Felco: Behind the secateurs.
As the unconventional year of 2020 draws to a close, the upcoming pruning season can appear a daunting task. However, with the best tools to hand and a bit of forward planning, the countryside will soon be full of the sounds of cutting and pulling out.
To increase the efficiency of the sometimes overwhelming, never-ending task of pruning, using the best secateurs in the most competent manner is paramount. FELCO have long been considered the epitome of pruning standards with their range of secateurs securing a loyal following over the years.
In 1945, Félix Flisch founded FELCO in Switzerland. “A trained fitter and turner, Félix was above all a self-taught visionary who, in 1945, despite limited resources, set himself a very ambitious goal: to create pruning shears unlike any others and to sell them beyond Swiss borders.”* The FELCO company started life in an old watch-making factory with four workers sharing a small workshop. Within a year, Félix had already begun to achieve his dreams as his FELCO secateurs were exported across the globe.
The ethos behind FELCO has always been to continuously review the performance of their products and to innovate with new techniques and materials, all in the pursuit of creating tools with the utmost quality and precision.
In 1966, the company released their revolutionary FELCO 7 secateurs with ergonomically-designed rotating handles. The rotating handle reduces required user effort by up to one third and moves on its axis with you, evenly spreading muscular force and helping to prevent tendonitis and inflammation. This reduces fatigue and the risk of blisters, allowing the secateurs to feel as if they are a natural extension of your hand. In turn, this makes you more efficient as you move from one pruning job to the next. FELCO 7 secateurs are particularly suitable for tackling heavy-duty intensive pruning tasks or for those wishing to maximise their cutting power with minimum effort.
“FELCO tools are designed to work in harmony with nature. Pruning professionals worldwide appreciate the clean, precise-cutting models because they guarantee the quick healing of the pruning wound.”* Not only do FELCO focus on the experience of the end user, but they begin by establishing the best outcome for the task itself. Taking the time and care to analyse your vines prior to pruning and forming a cohesive pruning plan is a requisite for success. By using FELCO secateurs, you are safe in the knowledge that the premium quality steel and heat treatment processes guarantee the performance and strength of the cutting blades. The sap groove on the anvil blade prevents the wood sticking when cutting sappy wood and improves cutting efficiency.
Félix Flisch’s innovative ideologies have continued over the course of FELCO’s history. The company celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2005 and in 2011 announced their factory is now powered by 100% renewable energy. A solar generation system was installed in 2015 which covers 5% of their electricity requirements. Their respect for nature continues to be at the forefront of every manufacturing decision with numerous steps taken to minimise their environmental impact. Part of this is the fact every FELCO secateur component can be replaced once it is worn.
Producing tools of the highest quality which withstand the test of time, (and thousands of pruning cuts) ensures FELCO remain the market leader. As we head into the unknown territory of 2021, let’s not be afraid of the mammoth pruning task ahead of us, but celebrate how far we’ve come and focus on getting our cuts right to promote healthy vines and fruit for the future.
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