![]() lab: Use Benford’s Law to analyze a data set (Excel file) of sales figures. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published Digital Investigation Techniques: A NIST Scientific Foundation Review.The nature and extent of fraud Benford’s Law.Introduction to fraud examination characteristics and skills of the forensic accountant.Network intrusion detection and analysis.lab: Packet capture and protocol analysis.Networking fundamentals (architecture, protocols/abstractions, ISO).lab: Developing a psychological profile of cyber offenders.Psychological profiling of hackers and malware writers.Psychological Aspects of Digital Forensics lab: Introduction to The Sleuth Kit (TSK) and Autopsy.Cyber crimes: CFAA (Computer Fraud and Abuse Act) specific examples (e.g., hacking, cyber stalking, identity theft).Digital forensic examination reports or summaries of extractions or other activities, together with associated documentation in the official file. Privacy laws: HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) ECPA (Electronic Communications Privacy Act) Stored Communications Act Wiretap Act. In this tutorial, youll work through fictitious forensic cases to practice collecting, examining, analyzing, and reporting on data that you have unveiled. apply to the basic, non-forensic review of electronic documents or user-accessible file metadata, extraction of text from log files, and data mining.lab: Expert testimony, preparing an expert report, expert depositions, and getting experts’ testimony admitted.Evidence: chain of custody, federal rules of evidence, business records exception, best evidence, expert witness testimony, and scientific evidence.The Fourth Amendment: reasonable expectation of privacy, exceptions (e.g., consent, plain view, exigent circumstances).lab: Study the adversarial nature of the legal system by preparing arguments on both sides of a case. ![]() Evidence and decision-makers: Judges and juries.Sociological Aspects of Digital Forensics What is digital forensics? Definition, process of forensic investigation (scientific method).Course outline/syllabus & introduction.(subject to change) Introduction and Concept of Forensics
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![]() ![]() What is a liquid measuring cup and how to use it? Be careful to not pack your ingredients into the cup or the amount will not be accurate. Thereafter, level off the excess that peeks over the cup’s rim with something with a flat surface, such as the back of a knife. To measure the dry ingredients correctly, you need to scoop the ingredients into the measuring cup. Its shape is designed to be filled to the rim and sports a flat bottom. What is a dry measuring cup and how to use it?ĭry measuring cups are designed to be used for measuring solid ingredients. There are two main types of measuring cups, which are dry measuring cups and liquid measuring cups. ![]() What is the right way of measuring dry and liquid ingredients in cups? This way you will not make any mistakes with your measurements anymore. Put the dry ingredients you want to measure in a cup or a bowl then weigh it on a scale to get the exact weight that you need. Then, how should you measure dry ingredients in ounces? The answer is to use a scale. Furthermore, the method you use for putting the dry ingredient in the cup, such as gently scooping it up or heavily packing it in, can make its weight change drastically too. On the other hand, a cup of dry ingredients does not always equal the same weight in ounces since ingredients vary greatly in weight. For example, a cup of liquid always equals 8 liquid ounces, no matter what type of liquid you are using. When you measure liquid ingredients in ounces, you can rely on the liquid measuring cups to indicate the right amount you need. What is the right way to measure dry and liquid ingredients in ounces? That said, solid ounces are used to measure the weight of the ingredients, while liquid ounces are used to measure the volume of the ingredients, which can be confusing at times. In many recipes, both types of measurements use cups and ounces to measure ingredients. Simply put, dry measurements are used to measure dry or solid ingredients such as flour or sugar, while liquid measurements are used to measure liquid ingredients such as water or cooking oil. What is the difference between dry and liquid measurements? So in this article, we will explain the right way to measure these types of ingredients. However, when trying to measure ingredients, you may be unaware that there is a difference between solid ounces and liquid ounces. Baking is a science and requires precision, so you must follow the recipe as closely as possible, or else it will be ruined. And while food can still taste good even if you use too much or too little of an ingredient, baked food can’t, at least most of the time. It is important to measure flour correctly in low-fat bread making because when we reduce the fat (which tenderizes it), we don't want to dramatically increase the flour (which toughens it).Proper measuring is essential in creating delicious food. Lightly spoon flour into graduated measuring cup, and level off with straight edge of knife. NEVER pack flour down into the measuring cup or tap it excessively. In most recipes, flour is supposed to be measured straight from the canister or package (the flour needs to be airy, if it seems compact, stir it in the container before measuring it). To measure packed brown sugar, pack sugar down lightly with back of spoon, then level off. Most recipes usually call for certain amounts of packed brown sugar. Simply spoon it in and level off with the straight edge of a knife. Most sugar can be measured in a graduated measuring cup. If it has not been packed that way, pack margarine or butter into measuring spoon or measuring cup and level off to measure. In the United States, the wrapping usually has tablespoons and teaspoons clearly marked. IngredientsĮach 1/4 pound stick of margarine or butter measures 1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons. The larger measures can double as mixing bowls.Ĭome in sets of four or five (1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, 1/4 teaspoon and sometimes 1/8 teaspoon). They come in glass or plastic, with the amounts indicated in cups, ounces, and milliliters. They are widely available in 1, 2, 4, and 8-cup measures. Measuring cups that look like little pitchers with a lip/spout to aid in pouring. They are excellent for measuring dry ingredients because they can easily be leveled off. They are usually made of plastic or metal and come in sets of four or five (1 cup, 3/4 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup, and 1/4 cup). ![]() We've got you covered with our handy dandy conversion charts made just for cooking. Wondering how many oz in a cup? How many tablespoons in a cup? What about how many teaspoons in a tablespoon? What is the difference between a fluid (fl) ounce (oz) and a dry oz? Voila, you have made your loom! Now you just need to thread it.ĥ) Cut X pieces of thread. My design was 13 squares wide, so I needed at least 14 little marks on each end of the box.ģ) Now grab your exacto knife and, right where each and every mark is at either end of the box, slice downward into the box about 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep.Ĥ) Next draw a squareish line on the box’s sides and cut that out, essentially cutting the sides of the box away but leaving just enough at the corners that it maintains its box-shape & structural integrity. ![]() And you can just go back and make it bigger later, too.) (You can always make it extra wide, too, if you think you’ll use it to make bigger designs later. This is the number of marks you must make in order to create this design on your loom. Count how many squares wide it is, and add 1. To figure out how many marks you need, go look at your design. Use the ruler to make a series of little marks at both ends of the box – the ruler keeps them fairly straight across from each other. Grab a ruler and a marker that will show on whatever paper the box is made of. One note: Your final beaded piece cannot be larger than the inside of the box, so if you’re using a very small box or want to do a very long or wide design, just make sure your box is big enough for it. Things like little gift boxes with nice sturdy sides work very well for this. If it’s the sort of box that opens with folding flaps, cut those off – you want a box that’s got an even, flat edge at both ends. ![]() To do this, get a small cardboard box (or large, but it really doesn’t need to be). Not required but helpful: at one end of your design, number the line of squares that make up the design.Ģ) Set your design aside and make your loom. I recommend doing this in crayon or coloured pencil ( not marker, like I did) so you can still easily see the graph paper lines delineating each individual square. (Obviously this beading lends itself super especially well to pixellated images). All you need for pattern making is a piece of graph paper and some crayons.įor your first few pieces at least, the only limitations on your design are that it be square or rectangular – no uneven edges.ĭraw and colour in whatever design you want on your graph paper. Like cross stitch, the pattern is just a bunch of little squares on a sheet of graph paper, each square representing one bead. In other words, figure out what you want to create on your beading loom and draw that. small needle (very thin, so it can fit through seed beads)ġ) The first thing to actually do, at least before your first beading project, is make a pattern.large decorative beads, jewelry findings, clear nail polish (for securing knots).crayons / coloured pencils / coloured markers. ![]() So here’s how to make your own little beading loom, and the basics of how to use it. This is one of those cases where you can get just as nice a result off a cheap DIY loom as off some manufactured metal thing with adjustable knobs and whatnot – it’s just a device to hold your craft in place while you make it, that’s all it is. And I looked at it and realized that it would be very easy to make one’s own functional beading loom with some very inexpensive materials: namely a cardboard box & some string. ![]() (Seed beads are not as evil as glitter, but the margin of difference isn’t vast, either).įor all its basic-ness, the loom is really all you need to get started with beading. One of those was my old beading loom, a child’s craft kit for making colourful beaded bracelets and harassing parents with a permanent collection of teeny tiny seed beads embedded in the carpet. I’ll avenge myself by passing this pain along my own children someday.Īnyhow, in the midst of a lot of just throwing things away & some retroactive disgust at growing up before the digital age and having to deal with physical photo albums, a couple of interesting items did surface. I’m quite certain there’s a rule that your parents have to keep your old treasures in their basement until you’re at least in your 40s – that’s the deal my mom got with her parents. Oh well. This provoked a dismaying (to me) and zealous desire to unload us kids’ old stuff, making us take possession of it once more, despite us living in apartments with an even greater lack of storage. My parents recently moved cross-continent to a house with more square footage but less storage space than their old home. The colonial physicians remarked frustrated plantation owners whose slaves were geophagic would become progressively ill and die. Livingston didn’t believe that poverty and famine caused earth eating habits because he noticed even the wealthy participated in this delicacy. This red clay-like dirt could have been Bentonite Clay, which today we understand to have both medicinal minerals and vermicidal properties.ĭavid Livingston’s journals commented about Safura, an earth-eating disease in Zanzibar, as they also preferred a red clay brand. There were reserves of large heaps of red dirt stored for periods of famine. What is Alexander von Humboldt known for?Īside from being a nature researcher, scientist and explorer, Humboldt described geophagia in detail, asserting the explanation that this behaviour was to quell hunger. The Otomacs eat earth that is, they wolf it down in quite considerable amounts. "This area, populated by the Otomacs, a forgotten tribe (from Venezuela), shows the most peculiar behaviour. Hippocrates informs us, Emperor Justinian of Constantinople’s physician, Aetius of Ameda, compiled a 6th-century obstetric textbook giving us such evidence: ![]() Thus, people succumb to eating dirt, defined as geophagia, which has been with us since Byzantium. It’s possible that when the body is lacking such nutrients, cravings necessitate immediate fuel. Without a doubt, the soil contains nutrients. It’s the body requiring either iron or mineral support in the gestation phase. The old pun, “dill pickles & ice cream stage,” referring to the wild cravings of pregnancy. Geophagia - also known as eating dirt disorder is a common disorder in approximately 10% – 30% of children between one and six. Pica refers to people eating non-food items like dirt, clay, paint chips, glue, or ashes. Sometimes it’s just the curious, experimental stage that kids eventually grow out of. Customarily, the pediatrician would administer a blood test to determine possible geophagia and iron deficiency anemia, or other underling circumstances, which compel the child to eat dirt. ![]() There are reports of eating dirt or clay expressing this concern. Likewise, some children don’t grow evenly. In animals, a hair test is good to do to pinpoint which minerals are lacking. The puppy’s bones need time to fuse, so it is expected that there may be possible calcium and mineral deficiencies linked to rapid, uneven growth. The giant breed dogs grow at an accelerated rate. ![]() His front teeth indicated that this was possibly something that he indulged in since he was a pup because the lower teeth were ground down, probably from chewing on pebbles and rocks. Our large wolfhound had the gentlest disposition, but he liked to eat dirt. Some had advocated for a land swap that would have allowed developers to buy Surfiside’s nearby community center for a development opportunity, and allow the site of the tragedy to become a memorial. “To see a high-end development built would be very hard for all of us,” Carlos Wainberg, who lost family members in the collapse, said in a court hearing in 2021. ![]() The move to build a luxury condo on the ill-fated site has rankled some victims’ family members, one of whom called it a burial site. “While no work of architecture can ever remove the pain of the past, nor should it, a truly ambitious work of architecture can respect such a significant site,” Chris Lepine, director at ZHA, said in a statement.ĭamac, led by Hussain Sajwani, bought the site in 2022 through a court-ordered auction nearly a year after part of the Champlain Tower South condo building fell, killing 98. The London-based firm completed the One Thousand Museum condo tower in 2019. The commission marks the second Miami area project for ZHA, which was founded by the late, Pritzker-prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid. But now the developer is “re-considering the branding options,” said Niall Mc Loughlin, Damac’s international senior vice president of communications. ![]() ![]() The amenities will include a 100-foot-long rooftop pool as well as a 75-foot-long indoor exercise pool and spa.ĭamac had selected fashion label Roberto Cavali, which it owns, to brand the project. Units are set to range between 4,000 and 15,000 square feet. The team, including experts from the Georgia Institute of Technology, created high-resolution 3D images of the sections of foundation piles - long columns of concrete and steel - that were extracted from the site by the civil litigants’ experts.SEE ALSO: Silverstein Joins the Casino Competition With Bid for a Far West Side Project This data will also help researchers improve the accuracy of computer models created to describe the building and the site as they evolved over time and their condition at the time of collapse. The data can help investigators determine how the structure may have interacted with the soil and foundations beneath it, which may in turn have affected how it would have responded to various loads or stresses. With a unique configuration of sensors that formed a square, the researchers were able to “see” how the waves traveled through the site’s subsurface soils over relatively short distances and determine soil characteristics. The team used custom-built vibration sensors and pushed them into the ground to measure wave propagation, or how the waves moved through and were diminished (attenuated) by the soil layers. Utah State University (Interagency Agreement 7600 GT&C – IAA: P2 with the National Science Foundation) This will help us understand how the Champlain Towers South site conditions may have been impacted over time.” “We were able to bring together multiple types of cutting-edge technology to better comprehend the ground behavior at different depths. “The technology we used has been developed and applied primarily for earthquake research, so a building failure investigation is a novel application,” said Sissy Nikolaou, co-leader of the investigation’s geotechnical engineering project. Nicknamed the Thumper, the mini “mobile shaker” or, technically, “urban vibroseis,” created underground waves in designated parts of the site. ![]() The National Science Foundation’s Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure at the University of Texas at Austin in collaboration with researchers at Utah State University, contributed a specialized truck designed to shake the ground at specific frequencies. “We were able to leverage incredible resources and expertise through our interagency agreements with the National Science Foundation and the U.S. “After reviewing these materials, we decided to collect additional data from the collapse site that would reduce uncertainties in our models, and we identified the most appropriate tests we would need to conduct,” said Judith Mitrani-Reiser, co-lead of the investigation. 19, 2022.įollowing the resolution of civil litigation related to the tragedy, in July 2022 a Miami-Dade County Circuit Court judge ordered the turnover to NIST of materials and samples collected by the civil litigants, and data and information derived from those materials and samples. An update on this effort and other work related to the investigation will be presented to the NCST Advisory Committee at a public meeting on Oct. This summer, members of the National Construction Safety Team (NCST) completed testing at the former site of the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside, Florida, collecting data to help improve computer models that will be used to evaluate potential causes of the June 2021 collapse. ![]() Although many players were happy to be given a free 5-star character, the announcement of Aloy was also met with mixed reactions from some fans. Aloy is a proven agile hunter and warrior who never hesitates to fight for a cause. We won’t even care about the penalty to your charged shot’s damage. Genshin Impact players are deleting Aloy. Aloy is a proven agile hunter and warrior who never hesitates to fight for a cause. She was raised in the rugged mountains near their tribal dwellings by the experienced Hunter, Rost. ![]() Aloy was born an outcast, deeply rejected and feared by her tribe. Rust (ATK%) -Rust is another good 4-star weapon for Aloy because of the +40% normal attack damage bonus. Now, she has arrived in a new world, full of never-before-seen challenges, and once again, she throws herself gladly into the hunt. Oh, and this is also a good free-to-play (F2P) alternative. Her Elemental Burst, Prophecies of Dawn, sees her throw a Cyro Power Cell in a targeted direction which she can detonate with an. So, if you don’t pop your burst yet, you can keep the effect for a while. The effect is doubled whenever your burst is fully charged. You’ll get +16% normal attack and +12% charged attack damage. Hamayumi (ATK%) – The Hamayumi from Takashi’s Mysterious Conches is a viable 4-star weapon for Aloy in Genshin Impact. Even if you try a Physical build, her Rushing Ice state will infuse her normal attacks with Cryo anyway. ![]() Sadly, Aloy tends to rely more on Cryo damage rather than Physical. Finally, the Skyward Harp adds +20% crit damage, and your hits have a chance to generate an AoE attack that deals Physical damage.This weapon is better off for someone like Ganyu. Unfortunately, because we’re focusing on normal attacks, there’s often a maximum range where you’ll hit a target before you start shooting empty air. The longer your shot is in the air before it hits a target, the bigger the damage bonus. Amos Bow, meanwhile, adds +12% to your normal and charged attack damage.The only limitation is the player's Adventure Rank they will not get their free Aloy if they are below Adventure Rank 20. If you have this weapon and you don’t like using Yoimiya, then you can try it on Aloy. Genshin Impact players can get Aloy for free in version 2.2. Because Aloy’s playstyle involves shooting Cryo-infused normal attacks often (once she gains the Rushing Ice state), the Thunder Emblem stacks boost her DPS significantly. Thundering Pulse comes ahead of the pack because of the +20% ATK bonus and the Thunder Emblem stacks from normal hits, elemental skill casts, and having energy below 100%. Save_data(animations,"Data/PkmnAnimations.rxdata") !dio_exist?("Audio/SE/Anim/"+timing.name) If !safeExists?(folder+"/"+timing.name) & !FileTest.image_exist?("Graphics/Animations/"+aphic) Textdata.id = -1 # this is not an RPG Maker XP animation Textdata.name = File.basename(folder) if textdata.name="" Index = pbAllocateAnimation(animations,textdata.name) If textdata & textdata.is_a?(PBAnimation) Textdata = loadBase64Anim(IO.read(f)) rescue nil ![]() PbSafeCopyFile(image,RTP.getImagePath("Graphics/Animations/"+File.basename(image)),"Graphics/Animations/"+File.basename(image)) Kernel.pbMessageDisplay(msgwindow,folder,false)Īncat(files.find_all) Put each animation in a folder within the Animations folder."))Īnimations = tryLoadData("Data/PkmnAnimations.rxdata")Īnimations = PBAnimations.new if !animations ![]() Kernel.pbMessage(_INTL("There are no animations to import. All I did was move 'animations.resize(index)' to within where index is defined and commented out where it previously was. located in Debug_Actions:797 in 'pbImportAllAnimations'.Īttempt #2.1 (partial success: moves imported without lag, but the moves are not associated correctly): I made a very minor alteration to the def pbImportAllAnimations code, noted in bold. Message: undefined local variable or method 'index' for. Also, it undoes the animations.rxdata file additions from mej71's Follower add-on, but I'm sure I could re-add those via critical thinking and using the Essentials Docs wiki.Īttempt #2 (unsuccesful): I used "Export All Battle Animations" from Pokemon Reborn, then imported the newly created Animations folder into my game using the "Import all Battle Animations" feature. ![]() I would like to ask if anyone has successfully imported the move animations from Pokemon Reborn or Rejuvenation* while minimizing lag? I am using Essentials v17.2 by the way, if that matters.Īttempt #1 (successful but incredibe lag): I copied the sound effects, animation graphics, move2anim.dat, moves.dat, PkmnAnimations.rxdata, and Animations.rxdata from Pokemon Reborn into my game. ![]() If the visual experience is nerve-racking, then you should focus on the music instead. The energetic tunes are a key aspect of the game because they let people become immersed in a more enjoyable way, particularly by making the dangerous passages easier to navigate. This same upbeat music can be used to assist people in winning, as the electronic music’s beats correlate to the jumps that need to be made. To the beat of addictive music, players tap their way through the GD world by jumping and flying through lots of danger. ![]() ![]() Animated faces represent the difficulty level of each of the titles, such as hard, harder, and more. The stats of customized games are presented to the public - the average number of stars, the total number of likes, and more. You can also challenge other users by creating a course with customized characters, passages, soundtracks, etc.Īfter players complete games that were made in the level editor, they can add their ratings and reviews for others to see. User-made games with titles that include words like ‘ impossible challenge’ are popular for people to play that want to sharpen their skills. You can explore millions of community-made versions of Geometry Dash by searching for titles and usernames. There is also the GD Level browser for online fun. The action platforming game features a level editor system that enables players to build their own levels for others to play. Download the game to experience the original levels. On a PC, you will have to purchase it from Steam. Geometry Dash is a full-version game that people can play on multiple platforms. How to get Geometry Dash full version and what does it entail? If you hold down the space button or up arrow on the keyboard to perform multi-jump capabilities, you can increase the ease and chances of keeping up. With the weight of gravity and the constant push of speed, players maneuver through the rounds by jumping over, staying under, and flying through obstructions. The ‘Dash’ aspect of the title signifies the uncontrollable pace of the gameplay. Even the sliding and crash effects are cubes. The background, player icons, obstacles, and rewards comprise simple shapes: circles, rectangles, squares, triangles, etc. The ‘Geometry’ portion of the name is associated with the geometrical graphics that make up a majority of the scenery. Geometry Dash was released in 2013 by developer RobTop Games. Listen to both songs on WhoSampled, the ultimate database of sampled music. writes out of some very private vulnerability, documenting the darkest pieces of himself – the rage and the resentment, the envy and the cynicism – in a way that makes the music so much more compelling than it would be if he’d kept it all neatly compartmentalized. The Art of Racing in the Rain is a 2019 American comedy-drama film directed by Simon Curtis and written by Mark Bomback, based on the 2008 novel of the same name by author Garth Stein.The film stars Milo Ventimiglia, Amanda Seyfried, Kevin Costner as the voice of Enzo and Parker as Enzo, the golden retriever. The Dark by Simon Curtis sampled Trevor Joness The Dark Crystal Overture. ![]() Sam Lansky of MuuMuse noted the influence of Britney Spears as well as Darren Hayes on the album and said that while Curtis "knows that creating music that makes us want to dance is imperative" he, "like Darren. Background and composition Ĭurtis described RA as a "diary of where my mind has been during the past year of my life, dealing with deep betrayal, heartache, sex and the exploration of what lengths someone will go to to achieve his destiny" and said 8-Bit Heart was "a plea for love" and that RA "doesn't want anything to do with it." Critical reception The album peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart. ![]() ![]() It was released independently on June 7, 2011. RA (stylized as R∆) is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter and record producer Simon Curtis. ![]() Whether you're growing boxwoods as a low foundation hedge or larger shrubs as a screen for backyard privacy, there are plenty of tools available that make hedge trimming much easier. Still using same pair and they still work as good as new!” This extreme level of durability sets Felco products apart from all the cheaper pruners you can get (and really, most products in the modern world).Trimming your hedges is an essential part of maintaining a tidy-looking yard. I oiled, wire brushed the rust off and sharpened them. a set of these pruners for 16 years for personal use and 5 of the years professionally. Olga Kraus, a certified horticulturist with over 20 years of experience working in the nursery trade, and one of the pro landscapers we consulted at the Ecological Landscape Alliance, said, “The Felco 2's I have been using for 25 years were joined last year by a pair of Felco 6's.” Gardeners writing reviews on the arborist supply site Tree Stuff have similar stories: One person has had the “same pair for 13 years and counting.” Another has owned a pair for 12 years-“longer than I've done tree work, and they're still on the first blade.” And here’s a perfect example, also from a Tree Stuff reviewer: “I have. It sounds like marketing hype to say that, but they really can work like new for as long as you need them. The fact that the Felco pruners cut everything well will be obvious right away, and what you’ll find over time is that they could honestly last forever. The Corona BP 3180’s handles are also large enough, and splay out widely enough, to feel unwieldy for many people with small to medium hands-but if you have big hands and a small budget, the Corona BP 3180 is a solid choice. You may need those parts sooner, though, as some owners claim that this pruner is prone to rust. Like the top picks, the Corona BP 3180 accepts replacement blades, springs, and screws. These pruners don’t make quite as clean a slice as the ARS and Felco models do, and they don’t move as smoothly. That cut, however, required more effort than with our top two picks. We even cut a ¾-inch branch one-handed with this pair, a feat that only the best pruners in the test could manage. The blades are sharp enough to slice through spindly stems and thick branches swiftly and efficiently. If you want to pay a fraction of the price for performance that’s almost as good as that of the best pruners out there, the Corona BP 3180 Classic Cut Forged Bypass Pruner is a great budget pick. If you can find this tool for less than the Felco 2’s price, you can be confident that you’re buying the best available pruner. We were also concerned about the availability of ARS models, as this Japanese brand isn’t as widespread as the Swiss brand Felco in the United States. The HP-VS8Z is so good that we almost made it our top pick for this guide, but its pricing is inconsistent-and sometimes very high (we’ve seen it fluctuate between $50 and $80). Comfortable plastic-coated aluminum handles (which are available in other sizes) make cutting easy. ![]() ![]() Every other pair of pruners jerked or stuck on something in our test, but not this pair. The ARS has stunningly sharp high-carbon steel blades that have been tempered for hardness and resilience, and the tight, precise tolerance between the two blades creates a silky-smooth cutting action. ![]() This tool was the only model that consistently made perfectly clean, flat cuts in soft stems, woody growth, hardwood dowels, and even ¾-inch buckthorn branches without crushing or tearing anything-and with less effort. If you yearn for the perfect pruner, you’ll finally be satisfied with the ARS HP-VS8Z. |