ARS HS-KR1000 Professional Hedge Shears

Best clippers I have ever used. Well balanced and light. Effortless cutting and thin enough blades for precision placement. Also very good for just regular hedge shaping. These garden tools are the best.

These shears are not super heavy duty. They ARE lightweight, sharp, and well-made. If you are trying to decide between these and the ARS K-800 shears https://www.amazon.com/ARS-2-Inch-Hedge-Shears-K-800/dp/B0009XAHK6/, get these. I've owned both and the ARS KR-1000 shears are better for several reasons:* Replaceable blades. Buy a spare set when you buy these so that you aren't looking for them later.* Better handle design. The K-800 shears have a plastic handle which mates up to a metal tang which only runs a short distance into the handle. Mine failed a lot sooner than it should have. In contrast, the KR-1000 handle is a continuous lightweight piece of metal which only uses plastic to reinforce the interior part of the handle.They're satisfying to use and they just work. If I was doing hedge clipping for hours a day, I'd want something electric, but for small jobs these are very nice. The resins from the hedges can gum them up. I've found that WD-40 a plastic scrubbing pad does wonders for cleaning them up when this is a problem.

I've been using the KR-1000 for over 20 years. These are truly amazing. Light weight, replaceable blades, sturdy construction that balances perfectly in your hand. The blades are like scissors and are VERY sharp, giving you a clean cut. Combined with light weight and perfect balance, they are a joy to use. And the results are quite satisfying!

Like: Really beautiful tool in looks and function. It comes with a sheath which is also really nice. It is incredibly sharp, light and easy to use. It is easy to store. Don't like: well, if it were 50% cheaper I'm sure I'd like that, but this pair of clippers is well worth it to make quick work of my vines and other shrubby growth. I do recommend taking good care of the cutting edge by cleaning and oiling (I use WD40) after each use. LOVE LOVE LOVE ARS tools. Nothing else compares to ease of use for smaller hands. I use it primarily on leafy growth and very small twiggy things, NOT anything larger than 1/8". It might handle it but its best use is to clip down hedges. Hence: hedge clipper.

These are the sharpest trimmers around. If you have fine trim work these are perfect. Like a surgeons blade. They cut such a nice clean edge. Great quality tool

I bought these to shape some boxwood shrubs. I already had an old pair of heavy steel clippers. These are by far sharper, lighter and more maneuverable. I find myself using them to dead head and shape all sorts of plants in the garden. There’s probably a reason to keep the old clippers, but I can’t think of one.

Super sharp, and cuts better than any trimmer I have owned, but I would have appreciated a longer blade length.

The only thing I do not like is the accompanying literature is in Japanese which I cannot read. I would think that I can figure out how to use a pair of hedge trimmers but, still, there might be some little nuance in the care or use of this product that could be important or useful to know. It did seem that the blades were just a little shorter than some of the shears I have used in the past. That was not an issue. The blades are long enough to do the job.My suggestion is if they are not going to print a section of the brochure in English, then have a web page where purchasers can go to read and download this information.These clippers are really sharp and they are light. My guess is the handles are made of a magnesium aluminum alloy. I thought that not having the heft of old-style trimmers might affect the way they cut. It does not. One reviewer was distressed that the blades oxidized and turned dark. At 70 years old, I am old enough to remember when most blades were not stainless steel but were carbon steel and they would darken or even rust if poorly cared for. Those of us who know blades will tell you that the quality of the steel is much more important than the type of steel. These blades are quality steel and I am impressed by the way they perform. These clippers are very well made. I like them. I am going to keep them.If you have just a little trimming to do, buy cheaper shears. If you have a moderate or somewhat larger quantity of trimming, these will do the job for you. If you have a large amount of trimming to do, get a gas-powered trimmer. I am not doing this as a business so time-saving is not a huge priority. Besides, I need the exercise. The world has gotten so lazy. I laugh at my neighbors that have 1/2 an acre of grass to mow and buy riding lawn mowers. Then think they need a gym membership to get some exercise.