My wife got me a pair of Felco's for Christmas, and they are the best I
have ever seen (I was out in the snow testing them). I think you could
cut hair with them, too. They're Swiss, and I have yet to see a Swiss
tool that isn't really well made.

Phisherman wrote:
I bought a pair of Corona Professional Bypass Pruner (BP6190). They
are forged, heat-treated, cushioned grips, 1" cutting capacity, and a
shock absorbing bumper. Out of the box, I started trimming my sage
bush, removing all the dead branches. These pruners locked up. The
cutting edge curled over preventing the pruners to close. I sanded
the edge, and continued pruning. Same thing happens. My guess is
these have not been heat-treated. These are going to be returned to
Lowes and I'm getting my $25 back. Figures, these are made in Taiwan.
Any recommendations for good by-pass pruners? I think I prefer "Made
in USA," under $30 if possible. TIA