The 6 Best Professional Shears: Reviews and Complete Buying Guide

When it comes time to take care of the plants in your garden and keep them healthy, there’s only one tool you need in your arsenal: a quality pair of professional garden shears. The right pair makes tending to your garden an easier task than ever before. We’ve put together a buying guide to help you get the best professional shears on the market, whatever your needs are.

Gonicc 8” Professional Sharp Bypass Pruning Shears (GPPS-1002)

Last update on 2024-04-01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The Gonicc Professional Pruning Shears (GPPS-1002) are lightweight and easy to use for all kinds of pruning work. They feature a drop forged body and handles, with a durable design.  They’re an easy pair for anyone to use. Whether you’re a beginning gardener or a green-thumbed pro, they’ll make a good addition to your gardening tool kit.

The blades are made from high carbon steel with Ultra-Fine Polishing Technology to help them keep their edge longer than competitors. The Teflon coating aids in maintaining their sharpness and keeping tree pulp from sticking to the blades as you’re working. The sap groove helps too by giving the sap dislodged as you prune a place to go instead of lingering on the blade and gumming it up.

The handles are designed to be comfortable, made from high quality aluminum and coated with non-slip PVC grip. These useful shears are designed to reduce hand fatigue and be useful all around your garden.

Things We Like

Drop forged body and handles are super durable and difficult to damage

Ultra-Fine Polishing Technology keeps the blades protected from rust and corrosive damage

Teflon coating keeps the edge sharper longer

Sap groove keeps the blades from sticking while you work with messier plants

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Power Drive Ratchet Anvil Hand Pruning Shear

Last update on 2024-04-01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The Power Drive Ratchet Anvil Hand Pruning Shears are one of our favorite choices out there because they use ratchet technology to multiply your hand’s power and make it possible to cut through all sorts of thick branches while pruning.

The heat treated and hardened carbon steel blades are powerful and durable. They’ll last for years and only needed sharpening occasionally, plus they come coated in a non-stick Teflon to keep sap, or other sticky materials, from sticking to your blades.

With its clever ratchet mechanism, when you’re pruning particularly stubborn branches, the shears latch so you can release and squeeze again. The mechanism locks to give you increasing pressure on the branch without causing your hands pain or fatigue. The ratcheting mechanism increases your hands power by up to five times, so you’ll never struggle with tricky branches again.

The ergonomic design reduces wrist strain and needs less pressure and effort from you to make cuts, so hand fatigue is drastically reduced compared to other trimmers. These shears are ideal if you have small hands, arthritis, or any other issues that could make using a more traditional set of shears difficult for you.

Gardenite also backs these babies up with a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. If you have any issues with them, you can reach out to the company and they’ll take care of it.

Things We Like

Teflon coating keeps the edge sharper longer

Ratchet mechanism takes the pressure off your hands and puts it on the tool so you can do more work with less effort

Highly ergonomic design reduces wrist strain and discomfort

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Mockins Professional Heavy Duty Garden Bypass Pruning Shears

Last update on 2024-04-01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

These garden shears are, as the name suggests, heavy duty. They’re an especially great option if you’re on a tight budget, as they’re a powerful garden tool that comes on the cheap.

The stainless steel blades cut through plant stems easily and the spring action helps to ease some of the strain on your hands that causes hand fatigue. The attached safety lock keeps the shears closed when they’re not in use and is easy to toggle, without getting in the way of the shears when they are in use.

The Mockins Professional Heavy Duty Garden Bypass Pruning Shears come with a comfortable handle design that features a rubber grip to reduce pain and hand fatigue. These shears don’t have a famous brand behind them backing them up and ensuring their quality, but they do offer a limited lifetime warranty and they’ve still turned out a quality product that is robust and useful.

Things We Like

Safety lock keeps you safe from harm when the shears are not in use

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Fiskars 91095935J Steel Bypass Pruning Shears

Last update on 2024-04-01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

These little shears pack a mean punch. The Fiskars Steel Bypass Pruning Shears will impress you (and if they don’t, you can take advantage of the lifetime warranty) with their hardiness and durability. They really are a great tool.

These shear’s fully hardened and precision-ground carbon steel blades hold their edge even after heavy use. They’re also coated with a low-friction and rust resistant coating to help your blade glide smoothly through the wood you’re cutting. They also have a self-cleaning sap groove which keeps the blade from sticking even when you’re pruning an especially sappy tree.

To keep you safe when it’s not in use, these shears also feature an easy-open ambidextrous lock that keeps your shears shut but is easy to unlock. This makes them safe and easy to carry around. Plus, they’ve got dual layer comfort grips to keep your hands from wearing out while you’re tending to your garden.

Things We Like

Rust-resistant and low-friction coating keeps the blade clean and functional

Sap groove keeps the blades from sticking while you work with messier plants

Safety lock keeps you safe from harm when the shears are not in use

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Felco F-2 Classic Manual Hand Pruner

Last update on 2024-04-01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

These Felco pruners set the standard for pruning shears and have been perfected in the fifty some years since, though it still has the iconic Felco look. These anvil bladed shears are great for all kinds of garden work and, if properly maintained, could last you a lifetime.

The Swiss precision-made blade is cut from high-quality, hardened steel that rarely requires sharpening. The blades have a notch at the base for cutting small wires without damaging the cutting edge and feature a deep sap groove to keep the blade from sticking, even when dealing with sappy wood. It makes them easier to use and easier to clean afterwards.

The Felco F-2 Classic comes with a micrometric adjustment system, which helps the pruning shears to be easily adjustable and to maintain its clean cuts. It also features a shock absorption system, which helps to soften the impact as your cut completes, and non-slip coating on the handles so that your cutting experience is comfortable and safe.

One thing we really like about Felco products is that all of the pieces are replaceable, with replacements easily available. The sturdy and lightweight forged aluminum handles themselves come with a lifetime guarantee.

Things We Like

Wire cutting notch protects blades from damage if you use them for cutting wires

Fully replaceable parts and easy access to replacements makes this a real lifetime tool

Sap groove keeps the blades from sticking while you work with messier plants

Micrometric adjustment system makes it easy to make adjustments and keep your shears in tip top shape

Ergonomic shock absorption system reduces damage and strain to your wrists

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Gonicc 8” Professional Sharp Bypass Pruning Shears (GPPS-1003)

Last update on 2024-04-01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Another in the Gonicc Professional Sharp Bypass Pruning Shears line, the GPPS-1003 is designed to be even easier for users and is a great option for someone looking for a tool designed with comfort in mind – as you can see by the thick padding on the handles. The GPPS-1003 is a clear user favorite, with nothing but rave reviews from gardeners all over the world.

The high-quality blade on these shears is made from premium titanium steel with Ultra-Fine Polishing Technology, so they’ll hold their edge for a remarkably long time and boy is that edge sharp! Combined with the powerful spring action, you don’t have to work nearly as hard with these as you’d need to with a traditional shear. The blade also features a sap groove to keep your shears from getting stuck when the sap starts running.

Instead of rolling these babies out with the classic PVC non-slip grip that you see on most professional shears, the GPPS-1003 has super comfortable foam grips that fit over the aluminum body of the handles. They keep you from feeling the bite after prolonged use.

Things We Like

Drop forged body and handles are super durable and difficult to damage

Ultra-Fine Polishing Technology keeps the blades protected from rust and corrosive damage

Teflon coating keeps the edge sharper longer

Sap groove keeps the blades from sticking while you work with messier plants

Highly ergonomic design reduces wrist strain and discomfort

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What Are Shears?

Garden shears are basically just hard-core scissors. Instead of cutting paper, they’re designed to tackle plant stems and shrub branches. Their role in the garden is to get rid of dead, diseased, and damaged stems to keep your plants safe and looking their best. You may hear them referred to as pruners, secateurs, or hand pruners, but they all mean the same thing.

Thing to Consider

When you’re getting ready to tend to your garden, you may find you need a quality set of professional shears. In order to decide what the best professional shears for you are, you’ll need to address first what sort of plant matter you’ll be dealing with. Are you pruning soft new growth or hard branches? You’ll need a different set of shears to do each job effectively (and safely).

Types of Pruners

Pruners come in two main varieties that have different strengths. Depending on what sort of work your garden needs, you’ll want to consider which pruner type will work best for you: bypass (like the Gonicc 8” Professional Sharp Bypass Pruning) or anvil (like the Felco F-2 Classic Manual Hand Pruner). A third, less common category, is ratchet shears (like the Power Drive Ratchet Anvil Hand Pruning Shears).

Anvil Pruners

Anvil pruners have a blade and an anvil, which functions similarly to a cutting board. The blade is pushed through the plant onto the anvil. While effective, anvil pruners can have the unintentional side effect of crushing or bruising your plants if used on the living. It tends to be better suited for dealing with dead wood, which won’t be damaged by the crushing action.

Bypass Pruners

Bypass pruners function more like scissors. They have two blades that pass each other to do the cutting and need to be kept razor sharp in order to cut through green wood without causing it any damage. When they’re sharp though, these pruners are ideal for most of your pruning needs and are definitely the go to choice for most garden pruning.

Ratchet Pruners

Ratchet Pruners tend to have an anvil type blade, but the mechanism for cutting is what sets them apart. In order to cut with a ratchet style pruner, you can work your way through a branch or stem by squeezing and then releasing. The blade continues to close, thanks to the ratchet mechanism, but the stress on you is drastically released. You can cut through thicker plants with less effort.

Size

Size is more important than you’d think when it comes to pruning shears. They’re designed to be used one-handed, so if your shears are too small or too large for you, they’ll be difficult to use. Think of a child trying to use a pair of kitchen scissors.

Small-handed gardeners can pick up a more compact pair of shears for comfort and ease of use, but unless your hands are on the far sides of the bell curve, you should be fine with any old shears.

Color

This might not be the first thing you think about when you’re choosing your next garden tool, but it deserves some consideration. You’ll find most shears come with brightly colored handles. There’s a reason for that; it makes them easier to spot when you’re looking for them through the foliage. You can get shears in bright colors or in neutral tones. Visibility is something to keep in mind.

Caring for Your Professional Shears

It’s important to take good care of your shears, both to extend their life and to protect your plants. A poorly maintained set of shears can pass diseases between plants and be much more difficult to use.

First, you’re going to want to clean your shears. Wash off any lingering sap or dirt with soapy water and, if you need, a wire brush or wire wool. This is the most important step and should be done whenever you finish using any garden tool.

If you need to do more extensive maintenance, this is the time. You can sharpen your shears by yourself. Here’s a guide on how to sharpen your shears. This is also the time to tighten any loose screws and give your tool a once over to see if anything needs to be replaced before you need it again. Many manufacturers have extensive replacement supplies – especially if you pick up a Felco!

Finish up with a tool lubricant spray to keep everything running smoothly then make sure to store your tool properly. It’s best to keep your shears safely in a cover, to protect them from their environment and you from accidental injuries. The worst thing you can do is leave your shears out and exposed to the elements where they’re likely to rust and corrode.

Pruning Tips

Now that you’ve got your new professional shears, you’ll need to use them! Here are some tips for pruning your plants like a pro. You can check out a more detailed pruning guide here if you need more guidance.

Do’s

• Disinfect your pruner blades after use, or after each cut if you’re dealing with a diseased plant
• Make clean, careful cuts to avoid damaging your plant
• Use the proper type of shears for the work you’re doing

Don’ts

• Twist or turn the plant as you cut it
• Pull on the branches to get a better angle
• Over-prune your plants

Best Brands

Gonicc

Gonicc has only been around for 20 years, but in that time they’ve established themselves as one of the best designers and manufacturers of garden shears in the industry.

Fiskars

You may know Fiskars from their scissor empire, so garden shears aren’t a surprising leap. What may surprise you is that this company is over 300 years old and is a quality brand in terms of outdoor products.

Felco

Felco is the number one name in the garden shear industry, with a history of designing high quality and cutting edge tools that you can rely on and a policy of providing replacement parts so that your tools can last a lifetime.

Gardenite

Gardenite has a history of creating high quality tools to help keep your outdoor spaces clean and under control.

FAQ

Q: Can I sharpen my garden shears?

A: You can and you may need to if you keep your shears around long enough. You can do it yourself (check out the guide above) or you can take them to a local hardware shop and they should be able to sharpen them for you; just check with them first.

Q: Can I cut through thick branches with my shears?

A: Probably not. Garden shears are typically designed for doing more gentle work, like cutting through new growth stems and thin shrubbery branches. If you’re looking at branches that are thicker than an inch, it’s unlikely your shears can tackle it without being damaged or giving a ragged edge. You’ll need a different tool to deal with the thicker branches.

Wrap Up

Although there can be a lot of things to take into account when picking out the best professional shears for your garden, we have to give the gold to the Gonicc 8” Professional Sharp Bypass Pruning Shears (GPPS-1003). In terms of all around usefulness and comfort of use, it’s an easy winner and we’re not the only ones who think so. If you could only get one to cover your bases, give these a go!

If the size of your hedges make shearing by hand daunting, check out our article on the best electric hedge trimmers!

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