Recommendations for decent secateurs

As they say, "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery", lots of makers are copying Felco - just look at the Darlec range, several models are identical to Felco, and a fraction of the price. Whether they perform as well as Felco is an open question.

a-a

 

And very expensive if infringing a patent / design, or passing-off as likely to incur punitive damages. However, the oldest Felco's I have utilise that design & mechanism so it might be that any patent / design patent has expired. I still think there might be a case for passing-off, although I don't know if that only applies to something that might be seen to mimic a Trademark (albeit unregistered) rather than a design.

I'd still be surprised if a Big Brand Name, rather than a Cheap Chinese Imitator, would choose to do that though, as any backlash could be damaging to their image, and long lasting.

 

I have Felco No2, but
They are overpriced
Arrival of the delivery was quite disappointing, they are smaller and less robust than inticpated .
"Swiss made" or the swiss flag on items is a well-over-rated tag.
The ostensibly large ones might be useful for women or men with smaller hands.
They have aluminium handles. Thermal conductivity of aluminium is higher than that of tool steel, so in winter they will conduct heat away from already cold hands.
I'm scared to drop them as I don't know if they are die-cast (breaks easily) or fully machined.
I don't think they are quite commercial / industrial/pro grade c.f good tool steel ones despite their reputation.
Ergonomics has moved on since 1948 when the Felco 2 was designed.
The catch is quite fidlly - can't use with gloves on and it is prone to nuisance operation
I'm concerned at the size of other parts, eg the rivets and how prone they are to shearing, unless they are a sacrifial part.
I'll go with Japanese ones or Bahco next time (Bahco are quite aquisitive, so one needs to check the provenance of the design) They do buy up some of the best tool makers eg Irazola screwdrivers but they then drop the features athat made the tools the most fit-for purpose in the first place) . There aren't many toolmakers still producing in Sheffield sadly, I was looking for 1kV Elliot Lucas pliers, a trulute and a harrow the other week but it looks like I'll need to fabricate the latter two myself.
Good horticultural tools are hard to find, it's as tool manufacturers go about 80% of the way during design before saying "that'll do, get them out the door they are only for gardening".

 

Thanks Kristen, I bought these after reading your post, with postage they were £29 and mine arrived in just over a week. I LOVE them.

 

Proper tool steel tools, those.

 

Still loving my Okatsune - sharp as they day I bought them even though they've had plenty of action ...

Not so sure about the handles, I think I would prefer to have Felco-style handle shapes. In use my hand slides up the Okatsune handles; probably not if I am making a single pruning cut of a branch, particularly a large-ish one, but when using them more like sheers - e.g. cutting lavender flowering stalks (which requires simultaneous pruning of shoots back to lowest live leaf pair) my hand slides up the handles and I think there is a risk that I pinch flesh in the armpit of the lever action. That hasn't happened yet, but I find myself consciously avoiding it.

I read the Pros saying they find the Okatsune trying on their hands (in prolonged use).

Still love the sound of the cutting action.

 

Can't speak for the new ones, but I've had my Felco's for 30 years and have not looked after them lovingly at all ... they are still in very good condition. Not sure I've used them to open a can of paint (but I might have!), but they've been abused along the lines of "I've got a hammer, now all my problems are nails"

 

Think I'm going to HAVE to 'go to check out'



Update...Got 'um....arrived in 3 days....I think my garden is scared of me now anything that can be pruned is being pruned.They're great to use