Corona DualLINK Max Forged Bypass Lopper (SL8180): Product Review
A powerful compound lopper that cuts through 2” live wood with no problems.
Available on Amazon
Buy ItThe Corona DualLINK Max Forged Bypass Lopper is a compound action lopper that promises to make cutting through larger diameter wood easier than with a conventional bypass lopper. So I put it to the test on some of the local Mesquite hardwood here in Tucson. Here’s what I found.
Bypass Lopper
Do you know what the word “lopper” means? It’s a tool that lets you “lop” off a section of wood – and that section of wood is also called a “lop.” So, essentially, you lop off the lop with a lopper
As a bypass lopper, the DualLINK lopper works somewhat like scissors; the sharp cutting blade passes next to the flat counter-blade to make a cut. Bypass loppers are generally intended for cutting live branches, rather than deadwood, although they can cut deadwood if needed.
A Cut Above the Rest
Corona claims that the DualLINK lopper can cut through up to 2 inches of wood – and that’s exactly what I found. I was able to chop through 2-inch branches with no problems, leaving a very clean cut.
The lopper cut through 2” wood with no problems
Long Handles
The 25-inch long handles provide extra leverage for making large cuts, which is nice. The downside is that you’ll have to open the handles wide – really wide – to completely open the blades. With a “wingspan” of 4 feet 8″, this is not a lopper for everyone.But if you have long enough arms, the loppers can be operated with no problem in the fully open position.
The large wingspan on this Corona lopper means that it works best if you have longer arms.
DualLINK Hinge Compounds Cutting Force
The DualLinkhinge is a compound-action cutting head that is supposed to multiply force on each cut by up to 3 times. I couldn’t measure that exactly but I can say that I got more power with each cut than with a regular bypass lopper, making the cutting job easier.
The one issue with a compound-action lopper is that the cutting head is relatively heavy. At 5.5lbs, the lopper itself is already pretty hefty and it takes a good amount of arm strength to hold up the cutting head. If you have limited upper body strength, this would not be the lopper for you (nor would any compound-action lopper, for that matter).
The long handles and compound lever give more power to each cut.
Cushioning Bumper
A bumper is meant to protect your arms and hands from pressure and vibrations when making the final pruning cut. Without a bumper, the handles would slam together, which could become painful if you’re cutting for any length of time. Scroll down to the video review to watch the bumper in action.
The ShockGuard bumper does a nice job of cushioning each pruning cut. It’s well placed where it doesn’t get in the way and is built to last. The bumper is made form a rubber-like compound, almost like a soft plastic.
The DualLINK compound lever and bumper.
Keep Your Grip
The CoronoaDualLink Max Forged Bypass Lopper has sturdy, super strong aluminum handles with soft, rubber-like grips. The grips provide needed pressure relief, are comfortable to hold, and have shock-absorbing properties. I found that the grips worked very well; I could keep a secure grip with or without gloves, even with sweaty hands.
The lightweight aluminum handles and rubber-like grips ensure a steady cut.
Sharp, Forged Steel Blades
As mentioned earlier, this powerful lopper was able to cut through wood up to 2” thick with no problem. The cuts were very clean, due in part to the very sharp bypass blades. Unlike anvil pruners, which are used for deadwood, bypass loppers are used for live wood, which can be trickier to cut. The blades are made from forged steel, and kept their sharpness cut after cut.
The lopper cut through 2” wood with no issues
SEE FOR YOURSELF
Check out our video review to see the Corona DualLINK Max Forged Bypass Lopper in action:
No Replacement Parts
There are no replacement parts for the DualLINK lopper but the blades can be re-sharpened if needed. Corona has an excellent online YouTube tutorial on the subject that can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glBHtVnbj7Q
WARRANTY
Corona offers a limited lifetime warranty for the lopper against material and workmanship defects.
Recommendation
This is a high-quality lopper capable of cutting through 2-inch wood. I liked the long handles that give great leverage when making large cuts and the compound action design (DualLINK) made a big difference in cleaving through tough limbs. The blades stayed super sharp and never buried even after cutting through very tough Mesquite wood. All in all, a fantastic pruner for large diameter cutting jobs.
WHERE TO BUY
The CoronaDualLINK Max Forged Bypass Lopper can be easily purchased on Amazon. It’s also available on the Corona website.
And now over to you – What’s your favorite lopper? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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