We’re favoring shears made of durable materials that are also designed to make swapping out new parts relatively easy.īypass blades | Ergonomic rubber-coated handles | Dial lock | Replacement parts availableįar and away, the most popular pair of all-purpose shears among experts are the F2 bypass pruners manufactured by Swiss company Felco. Beyond sharpening your blades, you may have to occasionally perform small repairs or replace components. A good pair can last for decades, but they require maintenance. They’ll get dirty and wet and thrown into a gardening bag the blades will cut through tough, woody stems and get covered in sap. While we’ve noted locking mechanisms that our experts particularly like, which you choose is largely a matter of personal preference - what matters most is reliable engineering.ĭurability and maintenance: Shears aren’t a tool you can afford to treat preciously. Some common styles are latch, dial, and squeeze locks. Locking mechanism: A lock keeps a pair of spring-loaded shears shut when they’re not in use, so a reliable, easy-to-use style is important - a fiddly, unreliable lock can cause the blades to either accidentally seize up while you work or spring open inside your bag. (Two-handed tools, such as hedge trimmers or loppers, work for both righties and lefties.) For one-handed shears, we’re also noting where a left-handed option is available like scissors, one handed-shears usually default to right-handed. We’re looking for easy-to-grip handles that won’t slip when wet or cause cramps or blisters. Handles: You want a pair of shears that are comfortable enough to stand up to a long day of repetitive movements. Longer, heavier blades are better for covering a large area thin, sharp-tipped blades are good for pruning more delicate plants. The shape and size of the blades themselves also vary by use. According to Strategist contributor and veteran gardener Joseph Truini, you’ll get the cleanest cut from bypass blades, which cut past each other, versus anvil blades, which meet when you cut and tend to crush plant matter. “The quicker a plant heals, the less susceptible it is to disease.”īest overall | Best less expensive pruner | Best Japanese-made pruner | Best less-expensive Japanese-made pruner | Best hedge shears | Best less-expensive hedge shears | Best loppers | Best scissors | Best hands-free shearsīlade type: The best style of blade will depend on how you’re planning to use your shears. A tool that consistently delivers sharp, clean cuts will make you a more efficient gardener, and it’s also healthier for your plants: “The cleaner the cut, the quicker a plant heals,” says Kurt Morrell, the vice-president of landscape operations at the New York Botanical Garden. The right tool will make the difference between a miserable, blister-inducing day of garden chores and achieving a flow state as you trim shrubs - and with some maintenance, can last for decades.
One of the most indispensable gardening tools is a good sharp pair of shears, useful for everything from the dead tops of flowers (known as “deadheading”) to intricate hedge-trimming to harvesting a crop of tomatoes. Photo-Illustration: The Strategist: Photos: Retailers
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