Trim Fast Precision Pruner and Scissor Sharpener | Ceramic Inserts

Inside the Precision Pruner and Scissor Sharpener

Ceramic stone inserts do the cutting work here, held at a fixed angle inside a hand-sized body. Ceramic is harder than the stainless most pruner blades are made from. It takes metal off without loading up the way a steel file does. A few strokes through the slot is the whole operation. The grip is moulded rubber and ambidextrous, so it behaves the same in either hand. Underneath sits a non-slip base, which lets you rest it on a bench and draw the blade through with both hands on the tool. A second slot on the body is an all-purpose knife hone, built into the same casting. It fits the Precision Pruner family, covering HGPP400, HGPP400C, HGPP400T, HGPP400CT, HGBS400 and HGBS600. It also handles similarly sized pruners and trim snips from other makers. Bypass pruners are the exception, since a curved bypass blade cannot seat flat in a fixed slot. The whole tool ships at 0.24 lb, light enough to live in a trim bin or an apron pocket. Part number is HGPSHARP, with UPC 638104020961 and GTIN-14 10638104020968.

Using a Pruner Blade Sharpener on Trim Scissors

A pruner blade sharpener earns its keep in the middle of a long trim session rather than at the end of one. Clean the blades first with alcohol, dry them, and only then take them to the stone. Running an edge through ceramic while it is still coated in sticky residue polishes the residue and leaves the steel where it was. Work the stroke in one direction, from the pivot out toward the tip, and keep the pressure light. Light and repeated beats hard and few on a thin blade, because heat is what pulls the temper out of an edge. Three or four passes is usually enough on a blade that has only gone soft. A blade with a visible nick wants more passes than that. Scissors get done one half at a time, with the cutting bevel presented to the stone and the flat back left alone. Rounding off that flat back is the quickest way to spoil a pair of shears. A pass every couple of hours through a harvest day keeps the cut clean. A clean cut crushes less tissue at the stem, which matters when the same plant goes back under lights. Wipe the slot out when it starts to look grey, since packed swarf stops the ceramic biting.

Key Features

• Ceramic stone inserts: Harder than stainless blade steel and they do not load up.
• Fixed sharpening angle: The slot holds the bevel so the hand does not have to.
• Non-slip base: Sits on a bench so both hands stay on the tool.
• Ambidextrous rubber grip: Moulded to work the same way in either hand.
• Built-in knife hone: A second slot takes kitchen and utility blades.
• Fits the Precision Pruner family: HGPP400, HGPP400C, HGPP400T, HGPP400CT, HGBS400 and HGBS600.
• Pocket weight: At 0.24 lb it rides in a trim apron or a tool bin.

Technical Specifications