk of them opening in a pocket.
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2nd this recommendation. Iāve had mine for 4+ years. Theyāre patinated from being left out in the elements but still make crisp, clean cuts. Very good quality for a good price.
I didnāt need another pair, but at $20 with fast delivery I couldnāt pass them up. They appear to be the same as my others. $29 again now:
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Are they good? I was just considering buying those same ones.
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I have the same ones and they are amazing, would look for the size 9 if you have large to xlarge handsā¦but even the 8s are good for big hands.
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I love my ars pruners!
Yes, they are my favorite. I gave away my 8" Felcos because these are better. I have several pair and keep a pair everywhere I might need them.
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Yes theyāre good!!! I got the VS7 amazon ones that came in a package just like that except they said āVS7ā. I thought Iād lost mine when they fell out of a pocket and made it only 2 days this summer before I caved and ordered a new pair. Then, I found the ones I thought Iād lost =)!
Got a pair for about $20 on Amazon. Seems pretty nice. I couldāve maybe got the next size up but these will be nice for Scions and grafting. Cuts super clean. I notice some Amazon reviews the blades chip or break but maybe they were abused.
A little weird how a lot have the single lock nut and others have that adjustable nut like felco. Makes me wonder if the regular nut ones are a copy but who knows. Tough to beat for the money. Now to find some extended pruners next.
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This is the other style nut and even shows this on the Amazon add otherwise looks identicalš¤·āāļø
Yes, they were probably abused. These are made with harder steel than most, so it is also more brittle. Thatās a design choice which is overall worth the tradeoff to me.
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Iām not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but the blades of the VS8 series can be removed. I take them off once a year, sharpen them, and perform maintenance. I canāt restore them to the same sharpness as a brand-new blade, but itās still possible to get them sharp enough to cut paper. My colleagues often absentmindedly use the VS8 to cut wire, which is an abuse of the tool, yet annual maintenance can still restore it to a usable condition. I do wonder how much longer it will last, though. In any case, the VS8 does sell replacement blade kitsāotherwise, why would it have those removable screws? Theyāre certainly not just for decoration.
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Yes, they are authentic okatsune. I didnāt need more pruners, though i did want a pair of these. I noticed your post in this thread after my purchase. Felco are nice pruners as well. As we all make purchases from Amazon, i think we pretty well ran the counterfeiters off that website. I donāt expect they will come back very soon.
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