My latest pruners / secateurs find

3 months ago

Just wanted to share with the group my latest discovery. Saw these listed (used) on Facebook marketplace, for a cheap price. They are the German Lowe brand - which I had never heard of before, but did some quick research and figured the quality should be up there. Anyway, picked them up and on an initial try they feel wonderful. One is bypass and the other is anvil (I’ve never had an anvil before). I just want to get them sharpened for the season, and then they will be ready for their workout - along with my Felcos and other vintage pruners.

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mxk3 z5b_MI

3 months ago

Never heard of this brand, either -- do report back after you've given them a good trial. I've always used bypass pruners, no experience with anvils. I'd be curious to know which you prefer or if one is better than the other for any given job.

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Comments (6)

mazerolm_3a
3 months ago
Great find!!
LaLennoxa 6a/b Hamilton ON thanked mazerolm_3a
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The important thing to know is that bypass pruners should be sharpened only on one side of the blade--the side away from the cutter bar. If you do anything to the side facing the bar, it should be only to flatten it, not cut any metal away. That side should fit tightly against the bar. The sharp edge is supposed to be along the inner face of the blade. Anvil pruners and loppers are sharpened on both sides of the blade. The sharp edge is midway between the faces of the blade. The edge must remain as straight as possible, so try not to remove metal. If part of the edge is abraded away so it doesn't reach to the groove on the anvil, it won't cut cleanly. I use a small, fine whetstone.
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I just saw them advertised on TV and they were doing a demonstration and easily cutting through branches making clean cuts every time. Being a skeptic, I wondered if they were careful of what kind of branch they chose, maybe one that is known to make clean cuts easily. I was impressed that at least they are made of stainless steel, and I thought maybe that was a company trying to make a good product. I pull out the lopers when the hand pruners aren't able to do the job, but, I find unless I use leverage across my body, I don't really have the strength to do the job either. Someone who helped me for awhile used a chopping motion and I didn't think that was a good technique. We do a fair amount of pruning on this small property and I wish I did a better job of sharpening, but I'm always disappointed with my results, even after watching YouTube demonstrations. It's frustrating. I love a nice sharp pruning saw, but aren't those harder to sharpen even than pruners?
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LaLennoxa 6a/b Hamilton ON
Original Author
3 months ago
Absolutely, will definitely update you. I can say on an initial feel, they are very much like Felcos, weight-wise - I would say that they actually have a slightly more comfortable handling than the Felcos. I'm sure they've been overshadowed by Felcos for years. The seller was a Ukrainian refugee who had used them in Poland, where he said they were more common.
mxk3 z5b_MI
3 months ago
I have an Okatsune pruner that I like better than my old Felco. Heck, I have a cheapie $5 pruner that I like better than my old Felcos. I just don't like the feel of Felcos in my hand, I find them very uncomfortable.

DH bought me a bypass pruner from a knife shop in Japan. I have no idea the brand, it was a specialty shop he was in, he saw them while he was knife shopping for himself (those people take their knives very seriously...). They are fantastic, ultra-sharp and efficient, but I like the feel of the Okatsune in my hand better. But I use them both, whichever is closest when I need it is the one I grab. I keep the cheapie $5 ones in the garage in case something up by the house needs a quick snip.
rosaprimula
3 months ago
last modified: 3 months ago
I have some Okatsune ones (and Niwaki GR ones) as I am also not so keen on my old Felcos. I do still keep hold of the Felco 6 as they are good for small hands and I also have an absolutely ancient Felco (I think) anvil secateur which is good for chopping out the deadwood on the roses. Also, have been unable to afford/justify replacements for my old Felco loppers. German steel is usually pretty decent - although I don't think I have ever tried Lowe secateurs but I did buy myself a new pocket knife (Boker Magnum Damascus steel).

I think I probably have an unhealthy interest in sharp, shiny things though...
LaLennoxa 6a/b Hamilton ON
Original Author
2 months ago
Yes, pruners are definitely a personal thing. In addition to that, there’s the cost factor. My saving grace is that I’m a pretty savvy online shopper, and buying from used places, sales, etc. So I have NEVER paid full retail price for the 12+ pruners I own. They’ve all been things I’ve picked up along the way; sometimes brand new in box, sometimes well worn, and often very cheap. I remember getting a Felco 2 completely new in box for $20 off marketplace. This last Lowe deal was $25 in total, and included a third pruner - a Fiskar, but not a cheaper recent model. One thing to consider is that there are a lot of cheap knockoffs out there, but I’ve been fortunate that I have not been duped yet.

My latest pruners / secateurs find

mxk3 z5b_MI

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mazerolm_3a

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My latest pruners / secateurs find

mxk3 z5b_MI

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mazerolm_3a

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LaLennoxa 6a/b Hamilton ONOriginal Author

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LaLennoxa 6a/b Hamilton ON
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