Fiskars 9In Carbon Steel Blade Hedge Shear With Aluminum Handle, Orange

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I have gone through several pairs of hedge shears through many decades of home ownership, but I have never seen a pair of hedge shears that come even close to the Fiskars Pro Hedge Shears! Many companies routinely use the word “Pro” to give the illusion of having a superior product. However, these Fiskars Pro Hedge Shears really are a professional grade, industrial grade tool. They are absolutely incredible! The Fiskars Pro Hedge Shears are absolutely the finest pair of hedge shears I have ever seen. They are extremely well designed and well made. They are built “like a tank”, and genuinely appear that they will last forever. The Fiskars Pro Hedge Shears have an overall length of 28.5”, which is longer than many other hedge shears. The replaceable blades have an effective cutting length of 9”. The handles measure 17” of exposed length, and 19” to the hinge. The orange, rubberized cushion grips cover 13” of the 17” handles. The exceptionally long overall length of the Fiskars Pro Hedge Shears of course resides predominantly in the handles. This is very beneficial when using the shears as it affords an extra-long reach which means less strain and less leaning into hedges while trimming the tops. It also provides much greater leverage, which results in greater cutting force and much easier and faster cutting. The balance of the Fiskars Pro Hedge Shears is also resultantly excellent. The handles of the Fiskars Pro Hedge Shears are fabricated of extruded aluminum tube, with a gray anodized finish. Based on the weight and rigidity of the tool, it is reasonable to surmise that the aluminum handles are a thick-walled extrusion. The handgrip portion of the handles are covered in thick, orange rubber overwrap grips, which are both contoured and textured for an excellent, reliable grip, even with sweaty or wet hands. The thickness and resilient composition of the grips also provides a very welcome cushion for the hands while cutting. The rubberized grips are attached to the extruded aluminum tubing with a large rivet at each end. The aluminum handles are attached with large rivets to a thick, anodized finish, cast aluminum compound hinge mechanism. The cast aluminum hinge mechanism includes a heavy-duty shock-bumper to absorb the impact when the shear handles are brought together during each cutting action. This shock absorber is the most robust and effective shock absorber I have ever seen on any pair of hedge shears, and it really performs well while using the shears. The level of perceived impact and recoil on the arms is significantly reduced by this very effective shock absorber, and it makes using the Fiskars Pro Hedge Shears far less straining on the arms, elbows and shoulders. The combined effect of the superior shock absorber and the thick, cushioned grips results in the Fiskars Pro Hedge Shears being the most comfortable hedge shears that I have every used. The hinge itself appears to have a precision machined, hex-head shoulder bolt which is also fitted with an orange synthetic grommet at the nut. The hinge operation is extremely smooth and precise. There is absolutely no looseness, or “play” in the hinge. Based on the precision, high-quality construction of the hinge section, it does not appear likely that it will ever develop any play, or wobble or shifting. The Fiskars Pro Hedge shears really function like a very high quality, very well designed precision instrument. The final hardware element is of course the pair of blades which comprise the business-end of the Fiskars Pro Hedge Shears. The blades appear to be precision ground, and are manufactured of thick, high-carbon steel, which means that not only are they very strong and durable, but that they also can be re-sharpened and that they will retain the sharp cutting edge and angle for a long period of time before requiring re-sharpening. I have sharpened hedge shears with a bench grinder in the past, but based on the quality and precision of these blades, my current intention is to sharpen them with whetstones, just as I do for all of my high-quality cutting tools, including kitchen knives. The top blade has a smooth, non-serrated cutting edge, and a darker finish than the bottom blade. The bottom blade has a serrated cutting edge and brighter finish. Both blades have a non-stick finish that has proven to be very beneficial. Firstly, the non-stick finish reduces friction between the blades, resulting in dramatically improved smoothness of operation, which translates into much easier cutting with less manual force being required. The second material benefit is that the blades easily wipe clean, similar to a non-stick cooking pan. After cutting very sappy hedges which coat the blades with sticky sap along with the other organic matter from the hedge, the blades cleaned off easily and completely with just a very quick wipe of an oiled rag. These are the only hedge shear blades that I have used that have ever cleaned up in that manner. Being able to clean all of the detritus off the blades easily and completely after each use, and the non-stick coating in and of itself, indicates to me that these blades will not be nearly as likely to show corrosion as compared to typical hedge shear blades (which always seem to become a corroded mess which then become more difficult to operate due to the friction created by the surface corrosion). The combination of heavy, thick blades with precision ground cutting edges, coupled with a friction reducing and corrosion resistant non-stick surface, results in the fastest and easiest cutting that can be achieved with manual hedge shears. The Fiskars Pro Hedge Shear blades are truly superior to any hedge shear blades that I have used. However, in the event that the blades ultimately need to be replaced due to wear or damage, they are replaceable, and the OEM, direct replacement pair of precision blades is offered by Fiskars. I am incredibly impressed by the Fiskars Pro Hedge Shears! They are truly superior to other hedge shears that I have seen or used. Unlike most typical hedge shears which are just a crude tool, the Fiskars Pro Hedge Shears are precision instruments by comparison. They are extremely well-built, heavy-duty and well-designed. The extremely heavy-duty materials and construction result in the Fiskars Pro Hedge Shears being heavier in weight than other hedge shears that I have used. The cutting force and speed of these sheers is superior to other shears. They are the smoothest operating and most efficient shears I have used. I genuinely believe that the Fiskars Pro Hedge Shears will be the last pair of hedge shears that I will ever need to acquire. A well-made tool is a pleasure to use!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] These clippers are made so well made, I just love them! I have a large yard with plenty of trimming to do mainly decorative bushes that require frequent clipping. The clippers handle well and make my trimming chores a breeze!