Best Loppers - Large Hand Pruners For Your Garden and Orchard
Loppers are very necessary tools if you have trees or shrubs in your garden, lawn or orchard. Even you mow your garden to make it prettier but large twigs and hard stems protrude from your shrubs and hedges, these can alter the beauty of your landscape. Garden fountains would not make your garden completely beautiful also if you can't maintain the shape of your hedges, shrubs, and trees.
Loppers are best in cutting off branches and twigs that cannot be cut by hand pruners. With its long handle and powerful blades, loppers are basically the excellent and handiest pruning tools when maintaining the shapes of your trees and allowing sunlight to pass through your plants to make them grow healthy and produce flowers
Like your garden tools, loppers also come in various sizes, lengths and of course cutting power. They have very strong grips, bigger bites and tougher blades and they can cut any part of the tree as much as the blades can grip on. With reliable loppers, the long handles provide the power and strength that even women and elderly individuals who love gardening can make use of them efficiently.
Types of Loppers
There are two types of loppers and these are the Bypass Loppers and the 
The anvil loppers generally have single movable blades that close onto the flat edge or anvil much like a sharp knife going down on a cutting board. The crushing power during cutting can provide efficient cut against tough thick branches. Primarily the anvil loppers are designed for pruning/cutting off dry twigs and branches but these are also reliable for cutting off fresh thick hard branches that the bypass can't afford to cut.
Choosing Your Loppers Right
Your choice of lopper will always depend on the type of pruning you want to do. Since loppers vary, they also differ in their prices. Remember that loppers are heavier and bulkier than the hand pruners and if you will be doing a lot of lopping, you must read these tips.
1. Lopper Type
If your usual lopping is with fresh twigs and branches that are ordinary size, you will basically need to have a bypass lopper. These provide clean cut which can allow the plant to heal its wound quickly. Avoid using the anvil type with fresh small twigs or it could produce the jagged cut.
If you need to cut dead or thick fresh branches, the anvil type is the best. It has the power to cut through hard branches cleanly without putting too much strain on your arms and hands. Don’t use the bypass lopper on dead branches or the blades might jam, break or bend and lose the precision of one precious lopper.
2. Blade Type
The best lopper blades are those that are made of high quality hardened steel or carbon steel. These can last longer and unlikely to bend or nick and they stay sharp longer. The blades must also be flat and have no bends or rough spots. Check also if the blades are smoothly passing through as you open and close them.
3. Handle Length
There are plant loppers or tree pruners with handle lengths of 15 inches, 18 inches and those that have telescopic handles that can reach up to 32 inches or longer. Short handled loppers are best for arm-reach cutting. They have narrower blades which make them perfect for cutting medium size branches. The long handled heavy-duty ones give you good leverage in cutting thicker branches that are farther away or under the shrubs while the telescopic-handled loppers are excellent for cutting tall branches and twigs.
4. Grips or Handles
Available are the rubberized handles for cushion and more comfortable grip and the plastic contoured for more solid handling.
5. Weight
Loppers’ weights are determined by how long and solid their handles are made of. Handles made of fiberglass, wood, and aluminum are lighter and good for regular lopping. However, if you need the heavy-duty type, prefer the steel type which is heavier but has stronger blades and produces the more powerful cut. Remember that weight is also relative to the lopper’s power but if the branch you want to cut is more than your lopper can handle, say a 3-inch in diameter branch, better use a pruning saw to save your lopper for its appropriate use.
Amazon is the number one online store where the best gardening tools are available and these include the best loppers. You can also buy good quality gardening gloves here to protect your arms when lopping, garden buckets where you can put your trimmings and just don't forget to put on your garden hat or sun hat before you work under the sun.
Here are the 10 best loppers that are on top of the list among the top sellers at Amazon.
Spear & Jackson 8290RS Razorsharp Heavy Duty Telescopic Ratchet Anvil Loppers
For those who want quality made heavy-duty anvil lopper enough to reach thick branches two feet high or higher and getting through the underbrush, this 28-Inch anvil lopper will suit up their needs efficiently. It has carbon steel blades that are coated with PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) to prevent sap from sticking on the blades.
Its serrated blades will enable you to cut through any hardwood and can even cut through bamboo sticks. With handles made of stainless steel, it also has soft, non-slip grips for comfortable use. Made in England, and weighing 4 pounds, this Spear & Jackson 8290RS lopper is made for heavy-duty cutting and obviously, it is pack with extra power but can cut effortlessly.
Fiskars Consumer Prod 91546935 Powergear 32-Inch Bypass Lopper
Fiskars Powergear 32-inch bypass has a dual-hinge gear system that is patented by Fiskars itself. The gear system is designed to add to its cutting power three times over than the ordinary single pivot loppers.
Now, you can cut through thick fresh hard branches as much as 2 inches in diameter and even thick hard vines so it’s very reliable when clearing up your garden or lawn with wild plants and creepers. Very light at 3 pounds, it has tough fully hardened, razor-sharp precision-ground blades that will not bend, stay sharp longer and yet are also replaceable.
Handles are of aluminum for lighter lopping and with ergonomic grips for more comfortable use. Suitable for people with weak arms, women or the elderly as the gear produce the effortless cut. Has a lifetime warranty.
Fiskars 18 Inch PowerGear Bypass Lopper (9625)
If you are looking for a short-handled and dependable Fiskars lopper, this one is highly recommended by users themselves. Why? Because it is also PowerGeared so you get three times more power on its blade every time you cut. And because it can cut with so much ease, it is commended by the Arthritis Foundation.
Yet, despite its effortless use, this is an absolute cutting tool for light and heavy-duty jobs. With a length of 18 inches, it has an unbelievable 1.5 inches diameter cutting capacity. This lopper weighs only 2 pounds but armed with blades that are rust resistant, razor-sharp and can stay sharp for many years.
The handles are made of ultra-tough DuraFrame materials that are ergonomically curved for easy and comfortable handling even at awkward angles. Just excellent for cutting fresh branches and twigs when you need to trim or reshape your plants. It also boasts of a lifetime warranty.
Gardena 8771 Comfort 20-Inch Anvil Lopper With Geared Pivot And 1-1/4-Inch Cut
A lot of people really love the products of Gardena because of their durability and precision and can last for many years. The Gardena 8771 20-inch anvil lopper is a typical quality product of Gardena (Germany).
The first time you hold this, you know this is a solid anvil lopper in spite of its ultra-lightness. With precision ground non-stick blade it produces very clean sliding cut as its blade is hardened to the max and non-stick coated. It can cut through thick fresh branches that other branded bypass loppers can’t basically cut.
This also an excellent lopper for dry woods. With a handle made of aluminum and a patented lever system, this tool is known for efficient use of energy because it has patented gear transmission which means 38% increased cutting power so less effort when cutting.
Even with a difficult angle, it promises comfortable handling plus its handles are ergonomically designed with double end stops. Weighing only about 1.5 pounds, you get your money’s worth with this quality and affordable tool that can cut up to 1.5-inch diameter stem.
Gardena 8769 Classic 18-Inch Bypass Lopper With 1-Inch Cut
The Gardena 8769 is another classic example of the quality Gardena product. Being a bypass lopper with a capacity of 1 inch in diameter cut, this is perfect for cutting fresh branches and twigs that are sprouting from your plants.
With blades that are also precision-ground and non-stick, these are also designed with the latest cutting geometry for maximum transfer of force during cutting so what you get is smooth, clean and effortless cut.
Equipped with ergonomically shaped grips, it also proud itself with its double end stoppers so your hands don’t meet during cutting. If you will be looking for an 18-inch excellent bypass lopper, take a look at his one. This will surely provide you with lasting and efficient use because this is essentially from Gardena (Germany), the leading gardening tools manufacturer in Europe.
Fiskars Consumer Prod 396241-1001 Cuts & Grab Bypass Lopper, 30-Inch
Fiskars products are primarily made in Finland and Fiskars is also known worldwide to be the manufacturer for world-class gardening tools including loppers. Now we present to you Fiskars’ Cut & Grab bypass lopper which has a very unique design for easy but efficient clean cutting.
What is unique about this tool is its clamp design (patented by Fiskars) or the grab-and-hold feature. After the branch is cut, the wood won’t just fall off because it is still clamped tight by its teeth. You can then redirect the fall and make your head safe when pruning trees.
Another highlight is its compound action lever that multiplies the cutting force for an effortless but efficient clean cut. Its blades are razor-sharp, precision ground blade with low-friction coating cuts. This tool is rust resistant, has ergonomic aluminum handles and with 'gripease' pads to help reduce stress on your hands’ pressure points. With a 1.5-inch diameter bite and a lifetime warranty for services, you will really like this one and be happy with your purchase.
Fiskars Extendable Handle Lopper with Single Pivot (9166)
When your trees or shrubs get taller or bushier, that’s one big problem when lopping or trimming. Naturally, you would want to have a long and tough lopper that can be reliable for the job. This is where the Fiskars 9166 model is greatly needed. It has fully hardened steel blades that are non-stick coated so sap can’t stick.
Another highlight of this product is its twist-lock telescoping steel handles that can be extended from 24.5 inches to 37. It also has cushioned hand grips and a bumper near the blade to prevent your hands from bumping while pruning.
With a 1.5 inches cutting capacity, this is excellent for cutting small fresh branches high or down under and no need to bend down anymore. Note that this is not ideal for heavy-duty cutting but excellent for snipping off small branches up to 1.5” thick. Weighing only three pounds, you can carry this easily and can effortlessly insert through thick shrubs because of its streamlined body.
Black & Decker NLP1800 Alligator Lopper 18-Volt Cordless Chain Saw
Some of us would just feel tired with constant lopping because this is really tiring especially if there’s a lot to prune out. The good news is, Black & Decker has now a portable rechargeable lopper that also serves like a mini-chainsaw but has clamping jaws for more secure and precise cutting.
The B&D NLP1800 Alligator is one of a kind. It runs with powerful 18-volt motor, has innovative clamping jaws to grab the cut branches securely and an unbelievable 4-inches diameter bite capacity. Clamping the thick branch and turning on the switch, you just wait few seconds and there goes off the branch. No hassles.
Weighing 10.2 pounds including battery, it has 6-inch bar length. Users say this is an excellent alternative for handsaws, clippers and manual loppers. Also, this is very ideal for people with weak arms, women and older people that can’t afford to use force when lopping. It comes with an 18-volt battery (order extra for convenience), charger and an oil bottle. It also has a limited 2-year warranty.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2014 Gene David Pangan
