I love teaching my pruning workshops at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. I teach five workshops throughout the year that correspond to the five pruning windows in which I professionally prune. One of the most common questions and part of my introduction in each class is a brief discussion of the tools we use to prune. The knowledge of how and when to prune is critical, but the tools are important, too.
Hand Pruners
Let’s start with the most common tool: The hand pruner. Everyone needs a good pair, and the cheaper the tool, the poorer the cut and more stress on your hand and wrist. The best all-around type is a bypass pruner, where the blade passes the counter blade and provides a clean cut. Cheap tools may have a slight space between the blade and counter blade and this can create ragged cuts. A well crafted tool will have no variance and last for years. The second most important aspect is the quality of the metal in the blade. Inexpensive steel will nick easily and require constant sharpening. Even then it may require more hand force to make the cut and you will tire more easily, or even injure yourself if you are doing lots of work. Typically hand pruners can cut branches to ¾”, and up to an inch with the larger models (diameter of a medium sized thumb.)
Felco is the gold standard for cutting tools, and they have a hand pruner for every person: Large or small hands, left or right handed, and more ergonomic. They use a hardened steel for their blades that is very durable. I did nick one badly years ago from doing something stupid in the soil. You will spend $70-100 for a pair of pruners that will last a very long time, and the parts are replaceable. They also have some higher end models for heavy use.
Hida Tool is one of my favorite companies that provides garden tools, as well as woodworking, kitchen, and other items. Very cool stuff that is almost exclusively from Japan. My favorite hand pruners are the Tobisho SR-1 Pruner. The blade is one piece of Carbon Steel, and I have never nicked it or lost the edge. It makes pruning very easy. It does need a little protection from rusting with their Camellia Oil.
Loppers
If you have some woody shrubs and larger plants, you will need a pair of loppers. They are basically hand pruners in a larger size with longer handles for leverage. They will cut branches up to an inch and a half, with the larger models getting close to 2 inches.
Felco has a range of loppers from their Precision Cut series to Max Power. The difference in the first and second series models is in the length of the handle, which gives more leverage. I find the ’50’ has a long enough handle without getting too wieldy. If you have a bunch of trees or are constantly pruning water sprouts or bigger wood, then the Heavy Duty ‘231’ with a curved counter-blade will make life easy.
Pruning Saw
If you have bigger wood or often need to get into tight spaces, then a pruning saw might be required. Most people can get away with a simple, inexpensive folding saw, but if you are doing a lot of pruning, a longer, sheathed saw may be better. Both types come with blades that are straight or curved. The straight blade can get into tight spaces better and is a little better at really clean cuts, but the curved blade cuts through wood quicker. I have a Gyokuchofolding, straight saw, and a Zubat Silky Saw with curved blade. Both of these are from Hida Tool.
Battery Pruner and Saw
More recently, there are some very cool tools that are battery operated and can make life very easy.
The Felco 2e is a battery powered hand pruner, that makes hand pruning simple and it can cut up to an inch, which is great. I have not gone this route yet, but have several clients who love it. It does weigh 2lbs, so it can tire you out if you are lifting your hands for lots of pruning.
The Stihl GTA 26 Garden Pruner is a monster for chewing through wood, and I finally bought one this season. It is a mini, handheld chainsaw that weighs about three pounds with the battery. It operates at a much slower speed than a chainsaw, and takes a little time to get used to its operation. Please be careful when first using until you get familiar with how it works. It does not provide the cleanest of cuts, but it is great to cut through lots of bigger wood and to cut branches down to size. Also, with a little practice, you will find it valuable to get into tight places.There are two larger sizes that use two batteries, but they are a pound heavier and not really necessary, unless you are a heavy user and don’t want to get into the battery-powered chainsaw category.
Two final topics. Keeping your tools sharp is so important and makes your life easier. Felco has three tools. I like the 903, which allows you to hone the blade as you like with a diamond coated tool. Very effective when used regularly. Don’t let your tools get too dull. Give a quick hone every time you go out. Finally, use a Sap Remover to keep your blade clean. You will be amazed at how much sap and junk accumulate on your blade. It will make for better cuts and keep your tool operating smoothly. As a protection for your blades, Camellia Oil will protect from rust.
Hopefully, I have provided some ideas to upgrade your pruning tools. Quality is critical, while sharpening and maintenance are keys to success and staying injury-free.
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