Essentially supersized secateurs on long handles, garden loppers are invaluable for tackling thick or out of reach branches. But choosing the right pair can be a minefield since they vary so much in weight, size and performance.
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Like secateurs, loppers come with different cutting actions and the one you choose depends on the sort of work you need them for. For everyday use, you&#;ll want a pair of bypass loppers. These cut with a scissor action, with one blade crossing over the other. They tend to be the lightest so are good if you struggle with heavy tools or need to do a long session of pruning without your arms getting tired. They cut beautifully through green, living wood in a slicing motion.
For dead or brown wood, a pair of lightweight loppers with an anvil cutting action is the one to go for. These also handle living wood so are a good all rounder. With an anvil model, a blade presses down onto a curved anvil, crushing the wood inbetween the blades.
For thicker branches you need a more heavyweight pair of loppers with a geared or ratchet blade mechanism. These increase the power of the cut, taking the effort out and making short work even of branches you&#;d normally tackle with a pruning saw. The mechanics at the head end make these loppers relatively top-heavy so they&#;re best for really hefty jobs or shorter bursts of pruning.
For really high branches, consider a pair with extendable or telescopic handles. These are easy to operate and will extend your reach to almost a metre. The material of the handles can make a difference too. Wooden handles feel warm and comfortable while tubular aluminium or plastic is the lightest.
An important distinction between loppers is the impact they put on the arms when you snap the blades together. If there&#;s a hard jolt every time you close them it can lead to aches and pains so look for a rubber buffer between them for a soft finish.
We tested 10 leading garden loppers on a variety of garden shrubs and trees from willow to damson, eucalyptus, hazel to ornamental grasses. We considered their cutting performance, comfort, aesthetic appeal and value.
Bulldog Compound Bypass Lopping Shears
If you only buy one pair of garden loppers, you could do a lot worse than this bypass pair which weigh under a kilogram. With tubular aluminium handles and a small, cutting head, they feel particularly lightweight at the top end making them comfortable on the forearms and wrists to use for long periods. At 73cm long, their handles are relatively long for bypass loppers and this gives you powerful leverage for the cut. The blade is sharp enough to manage surprisingly thick stems (it advertises as coping with up to 3.8cm diameter) and branches with no trouble at all thanks to its compound cutting action.
We like: the large chunky grips at the bottom of the handles
RRP
£42.11
Available from Thompson & Morgan
Shop NowDarlac Heavy Duty Geared Lopper
These quite serious looking loppers have an unusual vertical cutting action with a curved upper hook to grab onto branches (or thick roots?) and then a 5mm blade that cuts down like a guillotine. We were astounded at how easily this managed thick branches 5cm in diameter, cutting through eucalyptus and dead damson tree wood without much effort on the arms at all. It made us all feel quite bionic, its extra power thanks to the heavy duty rack and pinion geared cutting action. Though the aluminium handles are lightweight, the chrome plated steel head makes them quite top heavy (the whole thing weighs in at just over 1.5kg) so these are best for using in short bursts, when you want to tackle really hefty branches.
We like: their power
RRP
£47.95
Available from Amazon
Shop NowGardena Supercut All Purpose Loppers
Of all the loppers we tested these were the ones I couldn&#;t wrench off my 75 year old mother. Weighing only 620g she found this German-made bypass model so light and easy to use she was coppicing the willow at lightning speed. The chunky glass-fibre reinforced plastic handles are fairly short making them easy to manoevure, though not ideal for high branches, while an innovative gear mechanism gives the cutting action twice the power so they can manage stems up to 3.5cm diameter. Shock absorbers between the handles give them a nice soft-close finish, protecting the wrists from impact. They also come in a Hardwood version which have an anvil cutting action.
We like: how easy these were on the wrists
RRP
£29.95
Available from FFX UK
Shop NowBurgon and Ball Ratchet Lopper RHS Endorsed
These have telescopic handles that extend to 80cm so are great for really tall branches. They have a powerful, large ratchet mechanism to handle large branches and an anvil cutting action so can manage dead as well as living wood. We found it cut very well, the ratchet mechanism taking the strain as it cut through thick branches of dead wood up to 4cm in diameter in a series of five stages. Though the blades are straight, there&#;s a curved portion at the tip to grab onto branches. When the handle are fully extended the leverage power is even greater.
We like: that it can handle both living and dead wood
RRP
£48.99
Available from Burgon & Ball
Shop NowSpear and Jackson Razorsharp Advantage Telescopic Ratchet Bypass Loppers
I&#;ve had a pair of these heavy duty ratchet loppers for several months now and they&#;ve cut through hundreds of hazel branches and suckers with no trouble so I can&#;t fault them. They&#;ve also been thrown around in the boot of the car so proved their resilience. The telescopic handles extend up to 80cm by twisting the ends of the handles so you can reach high branches. If used for longer periods they are easiest on the wrists used unextended. The ratchet takes the strain as you cut through wood up to 4.2cm In diameter with a sharp carbon steel blade.
We like: their reliability
RRP
£23.98
Available from Argos
Shop NowWilkinson Sword Ultralight Bypass Loppers
These are by far the lightest of all the loppers tested, weighing only 450g. You can carry them around with one hand and lop away for ages without getting tired. The curved bypass cutting head is small and light so it&#;s easy to get it into the right position for cutting each stem, speeding up the whole pruning process. Their weight and precision would make them ideal for tackling fruit tree suckers or bamboo when you are leaning down but they would be just as good with overhead pruning. These loppers would be ideal for anyone who struggles with heavy tools or who does a lot of lopping of stems and branches up to 2.5cm in diameter.
We like: the non-slip grips are particularly nice to hold
RRP
£30.43
Available from Amazon
Shop NowNiwaki Loppers
These very stylish-looking pair of loppers made in Japan have a carbon steel head and beautiful white oak handles that are a pleasure to handle. The bypass blade is robustly made with a shiny sharp cutting blade crossing over a matt black lower blade. The weighting is good and the wooden handles have a bit of flex in them as well to absorb the impact when you cut. They can cut branches up to 2.5cm in diameter though thicker wood should be cut at a 45 degree angle. With their relatively short handles and shallow curved cutting head we found these particularly excelled when pruning shrubs, large grasses or topiary. As with all Niwaki products, these arrived in a beautiful cotton drawstring bag.
We like: the high-end Japanese design
Contact us to discuss your requirements of china garden tools. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
RRP
£99
Available from Niwaki
Shop NowArs Professional Lopping Shears LPB-30M
Ars (which stands for &#;Always Really Sharp&#;) is a Japanese made brand of cutting tools aimed at professionals. These sleek black, silver and red bypass loppers have 63cm long tubular aluminium handles, matt plastic non-slip grips and, of course, extremely sharp high carbon steel blades. The lower blade even has a metal &#;step&#; halfway down to strengthen and stabilise it. The closing action is a little on the snappy side, but this is a great pair of loppers &#; lightweight (975g), well-balanced and able to handle living wood up to 3.6cm. Ars has a good spares department too, if necessary, so these should last you a long time.
We like: the no-nonsense efficiency
RRP
£71.95
Available from Amazon
Shop NowSophie Conran for Burgon & Ball Lopper
The combination of chunky carbon steel and graceful ash handles make these loppers perhaps the most elegant looking on trial, and certainly the best suited to be teamed with a straw hat. Interior designer Sophie Conran&#;s range of garden tools always combine grace with efficiency and these are lovely to hold, the 70cm long handles moulded to give a particularly comfortable grip. At g, these are not the lightest bypass loppers around but that&#;s down to the beautifully curved large drop forged carbon steel blades which effortlessly slice through living wood up to 2.5cm diameter.
We like: the ergonomic ash handles
RRP
£38.99
Available from Sophie Conran
Shop NowAlpen Weisshorn 260 Loppers
From the sister company of Felco comes Alpen, a new range with a lighter price tag but still featuring the performance and precision we&#;ve come to expect from the Swiss brand. Rather than the trademark Felco red, Alpen&#;s new range of tools come in a striking black and warm tangerine. These 975g bypass loppers have nice squidgy hand grips and a generous double shock absorber. The curved blade is hardened carbon steel and the 60cm handles tubular aluminium making them feel light and well balanced. Effective and comfortable to use even for long periods, cutting through wood up to 3.5cm in diameter.
We like: these are really comfortable to use
RRP
£49.99
Available from Alpen
Shop Now
While gardening is widely seen as a gentle hobby, there are times when more power is the only answer. That&#;s certainly the case when pruning tough, woody stems and small branches. A quality pair of loppers will arm gardeners with everything they need to make light work of heavyweight pruning. This is whether you&#;re getting shrubs into shape, trimming trees, or cutting back overgrown areas of the garden.
Loppers cut similarly to secateurs, yet their long handles provide extra leverage and extended reach. You might ask, why can&#;t I use secateurs to tackle thicker stems? Exceeding the maximum cutting diameter of your secateurs is a recipe for trouble. If stems are too thick or too woody, trying to prune using secateurs can put considerable strain on your wrist, risking injury.
Secondly, exceeding the limits for which secateurs have been designed risks damaging the mechanism and blunting the blades, shortening their lifespan. While secateurs are for single-hand use, loppers are engineered to be gripped with both hands. This ramps up their cutting power while reducing the effort needed to slice cleanly through hard material.
Before heading to the garden centre, it&#;s important to think about the type of pruning you need to do. This is because the need to cut softer, live wood or harder mature or dead wood will determine the type of loppers that you should buy.
Live wood is best tackled using loppers with bypass blades. Bypass is when two blades pass over each other in a scissor-like action.
Mature or dead wood requires a tougher tool and that&#;s where anvil blades come into play. Ideally suited to heavyweight pruning, anvil loppers feature a sharp blade that closes onto a cutting block, boosting their pruning power.
For the toughest of cuts, look out for ratchet loppers. These allow gardeners to gradually cut through a branch or stem, delivering a clean cut with the minimum of effort.
Consider the benefits of long-handled loppers, too, which allow gardeners to delve deeper into shrubs and trees. This is handy if you&#;re cutting back thorny plant material. Longer-handled or telescopic pruners help to access towering and hard-to-reach stems without having to balance precariously on a ladder. Telescopic pruners are also handy for harvesting hard-to-reach fruit, too.
To choose loppers that are perfect for your needs, pick them up before buying and feel their weight.
Certain models of lopper will feature bumpers. These are special features that deliver extra power while absorbing impact, rebounding smoothly as they complete the cut. Finally, check the length of the guarantee on your chosen loppers, for added peace of mind.
Bypass loppers are the first port of call for cutting through live wood that&#;s too thick to be tackled with secateurs. Kent & Stowe&#;s SureCut All Purpose Bypass Loppers tick all the boxes. They have reinforced carbon steel blades, superb rust-resistance and a lightweight aluminium frame. They also feature a hanging loop for easy storage and rubber bumpers that absorb impact and rebound smoothly. With comfortable handles and grips, they feature a cutting diameter of 30mm.
SureCut All Purpose Extra Power Loppers up the game with telescopic handles for extra power and extended reach. They also feature a larger cutting capacity to tackle branches up to 35mm thick.
If you&#;re looking for ultra-powerful bypass loppers that effortlessly drives the blade through live wood that&#;s up to 40mm thick, Kent & Stowe&#;s SureCut Extra Power Hard Wood Loppers are precision-engineered to get the job done. You&#;ll find all the top features you&#;d expect from the SureCut brand. Sharp carbon steel blades coated with chrome for superior rust-resistance, extendable telescopic handles for extra power and reach, and rubber bumpers that absorb impact and deliver a smooth rebound.
Rubber micro hex handles ensure extra comfort and grip, while the hanging loop ensures that you can store these powerful pruners after use.
Not all gardeners can cope with large, heavy tools. So that&#;s where compact loppers come into play, delivering an immense amount of cutting power from a smaller, highly manoeuvrable tool.
Kent & Stowe&#;s Garden Life All Purpose Mini Loppers are a lighter and more compact alternative to SureCut All Purpose Bypass Loppers. They&#;ll slice through branches with a diameter of up to 24mm with ease, using their tough, carbon steel bypass blades.
Although these loppers are small in size, they deliver precision cutting with their short handles and pack a punch with a host of features found in larger models. This includes reflex rubber bumpers to absorb impact, chrome blade coating for rust-resistance and micro hex handles that deliver extra comfort and grip.
If you need to slice through mature hard or dead wood, super-tough anvil loppers will make the job much easier. Take Kent & Stowe&#;s SureCut Extra Power Hard Wood Ratchet Loppers, for example. While the anvil blade cleanly slices through the hardest timber up to 45mm in diameter, the secret to the extra power lies in the ratchet mechanism. This allows gardeners to cut gradually through each branch or stem, requiring minimal effort.
Reflex rubber bumpers provide maximum cutting power while extendable telescopic handles offer even more leverage and additional reach, too. Rubber micro hex handles provide extra comfort and grip while carrying out powerful pruning. There&#;s also a hanging loop to easily store the loppers once the job is complete.
Few gardeners relish the prospect of balancing at the top of ladders to prune tall shrubs or remove small branches from trees. While tackling thorny plant material isn&#;t high on most green fingered folk&#;s wish list either.
Thankfully, long telescopic pruners make these garden tasks a joy. They&#;re handy for picking fruits that are out of reach, too. With a 1.3m handle and capacity to cut stems up to 18mm in diameter, Kent & Stowe&#;s SureCut Long Reach All Purpose Pruner features tough, steel bypass blades. These are ideal for slicing through live, green wood in hard-to-reach areas, whether they&#;re high off the ground or deep towards the back of borders.
Gardeners needn&#;t worry about debris falling from height either, because these practical pruners feature a cut-and-hold mechanism which grips the stem. This helps prevent it from dropping until it&#;s ready to be released.
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