Are there any tall trees or shrubs in your garden that you are unable to cut with short-handled shears or hand pruners? Long-reaching loppers, with their thick-branch-cutting blades and heavy-duty construction, can be of use here.
But how can you know which type of lopper is best for you? Our team of experts has narrowed down the top five loppers for home gardeners after researching the market.
Do you have a garden-tools budget in mind? Why do you need a pair of loppers with a few extras? With a variety of styles to choose from, you’re sure to find the perfect loppers for your needs.
1. Melnor 84770-IN Telescoping Bypass Loppers
There are many ways to use Melnor’s bypass lopper. When pruning lower branches, you can maintain the handles at 28 inches, and when pruning higher branches, you can extend them to 37 inches.
Impressive Cutting Capacity: Even the thickest branches can be chopped with this tool. Compared to other loppers, this one is able to cut through branches up to 2 inches in diameter.
Also included in the price of this lopper is a pair of hand pruners. This is a great deal, and Melnor backs it up with a lifetime warranty on both products.
2. Fiskars 28-Inch Bypass Lopper
This Fiskars bypass lopper is the finest option if you don’t need an extending handle.
The lopper’s bypass-style blades allow it to chop through delicate, green foliage with ease. Because the blades are constructed of hardened steel and coated with a corrosion-resistant, non-stick coating, they will not rust.
Comfortable grips and an absorbent bumper between the handles are also included in this lopper’s ergonomic features.
Budget-friendly: The Fiskars 28-inch lopper, like our top option, costs less than $30 for the ordinary home gardener. Fiskars even offers a lifetime warranty on the product.
3. YARTTING Compound Action Lopper
If you’re looking for the first cutting tool on our list that raises the pressure of the blades, then a Yartting compound action lopper is your best bet! In addition to cutting branches up to 1.5 inches thick, this lopper’s pivoting lever mechanism (complex action) makes it easy on your arms and back.
Best for Heavy-Duty Applications: Loppers with anvil-style blades are better for heavy-duty activities like cutting down dead timber or pruning woody branches, unlike the other loppers in our top picks. The “anvil,” a non-slip flat blade, holds branches in place while cutting precisely.
Even still, we don’t recommend this model for soft green growth, as the blades tend to crush and rip the stems.
Charting recommends using this compound-action lopper for pruning fruit trees, potted plants, removing thick twigs, and pruning rose bushes.
4. STEELHEAD Heavy-Duty Adjustable Ratcheting Loppers
Steelhead’s heavy-duty lopper has a ratcheting mechanism that provides three times the cutting force of your own strength. Using a chainsaw, you can easily chop through branches up to 1.75 inches thick, compared to using a manual chainsaw.
The SK-5 Japanese steel blades of this lopper are extremely resilient and will retain their sharpness even after extensive use. The low-friction coating prevents rust and keeps debris from adhering to the blade by reducing the amount of friction between the blade and metal.
This type of saw is ideal for cutting through both hardwoods and soft, new growth.
Telescoping Handles: What if you’ve got a lot of trees? If you’re looking for a long-handled lopper, this one is for you. They’re 27 inches long without extension, which means they’re suitable for a variety of pruning and trimming tasks.
5. Fiskars PowerGear2 Lopper
The 32-inch PowerGear2 lopper from Fiskars packs a powerful punch. Using a redesigned gears and cam system, Fiskars’ PowerGear cutting mechanism triples your strength for each cut. Many other loppers require a lot more muscle to chop branches up to 2 inches thick, but this one doesn’t.
Designed to Reduce Fatigue: With the padded handles, you’ll be able to keep your hands and wrists comfortable as you cut with less effort.
The Arthritis Foundation awarded the Fiskars PowerGear2 its Ease of Use Commendation for its ability to reduce hand and wrist fatigue.
As a Fiskars customer, you’ll have access to a lifetime guarantee if this tool fails or fails to meet your expectations.
Cutting Mechanisms of Loppers
The cutting mechanism of a lopper comprises the blade’s opening and closing mechanisms. A few are relatively simple, while others have additional components to boost cutting power and reduce fatigue.
This is a list of the most common loppers cutting mechanisms.
Manual: Using a pair of manual loppers is the simplest way to get the job done. The blades are held together by a screw, and they open and close just like scissors. Manual loppers may not be able to handle huge branches because of the user’s strength.
Geared: The cutting head of a geared lopper features a set of gears. The gears on the lopper’s blades increase the pressure and power of the cut as you open and close the blades. To reset the gears, you must open the blades as widely as they will go, which is cumbersome in compact areas.
Ratcheting: Every time you squeeze the blades shut on a ratcheting lopper, you’re applying more pressure to the branch you’re cutting. To enhance the cutting pressure, you can repeatedly open and close the blades to activate the ratchet mechanism. If you have limited upper-body strength, ratcheting loppers may be the best option for you.
Compound Action: Known as lever-action, this cutting mechanism uses pivot points and levers between the handles to increase the pressure of the cut and lessen the amount of effort you have to exert. Avoid using a lopper with a steel compound action system since it will make the tool heavier.
What to Do With Your Lopper
Once you’ve finished purchasing, it’s time to go to work on your bushes! Try out your new lopper for the following:
- Every three to five years, prune mature trees.
- Pruning young trees every two to three years is recommended.
- Remove dead branches from shrubs every two months (5 to 6 times per year)
- When trees and shrubs are dormant, trim back overgrown leaves.
To avoid having to spend your time cleaning and trimming your garden and yard, consider hiring a professional gardening company for the job instead of trying to do it yourself. Professional landscapers can take care of your plants and landscape while you take a break.
