To begin with the obvious, the pruner’s sole job is to cut plants in your yard, garden or farm. It’s far superior to a knife, and much better than snapping things off with your hands. Pruners are meant to cut branches about an inch or less, while loppers are more robust and cut medium-sized branches. They are essential tools for your winter or early spring garden maintenance. While there are no leaves on your trees or shrubs, winter can cause damage to branches both big and small, which will require your attention. So if you’re simply looking for reassurance that you need a pruner, you can stop reading here and go select a pruner that meets your budget and look like the best pruning shears to you. All our pruners at Garrett Wade are excellent. However, if you need more tips on handle styles, blade configuration or country of origin, read on. You can find our full selection of pruning tools here.

Whether it’s a gift or for your own use, the shape of the handle is a strictly personal choice. All our handles are quite comfortable to hold. The important aspect is the size, especially if you have small hands. I have average sized hands and enjoy using both small and regular sized pruners (though, to be honest, I prefer the feel of small pruners). Regular sized pruners are just fine for users with average or large hands. People with large hands should specifically avoid our smaller pruners (which are described as such on our web pages). One thing to note is that a longer handle means more torque, aka pressure, is applied to the branches via the blades.

People who need some extra strength in their pruners have found that our Ratcheting Hand Pruners can do a fine job in that regard. It is suitable for use as a normal pruner, but it can also tackle branches that would be too thick for traditional pruners. By working the blades into the branch, the ratcheting mechanism provides a constant pressure that can slice through with only a few modest squeezes of the handle. See the ratcheting hand pruner in action below.