I took my Corona pruners back to Home Depot, got a full refund, and
ordered a pair of Felco F2 pruners ($35 delivered from Amazon.) Thanks
to all for the suggestions, and I agree, "Life is too short for cheap
tools."

On Sun, 12 Mar 2006 17:18:09 GMT, 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