Bypass or anvil lopper?

[Doc]

Anvil lopper or bypass lopper - why would you pick one over the other?

Thanks

[krw]

Depends on what you're cutting. Some plants like to be cut with a bypass, some with an anvil type. I always look up the recommended technique for each plant before destroying it. ;-)

[Doc]

At the moment that isn't even an issue, I'm clearing a bunch of trees a bit at a time and just using the loppers to cut up branches into haul-away friendly length. The anvil broke on the beefy looking but inexpensive flea market loppers I was using. The anvil is apparently made of cheap pot metal and succumbed to stress fractures after a moderate amount of use. Otherwise it's intact but I don't even know where I'd get a replacement anvil for an off-brand POS lopper.

[krw]

You'd likely have to send to China to get the part. ;-) For you use I think the anvil type is better. The bypass type are required for a clean cut, without mashing the branch. You don't much care since it's all dead anyway. Bypass shears have to be kept sharper. OTOH, if all you're going to do with them is clear brush it likely doesn't matter.