ARSHP-VS8Z Signature Heavy Duty Pruner

Three years of regular use here. I've owned/used Corona, Bahco, various Fiskars, and tons of random off-brand pruners/secateurs. These are probably the best value pruners I've come across. Excellent out of the package, sharp AF, easy to clean, well-made, Japanese quality. Compared to the Felco F2, they are slightly more petite and great for medium/smaller hands, though I have large hands and they're fine.The more narrow jaw opening and shorter blade means you won't be cutting really large material as you could with the Felco F2. These are more comparable to the Felco F6, which have a shorter blade and more narrow grip span. I have not, however, really had any issues due to this, and I appreciate the more agile feeling of these for more precision work. If you're doing a lot of big branch pruning and heavy cutting, Felco F2 might be the way to go.There are no corrosion issues as you can get with Felco blades, as the ARS are stainless steel. An occasional cleaning with a light abrasive pad or steel wool with some alcohol gets these shiny again, no problem. That said, stainless steel is generally considered to be a little harder to sharpen than carbon steel, though I've sharpened these maybe three times with a hardened steel edge sharpener (Corona sharpener) and a couple light passes was sufficient to get them plenty sharp.Downsides: Blade adjustment can be a pain. The pivot screw and Nylock nut have to be tightened *just right* to have the blade snug as it bypasses the hook/anvil, but not so tight that it binds. I use a socket wrench on the Nylock nut, and a crescent wrench on the screw head, and monkey with it until it feels right. The design decision for this type of adjustment seems inexplicable to me. Felco wins in this area.The only other nit to pick is the tolerances (tightness) compared to Felco are slightly more loose. The bypass cut has a little more gap and just a bit of wobble between the blade and hook. In practice, it's never been an issue that I can recall. It cuts like a champ and unless you're super dialed in to this detail, you likely won't notice.My advice: If you want ze best, with super tight tolerances and precision engineering, and don't mind more regular maintenance, go Felco. Otherwise, get these for 30-some damn dollars. And if the ARS feel good out of the box, don't mess with it, clean it occasionally, oil it every now and then and these will serve you quite well for a nice price.

I’ve been a landscaper and nurseryman for over 15 year, I’ve always used felco’s becuase that is what my company provided. I read many reviews on these pruners describing the quality of the blade and cut. I cannot dissagree, these pruners are hands down, better then any pair of felco’s I’ve ever had (and I’ve tried many). Blade is super sharp, does an amazing job and keeping sharp, even after cutting lots of hardwood. It’s equally as modular and replaceable as felco’s. Squeeze to unlock is the best feature I’ve ever experience on pruners. At first they were hard to squeeze tight enough to unlock, but after several unlocks it becomes easier. After months the locking mechanism is still holding strong. The only time squeeze to unlock doesn’t work is if I’ve been cleaning a bunch of pines and my pruners get covered in sap, easy to fix, but the sticky sap will allow you to squeeze to unlock, but the sticky sap will prevent the pruners from opening, so you have to do it manually. I was unsure about these pruners using a big spring in the middle instead of the kind found on felco’s but it has worked flawlessly. I think the spring will age better then felco’s spring mechanism. With the felco’s spring, it can rust easily and it give lots of resistance, making pruning much more difficult, whereas the spring in these ARS pruners will age much better and won’t give me that issue. The price is amazing!! Super high quality materials, Japanese carbon blade, all for almost $20 cheaper then felco #2. I’m never looking back, and i cannot stop telling my landscaper friends about how awesome these pruners are. Felcos have a larger market share in North America, but its purely based on marketing, ARS pruners are hands down better.

It beats any pruner I have ever tried by miles. Great , effortless vutting power and durable design. This is made in Japan.Expensive> Yes and no. It will make your work easier, and you can keep it probably for a few centuries.

My mum has gone through several gardening shears but they would either keep sticking or was not ergonomic enough causing her arthritic pain to flare up.I finally watched a youtube review exhibiting several brands including the very expensive swiss one and this one came a close 2nd! As it was budget friendly also I purchased it for her and she couldn't be happier! Sharp Japanese blades with its ergonomic handle makes her tasks a breeze! Will def purchase again even if it does wear down in the future!

Only one day of use and it cuts very well. It wants to keep locking itself closed otherwise I would give it 5 stars. Don't be in a hurry when you order because they ship from China - apparently by boat! Update after many uses: These are the best hand pruners I have owned (too many to remember) because they are so sharp and robust enough that the handles do not bend when I cut through large branches. I have always thought that whatever width the blades open, the pruners should be able to cut whatever plant you can get in there. These do and most don't without damage. These are the sharpest blades I have used and are the first to cut me so they require more care in use than lesser pruners. They would be fantastic if not for the annoying lock...