Pruning shears are one of the most commonly used tools when it comes to garden maintenance. Stiftung Warentest has now put 17 secateurs and 11 pruning shears to the test and determined the respective test winner among them. We have also compiled the most important criteria that you should consider when buying secateurs.
If you want to keep your garden under control, you definitely need secateurs. It is particularly good when you want to cut back small branches or flowers. They are practical because you only need one hand to use them. The situation is different with the pruning shears. They are more suitable for thick branches with a diameter of 2 centimeters or more. Stiftung Warentest has now tested both pruning shears and pruning shears for their durability. The result: Pretty much all cheap secateurs and pruning shears failed the test.
Test process
The focus of the test was of course cutting. In the test, each individual pruner had to work its way through a beech wood stick with a diameter of 1 centimeter 6,000 times. The pruning shears, on the other hand, 6000 times through a 2 centimeter thick beech wood stick.
The sharpness and gliding properties of the blades are particularly important when it comes to pruning shears. However, what was particularly negative in the test was the fact that many of the tested models did not cut the wood, but squeezed it. These pruning shears would thus leave damage to the bark of a tree during use. Some other models, on the other hand, didn't even make it across the finish line of the test. They either broke or the handle deformed.
The pruning shears made a better impression. Due to their long handles, they allow you to achieve optimal leverage when cutting, making cutting a breeze. The pruners didn't break or deform, but the cutting power decreased significantly over time.
Harmful substances under control
As if it is not enough that you can pinch your fingers with some pruning shears and pruning shears, Stiftung Warentest even has some handles pollutants found. SoFor example, the handle of Lux's pruning shears contained too many plasticizers.
Buy pruning shears - what you should pay attention to:
Basically you should know that there are pruning shears with two different cutting systems. A distinction is made between anvil shears and bypass shears. With anvil shears, the blade hits the anvil when cutting. They are particularly good for hardwood. With the bypass shears, two cutting edges move past each other. They do well with fresh greens.
Pruning shears should always be comfortable to hold. So it must not be too big and not too small. The secateurs should fit in your hand so that you can easily use all your fingers to cut. This is the only way to ensure the highest possible power transmission. Otherwise, you could get your fingers caught if the secateurs are too small. When buying, always make sure that if you are right-handed, you do not accidentally buy left-handed pruning shears.
An easy-to-use brake is also important for your safety. For example, if you're standing on a ladder, you can't fiddle around with the secateurs for a long time until the locking device finally snaps shut.
If you decide on more expensive pruning shears, you should make sure that you can also buy spare parts for them. Especially the wearing parts such as blades, springs and locks can be bought later on some models.
Test winners come from Gardena and Fiskar
Best secateurs from Gardena
The GARDENA Comfort Smart Cut 8798 came out on top as the best secateurs. The switchable ratchet, which makes it possible to cut a branch piece by piece, was particularly positive in the test. The only drawback: the handle of the secateurs contains pollutants. In the evaluation, however, the many positive properties of the secateurs outweighed the negative, so that Stiftung Warentest was able to award the Gardena Comfort Smart Cut 8798 the quality rating GOOD (1.7).
» To the top 20 secateurs & pruning shears
Best Loppers from Fiskars
One of the smallest and also lightest models took first place in the pruning shears category. Fiskar's Power Gear bypass gear shears achieved a quality rating of GOOD (1.7). Very little effort is required to use these pruning shears. In the category Toxic substances under control they were the only pruning shears to receive the rating very good(1,5).
Conclusion:
If you want to buy good secateurs or pruning shears, you should spend a little more money on them. You should therefore be on the lookout for models from the manufacturers GARDENA, WOLF and FELCO, especially when it comes to quality. They may cost around 20 to 40 euros, but at least you can be sure that the models from these manufacturers will not fall apart when you use them.