MLTOOLS Garden Tools Pruners -

I am pleased with these shears. I knew little about shears and the various types having only briefly used borrowed shears from time to time in the past. I was considering the http://www.amazon.com/Ratchet-Pruning-Shears-Ratcheting-Conventional/dp/B00CH9TS9G/ref=sr_1_5?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1407522901&sr=1-5&keywords=pruning+shears when I saw these which appeared to be the same except no name on the name plate for about $19. As luck would have it when I ordered the price had been lowered to $15.57. The price attracted me but I liked the fact that there was more detail given about these shears including using SK-5 steel that I know is a good metal. However, it looks like only the working surfaces use this and the rest appears to be aluminium with some plastic. I immediately gave them a go at a bush that I was saving for this purpose. The largest branch I cut measured .703” and cut cleanly. A 1.198” proved too large for the jaws, but they then were advertised for up to 1” branches. I did find that the lock slide bar on the right irritated my thumb and no doubt would have caused a blister in short order. This was quickly corrected using a flat and round file to knock off the corner running down the top edge. I wear a man’s medium size glove and these shears fit my hand nicely.

I am a professional blueberry farmer from central Illinois. Pruners are our go to tool, especially in fall and winter months when we prune for weeks on end. Our experience with pruners is vast. Because pruners are so vital to our operation I am always looking for new or improved design. Not long ago I purchased the ML Pruners. These pruners are the very best we have ever used. They have held up extremely well in heavy use, and the blade retains its sharpness to a remarkable degree. The ratchet mechanism is formidable, cutting through heavy blueberry canes, up to nearly an inch, with relative ease. The pruner is so effective on thick heavy blueberry canes that the need for loppers has been all but eliminated. The ergonomics are also exceptional. The pruners are quite compact in design, have a large throat, yet fully open within a hand span. They comfortably fit large and small hands. This is my go to pruners--period.

The description does not mention that this is an anvil pruner. From the pictures I thought it was a bypass pruner and was unpleasantly surprised when I got it. The best advice I can give you is to buy bypass pruners for cutting live plants, especially if you want to prune a branch close to the trunk or stem. Save your anvil pruners for dead and dried plant stems where the crushing action is needed.

Spectacular pruners! They are comfortable in my average guy sized hands, spring open between cuts every time, and seem to stay sharp forever. I live in the Sonoran desert, and cut a lot of tough dry growth thicker than these are actually designed for. Due to the ratchet design, they handle this abuse without complaint.I was unsure because of the low price, but after the first day of cutting easily through 1/2" mesquite and palo verde branches, immediately ordered a backup pair.I will soon order a third pair, because my wife discovered how superior these are to our name brand shears (looking at YOU, Fiskars!) and claimed my backup as her own.I promise you will love these shears.

While these are metal and have a ratcheting mechanism, They seem to be pretty light duty. I doubt if one could cut a 1" branch with these.I can see the blade flexing when li really bear down on my cutting. If you do a lot of tree pruning you might want to opt for a heavier pair of thru cut pruners. If your use is in the garden, these will be fine.

Never satisfied with clippers, but these do really well on stems under about 1/2" and fairly well on thicker branches up to about 1" with saw-rolling cuts. Have been using them to cut back shrubs around other shrubs. Nice hand feel. The rubber handle cover color makes it findable amidst the clippings pile!

I used them on brush and the second day out the blade broke! I take some of the credit as the branch was probably too big and I twisted the clippers trying to finish the cut. But I did expect better.

These shears are pure junk. They should be removed from sale by Amazon. I thought Amazon had some sort of quality control. This is the first item that I have ever sent back to Amazon. The shears hang up and just don't work very good. The bolt that holds them together is very sharp on the end. Not knowing the end of the bolt was sharp cause me to get a very good cut on my finger. I ordered two pairs of these clippers and both were no good. All the rachets did was jam them up when I tried using them. They weight just about 7 ounces vs. the stated weight of one pound.