What else have you used?
felco 7 and felco 2 (and several more unbranded, poor quality)
The Thornx are holding up very well for inexpensive pruners and believe me I’m putting them to the test. I will post what they look like by the end of grafting season. I’ve not even needed the ARS pruners yet. @danzeb how are yours doing?
I posted elsewhere that I got a pair of ThornX (along with a Silky pocket saw) and my initial impression is quite good. We’ll see in time, but unlike so many here we don’t do a great deal of pruning. Since I was putatively buying this for my wife I might have done better with with the ARS Alan likes for her. I’ve also seen some very nice, very simple pruners without replaceable blades that are elegantly simple and graceful. Here’s an example (not a recommendation):
(This outfit used to offer a hand-forged laminated pruner but I don’t see it there now. We’ve bought a few of their kitchen knives and love them.)
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Now those are clippers! Beautiful design too.
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I have no use for hand pruners with a loop closure at their base- this primitive system doesn’t allow for one-handed operation. Many high quality Japanese pruners are defective to me because of their closure systems.
I wish ARS made one with Felco’s type of closure system, which is secure,durable and allows one- hand operation. ARS does make a small, relatively inexpensive pair with a more traditional locking system, but after a certain amount of wear they become insecure and can open accidentally in your pocket just like the fancier squeeze-to-open models.
I do the majority of my pruning with a holster where this issue is not important, but I’m still looking for a high quality, small and light hand pruner that is ideal to keep in one’s pocket.
Mark, your wife probably would fall in love with the 7" ARS model. It is perfect for smaller hands- but if you buy her one also purchase an appropriate holster.
The Thornx are very good. They look and feel like they will hold up very well but only time will tell. I haven’t used them long enough to know. I have other inexpensive pruners that did not work as well when new and have not been durable.
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The picture below is what mine look like after thousands of cuts this year. They are still sharp and holding up great. If anyone is looking for a great pair of inexpensive pruners it would be hard to do better. The sap on the blades cleans off but not with alcohol. The blades need a good scrub down with a scuff pad and cleaner. These are what I have used as pruners to invigorate trees, grafting, trimming back brush, shaping trees etc. It takes hundreds of cuts per tree
It is simply a straight Felco knock-off. If they used the same steel or better steel they should be good. I wonder why Felco doesn’t have a patent for their design- there are hundreds of knock offs. Costco sells a dual pack with a nice holster or two for under $50. They are copies (out of my head) of the Felco 8 and the Felco 13.
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I am using these from Amazon on sale for only $9.99 made in Japan, very heavy duty and solid, not for someone that wants a light weight tool
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Felco’s designs have been around for a long time, surely if there were patents, they’ve expired.
I have a pruner that looks like those. The first year they were OK but then they needed sharpening and tightening too often. Yours may be better. I paid about $18 for mine.
I don’t know much about patent laws.
Those immediately brought to mind inexpensive Corona prunters: http://www.lowes.com/pd_86084-63731-BP+3180D_0__?productId=3044578
Murky,
I went to Tractors supply store to get some chain saw 40:1 oil and saw these GroundWork Anvil pruners on sale for $7.50 each. I got two of them and tested them out on some branches and they were very sturdy and sharp.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/groundwork-anvil-pruner?cm_vc=-10005
Tony
Anvil pruners are not popular among horticulturists because of their tendency to crush the wood near a cut. However, anvil loppers can be great for breaking down brush. They seem to generate a bit more cutting power in ration to the pressure put on them.
Thornx pruners seem to be gaining popularity with a nearly 5 star rating on amazon. Thinking of getting another pair this year as a backup. The ARS pruners were all they were reported to be but expensive so I’m very careful with them. Considering a large tooth silky saw this year https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0014C7WGS/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1486962630&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=silky+saw&dpPl=1&dpID=31-uvLmDogL&ref=plSrch
I bought a pair last year and have been perfectly happy with them. Can’t tell them from Felcos except that the thumb lock is a little less convenient to operate. And as for Silky saws I only have one -a very fine-tooth folding model that slides right into my pant’s utility pocket- and it’s great. A coarser tooth makes more sense for most cuts, but I have another folder for that. This is the one I got:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014CC5RO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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I bit the bullet and picked these up today. My Chinese Felco knockoffs have performed admirably but thought I’d try something new. I’ve not used them but first impressions is they appear high quality but they admittedly feel a bit smallish in my hand. I’m sure it won’t be a problem but that’s my impression
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They used to make a 7, 8 and 9. Both the 7 and 8 are fine for me, I keep the 7 in my pocket when I’m not pruning full time and the 8 in a holster when I am.
Incidentally, the trick to cutting thick wood is to push the wood away from the blade as you cut (which is obvious once you’ve figured it out, of course). That is why there is no advantage to the Felco 13, IMO. Two hands on the pruner is no better than one hand on the pruner and the other pushing the wood.
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