Gardens mean plants, and plants mean pruning. If you want to prune quickly and effectively, you’ll need a good pair of secateurs, but there’s a surprisingly wide range available, and you can pay upwards of £70 for them. You want something that will cut straight through tough stems and twigs, and is comfortable to use all day. Chop through the briars and tangles of garden tool selection with this guide.
How to buy the best secateurs for you
What types of secateurs are there?
There are two main types of secateurs, the anvil type that bring a blade straight down onto a blunter cutting platform, and the bypass type that pass two blades past each other, like a pair of scissors. Anvil types need to be kept sharp, as if the blade starts to dull, their cutting ability can suffer, especially if attacking small, soft stems, which might get squashed or torn. Bypass secateurs benefit from their scissoring action, cutting cleanly, but aren’t always suitable for left-handers as most are made with a right-handed action. Conversely, anvil-bladed tools are often blunter at the tip, and lack the sharp point of a bypass pair that can be inserted into smaller places.
Some secateurs have a ratchet mechanism that gradually closes the blades over the course of a couple of squeezes of the handles, which is useful if you have small hands or don’t have the strength to squeeze them closed in one push. Watch out for your tool’s recommended maximum cutting diameter. The blades may open wider, but loppers or a small saw may be a better choice for thicker stems or small branches.
Secateurs are available in many different sizes, just like the hands of gardeners, and it’s always a good idea to handle them in-store to get a feel for how they’ll be in use. If you’ve got big hands, don’t assume you’ll need the largest pair you can find – the length of handles may be a greater concern than the sheer size of the blades.
How should I care for the secateurs?
You should sharpen your secateurs with a steel or whetstone as soon as you notice a change in their cutting ability, as blunt blades will cause more harm to your plants by not cutting cleanly, possibly allowing in fungal infection or leading to insect damage. Sap is deposited on the blades at almost every pruning session, and should be wiped off after every use, otherwise it can clog your blades, introduce corrosion, and cause them to be sticky and unpleasant to use. Clean them with soapy water, make sure they’re properly dry, and give the mechanism a spray with lubricant before putting them away. If you’ve been cutting back diseased foliage, consider a quick bath in disinfectant to avoid transferring the malady.
How much should I spend?
You can get a pair of secateurs relatively cheaply, from around £10. On cheaper pairs, watch out for the central spring mechanism, as this may break easily, rendering the tool useless. Cheaper blades may also require more frequent sharpening as they can be made of inferior metals that lose their edge more quickly. Expensive Japanese secateurs use quality steel that’s purported to keep its sharpness for longer, but their price means they’re out of reach for most gardeners.
What features should I look out for?
The main choice in secateurs is between the anvil or bypass actions, and whether you want a ratchet or not. Once you’ve made your mind up on these, everything else is relatively minor. Look out for things like safety catches, which will keep the secateurs closed when they’re not in use; or replaceable parts such as the all-important spring. Bright colours can make the tool more easily seen if you drop them in the grass, and save buying a replacement pair, while a simple loop on the handle, to which a wristband can be attached, will also save you from dropping them. A holster that clips onto your waistband is a useful accessory that can help prevent losing your tools too. Lightweight plastics or aluminium in their construction will make them easier to use on a long day in the garden, while a closed-loop lower handle can make it easier to open them if they get stuck and the spring needs a little help. A lower handle that rotates as you close your fingers will reduce the strain on your hand, but isn’t a feature seen on many pairs.
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The best secateurs you can buy in 2018
1. Fiskars UK 1000574 P94 secateurs: The strongest secateurs
Price: £37 | Buy now from Amazon
These bypass secateurs from Finnish company Fiskars have a geared mechanism that multiplies the force from your hands by three times, making it easy to cut through tough stems and branches up to 20mm in diameter. Their partially plastic construction keeps them light, while the replaceable blades are made of a steel alloy with chromium, molybdenum and vanadium to keep them sharp. A safety catch prevents unwanted opening. In the hand, they’re light and well shaped, the thick lower handle making it easy to pull up, and the gearing means even tough branches aren’t going to be too much problem for the blades. Remove the cardboard from the plastic part of the packaging and you’ve got a handy holster that can slip to the top of your trousers too.
Key specs – Weight: 272g; Length: 20.7cm; Max cutting width: 20mm
2. Spear & Jackson Razorsharp 6358RS: The best secateurs for big hands
Price: £21 | Buy now from Amazon
These anvil-style shears have a ratchet action so you can close them with multiple pulls of the handle while cutting harder branches, and a looped lower handle for pulling them open again easily. There’s a safety catch for keeping them closed. The loop is big enough for large hands, but try them out first if you often wear thick gloves too. The aluminium body is accented with a non-slip plastic coating on the top handle, but could do with some padding below, as the metal of the lower handle can be hard on bare fingers. With extremely sharp, Teflon-coated blades, they’re aimed at thicker, harder branches and stems, but the maximum cutting diameter is 20mm, the same as many other secateurs.
Key specs – Weight: 231g; Length: 21cm; Max cutting width: 20mm
3. Wilkinson Sword 1111160W Straight Bypass Razorcut Pro: The best basic secateurs
Price: £30 | Buy now from Amazon
These may look like a basic pair of secateurs, and in many ways they are, with few additional frills and fripperies. They concentrate on doing the basics well, however, with Japanese steel blades and drop-forged aluminium handles. Their one concession to the modern world is a two-position catch that allows a choice of cutting widths, so you can rein them in when you don’t need the full 22mm opening. A rubber buffer by the spring absorbs the shock of closing the blades, and there’s a safety catch so they don’t open when you don’t want them to. The blades themselves are long and pointed, so are well suited to cutting in cramped areas. Thanks to their almost old-fashioned design, they’re a very right-handed pair of secateurs, so you may want to try them out if you favour another hand.
Key specs – Weight: 275g; Length: 21.5cm; Max cutting width: 22mm
4. Wolf-Garten RR5000 Professional Bypass Aluminium Secateurs: The most comfortable secateurs
Price: £35 | Buy now from Amazon
With a cutting width of 25mm, these can accommodate some larger branches, but lack the ratchet or gearing mechanisms to really make short work of them. They’re a brightly coloured pair, with a double-sided safety catch that can be opened easily by right or left handers. The aluminium handles are softened on top and bottom by plastic panels, and there’s a rubber pad to stop a sudden closure from hurting your hand. A hex nut on the left-hand side of the blade mounting allows a degree of disassembly to replace the blades, and there’s a wrist loop built into the top handle to make them harder to lose. They fit well in the hand, springing open with a flick of the thumb and not taking much pressure to close, but are weightier than other pairs, and front-heavy.
Key specs – Weight: 399g; Length: 15.2cm; Max cutting width: 25mm
5. Stihl Professional Secateurs: The best secateurs for thicker stems
Price: £41 | Buy now from Amazon
These bypass secateurs may have the name of German chainsaw company Stihl on them, and have the word "Germany" stamped plainly on their blades, but otherwise they’re more or less identical to the Wilkinson Sword bypass secateurs. The main difference comes down to their bright orange colouration, handy if you drop them in the flower bed; the safety switch only having one position; a wider top handle; and a slightly different design of the chrome-plated blades to enable wire cutting and collect sap. Their maximum cutting width is a meaty 25mm, enabling them to take on thicker stems.
Key specs – Weight: 225g; Length: 21.5cm; Max cutting width: 25mm
