10 Easy Pieces: Garden Pruners for Every Budget and Task

Expert gardeners’ favorite pruners inspired this roundup spanning aluminum for light work to hand‑forged carbon steel for thick branches.

Top Picks

Opinel Green Secateurs (Tokyo designer Tetsutaro Nakabayashi). Three adjustable positions; €49.90 from Merci.

Stainless Steel Secateur (pre‑order). 7.5″, ash handle; $32 NZD from Father Rabbit.

Hand‑forged Japanese Pruners. Clean cut for maximum stem surface area; $119 from Kaufmann Mercantile.

Flexrake LRB39 Aluminum Bypass Pruner. Lightweight, comfort grip; $11.35 from Amazon.

Sophie Conran Hand Pruners. Sized for women’s hands, rust‑resistant; $49.73 from Amazon.

Orange Handle Secateurs. PVC‑dipped comfort handles; £20 from Labour & Wait.

Pruning Shears with Beechwood Handles. €78 from Manufactum (Germany).

Lefty Felco No. 10. Rotating handle for leverage from any angle; $59.90 at Amazon.

Toshibo Hiryu Secateurs (hand‑forged to order). Thinner hollow‑ground blade, double spring; £179.17 (£215 incl. VAT) from Niwaki.

Manufactum Japanese Secateurs. Carbon steel, solid metal, torsion spring; €62.

Burnished Metal Secateurs (Italy, since 1950). £7.70 from Amazon UK.

Felco No. 2 & No. 6. Classics at $64.95 each from Gardeners.

Kijo Secateurs. Lightweight, tempered carbon steel, non‑slip grip; £22 from Objects of Use (London).

More tools: The Gardenista 100: Best Hand Tools, Copper Garden Tools from Grafa. (Updated from March 20, 2013.)