Last Updated on October 12, 2022 by Real Men Sow

The 10 Best Loppers For Pruning (Review) 2020

The Best Loppers for Pruning

Planning on doing a bit of pruning in the garden? Sometimes, you’re going to need something heavy duty to get through the thickest branches and the toughest of stems. Whether that’s rose stems, tree branches growing into your garden or otherwise, one of the best reasons to invest in garden loppers is for the simple fact that you’re often going to need the heavy duty support when you least expect it.

Yes – shears and secateurs really do have their place, but there’s nothing quite like the cutting action and cutting capacity of loppers and their blades to really cut through the thick stuff. To be able to get through the meatier branches, you’ll need more than a weak pair of cutters to make any kind of impact.

But where do you even start when it comes to looking for the best pruning loppers? Should you prioritise comfy handles or carbon steel blades? What is it about carbon steel blades that’s so appealing?

In this buying guide, we’re going to be taking a look at the best loppers for pruning that you can buy for your garden and flowerbed right now. Not sure what to look for in terms of cutting blades, cutting power or telescoping handles? As always, our crew has been out testing and sourcing the top picks with the features you need to get through the tough stuff.

Our Picks for the Best Pruning Loppers

At the end of this guide, we’ll be taking a look at what you need to keep in mind when it comes to buying one or more sets of pruning loppers. For now, feast your eyes on our picks for the ten best available on the market right now. As always, regardless of the steel blade system you eventually choose, do always read up on what verified buyers have to say, too.

The loppers we’ve picked here should stand apart from most loppers on the market – with great blades, plenty of availability for replacement parts, and more. Take a look through the following loppers and make a wishlist!

In This Review?

Grüntek Anvil Pruning Loppers & SHARP lopping shear Best Value Pruning Loppers

At just shy of £20, this great pair of anvil pruning loppers offers a gear drive that will allow you to gain more control and purchase on your branch cutting than ever before. What’s more, this tool offers secateur action, too, meaning you’re investing in two great tools for the price of one.
This lopper system requires little in the way of force, and even arrives with a non stick coating to stop you from getting clogged up.

Features

Dimensions: 47 x 16.5 x 2.5cm
Type: Anvil
Cutting System: Gear Drive
Blade Type: Carbon Steel
Weight: 680g
Telescopic: No

Spear and Jackson Razorsharp Advance Heavy Duty Telescopic Ratchet Anvil Lopper Best Easy to Use Loppers

Spear Jackson is a great make as far as many gardening tools and essentials are concerned, and this lopper system is a very easy tool to get used to. It’s a ratchet system with extendable handles, meaning that it’s likely to be one of the best loppers for reach as well as for sheer comfort.

This award-winning anvil lopper is also rust resistant, making it a great choice for your shopping list if you’re going to be trimming through plenty of soft stuff. Not many loppers can cut through what this tool can!

Features

Dimensions: 71.1 x 24 x 3.2cm
Type: Anvil
Cutting System: Ratchet
Blade Type: Carbon Steel
Weight: 1.9kg
Telescopic: Yes

Fiskars PowerGear Lopper Best Premium Loppers

If you’re willing to spend a little bit more on your pruning shears or loppers, then this is likely to be the lopper system worth putting at the top of your list. Offering a heavy duty gear system as well as non stick coating, this is a hardy, reliable tool that’s likely to get your tree branches in check with very little in the way of effort.

Features

Dimensions: 69.2 x 18 x 69.2cm
Type: Bypass
Cutting System: Gear Drive
Blade Type: UNCLEAR
Weight: 940g
Telescopic: No

Spear and Jackson W213 Razorsharp Telescopic Ratchet Anvil Lopper

There’s nothing like a ratchet mechanism for really breaking down tree branches a little bit at a time, and this telescopic lopper system offers cutting blades which should be perfect for dry cuts.

Its blading is impressively tough, and we’re especially pleased with the fantastic handles and grips, which are non-slip – meaning these loppers will give you a safer experience from job to job.

Features

Dimensions: 67 x 29 x 4cm
Type: Anvil
Cutting System: Ratchet
Blade Type: Carbon Steel
Weight: 1.58kg
Telescopic: No

Davaon Pro Ratchet Telescopic Anvil Loppers

This anvil lopper system should give you more than a few clean cuts over its lifetime. It’s a durable anvil system, and with telescopic handles in the mix, you’ll be able to cut down through some of the tougher dry branches than most in a similar line.
The build quality is impressive, and this lopper offers one of the sharpest blades we’ve reviewed on the whole.

Features

Dimensions: 68 x 28.5 x 3.6cm
Type: Anvil
Cutting System: Ratchet
Blade Type: Carbon Steel
Weight: 1.6kg
Telescopic: Yes

Spear and Jackson 8200RS/09 Razorsharp Easy Reach Pruner

A little different to the other pruning tools on this list, this system benefits from a versatile cutting head with a body that completely rotates, making it easier for you to take control over those tougher cuts which you may find a little further off than most.

Great for trimming anything shorter than 0.3 inches in diameter, this tends to be one of the more premium priced tools, but as an award winner – and with plenty of great ratings – it’s one to consider.

Features

Dimensions: 68 x 12 x 40cm
Type: Bypass
Cutting System: UNCLEAR
Blade Type: Carbon Steel
Weight: 460g
Telescopic: No

Davaon Pro Telescopic Anvil Loppers

This super lightweight pruning and cutting system really will do the job when it comes to getting rid of thicker branches. It tends to take away a lot of the stress and force you’d normally need to exert, too, meaning it’s likely going to save you effort.

It benefits from a great all around durable design, and what’s more, it’s brilliantly comfy on the hands. Comfier than your standard pruning shears, at any rate! It may be worth looking for a compound action bypass lopper, however, if you’re set on cutting into fresh stuff.

Features

Dimensions: 63 x 24.5 x 2.3cm
Type: Anvil
Cutting System: Compound Action Lopper
Blade Type: Carbon Steel
Weight: 1.24kg
Telescopic: Yes

GRÜNTEK Telescopic ByPass Lopper XT 940

If you’re looking for a gear lopping system with plenty of reach, the blades on this lopper will give you more than a clean cut or two. Benefiting from anti-slipping handles as well as dual control for left and right handed people, this is one of the best loppers for comfortable cutting of all kinds of branches. The telescopic reach alone here is well worth the price of admission.

Features

Dimensions: 69 x 28 x 3cm
Type: Bypass
Cutting System: Gear Drive
Blade Type: Aluminum
Weight: 1.6kg
Telescopic: Yes

Fiskars PowerGear Anvil Gear Shears for Dry and Hard Wood

If you’re looking for a gear system that’s low on the frills but high on the versatility when it comes to cutting through wet and dry branches, this fantastic lopper option is likely going to be up at the top of your Wishlist. We think the precision and durability here, too, more than make up for the lack of telescopic action.

Features

Dimensions: 58.5 x 19.5 x 12cm
Type: Anvil
Cutting System: Gear Drive
Blade Type: Carbon Steel
Weight: 400g
Telescopic: No

FLORA GUARD Heavy Duty Branch Lopper, Pruner Bypass loppers & Tree Trimmer

This bypass lopper option will likely slice off just enough from tree branches to be worth its fantastic price. Coated with ilaflon, this lopper system is likely to persist longer than most, and is also rust resistant.
Throw in comfortable grip handles and a great balance to the overall proportion of the tool, and you have heavy duty loppers likely to serve you well for time to come.

Features

Dimensions: 70.4 x 30.4 x 3.2cm
Type: Bypass
Cutting System: UNCLEAR
Blade Type: Carbon Steel
Weight: 1.36kg
Telescopic: No

What is the Difference Between a Lopper and a Pruner?

The main difference between pruners and loppers is the number of hands needed to operate them. Pruners, on the whole, will be smaller and can be used with a single hand if you wish. Loppers, on the other hand (literally!), will need you to use both hands during operation.

Pruners tend to be great for smaller jobs and tasks which, funnily enough, require pruning. For example, you might want to take a few roses back, or to claim some cuttings to take in the house once the cold weather starts rolling in.

Something like a bypass lopper or anvil loppers will be ideal, meanwhile, if you have trees and branches you need to cut through. Pruning loppers is a term you can apply to loppers in general, though these tools are mainly good for getting through thicker branches. It’s all in the wrist, as well as in the blade.

What Types of Loppers Are There?

You can normally split pruning loppers into one of two categories. Specifically, these are bypass loppers and anvil loppers.

Bypass loppers operate in a similar way to scissors, and tend to be your best pick for a blade which is going to easily slice through fresh branches. Bypass loppers also tend to be some of the most common picks for most gardeners, meaning that if you’ve used a lopper or two before, there’s a good chance you’ve had your hands on a bypass lopper.

An anvil lopper, meanwhile, is a tool which works a little bit differently. Anvil loppers will snap to their edges instead of bypassing, meaning that they are somewhat like miniature chopping knives. It’s like taking a chopping board with you into the garden!

The right loppers or lopper for you is going to depend on what you need the tool for. For example, a bypass lopper is only going to help you so much with dead or thick branches or shrubbery. Bypass systems have a habit of jamming up or clogging if used the incorrect way. Anvil loppers tend to be better for thicker branches and trees, on the whole. However, you may well find a cutting head or cutting power which appeals to you in a different way.

What To Look for in the Best Pruning Lopper

If you’ve taken a look at our bypass loppers and anvil lopper reviews above, you’ll probably already have a good idea of what you’re going to need to consider. However, let’s take a look through some of the lopper essentials you’ll need to keep in mind if you want a clean cut.

Blades and Types

Naturally, high quality lopper blades are a must! Generally, you’ll find that steel is the standard, though carbon steel blades will normally lead the way.

A carbon steel blade is a good all-round choice. This will allow you to make clean cut after cut without having to worry about bending, warping, or wear and tear. Generally, these blading systems need fewer replacement parts over time, too.
Non stick coating also tends to be worth looking for. This is a brilliant add on feature which will allow you to clean cut through some of the stickier or more pliant garden greenery without clogging up.

High quality lopper blades and fixtures will also install closely together, with the option for you to tighten things up if you need to. Of course, this also means you can expect a closer cut the tighter the blades impact.

Cutting Mechanism

Even once you’ve chosen between anvil loppers or a bypass lopper system, you’re still going to need to pick a lopper that offers the cutting mechanism that works best for the jobs you have in mind.

For example, you might want to consider compound action loppers if you’re looking to get complete access to a branch. These lopper systems tend to open right up, and can often look a bit complex! A compound action cutting mechanism, however, is going to give you plenty of control when you want to cut through thicker branches in your garden. Don’t let the multiple pivot points put you off.

On the other hand, there are also ratcheting loppers. This type of lopper won’t give you clean cuts in one or two fell swoops, but will instead allow you to chip away at the branches you have left to handle. These tend to operate with a gentle squeeze action, meaning that these loppers come with ease of use guaranteed. Beyond this, they tend to do the job well, if a little bit at a time.

Finally, geared loppers complete the list – these cut branches with control emphasised as standard. These tend to be fairly complex builds, but they are designed for absolute comfort as well as control.

The right cutting mechanism for you is likely to vary depending on how you normally cut branches at home. We’d normally suggest you try some of the different types for yourself, however, it’s just as good an idea to read up on what verified gardeners have to say, too. If you’ve got a kit replete with pruning saw and pruning shears already, then it’s likely you probably have a good idea of what to look for.

Grips and Handles

Handles really are important – after all, if your lopper doesn’t have a comfortable pair of handles, they are going to be hard going and fatiguing to use.

Firstly, consider the gripping that you can expect from your lopper handles. You’re going to want something low friction, and which have long enough platforms for your hands to comfortably grip at all. You can even find lopper handles with contours, which many will find comfortable to use as they guide into their hands.

Handles’ lengths are also very important. The ideal length of lopper handles for your own needs will vary. That’s why you will generally find lopper handles split into two or three different sizes. It’s not always so easy to know which size of handles will work best for you in the long run, so consider the tasks you have at hand, and make a point of checking out Amazon reviews.

Of course, to avoid any kind of doubt, make sure to invest in telescoping handles for your lopper. This, naturally, means that your handles can extend outwards, meaning that you have more purchase to attack those branches. Fully extended, you may even be able to put cutting action to use on trees without having to leave the ground.

So – low friction comfort grips, telescopic handles, and the right fit for you – there’s more to lopper handles than you likely bargained for!

Cutting Capacity

Cutting capacity refers to how capable, or durable, your lopper tool is going to be when it comes to specific workload sizes. Generally, you can expect to cut through two inches in diameter when it comes to any kind of branch to cutting blade ratio.

However, you need to consider the usability of your lopper before you take into account cutting capacity. It’s all well and good having great blades and cutting action to get through tough branches, but if your loppers come without any kind of comfort grip or telescopic action, you’re going to find it hard to push cutting blade or blades to their full potential.

Therefore, you’re going to need to be clever about what’s likely to work best for you. Again, trying on a lopper for size will work well, but if you’re unable to check out the blades or comfort grip in person, then you’ll do best reading what verified purchasers have to say.

What We Considered

When researching the best loppers for pruning online, we took into account all of the features we’ve explored above. However, we’ve also taken a look at budgeting, branding and ease of use. Once more, buyer reviews really do make a difference.

However, there’s more to a great lopper than one or more fancy blades. You should look carefully at whether or not your ideal lopper is going to be comfortable to handle and use, and whether or not it will be heavy duty enough to get through the tough stuff you really want rid of.

If you can’t distinguish between compound action and the like, don’t worry. It’s pretty easy to get bogged down in one or more of the details! That’s why the best lopper for you isn’t going to necessarily be an all-singing, all-dancing masterpiece.

We wanted to find loppers which offer genuine value – great prices and top features, but with ease of use and branch cutting power that you can make use of regardless of your own gardening prowess and technique.

Conclusion

Pruning loppers are essential if you have trees in your garden, or branches which are growing into your garden space and need taking back more than a little! The best lopper tools made from carbon steel blades will be sure to make light work of even the toughest branches.

Be sure to take a closer look at our top picks in the list above, and consider which are the best loppers for your own needs. What works well for one gardener might not work best for the next – so take your time and consider what’s going to make your life as easy as possible.