Corona 26-inch Bypass Ratchet Lopper RL 3560

This lopper is fine for occasional use where you are not likely to use it at it''s limit. The design relies upon a steel ratchet mechanism that is made from steel that is not meant for heavy work. Mine broke. I have a Corona lopper which is made for professional use and it has survived decades of brutal use. They can make impressive tools, but this one is limited.

"Be still my heart--the perfect gift for the pruning female in your life." I told that to my dad when he asked how I liked my new lopper, and he immediately decided to buy one for my mom (age 65) for Mother's Day. She's excited about getting one after trying mine out (though do make sure your female likes tools as gifts before presenting this as a gift.)I have a small orchard and lots of berry bushes and vines. They're getting old enough that the branches/canes/vines are thick enough to make cutting them difficult. It takes some full-body involvement to get enough force. I began to think this was potentially dangerous (beyond the bruises it created), so I wanted a better tool. So I bought this lopper.It looks like it's built to last. It cuts cleanly and easily. 1" branches were no effort to cut. The lopper is light and you don't need to open the handles wide to use it, so I can use it everywhere I need it. The rachet action just happens as you use it. I could make a smooth, single cut on the small branches, and the rachet action engaged automatically when the cut slowed (I'd paused in pushing when I felt resistance) and then it was easy to finish. The bottom part of the cutting blade has waves (rather than a smooth edge) to hold the branch in place as you cut.After using it for an hour, I got my mom to try it out on a thick 1" branch. She was amazed, tried it a few more times, and decided it would be worth every cent and now she's getting one. We're generally not impulsive buyers--it's just that much better than what we'd been using. When you spend hours pruning in the spring and fall, it's well worth the money to get a good tool like this.

I bought a set of Coronas because I thought they'd be of decent quality. Sometimes I see t.v. guys using them (although I'm sure they're given all of that gear.) And they are. They're well built and the ratchet works without me having to fiddle with it.However, the blade doesn't hold up well. After lopping a whole bunch of those whippy 3/4 inch crepe myrtle limbs and several 1&1/2 inch ones I noticed it not working as easily. I looked at the blade and the edge was wearing back. Not just getting dull, which is to be expected. The blade edge actually wore back and developed a recess in the deeper part of it's curve.They're still cutting and I'm not sending them back. But they require more and more effort as the blade wears away.I have no idea how long such a blade should last. All summer seems reasonable. This blade may not make it that long.

Ratchet works best on medium sized branches. Seemed more of a pain when pushing its limits. Smaller than I expected, but I suppose that is on me. If you want to cut larger branches w/ ease... get something bigger. Granted I often tackle branches that most folks would break out a chainsaw on.

When buying items on Amazon, buyers should always read the reviews that are the lowest rated. Sometimes it may seem like sour grapes, but for every item that I've experienced problems with, other folks had the exact same problem.The problem with this item is that the pin that controls the movement of the blade is made of cheap, very weak metal. Within the first hour of use this pin had fallen out into the brush. When I found it, the smooth part of the pin had some grooves in it and the threads at the end were stripped. I replaced it with a threaded bolt, which eventually sheared off, then a nail which also eventually sheared off.What finally seems to have worked is to replace the pin with a small section of a 3/16" steel rod bent into a "U " shape. The hardware store sells 3 foot long steel rods in the welding section (don't get the plated stuff, the un-plated hard rolled steel is stronger).My recommendation, take a good look (or take a photo) of the pin that holds the blade to armature so you'll know what to replace if this happens to you.

I have ten fruit trees, three giant non-fruit trees, and innumerable shrubs, so my loppers are always busy. I received these as a gift to replace a wood-handled, lower-tech pair that lasted 2.5 years. I was disappointed because I would have preferred a pair exactly like the old ones and was unconvinced either of the ratcheting technology of these or the plastic/metal build. The ratcheting system did work pretty well, cutting more easily than expected, but they didn't make as clean cuts and that was my biggest complaint with these. After 1.5 years the bolt within the ratcheting device failed, I jury rigged it with another screw but that didn't last. I'm going back to the old model I had with wood handles, scimitar-shaped blade and crescent-shaped bypass. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004R9Y4/ref=pd_sbs_86_43?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=HR73FFAGXC96EVYQ1P97

Works great. Wish OI would have bought the longer handles.

Works great for what I need.