How to choose a secateurs

A garden pruner is a tool that resembles scissors in shape, but is much larger, intended for manual work, the place of use of which is most often a summer cottage or a flower garden.

There are several varieties of pruning shears: with the help of some, flowers and green shoots are cut, others are used for processing thick branches, replacing them with a hand saw. Not all novice gardeners are able to independently figure out the differences between the models, so many ask for advice before buying from more experienced flower growers and gardeners. In order to make the right choice of garden pruner, you should know about which varieties are intended for which work, and how to choose the right garden pruner.

What are the criteria to choose

There are a number of criteria by which to choose which garden pruner is better.

Garden bypass pruner

Varieties and purpose of secateurs

A certain type of secateurs should be selected based on the purpose of the models for performing any work:

1. The bypass pruner is used when cutting hard branches, as well as those whose thickness is less than two centimeters. The cutting part of the structure consists of two sickle-shaped blades. The upper blade is sharpened, the lower – serves as a stop. The bypass pruner leaves an even and clean cut without deforming the rest of the branch. The average length of the contact pruner is 20 centimeters with 8 centimeters long knives. Such a tool weighs, on average, 220 grams;
2. Brush cutters are used to trim shrubs and tree branches and are less than three centimeters in diameter. This is a type of flat pruner, similar to ordinary scissors - they have two symmetrical blades, sharpened on both sides, and handles, the length of which is about 35 centimeters, which work like levers. This bush pruner easily cuts medium-sized branches;

3. The Lopper is a hybrid of a bypass pruner and a brush cutter - with the same long arms and thick 10 cm blades. Despite the fact that they are considered flat, each blade is sharply sharpened and moves towards the opposite. Due to the fact that loppers are often equipped with an amplifier or a ratchet gear, they are suitable for cutting branches with a diameter of more than 5 centimeters. In addition to trees, with the help of such a pruner, you can handle low-growing plants. On some models, the handles are adjustable up to two meters in length. The weight of such secateurs is, on average, 2 kilograms;
4. Pruning with grafting shears leaves a perfectly clean cut that can be V-shaped or half-circle. A standard instrument of this type does not exceed two tens of centimeters in length and weighs just over 200 grams.

Features of the tool mechanism

The mechanism installed on the pruner makes it suitable for processing a certain type of branches:

1. The scissor mechanism is distinguished by the transmission to the blades of only the load that was exerted by the force applied to the handles.Such a tool is only suitable for processing thin branches. The advantage of such a device is the increase in the length of the handles, the work of which is carried out according to the lever principle;
2. The lever mechanism is very similar to the scissor mechanism, but differs from it in the parallel arrangement of the handles. The device is designed for processing thin stems. However, the load on the hands is significantly reduced when working with a pruner;
3. The ratchet mechanism, turning in one direction, "bites" a thick branch in a few strokes. With the first force applied, the branch is cut as the handles are pressed. However, the subsequent impact on the handles contributes to deeper cutting of the branches until the result is obtained. Most often, loppers and professional tools are equipped with a ratchet mechanism;
4. Power-driven pruning shears are able to independently increase the amount of pressure applied to the levers. This device is designed to cut very thick and hard branches without significant effort.

Lopper

Differences between types of springs

An element such as a spring affects the speed at which the handles return to their original position.

Modern pruning shears can be fitted with one of three types of springs:

• wire, considered the weakest and most short-lived, which is distinguished by a short stroke;
• lever, rather tight, but easily adjustable;
• tape, characterized by the greatest reliability, but having a negative property - small debris is driven into it.

Ergonomic features of secateurs

The market for gardening equipment provides a choice of different types of pruners, from which you can choose tools designed for different types of work:

• For floriculture, a scissor-shaped pruner with an anticorrosive coating and carbon steel is used as the material for the manufacture of it. Wire-type spring tool can be selected. However, to care for roses, when pruning thick branches, you will have to additionally use a bypass pruner. These pruning shears help prevent hand injuries from sharp thorns;
• For example, treating shrubs is best with a bypass pruner equipped with thicker blades. Young vines or hedges are best handled with a hedge trimmer that has a built-in scissor or link mechanism. For cutting thick three-year-old branches, it is recommended to purchase a ratchet pruner;
• To trim off old dried stems or wood in an area, it is recommended to use a delimber that has a built-in ratchet or power drive. Tools with long or telescopic telescopic handles have access to branches of any tier. Such pruning shears for powerful thick branches should be made of high-strength steel or its equivalent;
• For grafting work, a specialized grafting secateurs are best suited. However, since this tool is not commonly used in gardening tools, it may be made of knife steel and not be equipped with a safety blade.

Grafting pruner

The best pruning shears

The top five garden pruners include:

1. RACO 4206-53 / 150C Is a garden tool with high quality hardened steel used in the manufacture of blades. These secateurs are durable and resistant to mechanical stress. Protection of the knives against corrosion is provided by a special coating. The built-in ratchet mechanism increases the cutting force, so the pruner can easily handle hard and tough shoots. The knives produced by this brand leave a perfectly straight cut.The handle has a small brush that can quickly clean the blades. Thanks to rubberized inserts on the handles, they do not slip out during operation;
2. Fiskars 111670 is a pruning shear, the versatility of which allows the use of the tool not only for right-handers. The blades are treated with an anti-friction coating that reduces friction and pressure on the cutting edges. The ratchet mechanism makes this tool suitable for thick branches. The blades are made of high quality steel and are double hardened. Durable handles with anti-slip coating;
3. Palisad 60560 is a durable pruning shears equipped with die-cast aluminum handles with rubberized inserts. Corrosion-treated Teflon blades are made from high quality carbon steel. The lower blade has small teeth that hold the branch in place while cutting and give a better cut than other garden pruners. Equipped with a ratchet makes it possible to work with thick branches. Another advantage of this model is that the lower handle is equipped with a protective arch;
4. The GARDENA 8905 is a pruning shears with a special coating on the upper blade to prevent the sticking of plant residues. The lower knife is made of high quality stainless steel. Reinforced fiberglass is used for the production of handles. The difference between this model and others lies in the possibility of individual adjustment of the working width between the handles. The cut after processing is especially thin and correct. Another feature of the model of this powerful pruner is that there is an electric knife lock at the top of the pruner;
5. The GARDENA 8854 is a tool with an unusual handle that resists overloading the wrist and rubbing the palm. At the top there is a button that activates the knife lock. For the manufacture of the handle, equipped with rubber inserts, reinforced fiberglass was used. Since the sharpening was performed with high precision, the cut has a perfectly flat and accurate surface. The upper blade is treated with an anti-stick coating. The bottom knife is made of high quality stainless steel.

Gardening scissors

Thus, before choosing a pruner for your garden and answering the question: which is better than Fiskars or Gardena pruning shears, we can say that GARDENA branch pruners differ from other companies in the presence of automatic knife fixation, as well as in high quality materials. A distinctive quality of the Fiskars, RACO and Palisad secateurs is considered to be the special treatment of the blades against corrosion and other external influences.

When thinking about which pruner is better to choose, you need to focus on the purpose of this tool. It can be used for processing thin shrubby branches, thick shoots or intended for grafting. In addition to those listed in this material, there are a large number of different models of secateurs, the cost of which also differs - the price range from which these tools can be selected varies from 300 to 3,000 rubles.