Ratchet Pruning Shears - Sharp Garden Hand Pruners - Easy Ratcheting Action - Best Anvil Gardening Secateurs for Small to Medium Jobs - Simple to Lock or Unlock - 100%

I bought these pruning shears specifically because there was an out of control bush/tree thing trying to take over the flower bed by my porch. My husband wouldn't ever cut it (I found out later it was because he thought I planted it lol). But I wanted to have small a pair of pruning shears handy in the house to do things like this because all our gardening tools stay across the street in his shop. This pair would stay with me in the house. The ratcheting effect is okay it took a little bit for me to get use to it and I think if I had stronger hands it would have worked better but it cut a rather large (quarter sized+) tree for me. It took three or four good attempts but the shears got rid of that pesky tree for me. On smaller items like my knock out rose and althea bush one snip and they were history. I wasn't familiar with racheting pruners so my husband had to show me the concept behind them and he and I both agreed this was a good solid piece of equipment and nice to have in our home. *A sample of this product was provided to me free for testing and review. If you have any questions please feel free to ask me below. Thanks for reading.

My wife likes it a lot and that is the important thing. She does not have the strength to cut through on regular shears and she was quite impressed with the ratcheting action. Both she and I found that the ratchet does not always seem to engage. Even with my larger hands, it did not appear that the handles were opening wide enough for the ratchet to engage in the next slot. So, at times we had to spread the handles open wider with both hands. Despite this, my wife likes it since she is at least able to use it. My other comment would be that the angle of the cutting blade should be a bit straighter - i.e. more in the same line as the handle. The bend makes it just a bit more difficult, I think, to slide the opening of the cutter over the branch. But I am not really much of a gardener - so maybe better gardeners prefer the angle - I am not sure!

This is a good item, the only problem I see is that sometimes, depending on the size of the cut you have to hold jaws shut so that it ratchets properly. Again this is some cuts depending on the diameter of branch to be cut. I have severe arthritis and this item helps considerably in my garden. Would buy again for the price and ease of use but hope it lasts my lifetime.

Very disappointing that these are not quite working properly. I do believe it could be a problem with my particular tool but I can not physically determine the issue. To me, it seem to slip from the second to third "joint" occasionally which is not only sometimes painful, but dangerous when balanced on a stepladder. The tool just sort of "lets go" while squeezing and the handles come together in a snapping motion without any blade movement. Like slipping out of gear. I've spent much time trying various techniques but if that is the problem, then I'm just not doing it properly. In my opinion, there should not be some special technique to using a ratcheting tool. I use them often in terminating copper cables with lugs and various connector fittings in my line of work. It should not be difficult to use when gardening. And, I never cut anything with a diameter larger than 5/8". I do not have the original packaging or else I would return these and, as a very frequent Amazon purchaser for years, I have never returned a thing. In fact, this is the first negative post I've ever written.

I've been using these for six months and have been very disappointed. While living in Europe I bought a pair exactly the same as these only in orange. Worked wonderfully for years except I lost them. I found these on Amazon and was so excited, they looked exactly the same. But the quality in this pair is lacking. When trimming the locking device catches constantly and I don't get a nice clean cut. I tried the spare blade that I bought in Europe and it was like it was made for this pair, except it also did not give me a clean cut. I don't know who the manufacturer of the orange pair was but their trimmer was far superior in quality. The ratchet concept is great, just not brought to it's fullest potential in this case.

I found the pruners to work well enough, but I consider the construction to be a bit on the weak side. The mechanisms are loose, so there is a bit of shucking to the side when one tackles a difficult branch, perhaps that is the main flaw. The locking mechanism also is loose, occasionally locking up the works while in progress, and the ratchet action is sometimes slow to engage. The feel of the tool is light, but except for perhaps dropping it onto concrete, I would expect the aluminum to hold up well.

DISCLAIMER: these shears were purchased for doggie treats and not gardening. My wife and I use these shears to cut our pup's bully sticks and fish skin treats. The treats weren't easily sliced via standard kitchen scissors or a a kitchen knife, so we opted for the shears. We've tested these on treats that are about a half in in diameter and felt these shears to work well. The cutting motion is smooth, the grips comfortable, and the cutting force was effective. The grip is comfortable even for my wife who has small hands. The effort needed to cut our dog's treats was light and easy on the hands which makes these shears a welcome addition to our household.

I ordered these shears after the gardening season, so I've used them only once, but I like them better than any of my previous shears. They fit comfortably in my hand and are easy to use, something my arthritic hands appreciate. One feature I didn't spot in the pictures on Amazon but do appreciate now that I've used them, is the serrations on the anvil part; they keep the wood from slipping or rotating and make for a secure cut. I also like the finger grip; it keeps the shears from moving around in my hand while I'm ratcheting down on the wood. My previous ones kept sliding backward, requiring me constantly to adjust my grip.