When I first saw the Corona FlexDIAL with ComfortGEL Grips Bypass Pruner I thought of the famous Star Trek line, “Beam me up Scotty”. It was like the pruner said, “Dial me up Jack”. Turning the dial makes an adjustable grip possible.

What Does the Adjustable FlexDIAL Do?

The purpose of the FlexDIAL is to provide an adjustable grip for different size hands. The 1 position on the dial is for the smaller hands. For larger (XL) hands, there is a dial position of 8.

As the dial position approaches 1 the blade cutting diameter decreases, and as the dial position moves toward 8 the cutting diameter increases. When you rotate the FlexDIAL’s dial you can see the blades opening and closing as the handles do the same.

Setting the Dial

While I noticed that the flex dial could only be set while holding the pruner in my right hand, the pruner itself is ambidextrous once the dial is set.

Technically, the dial operation requires the effort of only one hand – you can rotate the dial with your thumb and index finger while holding the pruner handles. However, I found it easier to move the dial using both hands – grasping the handles in one hand and the dial in the other makes it easier to adjust.

I found adjusting the dial to be a trial and error process. To make the dial easier to rotate, I had to squeeze the handles together. Then, as I rotated the dial from 1 towards 8 I would have to periodically let go of the handles to see the actual handle distance.

Comfortable ComfortGEL^® Handles Act as a Bumper

Corona has developed a handle technology called ComfortGEL^®. It’s very comfortable to hold and also acts as a bumper. Conventional bypass pruners incorporate a rubber-like bumper between the handles to reduce shock as the handles hit together at the completion of a pruning cut. Corona takes a different approach by using the ComfortGEL^® in the handle itself as the bumper.

The ComfortGEL^® is constructed from a soft, spongy-like material that reminds me of a silicon coating. It has an excellent grip with both gloved and ungloved hands, and also worked well when my hands were wet or sweaty.

Cutting Capacity Varies With FlexDIAL Setting

Corona claims that the FlexDIAL bypass pruner has a ¾ inch cutting capacity and I found that estimate to be spot on – I was able to cut through ¾ inch wood with the dial in the 8 position. As I adjusted the dial to 1, the cutting capacity went to ¼ inch. Setting 4 produced a 3/8 inch cut.

Adjusting the pruner from position 8 to position 1 also makes the cutting opening between the blades significantly smaller. This really limits the cutting diameter for those with smaller hands. It’s nice to have the adjustability, but at the expense of cutting diameter, hmmm.

On a positive note, the larger and smaller cuts were clean and precise (prior to the blade bending, see below). Even pruning small non-woody stems produced the same clean result.

Learn More >> Bypass Pruner Care and Maintenance (Clean, Lubricate, Tighten, Sharpen)

Blade Lock Worked Perfectly

The blade lock is a thumb button that can be locked with a simple thumb movement. Push it toward the blades and the pruner locks.  Pull it in the opposite direction and pruner is unlocked.  It was a nice smooth sliding mechanism.  It should be noted that the handles have to be firmly squeezed together so that the locking pin (that is attached to the slide button) will engage the lock or unlock position.

Editor’s Note 11/1/18: The photo above shows the second pair of Corona FlexDIAL pruners that I have reviewed. The original ones I received from Corona had a defective locking mechanism. I agreed to try out a replacement pair (provided by Corona) and I’m glad I did, as the blade locking mechanism worked perfectly the second time around.

Cutting Blade Developed a Burr and a Flat Spot

The pruner worked fine out of the package. But after I made several cuts in ¾ inch wood (which it could easily handle), the cutting blade developed a burr and also a flat spot in the cutting blade itself.

Given that the blade is made from high carbon steel, I really didn’t expect either of these problems.

Editor’s Note 11/1/18: Corona provided me a second pair of FlexDIAL’s to review (photo #2 below). The replacement ones exhibited one of the same problems as the original provided pruners – a blade that burred and a flattening of the cutting edge, making it “hang-up” on the cutting and opening strokes.  The photo (directly below is the first set of pruners I received) also shows this problem as photo #2.  It should also be noted on the first set of FlexDIAL’s that Corona sent me (photo #1 below), that the blade also bent inward making it very difficult to open and close the pruner.

Other Features

The cutting blade is coated with a non-stick material. This aids in its cutting ability and helps prevent sap build-up.

The chassis is full steel construction. From the tips of the pruner to the end of the handles is a steel frame.

The FlexDIAL pruner uses a volute spring for tensioning the blades. This type of spring is a sealed
helical steel coil that keeps debris out of the spring and doesn’t tend to get caught on things as you’re pruning.

No Replacement Blades

Due to its construction (full steel construction), there are no replacement blades. The good news is that the blades can be sharpened. I recommend the Corona Sharpening Tool (AC 8300). It is available from the Corona website.

Warranty

The pruner comes with a limited lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.

Recommendation

The Corona FlexDIAL with ComfortGEL^® grips bypass pruner (BP4214) has a unique adjustment system (the FlexDIAL) that adjusts handle width (and cutting capacity) for those with different size hands. It initially made clean cuts through material up to ¾ inches while in the highest width setting (it will only cut ¼ inch stems while in the ‘small hands’ position). However, the cutting blade quickly burred and developed a flat spot, making for a blade assembly that felt like it was going to get stuck as the blades passed by one another. It’s unclear whether this is a quality control issue or a design flaw but at this time I can not recommend this pruner.

Where to Buy

The pruner is available from Corona on their website. It is also available from Amazon (Prime) for $29.95.

 

Last update on 2024-04-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API