The only thing I don’t like about the Okatsune closing mechanism is that I’ve pinched my pinky finger when it flipped while I was using them.
That would hurt.
Dax
Here’s a simplification of these Okatsune pruners. Brent I don’t know how your pinky got hit because I’m holding the pruners in my left and right hands and my pinky isn’t anywhere near the closing mechanism. At any rate, here’s the simplification.
left hand
right
1 Like
I’ve got the small pair, and was cutting above the recommended diameter so was working for all the leverage I could get at the bottom of the handle and twisting (which really helps), so my pinky was curled over the bottom. The mechanism must have gotten bumped into the middle position at 90 degrees. Having it up seems to be the safe position, didn’t even realize they did that, should probably use that next time I am cutting big stuff.
1 Like
Alan, I wish you’d try them just so that you could issue a report! Sounds like they have a lot going for them, and they’re definitely affordable.
Not that I do enough pruning to justify replacing my Felcos, but my daughter needs a set and I was planning to get the small ARS for her.
1 Like
I used to buy every hand tool that sparked my interest as something that might be useful in my job, but now I’m pretty settled and don’t try many new tools. I tried that one years and years ago and actually sometimes use a different model with the same closure arrangement but with twin blades making it suitable for thinning apples that form clusters that break apart completely when you try to thin them by hand.
I think you can trust Barkslip’s evaluation, but the question is, is the closure system adequate for your needs. I believe the steel is much like the very hard ARS steel. A bit hard to sharpen but stays sharp a very long time- at least 4X as long as a Felco.
I believe the ARS VS series can be had for just a few more bucks and comes in 3 different sizes. This is very good for women. ARS also makes a hand pruner especially for women that I’ve had a client rave about. It was pink and probably the size of a 7.
The danger of the ARS design is that it can accidentally open if you keep it in your pocket because it’s designed to open when you press the handles together. I once badly cut my hand because I placed it in my pocket handles first to protect the pocket fabric.
Now I tend to only keep it in a holster and use a lesser pruner with a different kind of closing system that is very small for pocket travel.
2 Likes
@hoosierbanana I understand now. Instead of twisting you can bend a limb as you’re cutting. You can cut a really thick branch with a pruner that doesn’t have enough opening. You weasel the sharp blade of the pruner a bit as necessary as you bend the limb toward horizontal with the ground. We’ve all been there twisting… I know that. 
Cheers,
Dax
1 Like
I have used a set of Gerber/Fiskar pruners for the last few years and am very happy with them, I recently bought a Felco pruner that I really like! I haven’t seen anyone mention the Opinel hand pruners here… I know a nurseryman from Germany (from another forum I am on) who says that they are on par in quality (and in price) with Felco. Anyone ever used these? Reason I mention these is I have seen that some here use the Opinel knives for grafting and garden work.
Looks like they come in green and blue accents.
They can be had for similar or maybe just a little cheaper price on the Bay of E.
I own and have gifted Opinel knives and know they are of quality is what makes me think that these will be just as good of quality 
Anyone have any thoughts on picking/thinning shears? I am looking at the Felco 310 model but wanted to know if anyone here has a more preferred brand (like the ARSs above) that might be as good or better…?
https://www.felco.com/us_en/felco-310.html
No thoughts or other recommendations on any of these? I hate to tag people on this since I am new and not really sure who all knows about these type of things except for some of the ones in this thread. Thanks for any help guys
I bought Corona thinning shears a few years ago and I like them for soft thin wood. I haven’t used the Felco but I don’t know why they would not be very good. They are a useful tool and inexpensive.
Unrelated to thinning shears, I started this thread a few years ago mentioning my very old Seymour Smith Snap Cut pruners (at least 50 yrs old but maybe 80). I’ve used them for several years now and I find them superior to bypass pruners for very hard wood (like dead) and very soft wood which somethings tears or crushes with bypass pruners. They need to be kept sharp for soft wood and that is easy to do.
1 Like
I ended up getting this set of thinning shears
W
They look nice and most Japanese stuff is high quality, so I hope they end up being great for what I am wanting to use them for.
These are what I use-- https://www.amazon.com/Bahco-2-Inch-Harvesting-Snips-P128-19/dp/B000288WCI
They’re simple, slim enough to fit in tight spaces, and both edges can be sharpened (the newer Felco picking shears are semi-serrated on one side).
2 Likes
I am hoping that both sides of the ones I have bought are plain edge and not serrated.
I prefer hand pruners that have a closure mechanism that closes without using a second hand in the process. This one is much more expensive and doesn’t actually cut better than the more primitive designs with excellent steel made by ARS and other Japanese companies, but I prefer them.
1 Like
I desperately need a pair of hand pruners (I’ve been working with a hand-me-down tool that’s probably 30-40 years old and VERY dull).
The abundance of choices on Amazon, Home Depot, “Pruners Warehouse” and elsewhere are overwhelming.
So my question is - what multipurpose hand pruner should I buy? I’d like one that is comfortable, stays sharp for a long time and is a good value. I don’t have a lot of time to research.
Also, do I want secateurs, bypass, or anvil style? Not sure what the differences are. Thanks.
For what it is this is a great value. https://www.amazon.com/MiToo-HP-VS8XZ-ARS-VS-8XZ-Hand-Pruner/dp/B07B8WXF8C
Otherwise you can buy a knockoff of the Felco design. https://www.amazon.com/Corona-038313642501-BP4250-Aluminum-Diameter/dp/B0007LXTQ4/ref=sr_1_9?crid=38Q47XJ5UBM02&dchild=1&keywords=hand+pruners&qid=1613676823&s=lawn-garden&sprefix=hand+pruners%2Clawngarden%2C175&sr=1-9
Most prefer a bypass and not a blade and anvil for pruning live wood as the anvil crushes it, and not in the good way.
The ARS has harder steel blades than the Felco making it harder to sharpen and harder to make dull. Not really very hard to sharpen if you use a proper sharpener for the task. I like a coarse diamond chef’s knife sharpener, but I am almost constantly pruning. Even after a week of constant pruning the ARS is still quite sharp.
The cheaper ARS models use the same steel, but they just don’t work as well for me.
2 Likes
I bought ARS after reading on this forum. They are absolutely fantastic.
4 Likes
I hate all versions of the rotating handle and it serves no purpose beyond reducing leverage for my hands. I used to get some repetitive motion aggravation when I used Felco, even with rotating handles, but there is just something about the ARS design that works for me.
You have three sizes you can choose from, also- 7, 8 or 9". One for every kind of right hand.
I am left handed but keep my pruning saw in a scabbard (Silky Gomtaro 300 course) on my left side with the pruners on my right. I end up sawing and pruning with both hands depending on which provides the best angle. Using the ARS wrong handed is not a noticeable liability to me.
1 Like
I really like the ARS pruners as well, and use them for most jobs where loppers or a saw aren’t required. For delicate cuts on scionwood and small rootstocks, I switch to a double-bladed pruner.
1 Like