Best anvil pruners?

[Rhiannon Pendragon]

What are the best and most sturdy anvil style ratchet pruners for a reasonable price?

[beecrofter]

I sharpen tools for a living and see quite a few pruning tools and I can't recall ever seeing a ratchetting set I liked. Buy a small set of lopping shears or use a saw.

[Kay Lancaster]

It's sort of like the old programming motto: "Cheap, fast, right. Pick two."

I don't care for the quality of cut that you get with anvil pruners, unless you're just using them for cutting downed wood for disposal. If you're going to be pruning with them, I really think your plants will be better off with bypass pruners or a saw, depending on the size of the wood.

That said, I've got an Ames ratcheting anvil lopper that handles

2" oak pretty easily that I think I paid about $25-30 for, and seems to be holding up well. Definitely first cousin to a bolt-cutter. It's gotten me through about 10 years of windstorm cleanup. But for live stuff (or stuff I'm not clearing out), I'm a Felco #2 user.

Kay