It’s nearly impossible to keep your landscaping in tip-top shape without the proper tools at your disposal. Luckily, you don’t need to spend a small fortune on gardening hardware to get the job done right. Tools like pruning shears, hedge shears, and loppers are must-haves if you want to landscape like a professional.
What Is a Pruner?
Otherwise known as pruning shears, pruners are simply hand-held cutters that are used to trim back things like shrubs and flowers. They’re the perfect tool to use if you need to get into tight spaces and perform rather delicate work. While they can’t tackle thicker branches, they do give the user a great degree of control.
If you wonder about the difference between pruners and secateurs, it’s mostly about geography rather than function. Gardeners in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand usually refer to pruners as secateurs.
What Are Gardening Shears?
Often crafted from high-strength steel and various composite materials, gardening shears or hedge clippers are the Swiss Army knives of landscaping implements. Most hedge clippers feature blades that are at least 6 inches long. Generally speaking, hedge shears boast one straight blade and one serrated blade. They can chop through tree limbs at least half an inch in width.
What Is a Lopper?
A lopper is more or less a super-sized version of a pair of pruning shears. The main difference is that loppers have handles that can be several feet long.[3] They’re used to cut through woody growth that hand-held pruners wouldn’t be able to chop. One big advantage of loppers is their ability to reach higher branches.
What Is a Pruning Saw?
Pruning saws can take many shapes and forms. Some pruning saws look like hand saws that feature a curved, serrated blade. Some pruning saws have a blade that’s attached to a long pole. They’re a good option if loppers aren’t going to do the trick due to the thickness or inaccessibility of the unwanted growth.
How Many Different Types of Loppers Are There?
There are really only two types of loppers that you’ll find at quality hardware stores like True Value. Here’s a quick breakdown of these variants.
Bypass Loppers
Most loppers are bypass loppers as far as blade design and configuration are concerned. A bypass lopper is essentially a big pair of scissors. The blades slide past each other as closely as possible during normal operation. They deliver fairly crisp, clean cuts that allow plants to recover quickly and develop scar tissue in short order.
Anvil Loppers
An anvil lopper has a blade that ends up impacting a flat surface when a cut is completed. This is sort of like a hammer hitting an anvil. Anvil pruners are the better option if you’re pruning dead branches. They don’t work as well if you’re trying to cut through living plant tissue that isn’t thick.
A Quick Guide to Lopper and Pruner Maintenance
Keeping loppers and pruners in excellent shape is pretty easy. Here are a few key tips to ensure that your clippers go the distance.
Sharpen the Blades Often
Sharp blades make it easy to achieve the perfect cut. They also extend the life of any pruner or shear by years or even decades. Do yourself a favor and invest in some decent sharpening blocks and files. Spending a few bucks on these tools will save you a lot of money over time.
Clean the Equipment After Every Use
When you chop down tree limbs, flower stems, and shrub growth on a regular basis, it’s nearly impossible to avoid sap accumulation on blades. When you’re done for the day, use a cleaning agent like TSP or citric acid to clean your steel. Doing so will make your blades more effective and prevent undue wear and tear.
Keep an Eye Out for Rust
Even the best shears and saws will eventually develop spots of rust after enough hours logged in the field. Citric acid powder dissolved in hot water will eat away at that rust in short order if you give it enough time to work its magic. Rust spreads fast once it establishes a foothold on metal.
Tighten Screws and Nuts as Needed
Every pair of pruning or hedge shears has at least one nut or bolt that holds at least two pieces of metal together. Over time, that central fastener will tend to work itself loose. If there’s a lot of “play” when you open or close your shears, you should tighten that nut to improve cutting performance.
Lubricate Points of Friction Regularly
While shears and pruners are relatively simple tools that shouldn’t require much maintenance, they still require lubrication. Tossing a little multipurpose oil onto joints will prevent a ton of problems later on down the road. Multipurpose oil eats away at rust and keeps metal parts from wearing on each other. In a pinch, regular 5W-30 engine oil is a valid alternative.
The Best Pruners and Loppers at True Value
Corona ComfortGEL Bypass Pruner
Arguably the best set of pruning shears on the market, the Corona ComfortGEL Bypass Pruner is a dream to work with. Its precision blades enable users to make impeccable cuts in thorny rose bushes all day long without a lot of hassle. The soft handle coverings are a godsend if you have sensitive palms.
Green Thumb Anvil Lopper
Measuring an impressive 29 inches from stem to stern, the Green Thumb Anvil Lopper can quickly slash through any plant material with practically zero effort. It will bust up limbs that are nearly an inch wide and leave relatively clean cuts in its wake. For the money, it’s one of the best values you’ll find.
Fiskars Telescoping Handle Hedge Shears
Sometimes, you just really want to reach out and clip something. If that something is just out of arm’s reach, the Fiskars Telescoping Handle Hedge Shears are the perfect tool for the job. This handy pair of shears has a maximum length of 33 inches and a powerful set of jaws that cut through saplings like a hot knife through butter.
Corona Pruning Razor Tooth Saw
Having a good pruning hand saw at the ready is never a bad thing when you’re taming overgrowth. The Corona Pruning Razor Tooth Saw features a 10-inch chrome-plated SK5 serrated blade that makes mincemeat of any limb or brush you may encounter. It’s affordable, it’s sturdy, and it’ll last a long time if cared for properly.
Fiskars Power-Lever Extendable Pole Saw
Eventually, you’ll want to cut down unwanted growth without reaching for a step ladder. The Fiskars Power-Lever Extendable Pole Saw is the go-to tool in such scenarios. This fiberglass wonder can be extended to a length of 14 feet and weighs a mere 5.6 pounds. Best of all, it folds up easily for safe storage during the off-season.
Score the Best Loppers and Pruners at True Value Today!
In the end, there’s no one perfect tool that can address all of your landscaping and gardening needs. That’s why it’s important to assemble an arsenal of pruners and trimmers to solve any problem. Stop by a nearby True Value store to find a ton of great pruners, shears, and saws any day of the week.