Spear & Jackson 6358RS Razorsharp Ratchet Anvil Pruners / Pruning Shears with Loop Handle. Clean & Easy Cutting. Cuts Thick Branches

These ratchet pruners may be a little less convenient than their one stage counterparts but they more than make up for it in cutting power. If the first squeeze doesn't cut all the way through, allow the handles to open a bit and you have new leverage. This can be done over and over again until the you cut all the way through.The locking lever is placed conveniently and works well. The farther handle rotates to help with the best grip. If you only need a certain level of power, ordinary, one stage pruners are more convenient. But for more versatility and the occasional thick limb, these ratchet pruners are just the ticket.They're a little on the pricey side but if you need them, they're worth the money.

Prune trees & dead limbs.

I wanted to buy a cheaper copy of the popular Swiss Felco pruners because I can't rationalize spending more than $50 for a pruner since I don't own a vineyard nor do I have 5 wooded acres of land to take care of. I also don't want to buy any of the Fiskars pruners, that maybe at some point stood for quality, today the Fiskars brand(in hand tools) just sells several dozen similar cheap looking disposable "consumer products" at different price ranges. That is not what I was looking for. I was looking for:a. A pruner with available replacement parts(that I can replace myself without making a warranty claim). Replacement parts allow for long term use of 10 or more years(like Felco pruners) and reduce waste.b. A cutting capacity of up to 1 inch.c. A pruner with few if any plastic parts(that break easily).I chose 2 pruners from different companies: the Barnel B300 and the Spear & Jackson W201.Both pruners arrived lubricated and ready to use. The Spear and Jackson W201(or 6259BS) pruner(called "secateur" in western Europe) is made by this English company in the UK(that's what it says on the package) and obviously the design is inspired by Felco's pruners but it does not copy any specific model(and has a unique handle design). It costs less than half of what an average Felco pruner costs so obviously is cheaper but does not feel cheap. Like the Barnel B300(which I already reviewed) it has a 2 position locking mechanism and I don't see a good reason to keep it half open.The most important part is performance. I only used it several times to test it against the Barnel B300(see review of this pruner for more photos).1. The locking mechanism on this pruner is superior to the Felco style locking mechanism used on the Barnel B300. It has a square end that fits into the edge of the bolt and locks tightly. The Felco style locking mechanism is a triangular end that relies on friction to hold onto the edge of the bolt and can sometimes slip(with the force of the spring) without locking. The lever is also larger and easier to move with a finger. The bolt and locking mechanism are made of steel.2. I never had any issues with blades sticking together like some reviewers report with other pruners. The upper blade has a black PTFE coating and this may help with reducing friction.3. Claimed cutting capacity is 15mm(around 5/8 of an inch), but I cut even thicker tree branches and dry rose bush stems with both hands so it is capable of more(probably up to an inch[25mm]). The cuts were quick and clean and it seemed to cut better than the Barnel B300 when both are brand new(the Barnel blade does not have a black coating). The upper blade can be sharpened with a purpose built sharpener. The lower blade/anvil looks like coated steel(iron??) and has a groove for sap in the back, the lower blade is thinner than on the Barnel B300(Felco F-2). Spear & Jackson do not offer replacement parts for this pruner but the Zenport Z201 pruner seems to be based on this pruner and they offer replacement upper blades and springs(search for "Zenport Z201 replacement blade"). The spring is an expanding sheet metal type also used on Felco pruners.4. The upper handle is made of (a light but easily scratched metal) aluminum(which most of the pruner is made of) covered in rubber and is shaped for use in both hands(unlike Felco style pruners which are designed for use in a specific hand). Although ideally this pruner cuts best in a right hand in my opinion. The lower handle is plastic covered in rubber and is screwed onto an internal mechanism that rotates(twists), this is the only part of the pruner that may fail prematurely. The twisting handle is really the only problematic part of this pruner, as another person who held it complained that she did not feel she could hold it "securely" as it rotated(too much) when she grabbed it or pressed down on the upper handle. This was not a noticeable problem for me when I hold it in my "L"(large man's) hand. The ergonomics of this Spear and Jackson pruner feel superior to the Barnel(Felco style) pruner as the handle cover is not glossy and is softer.Overall around 3.8 stars. There is really no way to control the "twisting" handle and this may cause problems if it malfunctions. Because of this I ordered the Spear & Jackson W200(which is a clone of the Felco F-2 like the Barnel B300) and may return the W201.

Razor sharp makes trimming a breeze. Everyone in the family likes them!

Loved them.

Work so great! Cut well and easily! Fit in your hand perfectly!

I carry this light, hand-held ratchet pruner with me as I work to “push the jungle back” on my property. It’s handy for pruning or removing branches or fast-growing brush of all kinds, from privet to sumac, wild grape to unwanted volunteer trees.The frustrating flaw is that it is not entirely reliable, costing me wasted effort. The ratchet mechanism sometimes does not engage; if it doesn’t, my three squeezes on the handle accomplish nothing. The blade generally will not cut at all if the ratchet doesn’t engage. That happens too often, causing lost effort in awkward places to reach.If that were not true, this would be my favorite tool for the work. It is lightweight and holds a sharp edge. When the ratchet works as it should, it saves me a lot of effort.I don’t know whether there are more trusty hand tools like this. If there are, based on my experience with this one example of the tool, I’d say go for one of them instead of this one.But I like what this one does 80 percent of the time. I’d buy it again unless there’s something a bit more reliable around.

As expected. Ratchet is useful.