Normally when we talk about branch cutters people usually think of these small pruning shears that look like scissors. What is certain, however, is that the most popular garden pruners are garden loppers.
This type of loppers is the great unknown for all those people who are not used to working in the world of gardening and in turn constitutes a classic and an essential tool for all those people who dedicate themselves professionally to this sector.
If you are interested in knowing more about this type of garden loppers and making sure that it adapts to your needs to perfection, do not miss to read and inform yourself thanks to this buying guide that we have prepared.
What is the best anvil lopper?
To avoid filling our yard with useless blades, we must seek the best pruning shears from the beginning.
Luckily, I went through a search and intense test and now I can present this comparison with my 5 favourite options.
Among them, you will find some extensible pieces or with gears, some light and others more solid, but all these instruments keep the trunks clean and more able to bloom.
1. Fiskars PowerGear Lopper Bypass
Your gear system I loved from the start because it allows you to apply better pressure and leverage the cut. It is ideal for pruning dry tree branches, regardless of the type of wood. Its design is super light and practical for any height.
2. FELCO Model 231 Anvil Lopper
The stainless steel blade of this model allows a super clean felling without leaving dangerous stakes. But the best thing about this lopper is that it has cushioning points so that there are no sharp blows when the scissors are closed and that they can hurt our hands.
3. Bahco P160-SL-90 Super Light Bypass Lopper
It is my favourite lopper to reach great heights. Its lightweight, ergonomic handle and the curvature of its blade allow pruning to be fast and do not tire our arms. This brand surprises me with every garden product it produces and this is no exception.
4. Bellota 3440-TEL – Extendable Bypass Lopper
These precision blades are ideal for pruning the bushes with flowers or the outside of a terrace without the need to climb up. It is the most economical and comfortable model that I have tried to recommend if you want to save a little.
5. Professional Titanium Telescoping Loppers
Sometimes plants can grow in all directions and keep them away from electrical wires is our job as their caregivers. That’s why I’ve loved this elongated model so much that it cuts more than a meter away without breaking.
6. Spear & Jackson Heavy Duty Telescopic Ratchet Anvil Lopper
The particularity of this garden loppers is that it has telescopic handles that extend between 400 millimetres and 800 millimetres. The blades are covered with PTFE (coated SK5 carbon steel) and this allows that in addition to being made to measure, the cuts are extremely precise and exact.
In addition, this garden loppers is especially safe, given that it has a stop in the handle which allows closing hermetically.
Benefits of garden loppers
What characterizes garden loppers with is, mainly, its extendable handle which allows reaching difficult places, high or narrow.
In addition, the handle being its main speciality, it is very common to find garden loppers whose handles are ergonomic, with handles that are soft and pleasant to the touch, and springs that facilitate cutting at longer distances.
In addition, garden loppers are used to having sharp, shaped and hardened steel blades. They are, in general, very effective in your work for making clean cuts and extremely effective.
Types of garden loppers
Bypass lopper
It is a pruning tool for live and green branches. Its blades are presented as scissors sliding on each other. It is very useful to leave a clean cut that heals and keeps the branch alive.
Anvil lopper
For its part, an anvil cutter refers to alicant cutters for pruning. In them, the main blade closes on a flat edge counter blade. Being a snap cut, like a knife on a kitchen board. This allows greater precision in those hard branches that can damage conventional scissors.
What to look for in a good anvil lopper?
Strong handle
A good robust handle is especially important to achieve better leverage of the force because in the handles is where is the secret of a cutter that is easy to use. In addition, if you have a rubber cover it guarantees protection of the fingers against chafing or sores due to friction.
Edge of the blade
Having thick and well-arranged blades is not enough. For this reason, the market has developed special reinforcements such as aluminium blades that are kept sharp for a long time or anti-rust coatings that guarantee a durable clamp for many years no matter where they are stored.
Extension
The length of the arms is what gives the ability of the scissors to cut tall branches with both hands. Small models can be used with one hand but do not cut large thicknesses or long distances. In addition, some pieces also include a telescope function that allows extending the handles to do without the dangers of the stairs when cutting.
Spring
This is the moment immediately after the cut for which the scissors must be prepared. A bounce function causes the scissors to retract or open automatically once the grass is cut.
Weight
You must look for the balance between light and strong. This combination will prevent us from buying excessively cheap material that ends up splitting easily or from a very hard one that is difficult to manoeuvre.
Cutting capacity
As we speak of thick and dry branches small scissors will not do a good job. So my recommendation is always to go over the 3 cm opening to guarantee a good margin of manoeuvre and easy to cut the hardest branches.
Cutting mechanism
There are three ways to apply the cut. The first is by ratchet or locking gear, this allows the cut to latch. The second is a compound action and requires more opening and the third is the gearing that provides greater leverage.
Bumper
Prevents hands from hitting when the blades close, giving cushion and rebound.
Replacement
It is always a good feature to be able to replace broken parts instead of needing to buy a whole new tool.
