FELCO Model 903 Sharpener (Diamond Steel), Grey

Product Information

Even when the blade and anvil of the pruners would get gunked up from sap, they still administered crisp and clean cuts. As New Year’s came and went, I placed my pruners and gave them a much-needed rest until spring came. As of this writing, it’s been exactly 171 days since the landscaping and gardening season officially began in Philadelphia, and I’ve put my pruners through 172 days of absolute hell. When I tested the Corona RP 3230 on berry canes, I could not get it to cut ¼-inch canes without engaging the ratchet—and in the time it took to make three ratchets, the canes were well mashed by being held under pressure against the anvil blade.The Flexrake LRB205 Ratchet Anvil Pruner did a mediocre job of cutting scallions, tearing four out of 10, and it could not cut through raspberry canes without engaging the ratchet. Felco accessories are expertly designed to enhance the efficiency and longevity of their tools. The Felco 902 sharpening stone made of high quality corundum retains its shape and easily sharpens pruning shears and cable cutters without the need to disassemble tool parts. Clean as needed by brushing with soapy water. I hope that either Burgon or Ball takes care of that soon.The Tierra Garden 35-1731 Ergo Forged Bypass Pruners don’t perform quite as well as the Tierra Pro models. The Ergo model cut scallions perfectly but tended to crush the dowels and Norway maple branches, and it required more force to close around live branches than the other Tierra models did.The Burgon & Ball RHS GTO/SC Bypass Secateur is like the Royal Horticultural Society that endorses it: respectable. If they are damp, chances are the pruners will have water vapor/water in the pivot mechanism between the blades, which is impossible to reach with a dry rag. Instead, use a lubricant to oil this area. A little squirt between the blades is all it takes. While you’re at it, give all the steel parts a light coating of lubricant.

I’m a tool-for-life guy, and the Felco pruner never let me down. Unlike many other pruner manufacturers, Felco offers a complete line of replacement parts. The Volute spring design keeps dirt and debris out and compresses more than a conventional “helix” (coil) spring Quality, quality, quality. Felco #7 is built like a fine Swiss watch. The 10.4cm handle is comfortable to hold and keeps your hand safely away from sharp edges. What I like about it: Ideal for sharpening all cutting tools including: pruning shears, loppers, cable cutters, knives and moreIn this buying guide, I review the best garden tool sharpeners in the UK, and give you a few tips on how to choose the best one for your garden tools. Features To Consider When Choosing A Garden Tool Sharpener A. Type of Sharpener

An angled cutting head reaches into tight pruning spaces. The attention to detail in the Felco pruners makes them stand out from the competition. The Felco 7 has an angled head design for reaching into tight pruning spots. The Felco #7 pruner contains a lot of metal parts. Many of them are made from high carbon steel, which rusts when exposed to moisture. Felco 903 for Dummies Easy to use abrasion that requires only slight pressure. Sliding the stone in an inward movement six to ten times achieves maximum sharpness of your tool blade It is ideal for caring for the cutting head of your pruning shears. Enhancing the quality of cuts and the life of blades guarantees optimal cutting performance The only part I’ve replaced is the Volute spring between the handles. (I hooked the original spring on a branch, and it went flying.) The original blades have never been replaced. They’ve been sharpened dozens of times and still cut like they’re brand new. Felco is a Swiss brand founded in 1945. I especially love multipurpose sharpeners with multiple sharpening surfaces to cater to different tools.Many of the “copy-cat” versions of this pruner are only available for right-handed users. Felco clearly wants to own the market for quality hand pruners. The pruner is advertised to cut almost an inch (0.98-inch). I made ¾-inch cuts in really hard mesquite wood. I easily cut softer woods up to an inch in diameter. Because diamond is very hard, diamond sharpeners last a long time without wearing. On the downside, they are the most expensive garden tool sharpeners. Underneath is a ceramic sharpener for scissors. This is also the sharpener to use for honing an already sharp knife, pair of shears or pruner. On the other side of the handle is a wide angled V sharpener for large tools like axes and hatchets. There’s also an angled carbide sharpener for secateurs and pruners.

Photo by Matt Suwak The next time you go to an arboretum, conservatory, or botanical garden, whispering “Felco F-2” might not save you the cost of admission. But it will certainly earn you a knowing nod and show of respect from anybody working there. You might not need all that the Felco F-2 can provide, but the Felco F-2 can provide for everything your garden needs. It is a bit pricey but the FELCO diamond steel sharpener has unmatched sharpening performance. Just a few swipes are enough to sharpen secateurs, pruning shears or knives. The large contoured handle provides a comfortable grip and protects your hand from sharp edges. What I like about it:

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Other pruning shears have not offered the same comfort level. A fixed bottom handle versus a rotating one isn’t bad—it just depends on the number of pruning cuts one makes in a day, week, or year. For a professional who makes a living by pruning, the rotating handle is a game-changer. The third sharpening surface is not on the stone; it’s the leather strop that’s included with the sharpener. The FELCO 904 is lightweight, with an ergonomic handle in forged aluminium with a lifetime warranty that makes it a pleasure to carry and use

Buying a sharpener for each gardening tool is expensive and inconvenient. Get a sharpener that can sharpen as many tools as possible.A versatile sharpener will have different sharpening surfaces to handle different types of blade angles, curves and shapes. It can have a flat sharpener for sharpening flat and curved blades, sharpening slots for double bevelled knives and angled sharpeners for single bevel blades on scissors and shears. Measuring 10.6cm long (without the handle), the sharpening stone is perfect for small tools like secateurs and fish hooks as well as larger tools like a camping axe or hatchet. In our tests this pair sliced through ¼-inch raspberry canes easily without ratcheting, and it ratcheted through ½-inch dowels and ¾-inch branches with no fuss and little force, but it could barely cut two out of 10 scallion samples. Ultimately, we think the flaws in the construction—riveted connections, plus an anvil-style blade that mashes green stems—overshadow the advantages of the ratcheting mechanism.The Gardener’s Friend Ratchet Hand Pruners were the easiest-cutting ratcheting pruners we tested—and the second most expensive. The SHARPAL 103N is an all-round sharpener that keeps every blade in your workshop or shed in peak cutting condition. It also works perfectly for kitchen knives.