Congratulations, Claire! Good job! Pretty remarkable, isn't it? After everything I have tried over the past umpteen dozen years, I have to confess my favorite "sharpening tool" is a brand new Corona blade for my Corona Rolling Handle Bypass Pruner. Nothing sharpens as well as a brand, new blade!

My favorite pruning tool is the Saboten 1210. It was recommended to me by a nurseryman who'd been using his for many years.

If you search online it is recommended for many uses, from bonsai to hoof trimming. I love mine. They are orange, which is not my fave color, but it does make them easy to find when I leave them where they don't belong.

Good luck with your burritos!

Virginia

Thanks for the kind words Kim, has turned out to be a remarkably successful method of propagating for me, thanks to your descriptions, instructions and tips! I will check out the corona pruners too, and totally agree with you about new blades...

Too funny Virginia,those are what I trim my sheep hooves with, but while I find them a little light for some of my rose pruning tasks...they are super for cutting hay bales open as well!

cheerio

claire

I just have a plain old Felco pruner which has served me well, but then I don't have that many roses and quite a few don't need pruning. I'm not really a gardener in the proper sense, almost never wear gloves, don't do cuttings or fertilizing, just a little deadheading here and there. Many of you are the real deal

I've always used Felco but recently have heard good things about ARS. I think I will try them when I need new pruners.

I do have 2 pruners but it is not a good one at all. Bought 1 from home Depot and the other from Northern Tools. I need recommendation. Not expensive but a good sharp one. Any suggestions ?

Smithdale, what is ARS stands for , I just Google on Felco..they are expensive .

Jin

Jin I have a pair of Fiskars and they work great and they are not too expensive.

Plumeria........ I have forgotten what it stands for but I think they're Japanese. Go on Amazon & type in ARS pruners & quite a few will come up, not cheap but not as expensive as Felco.

Smithdale thank you that is good to know. I saw the name brand ARS. I think I will wait till way , way later.

Thanks Jin :)

Yeah, I saw Felco. Wow. Maybe when I have a lot of roses , just started into it. I saw Amazon and it was all there. Thanks again

Jin

I have several cheap ones that I bought on Amazon for around $6(lightning deals), and one good Felco pruner. I have the one for smaller hands. I use the cheap ones for everyday use, and I’m not very careful with them. The Felco I hide in my cabinet so no one uses them as a cutting tool for who knows what. I bring them out for serious work and then clean them and put them back in their “hiding spot”. I really love them. They’re a pleasure to use. Lisa

I use mainly Felcos 7 (rolling handle) and 11 (long nosed) and various types of hand or mechanical saws for pruning but when preparing cuttings or roses for the vase I follow what an old gardener has told me; that a sharp knife is better than the pruners because it exposes more cambium. I don't know if that is actually true but that's what I use. Be warned that used in the wrong way a sharp knife can expose your flesh too..

I have 2 Felcos (as above), an indestructible heavy pair of very old basic Bahco pruners which I use when I want to dig into dirt while pruning and which can be also used as a hammer in a hurry, a couple of sharp knifes, 6 different kinds of japanese pruning hand saws, one set of long bypass loppers, one large long set of anvil loppers for cutting up to 2" thick dead dry material on trees, 2 different battery operated reciprocating saws and a japanese Echo brand 25cc petrol pruning (arborist's) light chainsaw with a narrow carving blade and thin 1/4" chain. Also a long telescopic pole pruner with 2 exchangable blades and a lopper head. Of course, not all of these are used on roses.

I bought my first pair of Felco secateurs sometime in the mid 1970s. I bought the second pair in the early 2000s when I lost the first pair. They had fallen into the compost heap and I found them about 8 months later. After cleaning up they were fine. They both have had replacement springs occasionally. One of the pairs has had a replacement blade, about 20 years ago. They are both used virtually daily and often for cutting things that they were not designed to do. i.e. wire and too thick branches. Yes they were expensive, but I wouldn't have anything else. I love my Felcos.

Daisy

I wish I could be as professional as some others, but I've got all sorts of stuff, most blunt and totally useless but for some reason they persist in my company..

I have multiple Bahco Ergo model bypass pruners (so I can find at least one at a given moment). They are light, perfectly shaped and the only pruners that do not strain my hand -- I can use them all day long for days on end. They come in three sizes, small, medium, and large and the blade is replaceable. I also have an old Felco long-handled lopper, which is excellent.

I'm in the Felco #2 camp. Like Daisy, I replaced a pair but then repaired them and now have two. I love the fact I can replace the blades and sharpen them fairly easily. I also love that they've lasted 23 years. Seriously.

Bahco Ergo pruners, as Catspat mentions, tempt me, too. I use Sandvik loppers. They cut branches like butter! I also have a wonderful Felco folding pruning saw that's 23 years old.

I'm definitely in the tighter budget camp, especially now that I may be suing a school district in order for my daughter to receive special education services, but I still highly recommend expensive Felcos. When I average the cost across 23 years, Felcos begin to look like a very good deal! Carol

I treated myself last fall with Felco 2 pruners because I thought I did a good job with my roses for 3-4 years in a row (since I started rose gardening). But I'll now probably get Felco 6-compact because I need a slightly smaller size. We'll, of course, keep #2 when he (my beau) does the pruning and just in case I can't find mine. Sadly they'll not be of much use this year because, as I reported in my panic earlier this month, the bunnies already did hard pruning of most roses. I wish I can just tell them that their timing was off by a few months.

Carol, I'm sorry you are having trouble with the school district. That's just not right. Schools should be for all kids. It's most heartbreaking when a child is denied the right.

Carol, your daughter should get whatever she needs. And I hope you win. No child should be left behind besides a parent should never go through headache especially when a child needs special education. Good luck. Keep us posted .

Jin

Long nosed Felcos (like #11) seem to me to do a better job in tight spaces. as is often the case with rose canes, than short nosed ones (like #2).

Carol, I hope you win the right for your daughters special ed services, but perhaps just the threat will be enough to show them that you’re serious. Sheer stupidity, on their part. If the kid needs it, give it to them! It’ll be far less costly in the long run.

I love the turning handles on my Felco’s too. They’s so sharp I can use them to scrape my cuttings. Lisa

Great job on the burrito method Clare!

My favorite pruning tool isn’t really made for gardening. It’s a heavy duty utility cutter, but it works great, can be used on almost anything, has easy to replace blades made in the USA, and is super strong! Craftsman Handi-Cut. Highly recommend for all sorts of cutting around the house or in the garden. I have one for home projects and one for gardening, but you could probably use just one for both.

Craftsman 9-37301 3 7/8-Inch Handi Cut https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007KHDUTE/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_qxpwAbDSX4BG7

Oh, wow! Jin, you got a great present. You must be a wonderful mom and your children *and* husband are very thoughtful. They sure did their homework about great garden gear.

Yeah, I am surprised also bec my roses are coming in Jan 19 the and this came before hand. I am so excited Bec have never ,Never went to deep into roses. I am so, so, so excited and nervous also. But I know I will learn from mistakes. I guess, I will be up watching every truck comes by in 19th. I think I know now, how most if you guys feel. Dancing with joy and sick like a dog, what a combo !

Jin

Vestfl, you are right. I just told Jeff, I need a better prunner. They have no idea of any brands. They did their homework but always teasing me of my ' weeds'. The most expensive roses...lol.

My Queen Elizabeth bloom this week which I got in November from a friend. I prune it short and lots of new red shoots but first to bloom.

Lisa, you have a rose name Elizabeth, lol

Jin

I am in the Felco camp because they are the only brand I have easily found that makes pruners for small hands. I wear kids gardening gloves because they fit my hands properly, so the smaller pruners are much easier for me to handle.

I loved my Felcos too, a valued gift from my horticulturalist sister, but I lost them, and with all the other pruners I (and DH) have mislaid, I'm reluctant to invest in good but costly tools. Our garden and woods cover a few acres, and lost tools often stay lost. Still I prune and lop thousands of roses and fallen limbs and twigs with my decent but not-the-best pruners, so it happens somehow. My favorite recently acquired tool is a Fiskars hand saw with holster. This cuts well, is so light that I wear it without noticing it, and the holster allows me to climb ladders and trees keeping my hands free. Fiskars isn't the best brand, often, though locally available, but they have some nice things. I also like their plastic trowels, they're also light, and the most indestructable trowel I've ever owned: I've had mine for several years.

P.S. Jin, that's a great gift! Congratulations!

Melissa, I am going to get a metal detector. You have lost treasure in your backyard. Melissa, I hope you will find it one day.

Boy, I will be heart broken if I lose it. I just came to know my 19 year old bought this gift. He heard me ' complaining' about how bad my other 2 prunners were....and he also got me a holster that is coming in a few days.

Jin

I only have about an acre, but it’s easy to lose lose tools here too. I use this and it helps A LOT, and also cuts time down since everything I need is in my pouch. I spin it to the side of my thigh so it doesn’t get in my way when I’m squatting down. Only about $15. :-)

Esschert Design Garden Tool Belt, Gray https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MWUGWH6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_k2FyAbFTJC52Z

That might be worth the money. Normally I rely on lots of pockets and a bucket I lug around.

Best accessory for a pruners owner is a pruner grinding stone. The ones from Felco and Bahco are pretty good..

Nik, you have a huge selection of tools. The stone will be next or maybe a saw or loppers.

Cori Ann, I love your holster ( pockets and all) . Now , I wonder when I am getting mine..still not here yet maybe tomorrow.

Jin