This tool did a fine job of taking care of scrubby Russian olive bushes forever lurking along the roadside in front of my house, and was excellent when I used it like a British "slasher" tool to trim up my hedges and the tree branches overhanging my driveway. Poplar, beech, ironwood, hickory, oak, all of it cut through cleanly and neatly, up to 1cm or so in diameter, and I only touched up the edge once in the hour or so I spent pruning.

The edge on this tool is worth a word or two. First off, it is quite sharp upon arrival, but like all edged tools, you'll want to hone it a bit to really make it razor sharp and ready to work for you. I was struck by the bevel on this tool: it's nearly flat on one side and well beveled on the other (about 20 degrees). At first I thought, Pfft, I'll have to fix that and put a proper double bevel on it. I'm glad I decided to hone it and try it as is, though. The single bevel creates just enough friction to grab branches and keep them on the blade to be cut. (Tip, keep the bevel facing the branch tip end of the branch.)

This is a versatile tool of surprising quality for the price. I'm very pleased.

Great Quality item. This is my go to tool for removing thorn bushes and small trees. The metal is excellent. Retains a sharp edge no matter what I chop with it.