Loopers are very useful for those garden jobs that are just a bit too big for secateurs. You should try and always have a pair if you’re doing any pruning work. They are designed to cut branches up to 50mm wide. You might sometimes hear loppers referred to as anvil or bypass loppers. This refers to the different way the blades cut.

• Anvil - the upper blade comes down on and strikes the lower notched jaw. This normally gives more leverage.

• Bypass - The upper blade comes down and passes the lower jaw. This normally gives a cleaner cut.

Here are some things you should look out for when buying a pair of loppers

Blade quality

We would advise you to look for a carbon steel blade. These blades have been heat-treated and are more durable, long lasting and are less likely to break or deform. They do succumb to rust however so be careful to keep them out of the damp and will be oiled. You can find some with a rust repellent coating, which is something to keep and eye out for.

Handle length

The size of the loppers handle should depend on the job you’re using them for. Long handle loppers are more unwieldly but if you’re copping something high up in a tree you might need the length.

If you are unsure about the length of handle you’ll need you could try telescopic handles. Handles that can be lengthened and shortened as and when. The only drawback to this is the handle is hollow and tends not to be as strong as the solid metal ones.

Weight

This is an important thing to consider. You have to remember that there is a possibility that you'll hold these things above your head and at arm's length. Anything at the end of a fully extended arm feels much heavier and the extra grams make a difference.

Best Loppers

Here is Gardenwilds top 5 best spade.

No. 5 |

This pair of loppers are the budget option out of the 5. That isn’t to say that they are a strong pair of bypass loppers. They are strong and robust. The blade is made of hardened steel.

We used these loppers for shrubs and maybe older rose wood. They give a surprisingly clean cut which is important to help the plant heal.

For these reason this is No. 5 on Gardenwilds best loppers.

No. 4 |

These loppers are gear powered. When you squeeze the lopper around a stem or branch you wish to cut the gears compound the cutting power. This gives you 3x the power according to Fiskars. They do definitely make light work of some of the more hefty branches.

There are some drawbacks. The first one is that they weigh 1.8kg, which is a bit on the heavy side. The other is the blade isn’t hardened so be careful not to twist these loppers or the blade might break.

For these reason this is No. 4 on Gardenwilds best Loppers.

No. 3 |

I really like these loppers. They are Wolf Garten whose products have featured in my best hand cultivators and best rakes blogs.I really like them. They make solid, reliable tools… with red handles.

The handles on these loppers are actually what set them apart from other telescopic models. Most telescopic lopper handles use a cinch ring mechanism to hold the handle in place. This has a tendency of wearing out over time, leaving the handles flopping in and out as irritatingly as they please. The Wolf Garten handle has a pin lock mechanism which means this never happens!

For these reason this is No. 3on Gardenwilds best loppers.

No. 2 |

This is the ARS model that is advertised as the ‘orchid lopper.’ It has a full forged hardened steel blade that gives excellent cutting performance. and is perfect for cutting soft wood trees and shrubs. The blade stays sharp for a long time.

This lopper is surprisingly lightweight for how robust it feels, 0.5kg. It’s on the more expensive end of the price range but then that happens as the quality goes up I’m afraid.

For these reason this is No. 2 on Gardenwilds best loppers.

No. 1 |

Here’s our number 1! I have mentioned the world renowned swiss brand Falco before in my best secateurs and best pruning saw blog.

On the surface these are just a standard pair of bypass loppers. They don’t have gear compounded cutting power or telescopic handles (although the handles are still red). However what they lack in those features they more than make up for in durability and easy to use. The hardened steel blade maintains an excellent cutting edge and can be adjusted by the micrometric blade adjustment feature to keep the blades aligned.

They just scream ‘well made’ from every inch. The only drawback is (again) the price. If you are a home gardener these might not be the ones for you but if you’re pruning a lot I would heartily recommend these loppers!

For these reason this is No. 1 on Gardenwilds best loppers.