Review on 🌿 OARA Garden Hedge Shears: Ideal Trimming Tool for Borders, Boxwood, and Bushes - Comfort Grip Handles, 21 Inch Carbon Steel Bush Cutter by Brian Manfre

Before the advent of barbed wire to enclose livestock, thick and strong hedges were bred. I have one and need to trim 1000 square feet. The electric trimmer makes the hedge a little higher each time. It would end up requiring some serious trimming with scissors and secateurs. On this hedge, the scissors were tiring and the punches put a lot of pressure on my wrists. Both of my two brands of shears were not designed to be taken apart. Sharpening was a problem. They were a little dull when sharpened because the bevel on the edge was about 60 degrees. Scissors are often designed to withstand damage. I ordered OARA because the blades are made of 65MN steel. Kershaw switched to this steel for its expensive Camp 10 and Camp 14 knives. Owners of expensive knives praise the sharpness and durability of the blades. Camellias should only be pruned once a year, which means the annual growth is pruned. When OARA arrived my two camellias were ready. Unlike other scissors, OARA has no teeth and no notch near the hinge. The edges are sharp enough to bite the wood before it slips off. Near the hinge, they cut 1/2 inch diameter wood. They cut 1/4" of material near the tips. This gives me great coverage. (Cutting power depends on the hardness of the wood.) I took the photo after trimming the second camellia sharply. It worked surprisingly quick and easy. Some sections were over 1/2" thick. A bunch of cuttings was 10 bushels. Then I ran the back of my fingernail along the edges of the blade in various places. They were still strong enough to bite. I did decided to sharpen them anyway because when I draw a bevel with a marker, sharpening shows me the angle. In addition, sharpening can improve the factory edge. A flat sharpener would damage the serrated edge. My Dremel sharpener has round blades, but touching the blade with a 30,000rpm blade could ruin the tuning. My DMT kit includes a round diamond honing tool. The scissors were disassembled using two 17mm wrenches. On on the lower (unpainted) blade I adjusted the bevel by setting the DMT jig as high as possible. The trigger function calculator told me it was 35 degrees. It is similar to a chef's knife, usually sharpened at an angle of 17 degrees on each side. The sharpening angle of the other blade varied from 40 to 45 degrees. I wonder if it was hand sharpened at the factory? A few weeks ago I cut a cattle hedge and it had to be cut again. OARA weren't as fast as electric trimmers, but they worked better. They were a lot less labor intensive than my other shears. I don't think my little DMT round grinder is up to the job of something that big. I was so impressed with the scissors that I bought a Smith diamond bur, which looks like a large file with rounded surfaces. Maintenance consists of unscrewing the hinge, cleaning the blades, painting the edges with a permanent marker so the shiny metal is visible when my grinder is on the bevel, and stroking the grindstone a few times. This alloy rusts easily, but that shouldn't be a problem. To reduce the juice sticking, I keep an oily cotton swab in a sandwich bag to clean the blades of my cutters. If I wipe the blade one more time before putting the tool away, it's probably rust-free.