Gardening is one of the favorite hobbies of most people. They love to spend more time near greenery, and it is the best way to be close to nature. But after a passage of time, trees or plants in your lawn or garden need some trimming to grow well. To shape your branches, shrubs, small trees, or woody stems you definitely need some tools to get the work done. For this, a hand pruner is the right tool you need to trim branches or shrubs easily.
Do you want a pruner for your garden or lawn within your house? We are going to share some of the best hand pruners in 2023 that you can buy as per your need. Have a look below.
Pruners are very handy when it comes to trimming down the small bushes, tree branches, and flowers. If you want one for your house’s lawn, then below is a detailed buyer’s guide that will tell you some important elements you should know before your purchase:
There are basically three types of pruner that a person can buy:
Pruner with bypass blades are the most popular. This sharp edge of pruner is going to make a very nice cut as it uses two curved blades that will bypass each other in the same manner that resembles a scissor blade. Note that the sharpest blades are present on the outside edge, and it will cut as it slides tightly across the thick unsharpened blade.
Such durable pruners have a single straight cutting blade that is closed down on a flat edge or anvil. This pruner has a slicing action that resembles the knife against a cutting board and will work properly on brittle deadwood. But it will not work well on flexible greenwood. Remember that they are bulkier in comparison to the bypass pruner. Their thickness makes it difficult for the users to get in close for the crotch cuts.
These are basically anvil pruners with a mechanism that will be performing the cutting action in stages. This style pruner is going to provide more leverage for small or weaker hands. It will be useful when you are cutting the tough and big woody stems. Note that if you are doing a great deal of pruning, then a ratchet pruner is the best to save your hand and wrist from strain and fatigue.
For information on what a power pruner is, check out this video.
When you are going to buy pair of hand pruners for your use, then you should keep the following things in your mind:
Pruning is tiring, and you can feel pain in your hand after continuous work. If you are a person who suffers from carpal tunnel or arthritis, then you should always buy a pruner that is ergonomically designed. Those models have cushioned hanks for reducing pressure and have rotating handles to reduce the wear on your wrist. It is best to spend time to find the pruner that makes cutting easy for you and is comfortable to hold at the same time.
Every person has their own style to operate the pruners. If a person wants to do the close cutting, then the hand pruner with bypass blades is the right choice. While manual and power tools with telescopic pole is required for pruning tree branches, it is best to hold the hand pruners and get an idea about the ease of grip and weight of the pruner. Note that some pruners have a special notch in the cutting blades to trim down the plant ties and wires. Experienced gardeners will have a pair of bypass pruners in different sizes along with anvil pruners for different use. Also check for the availability of replacement blades for the style you opt for.
Some of the general techniques that make pruning with the hand pruners easy are as follows:
You have to pick the right cut spot, especially when using the bypass pruners. The blade will pass through the thick base, so the precise spot will come through shifts about ¼ inch when you are going to flip the tool. Remember that when you are going to cut the main stem, then you will feel a need to use the tool upside down.
If the plant you are going to trim is opposite-branching, then cut directly across the stem from the top of the node. In the case of alternate branching, cutting straight is appropriate, and it will be better to cut on an angle sloping away from a single bud at the node.
It is important to properly open your pruner so that all the branches can be held. It is tempting to snip-snip wood like your pruners resemble scissors. This cutting method will put stress on your hand and will make the tip of the blade dull.
Once you have set the correct position on the wood, close the lopper through the branch in one motion. It is as simple as that.
The price of pruners will vary widely. You can expect to pay between a range of $10 to $75. You should buy the best that you can afford to save your effort and money in the long run. You should always buy pruners from well-known brands like Felco, Fiskars, ARS, and much more. Furthermore, you should look for the pruner with keywords like professional and heavy-duty to get the durable ones with sharp blades.
Replacement blades are a good investment if you wish to continue with uninterrupted pruning. Replacing dull blade with sharp edge blade is essential as the sharpest blades are key to faster and more accurate pruning.
The endless variety of durable pruners makes it really difficult to choose one brand over other. Note that some pruners come in different sizes, so the price will vary accordingly. In some cases, the manufacturers will be providing sharpening stones that are designed to sharpen the blades. For such a set, you might have to pay a little extra.
This product has a weight of 10.4 ounces, and its dimensions are 4 x 1 x 10.75 inches. It is best for cutting the stems and light branches of your trees 5 to 6 inches in thickness. The easy-open lock will protect the blade during storage and transport. It is designed well to offer maximum durability.
This hand pruner has a weight of 8.8 ounces, and its dimensions are 9.25 x 4 x 1 inch. It is provided by a company named Felco, which has 70 years of experience in creating the product best in design and ergonomics. It comes with an anvil blade that has a sap groove. It has a hardened bolt, but that is used to assure the right adjustment of cutting and anvil blades. It also has a rubber cushion and shock absorbers.
The last pruner on our list is from Mockins. It has a weight of 8 ounces, and its dimensions are 1 x 10 x 3 inches. It is best for beginner gardeners and ideal for cutting plants, bushes, shrubs, and flowers. It comes in 4 different colors. This is a must and a great gardening tool that should be part of your gardening toolset.
A: It is recommended to buy a ½ pruner for people who have small hands that are less than 3 1/2” wide and 6 ¼” high. If your hands have a size of 3 ½ to 4” wide and 6 ½ to 8” high, then you should consider buying a pruner of ¾ inch. Moreover, if a person has large hands, then he should get a 1” hand-held pruner for easy working.
A: First of all, you should be aware of different brands making the pruner. You should also look for pruners that are made for professional use and for heavy-duty purposes to save your money in the long run. These pruners will have high-tempered carbon steel that will be very sharp and offer better durability.
A: Both are different equipment used for cutting the branches, stems, or bushes of different sizes in the garden. The difference lies in their construction and the structure of blades. A pruner has two curved metal blades for cutting purposes. On the other side, a garden shear is made of a single metal blade.
