I’ve used Corona No. 89 pruners extensively about 30 years. A few days ago, I discovered that the lock nut had come off the screw through the lower jaw. The screw had loosened, allowing the jaw to bend and the blade to chew away one side of the brass anvil. A 10-32 nut fixed the problem, but I didn’t know how dependable they would be with the anvil chewed down. The modern equivalent seems to be the AP 3110. Some reviewers say the quality isn’t what it used to be. Maybe that reflects an occasional production glitch, but I decided to buy the Fiskars 9115. I tried them on a pile of limbs. When open, the handles were slightly farther apart than the Coronas. I would hold them near the fulcrum, squeezing with my first two fingers. That required more force. For a tough cut, I’d gain leverage by sliding my hand away from the fulcrum. The handles aren’t as broad as the Coronas. The base of the thumb pushes the upper handle. Because the handle was narrower, there was more pressure at that point. It hurt. The rubber on the handles has a rough, nonslip surface. Why? When you squeeze pruners, the force is perpendicular to the surface. As you close your grip, the skin on your fingers has to slide a little across the handle. With the nonslip rubber, the necessary sliding yanked my skin each time I cut. It hurt. The Coronas, on the other hand, have a smooth latex surface that feels waxy. I seemed to be making 50 cuts a minute. The Coronas were near. I was sure the Fiskars would cause blisters and a badly bruised thumb, but, to give them a fair test, I stayed with them. The task took about an hour. I put the pruners down several times to bring another limb from a few feet away or to make a bigger cut with loppers, so I guess I made about 2,000 cuts with the Fiskars. That’s the way I’ve used my Coronas, perhaps a million cuts a year. They’ve always been kind to my hands. To be fair, I was able to complete the task with the Fiskars, and no blisters or sore spots resulted. However, two days later, my hand was still swollen. I tried the Fiskars on a smaller task, perhaps a hundred cuts. I didn’t like them any better. It looks as if Fiskars has paid no attention to ergonomics. Update: A few days later, I tried them again. My hands were a little oily from washing a greasy pan. The pruners felt so much better that I put motor oil on the handles. What a difference! My hands didn’t slip along the handles, which would have been bad, but they slipped freely across the handles. Besides preventing the painful tugging of my skin, it allowed the base of my thumb to slide into a more comfortable position. I had to wipe my hand when I was through. I’m sure I can find a lubricant that won’t get my hand so oily. I still prefer the handles of the Coronas.
