My wife said I needed to trim some low-hanging tree branches, so I got out my almost-new titanium-bladed Fiskars bypass lopper, and started trimming. One branch was pretty thick, but I could get it into the lopper by opening it all the way. I was struggling to cut through the branch, so I thought to myself “I work out every day, I should be able to do this,” and I concentrated and gave a mighty squeeze - and sheared the pivot pin right off.
I need to call Fiskars on Monday and see if it’s a replaceable part…
Seriously those were cheap Chinese-made lopping shears.
And I am no landscaping expert but I do know that lopping shears have a proper technique to use, not exceeding the capacity, making sure the cutting edge is on the top, pointing it away from the trunk rather than towards, being sure to not twist as cutting … doing it wrong spreads the blades apart and puts a bunch of leveraged force at the pivot pin.
Other downsides: clothes don’t fit. If you have a 17 1/2 inch neck, shirt manufacturers do not expect a 35 inch waist. I have to be careful shaking hands with old people especially, so I don’t grip too hard. And the Lovely and Talented Mrs. Shodan has been known to complain that at Certain Moments, what is intended as an affectionate embrace could crack the ribs of a grizzly bear.
I have a pair with extendable handles, they give more leverage in those difficult cuts. Mostly though I use them so I don’t get lacerated when trimming the huge sprouts that come out of our bougainvillea.
As a runner, perhaps the most annoying downside is that it teaches your body how to sweat profusely. Even if it’s comfortable inside and you are at your desk at work, your well-honed sweat glands may think it’s time to amp things up for that long run.
OTOH, the more I exercise the less any given level of sweat stinks.
Lay off workouts for a couple months and the slightest sweat will chase buzzards off last week’s roadkill. Work out daily and the buzzards are much happier. So are nearby womenfolks.
First off - yes, you are a big, burly he-man, capable of bending iron with your bare hands!
Gotta observe, tho, that this scrawny old man has managed to destroy all manner of yard tools by pushing them to (or past) their intended limits. I have one really tough pair of Fiskars loppers which I have not (yet) managed to break, however. Couldn’t open your link, but mine is geared, so you can keep taking a new bite at a troublesome branch.
Can’t guess how many Craftsman shovels I had replaced, simply because I would use them to try to pry our some stump or rock, snapping the handle! :smack:
I’ve had a couple of those, but always find it difficult to get the angle right so that you get on top of the branch and the cut does not pinch as you saw. But I respect my incompetence too much to mess with a chainsaw.
