gray_roberts•2d agoProlific Poster

That $150 'professional' pruning shears I bought from an online ad were junk

I saw this ad on Instagram for some fancy Japanese pruners that claimed to cut through branches like butter... waited 3 weeks for them to ship from overseas. First time I used them on a 1 inch branch in my backyard in Austin, the blade chipped. Tried to get a refund but the company ghosted me. Anyone else fall for those slick tool ads on social media?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamie7942d ago

I actually read a blog post from a gardener who tested a bunch of those Instagram pruners and said most of them are just rebranded cheap Chinese tools with fancy packaging. The metal was so soft it bent on a twig, not even a branch. Seems like the whole "Japanese artisan" thing is just a marketing gimmick for most of those ads.

miles5811d ago

That blog post nails it. I've seen the same thing testing a few of those "high end" pruners from Instagram. The metal is so soft it feels like they used recycled soda cans. A buddy in my woodworking group bought a pair that claimed to be hand forged in some small Japanese village. The handle snapped clean off on a 2 inch pecan branch. He took a magnet to the blade and it barely stuck, which tells you the steel quality is basically junk. Your mileage may vary but I stick to the big brand names now or just go to a local hardware store where I can actually hold the thing before buying. Those online ads sure know how to make cheap tools look like treasures though.