Put some Felco 2's on order today found them online for under $45. I checked out the ARS but couldn't beat the price and like the idea of Felco continuing to keep making the #2. Thanks for all of the advise.

I prefer ARS products with their harder steel. They cut better.

I would go with the F2. It's the standard in every nursery and exhibition garden I've been in. I always look to see what is being used for pruners and loppers. I went with the F8, the ergonomically designed version of the F2.

While I like the idea of the screw mounted blades, experience has shown me that even with thread locker, a screw or both will loosen to the point of inoperation or even pop out. The rivets will be a pain to remove when the time comes but it's easy to do with basic hand tools. They will never come out till I am ready to take them out.

I've used quite a few different pruners. What seems to always ruin them for me is when I try to cut too big of stock w/ the pruners. For some reason they tend not to cut quite right after that (I know you aren't supposed to cut over-sized stock, but I get in a hurry)

I've been using ARS as the ones most forgiving of cutting over-sized stock. Last year I got a pair of Felco pruners for Xmas. In my opinion they are no better than Corona pruners available at big box stores.

ARS was supposed to be discontinuing the pruners I've been using (there was a thread about it on Gardenweb) so I ordered two pair. Then a few months later I thought I ought to order a couple more pair and I still didn't have any trouble finding them.

ARS are the best pruners I've used so far.

Felco pruners bend and don't break because of being softer steel than ARS. They are fine pruners and are wonderfully engineered, but for a serious gardener, harder steel has its advantages, probably including the reduced likelihood of bending the blades when inadvertently twisting them during large diametered cuts.

If you don't sharpen tools you are better off with a Felco because you can easily and inexpensively replace the cutting blade when they become dull (or twisted, for that matter). ARS blades need much less frequent sharpening, however. There blades come with blade and hook as parts and are almost as expensive as a new tool.

I prune fruit trees all day long for about 7 months of the year and have tried all the major manufacturers of pruning shears. Rotating handles do not noticeably decrease stress in my wrists and they offer a decrease in cutting leverage, IMO. Plus they are bulkier and a bit heavier.

The pruner Olpea speaks of is the ARS VS series (I don't know if VS stands for very sharp, but it could). They come in S, M and L size so you can have the right fit for your hand. I have recommended them to customers who are serious hobbyist gardeners and they've always gone on to use them as their pruner, giving up on Felco. But that could be partially due to my force of personality.

ARS has stopped manufacturing them, but from Olpea's comment are apparently still available. I expect they will not be for very long. I don't know if their replacement is as good- I stocked up on VS 7's and 8's (small and medium) and will not need to buy any new pruners for 3 or 4 years.

I think the VS is for the V-spring design for the return.I'd probably get a pair,but I just bought a Felco 9.I'll try ARS next.It'd be nice if they make a left hand model,not a big deal though. Brady

I'm left handed and saw more with my left hand and prune more with my right, but switch hands whenever it's the least big convenient. I agree that it would be nice if they made a left hand version, even though I don't need it, but then they'd need to make 6 separate models if they maintained their selection of size for both. Be pretty tough to control inventory.