Best folding pruning shears?

[sazeus]

Hello,

I am wondering if anyone knows which brand of folding pruning shears/secateurs are the best quality and value for money. I have a friend who is sometimes a guerilla florist and I think a tool like this would come in very handy for her.  It also seems like a tool that I should probably have lying around myself.

I am interested in a Leatherman Hybrid or Vista but it seems that they are very hard to come by and are expensive when they do pop up.   I hear the Real Avid Multi Cutter is good but the "true to the core" etched on the blade makes me think twice. 

Can anyone give me some other recommendations?

Thanks in advance.


Sean

[AimlessWanderer]

For heavy cutting I use a pair of dedicated secateurs. I don't want a compromised tool for the heavier gardening tasks.

For lighter cutting such as deadheading etc, I use a Wenger Ranger 14. The knife and saw are well sized for garden work too

[Syncop8r]

I have a Vista but really want dedicated secateurs - I like Bahco's all-metal ones. Simple but sturdy.

[sazeus]

For heavy cutting I use a pair of dedicated secateurs. I don't want a compromised tool for the heavier gardening tasks.

For lighter cutting such as deadheading etc, I use a Wenger Ranger 14. The knife and saw are well sized for garden work too

These would not be used for heavy work, more for snipping on the go.  The ranger 14 looks good, are they still available?

[Yadda]

Felco model 7.  If you need larger pruners, the Model 9 is nice.  The blades are replaceable and easy to obtain.  They don't fold, but they are some of the best pruners on earth.  Buy them used and then buy new blades to save money. 

For folders, the out of production Buckwing is a great option.  The price is usually very affordable.  The downside for this tool is the load out.  Mostly hex wrenches, but the pruners are good.  The Bear gardener shears are okay, but they aren't great pruners. 

[Gerhard Gerber]

Hi

I've gone through a few working on my bonsai, wanted to recommend the Gardena model I had the best results with, but seemingly it's been replaced with models contrary to the bit of advice I have:

K.I.S.S (in the design you choose), and use the right size tool for the job.

[Syncop8r]

I believe out of the Leathermans the Genus is the best quality, however if you're talking value for money, again I would go for dedicated secateurs.

[sazeus]

For folders, the out of production Buckwing is a great option.   

I can't seem to find these on the interweb.  Do you perchance have a link or picture?

I believe out of the Leathermans the Genus is the best quality, however if you're talking value for money, again I would go for dedicated secateurs.

I understand that solid secateurs are always going to be stronger, but for portability's sake I would like them to fold in on themselves the way the Hybrid or Vista's do. 

[zoidberg]

There is a BuckWing in this post.

The Leatherman Raptor folds up.

[Yadda]

Corona makes a folding pruner multi tool.  It's a knockoff of the Leatherman Hybrid.  There are two different versions that I have seen.  They are affordable and well made.  They are better than shears. 

The issue with shears is woody cuttings. Anything larger than a half the diameter of a pencil will often be mangled by shears if not perfectly sharp and pencil size cuttings and larger are often difficult to cut with smaller shears.  Pruners handle everything, but the smallest soft tissue cuttings.   

[sazeus]

Corona makes a folding pruner multi tool.  It's a knockoff of the Leatherman Hybrid.  There are two different versions that I have seen.  They are affordable and well made.  They are better than shears. 

The issue with shears is woody cuttings. Anything larger than a half the diameter of a pencil will often be mangled by shears if not perfectly sharp and pencil size cuttings and larger are often difficult to cut with smaller shears.  Pruners handle everything, but the smallest soft tissue cuttings.

Yes I'd definitely prefer pruners/secateurs.  A knife could slice through anything that a pruner wouldn't.

Google seems fruitless in trying to find many of these ones I'm hearing about.  I don't see any folding ones on the corona website but did find this thread:

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php?topic=44900.0

Which is just what I was looking for.  Now finding one for sale is the challenge.

[Syncop8r]

Maybe I should part with my Vista. I have never actually used it....