Got my ARS pruners today 6 weeks after ordering direct from 
Japan. I learn my lesson. Next time I’m ordering tools from Am Leonard
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Let us know how you like them
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The quality is apparent. They are razor sharp out of the box and finely machined. Time will tell how they handle my abuse.
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I have a assortment of tools and i am very happy with the quality of my ARS and Felco’s but have got to say its crazy how sharp the ARS come its amazing i cannot resharpen them even close to that.
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The steel is very hard but I use a diamond, medium course knife sharpener and get them close enough to factory sharpness.
The only thing that is likely to wear out in the life of a pair in the hands of a “weekend” gardener is the mechanism that keeps them closed. You need to close them firmly with your hands when you close them- any extra friction makes the stopper come too lose over time. It’s mostly a problem if you keep them in your pocket and not a holster because they won’t stay closed.
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Is that something that you can do kitchen knives to loppers with? I really need a new knife sharpener i have a soapstone that i use from my Grandpa and by the box i feel like it has to be from the 40s so i love it but it takes a while and wont do certain hardened steel well at all.
The reason I buy sharpeners like this is you get a lot more diamond surface for the money than other diamond sharpeners sold for garden tools.
Kota Japan 12 in. Diamond Carbon Steel Professional Knife Sharpener Rod
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I love it, Thank you!
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i use the corona pruner sharpening tool. works great for curved blades. it has a titanium bar welded to the end for sharpening. its small enough to get into the jaws of even small pruners. takes me about 10 min. to put a really good edge on my pruners.
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Maybe you are more exacting or let the tool get very dull between sharpening, but it takes me about 30 seconds to get as much of an edge as can be obtained from a diamond sharpener on either my hand pruner or lopper.
Like any good kitchen knife, you sharpen rarely and hone often, ymmv I use wet stones on my machete and lawn mower blades about once a season, and a steel if I bang either up on rocks or anything.
yeah. I’m guilty of letting them get dull and I’m a perfectionist with anything with a edge. 
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KUDOS to felco.
This site tells how to spot a fake and they say they will make it right for folks that purchased a counterfeit.
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I suspect this may have been a brilliant publicity stunt. Give away a few free pruners, get written up all over in a context that makes your product seem like the boss.
I will stick with my ARS pruners- so far, no worry about counterfeiters.
I think I’ll go buy one the of counterfeits and send them in …
Seriously, publicity stunt or no, they might think that they need to do this to protect their brand.
Time was when the Sears Craftsman lifetime warranty was so respected that people hunted for broken or damaged Craftsman tools to take into Sears for a free replacement. Because of that, as long as you had a Craftsman socket or hammer or whatever it was it was always almost as good as new. (Poor Sears now- it breaks your heart. But that’s a whole 'nother story.)
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Of course they might. I admit to being no fan of Felco. Years ago I spent about a hundred bucks for one of their fancy loppers and it was terrible- wood slid right out of the blades, but it sure looked like some impressive engineering!. A good lopper, such as a Bahco, pulls the wood towards you to where the leverage is.
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Amazon is the number one seller inside the usa of counterfeit merchandise. The inside job on Sears was a amazing legal con.
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ARS are the best pruners I’ve tried so far (and I’ve tried a lot). The problem I’ve had w/ cheaper pruners is that after a certain number of cuts, they don’t cut sharply, but tear the wood. The pruners bend too easily on bigger cuts, after that there is a small gap between the blade and anvil, so they don’t cut cleanly.
ARS haven’t done that. I have a strong Midwestern working man’s grip, stronger than the average man. Countless times, I’ve cut branches as large as possible with ARS pruners (which would be enough to deform the jaws of other pruners) yet the pruners have remained unfazed in cutting productivity and clean cuts. They are the best pruners I’ve found. Even better than the Swiss made Felco.
That said, we are moving more towards battery operated pruners for the bulk of our pruning. Faster and less effort cuts. It’s an issue of comfort and productivity for myself and my help.
I’ve seen those advertised and wondered if they were any good.
On your way to soft, weak hands!
Someone was asking me about a brand of commercial battery operated pruners, which do you recommend?
Meanwhile, I charge by the hour and the amount of time it takes me to close a pruners manually seems inconsequential so in a couple of years I will challenge you to a manly handshake contest.
As long as my hands hold up to the task of pruning all day long, day after day, I will stick with my ARS pruners, Silky saw and Bahco loppers. On wood more than 4" diameter my Stihl chainsaw is at hand, but I only use it briefly on an average day. Maybe fill up the tank once a week.
It’s a shame, none of the top professional hort hand tools or chain saws are made in the U.S. any more. We now specialize in cheap, throw-away crap, but even that is often manufactured in China.
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