secateurs?

[Fred]

Hi,

I did ask this on the gardening group, but didn't get the answer I was looking for ;(

I need to buy some new secateurs but I am confused by all the types available. Specifically what are "bypass" secateurs and "anvil head" secateurs and what are they used for?

Looking at them, the blades on bypass secateurs slide past each other ("bypass"), whereas on anvil secateurs the blades meet head on. Does this make a difference?

Is one type better for small branches and another for larger branches?

Some claim to cut branches up to 20mm thick. Is this possible if you are not Jeff Capes or is it marketing spin?

I understand you can get ratchet secateurs to cut bigger branches; are they any good and at what branch size do they become useful?

I hope this is not off topic, as I see there is a section, albeit not yet written, about secateurs in the wiki.

TIA

[tinnews]

I think you have understood the (physical) difference perfectly! :-)

Personally I prefer "bypass" blades, I believe they hold the branch better while cutting it but I think it's basically down to personal preference. I don't *think* that the different types are aimed at different applications (though I may well be wrong).

Not as far as I know.

20mm is only .75" or so, I think good sharp secateurs will cut softish branches (e.g. elder and new growth on other trees) without too much wrist strength.

We have two pairs of long handled (rather than ratchet) type things for cutting larger branches. They quite happily cut branches of 1" or more and, having long handles, can reach better than ordinary secateurs.

[Roger Mills]

I'm not sure what the anvil type is intended for - I've always found them pretty useless for *everything* - and personally only ever use the by-pass type.

That's pushing it a bit, unless the wood is particularly soft. I would have thought that 12-13mm was more reasonably achieveable.

Possibly, but I've never seen ratchet *secateurs*. I've got some ratchet

*loppers* which are quite good. They have extending [1] handles to give lots of leverage - and can certainly cut branches of up to about 35mm. For anything bigger than that, I use a reciprocating saw or chain saw. [1] The handles extend telescopically from about 40cm to 70cm (estimated - they're not within sight as I type) and can be twisted to lock in any intermediate position.

[mike]

AFAIK (and others may differ), the bypass version gives a cleaner cut on softer stems while the anvil version is better for tougher stems but has more of a crushing action.

Have only ever used bypass secateurs and loppers though, so can't confirm the above from experience.

I have a cheap pair of Hilka extending bypass loppers from Argos which have done sterling service on branches over many years (much more easily I'd guess than ratchet secateurs), although I think I've finally managed to overtax them as one of the extending handles no longer contracts fully.

HTH.

[S Viemeister]

I have a pair of ratchet secateurs - small enough to fit in my jeans pocket. I can't remember the brand, but they work well.

[S Viemeister]

I use bypass on live wood, and anvil on dead stuff.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Secateurs are good up to about 1/2"

For everything else., there is Chainsaw.

[Andy Dingley]

Anvil will generally cut thicker things, but crush and chomp the ends. Bypass leave a cleaner cut that's better for picking flowers or for plants where there's a risk of infection entering. If they're cheaply made, you'll usually find that cheap anvils are a better bet. Some large loppers for timber branches (1" upwards) revert to bypass because a woody stem with high crush resistance doesn't work well for an anvil and might be more easily cut with bypass.

At the moment I like the orange handled WIlkinson Sword pruners. Cheap, good carrying lock, and extremely good value for money. Their geared mid-length handle loppers (18" or so) were particularly impressive.

[Andy Dingley]

Tesco own-brand folding pruning saw (lurid green, with a loop handle). Japanese pull teeth and a tapered blade grind, so it's as good as my 20 quid pruning saws. Only =A33 too!

[Stuart Noble]

Angle grinder substitute

[Bill]

I asked here some time ago about buying replacement anvils for my lopper. Extensive research revealed that, indeed, there don't seem to be any spares in the country. The anvil is actually quite a standard, small, fairly cleverly shaped casting, and making one from stock materials would have been too much effort at my age. I have now got a replacement, but cannot reveal the method on grounds of incrimination.

I like anvil for thicker stuff and bypass for the smaller, more delicate cuts.

Of the bypass secuteurs (must look up how to spell it) here, the Wilkinson ones are good, but the lock mechanism has worn prematurely and I have to prune from below to stop them locking on every cut. The Aldi green rubbery handled things were great, but something in the garage has eaten all the squishy rubber off the handles on these and some other Aldi garden tools. The Lidl similar but even cheaper ones only lasted a few days before the rivet holding the blade to the actuator failed. I wouldn't buy these again.

[Clive George]

After we bust our spear & jackson loppers, went out and got a Wolf pair. Not telescopic, not ratcheting, just one of two selectable gearings and some fairly long arms. They work really well, and feel less likely to break than the other ones we've tried. I do like not faffing with the ratcheting mechanism.

[robert]

I agree with both the above which applies to loppers as well as secateurs.

If you have a lot of annual pruning/lopping to do it is, IMO, worth looking at Felco bypass secateurs and Bahco loppers.

[john jardine]

This afternoon did a 50mm branch using a cheap Lidl 'Anvil' type cutter with extendable handles. Been using it all summer(what summer?) and it's still cutting fine. I found the slide-over bypass types are good until the edges blunt, which then causes a twisting reaction force during cutting.

[Lawrence]

A few months back I bought an unusual tool from Lidl. It is essentially an anvil cutter but the anvil is in the form of a hook and the blade moves out away from the user as you operate the handle. I bought it for the novelty value as much as anything else. It is fantastic!! I have cut hard live wood up to 2 inches in diameter with no problem. It certainly gets rid of that twisting effect that you get with many cutters when trying to cut oversize branches.

Lawrence

[Steve Firth]

We use Amtech ratchet secateurs and Felco pruning shears on the farm. Branches larger than 3/4" get pruned with a decent pruning saw (Sandvik seem to work well for us) and anything over a couple of inches gets a chainsaw.

[newshound]

I carry an anvil type when trimming overhanging branches from the back of a horse; slightly less chance of nasty damage if you fall off on to them!

[The Medway Handyman]

Bloody hell. What kind of horse is that then?

[Dave]

Dave, must you do that? This keyboard has been under the showr almost as many time as me.

Dave

[Lino expert]

Chestnut.