The Forged Edge Blog

Pruning ShearsSnips
How to Use Japanese Pruning Shears and Garden Snips

How to Use Japanese Pruning Shears and Garden Snips

A good pair of shears should feel secure and balanced in the hand. When the tool, the material, and your grip are properly matched, the cut feels controlled and less effort is wasted. This guide covers two types of spring-loaded...

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Pruning ShearsSmall HandsSnips
Best Pruning Shears for Small Hands: A Practical Size and Fit Guide

Best Pruning Shears for Small Hands: A Practical Size and Fit Guide

Small hands do not always need the shortest pruning shears. A compact pair can still feel too wide, too heavy, or poorly balanced, while a slightly longer model with the right grip may feel more secure. For many gardeners with...

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AnvilBypassPruning Shears
Bypass vs. Anvil Pruners: Which Should You Choose?

Bypass vs. Anvil Pruners: Which Should You Choose?

For most everyday pruning—where access, control, and accurate cut placement matter—a bypass pruner is usually the more versatile choice. Its cutting blade passes closely beside a counter blade, making it well suited to flowers, roses, fruit trees, young shoots, and...

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Hedge Shears
What Are One-Handed Hedge Shears?

What Are One-Handed Hedge Shears?

One-handed hedge shears are finishing shears used to shape the outer surface of hedges, shrubs, and topiary. The defining feature is right in the name — you operate them with one hand. That single fact changes how you work. With...

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Floral ShearsIkebana
Japanese Ikebana & Flower Shears Explained: Warabi-te, Tsuru-te, and Multi-Purpose Pruning Shears

Japanese Ikebana & Flower Shears Explained: Warabi-te, Tsuru-te, and Multi-Purpose Pruning Shears

What Are Japanese Flower Shears — and Why Are There Two Handle Shapes? If you have ever seen a pair of Japanese flower shears for the first time, you probably noticed the handles before the blade. One type has a...

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Snips
What Are Garden Snips? Japanese Snips for Precision Pruning

What Are Garden Snips? Japanese Snips for Precision Pruning

The Tool You Reach for Most Garden snips are compact pruning shears made for the small, precise cuts that come up again and again — removing a yellowing leaf, harvesting a sprig of basil, trimming a fine shoot on a...

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Japanese forged pruning shears

Why Forged Pruning Shears Are Worth Owning

A forged pruning shear earns its place through clean cuts, beauty that emerges from function, and care that makes the tool feel more personal over time.

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Japanese garden shears by Toyama Hamono

Your First Japanese Garden Shears: Snips, Pruning Shears, or Traditional Okubo-Style

Not sure which Japanese garden shears to start with? Compare snips, pruning shears, and the traditional Okubo-style by the plants you actually cut.

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Wetting a traditional Japanese sharpening stone (whetstone).

How to Sharpen Japanese Pruning Shears — A Practical Maintenance Guide

Learn how to sharpen Japanese pruning shears the right way. Clean the inner face with an eraser, sharpen only the outer bevel, and maintain your shears without disassembly.

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