DH just got back from a trip to the hardware store and look at the nice new toy he got for me! (It's the one in the middle.) Doesn't look like much compared to my old cutters, but see how much better it fits my somewhat small hands.

Very nice. Looks like a neat latch assembly on it.

It won't cut anything very big; the label says up to 1/4 inch, but it will certainly be nice for deadheading and snipping flowers for bouquets.

What a thoughtful husband!

He's a sweetie, always bringing home little goodies he thinks I might like.

Please forgive the presumption, but it looks like the older pruners could be rejuvenated significantly with some fine sandpaper, or Comet cleanser followed by a sharpening stone on the edges.

f you don't have a sharpening stone, you can glue fine sandpaper (400, 600 or 800 grit) to a wood block or tile or anything flat and stiff. Basically, make your own fine-grit Emory board.

You might not be able to get a flat sharpening stone onto both edges of the inward-curved jaw. Wrapping fine sandpaper around a finger and stroking very gently can sharpen an inner curve (or amputate the finger - YMMV).

Now, Rick, you aren't supposed to notice that those poor older pruners have been left out in the weather and neglected. They've been sitting out on the front porch for DH to hack off chunks of our aggressive climbing rose when it tries to attack him. They actually work quite well, tho. It's just that the spread on the handles is a bit beyond my comfortable reach.

Mea culpa!

A corroding edge may give your DH a "serrated" edge to work with. But he coulkd duplicate that by finishing the sharpening process with a coarse stone.

I know I have a strong tendency to look for ways to make a process more complex. "They already work quite well" makes sense to most gardeners, but I have a knife-sharpening fetish.

(I shouldn't talk, however! I have hoes and shovels that need sandpaper, a file and some oil.)

Oh Rick - you are right - nothing beats a precision sharp knife, cutter, scissor, shovel, [brain]

This URL may make you drool. I have bought quite a lot of things from them, and they are all great! Found it by accident.

https://www.gardentoolcompany....