Cheap Two-piece Bypass Secateurs

I am starting this thread for no reason other than to satisfy my own curiosity regarding cheap two-piece bypass secateurs, to see whether or not they are any good.

I will define a pair of secateurs as belonging to the two-piece design if the two blades are directly attached together by the pivot pin or bolt.

So, the Felco Model 2, with its replaceable blades, would not qualify because the pivot bolt passes through a sandwich of aluminium handles and steel blades, ie the blades are not directly attached by the pivot bolt.






I will define cheap as being a fiver or under.

Feel free to pitch in with your own review of cheap two-piece bypass secateurs.

Remember, if you can't show a video or pictures of it then it doesn't exist, so be sure to include plenty of them.

 

Red Plum 8 (RP8) Bypass Secateurs





Price: £2.99 including delivery from aliexpress.

Metrics: 208 x 55 x 22mm (LxWxD)
Blade thickness: 2.5mm Upper, 3.2mm Lower
Jaw capacity: 25mm (approx)
Weight: 170g


This is a cheap Chinese copy of the original high quality Japanese Okatsune model 103B/104B.


Some comparisons against my Hidehisa YP200:














Daylight between the blades.

 

Cutting Test.



14mm diameter London Plane sapling, 20mm HDPE water tubing and 17mm OD hose.







Rapid fire snipping cuts.








Alternating between secateurs to cut off approx 8mm segments of dried, very hard 13mm London Plane tree branch.
















As you can see, the messy cuts are due to the daylight gap between the blades on the RP8. Coupled with the thin upper blade, the gap also exacerbates the tendency for them to splay apart so that bits of material get wedged in between.

The damage to the blades indicate plain steel (not hardened and tempered) was used in their construction.

The handles are strong enough and suprisingly very ergonomic.

In use, the plastic catch has a tendency to flip down and lock the handles upon completing a cut. On the YP200, the catch is made of metal and there is a cantilever spring to keep it open.

Overall, as-is, the RP8 is a poor tool, however, I can't help thinking that it has potential as it can be taken apart and modified to improve it.