felco.. period paragraph ....

its a lifetime investment.. comes apart for cleaning and sharpening .. all parts replaceable.. had mine 20 years ...

i think i have model 8 or 9 [which might be the eleven at the link]... one is left handed.. the other right ... i suggest you find a local seller.. and fit it to your hand ....

BTW.. what kind of dogs??

and if you are talking shearing.. in the conifer forum.. how dare you .... lol

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

I second the Felcos.

Have to add my vote for Felco pruners. I have several pairs of Felcos, including the model for smaller hands and the rotating handle - prevents blisters if you do a lot of pruning, but a lot of people don't like the rotating handle. Try them out at a store - most of the nurseries in my area carry them - to see what size and configuration you find most comfortable.

They are expensive, but well worth it, IMHO, and, as ken stated, you can buy replacement parts so the pruners last "forever."

Holly

I have the small hands rotating handle Felcos and I LOVE them.

I do have small hands even for a woman and they are great.

Have you ever lost a pair of those expensive Felcos?
Mike

I have the small hands rotating handle Felcos and I LOVE them.
Me too, but some people seem to feel that the Felcos with the rotating handle are harder to use - or "annoying" was one comment I read - so I was just letting the OP know that he needed to try the various models of the Felco to find out which seemed most comfortable to him. Personally, I haven't used my "standard" Felcos since getting the ones with the rotating handle. :-D

robbandthedogs - what have you decided to do?

Holly

i agree ..

when you are investing this kind of money.. in a lifetime tool ...

and presuming money means something...

i would find the local supplier.. and try them out ... and even pay the premium for the service of having hands on stock ...

you wouldnt buy the rolls royce.. without a test drive ...

ken

I left them on the trunk of my car one day, can't remember why but the car/driveway are in between the front yard and the back shed so I probably went to get something from the shed. DH came out of the house and jumped in the car and drove away while I was in the back. I called his cell phone and he was able to spot them in the street on his way back into our neighborhood. They were fine.

Felcos are great and are the industry standard. We've got a bunch of em at work. But..and there's aways a but.........any decent BYPASS-type hand shears will do. I've got a liking for the larger Corona model, not sure what it's numbered. I like that these are able to get into tight spots just a wee bit better than the Felcos. Like when you're pruning a flowering crab, trying to lessen the total number of suckers, AKA 'watersprouts', but also trying to leave those that are positioned okay, so as to not simply be perpetuating the problem by removing all of them.

Not sure if that is understandable, but yeah, bypass hand shears of decent quality are a must. Not so much for conifers, but just in general.

+oM

I second what Wisconsitom said. The Coronas are lighter and more nimble. Felcos always feel heavy and well made, but cumbersome. Just because they are the industry standard does not mean they are right for your hands. Ken Adrian had great advice. Try out several brands. When you try the right one it will feel just right.