Best Garden Loppers for 2024 | Australian Buying Guide

Differences Between Garden Loppers, Hedge Shears and Secateurs

Many people use these terms – and these tools – interchangeably, but they’re actually very different. Using the right tool for the job makes gardening a lot easier and lowers the risk of your tools getting blunted or damaged.

• Secateurs – These are small pruning shears that look a bit like heavy duty scissors, that you can use with one hand. They have powerful, curved blades that overlap when they cut, and are used for pruning thin branches on bushes, cutting flowers and trimming green stems. Read our Best Gardening Secateurs Reviews here.
  
  
• Hedge shears – These tools have long, straight, scissor-like blades and a medium-length handle. You use two hands to operate the shears, holding the blades horizontally rather than vertically.
  
  The handles are usually set at an angle to help you cut at a straight level with ease. They’re usually used for clipping hedges and ornamental trees, and despite the big blades, should be used only on leaves and small branches. Read our Best Hedging Shear Reviews here.
  
  
• Garden loppers – For more heavy-duty work like pruning tree branches and stems that are 1.5cm-3cm in diameter, you need garden loppers.
  
  They look like much bigger secateurs, and they work the same way, although you will need two hands to operate them. They are ideal for trimming and shaping trees or big shrubs, and the long handles give you pretty good reach.

When to Use Garden Loppers

Garden loppers are sharp and designed to give you good leverage when pruning trees and scrubs, even when the branches are well above your head. It’s best to use them on branches that are that are 1.5cm-3cm in diameter or smaller. Bigger branches will require a saw.

They are a great everyday gardening tool for:

• Pruning trees and shrubs
• Giving ornamental trees shape
• Pruning rose bushes, bougainvillea and other climbers
• Trimming small branches away from gutters and fences

How to Choose the Best Garden Loppers

Make sure you check the blade is sharp. If there is no way of testing the tools on a branch in store then find a piece of paper and test it.

This isn’t a fool proof method given the fact paper is much easier to cut than plant limbs, but if the blades don’t cut paper quickly, efficiently and straight then you can’t expect that they will do a much better job on plant limbs.

You can also get loppers with extendable, lightweight aluminium handles for better reach that make working on higher branches much easier.

The best garden loppers normally range in price from $15 to $150, I wouldn’t touch a pair cheaper than $30 and would probably look at the tools in the $50-$60 cost range.

How to Use Garden Loppers

Pruning is important to the health and beauty of your trees and shrubs, but it has to be done correctly and carefully in order to help the plant flourish.

1. First, always prune at the beginning of autumn or end of winter, after the last frost and before spring shoots start appearing. You don’t want to prune in spring, as you will be cutting away healthy growth and flowers. If you live in a frost-free area, you can start pruning earlier in winter.
   
   
2. Start by pruning away any dead or diseased parts of the plant or tree. Remember to clean the blade in a 10% bleach solution to keep it sterile and avoid infecting other branches.
   
   
3. Cut away any water shoots from the base of your tree or shrub, as these can weaken the plant over time.
   
   
4. Cut away 2/3 of excessive branches where clustering is occurring, as too many small branches shooting off a single branch can weaken the tree. This will also improve air circulation around the branches, helping to prevent disease.
   
   
5. When cutting, do not cut too close to or into the main trunk of the plant, as this can let in disease and bacteria, and weaken the plant. Instead, cut just before or just after a growth node.
   
   
6. Cut at a slight angle, about 20 degrees, to prevent rot. Cutting at a deeper angle, especially near a bud or growth node may cause the node to die. If you are worried about a growth node, make sure the low end of your cut is a centimetre or two from the level of the node.
   
   
7. Cut in one clean bite rather than sawing with the loppers, letting it twist or skip across and damage the bark, or cutting unevenly. Any damage can quickly become home to disease and bacteria.
   
   If the stub of the plant is damaged, try cutting it cleanly a little further in to remove the damaged section. This is a good reason to start pruning at a longer length than what you want as a final result.

Which are Better - Bypass or Anvil Loppers?

There are two types of garden lopper – bypass and anvil loppers. The main difference is the blade and how the mechanical action of the lopper cuts the branch, which makes them suited to different jobs.

This has the effect of crushing the branch as it is cut, which can cause damage and splintering. It’s a workhorse tool, usually used to do the rough cutting and pruning before the bypass loppers are used to do the final clean cuts.

It is not necessary to have both types of lopper if you are keeping them for home use – a bypass lopper is sufficient.

Usually, anvil loppers are used when lots of extensive pruning needs to happen – if you own a large or overgrown property, for example, or run a landscaping business.

The Benefits of Ratchet-Action Loppers

You can get either type of garden lopper with an additional feature – ratcheting. This supports your cutting action, cutting the limbs in stages. 

It’s a great feature on the best garden loppers, as it makes it allows you to get the best leverage possible while pruning with minimal effort. This is great for more difficult jobs and really saves your hand and arm strength. 

Ratchet loppers are some of the best garden loppers on the market, and are well worth the additional cost.

1. Felco Straight Cutting Head Expert Loppers

With over 65 years of unsurpassed quality, FELCO is know around the world for providing top-quality pruningand cutting products. FELCO 200 Straight Cutting Head Loppers are built with Aluminum Fiber Tubes for durability and longer use.

Considering the fatigue in longer usage, this lopper comes with a shock absorption system to reduce impact in your every cut.

2. Fiskars Extendable Handle Lopper

Fiskars Extendable Handle Lopper uses fully hardened non-stick coated steel blades letting you cut with less effort.

It has durable steel handles and shock-absorbing bumper for less vibration and more comfort. The best part? It has a lifetime warranty!

Check out more Fiskars loppers here. 

3. Bahco P19-80-F Heavy Duty Lopper

Bahco P19-80-F Heavy Duty Lopper is a professional heavy-duty lopper for cutting very thick, mature trees. With it's Aluminum tube handles, you'll feel it's reliable, strong but comfortable use.

Cutting thicker branches won't be a problem due to its double radii blade made especially for a smooth finish powerful cuts.

4. Bahco P116-SL-70 Bypass Loppers

Bahco P116-SL-70 Bypass Loppers's blade is made with two edge radii for powerful yet smooth and easy cuts.

Along with it's robust forged counter blade, it uses soft rubber buffers between the handles to avoid fatigue when being used.

Maintenance and Safety Tips for Garden Loppers

Pruning is not an easy job, and even the best garden loppers need a bit of care and maintenance to keep them cutting smoothly and easily.

• Cleaning – Always clean your loppers well after use. You can wash them down with dishwashing liquid, making sure to get rid of all sap.
  
  A final rinse in a 10% bleach solution will sterilise them. Dry them well and spray with oil to prevent rust.
• Sharpening – Cutting branches will make your loppers get dull over time, so it’s important to sharpen them each season. Dull loppers are hard to use and tend to crush and damage the plant rather than leaving clean cuts.

When using garden loppers, be sure to:

• Wear sturdy gardening gloves to avoid blisters and accidental cuts.
• Wear long sleeves, eye protection and closed outdoor shoes, especially if you are working in thick bush.
• It is better to call in the professionals if you are planning to prune plants near power lines, trying to remove a very large or broken branch, or trying to remove heavy branches against your house.