Soke Hidehisa versatile pruning shears

Excellent quality product made from high grade steel. These pruners feel very comfortable in your hand and provide a smooth and clear cut. The spring has the right amount of tension/resistance so you're not fighting it while trying to make a precision cut. This combined with a very well designed blade cutting area tolerance, has a very satisfying feel to it. Yes, these will cost more than your typical large box store pruners, but these won't break or become very dull in one season. These pruners will probably be the last set of hand pruners you will buy. I only gave the product 4-stars for weight but honestly, this isn't an issue but rather just to let other potential buyers be aware these pruners are not flimsy. The solid steel construction allows the user to leverage the pruner's own weight for cutting larger diameter items without having to have a death grip on the handles all the time. People with smaller hands will quickly find that they are not getting any grip fatigue or hand cramps. The locking lever and spring are also made of the same high quality steel and will not accidentally fail when used properly. The package also contained a small leather sheath in which to store the pruners when not in use.

These are excellent pruners for light pruning. In my opinion Soke Hidehisa is a real bargain compared to the more well known Tobisho, which costs almost twice as much. The performance difference is not noticeable and certainly doesn't justify a 2x price difference between the two brands. These narrow tip pruners combine the narrow geometry of the small straight tip snips and the cutting performance of the curved tip pruners. The narrow tip allows the pruner to get into tight spaces among the foliage and congested branches to do precision pruning. The curved blade allows the blade and anvil to grab onto a branch without letting it slip away when cutting thicker branches. These light pruners aren't meant for heavy pruning, but they are excellent for cutting roses, deadheading, harvesting, removing new shoots, etc. I can regularly cut up to 1/2" green branches without any problem and can in fact cut up to 3/4" green pine branches with some effort if I position the thick branch near the screw end for maximum leverage. I would however recommend not using these to cut dead brown branches more than 1/4" thick because doing so would risk deforming or chipping the blade.

These shears are awesome! They are on the small side as designed. Incredibly sharp with very precise manufacturing. I will be buying the larger version as well.

Beautiful Japanese steel. Sharp. Light, Effective. What else do you need to know? You don't buy these every day so if you buy a cheaper one, so sorry.

Excellent quality!

This is a great combination pruner. It's works great for my garden needs, from very small plants to pruning branches close to 1/2". I would recommend these to anyone who does a lot of pruning. Clean them and lightly oil the blades after use. They are not made of stainless steel. They do maintain their sharpness very well.

These are REALLY sharp. I have had Corona pruners for over 35 years. They were the only clippers my nurseryman husband would use. Yes, they would get dull and we would replace them from time to time, as was the case this last year when I got desperate and bought these online. WOW. They felt great in my hand, worked beautifully, with little effort and I liked them so much I bought a pair for my friend for her birthday.

Perfect design for my hand - heavy but small, really super strong spring and wonderful closing mechanism. Very happy with this production (the packaging is very cool too - almost no plastic!) Make a fabulous gift for a gardening friend.