Top 12 Best Pruning Shears of 2024: Essential Garden Tools for Every Gardener

Are you tired of struggling with dull, inefficient garden shears and need the best pair of shears to elevate your gardening experience? We’ve got you covered.

Whether you need to tidy up your flower beds or trim down overgrown shrubs, using one of the best pairs of pruning shears, also called hand shears, garden snips, pruners, or secateurs, can make these tedious tasks easy and quick to handle.

However, with so many types of garden shears available on sale right now, including a lot of cheap, poorly made ones, finding the best shears can be difficult.

In this article, we will review some of the best pruning shears of 2024 designed to effortlessly tackle any gardening task, from delicate pruning to heavy-duty cutting.

Best Garden Shears, Tested And Reviewed

Here is a review of some of the best garden shears in 2024 designed for pruning live plants and tree branches.

Felco F-2 Classic Manual Hand Pruner

The Felco F-2 tops our list because of its sharpness and durability. It is easy to use and can make clean, straight cuts on your plant. 

The cutting blades open and close smoothly and require only a little effort to cut thick branches. Also, the blades are made of high-quality, hardened carbon steel, which makes them strong enough to withstand repeated sharpening.

The Felco F-2 comes with lightweight but sturdy aluminum alloy handles, which are almost unbreakable. The handles are coated with durable, non-slip rubbers for comfort, easy handling, and shock absorber.

It is easily adjustable and ideal for light applications. Also, this pair of shears is easy to repair, and its parts are also readily available and easy to replace in case of any worn-out.

This tool is built to last and can handle frequent use. It comes with a limited lifetime warranty, and we recommend it for all gardeners, both beginners and experts. 

However, it is best suited for right hands, as well as medium to large hands. Those with smaller hands might have slight issues handling this tool.

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ARS HP-VS8Z Signature Heavy Duty Pruner

Another excellent pruner to consider is the bypass ARS HP-VS8Z. In general, ARS, a Japanese brand, is well-known for producing high-quality, double-hardened, and durable garden tools, and this HP-VS8Z is not an exception.

This compact shear has very sharp, high-quality, double-plated, resin-coated steel blades, which require less force to make smooth cuts. 

The sharp blades can cut cleanly from a piece of paper to up to ¾ inches-thick shrub. The blades are also chrome-plated for anti-rust and sap protection.

ARS HP-VS8Z has 8 inches non-slip, rubber-coated, ergonomic handles for average size to larger hands. The handles have a spring for comfort and smooth operations, meaning less hand fatigue.

For safety, this tool has a unique thumb lock at the top, which needs to be squeezed to unlock. However, some users complained that they have issues with the thumb lock over time.

Irrespective of the size of your garden plants, we recommend this tool to help you keep your garden in top shape. 

Although this pair of shears is made for right-handed users, left-handers will also find it comfortable to hold and use.

Please note that this shear comes out of the box with its blade dripping with oil, which may be annoying. However, the oil is very easy to wipe off. 

Also, the pruner tends to loose after about 45-50 cuts, but it is easy to tighten.

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Okatsune 101 7-inch Pruners

This is the best bypass shear for gardeners with small hands. It is also more compact and inexpensive than most other models on this list. It’s about half the price of the Felco 2.

This pruner works well in both left and right hands. However, if you have bigger hands and want bigger models, you can go for the Okatsune 102, 103, and 104. 

Okatsune 101 is easy to grip, durable, and long-lasting. It comes with angled blades for a smooth cut. 

Gardeners with small hands would like this pair of pruners to make easy, straight, cleaner cuts on stems of varying widths.

This tool has white-and-red handles, which makes it easy to spot the pruner even if you drop it in the garden by accident. 

Although the Okatsune 101 has really simple functionality and can be used for years without the need for sharpening, it has a locking mechanism, which may sometimes be annoying.

More so, some users may find the handles slippery to grip, even with gloves.

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EZ-Kut Ratchet Pruner

This ratcheting all-metal anvil shear is very sturdy and sharp. It can handle many different types of pruning jobs, which makes it a useful tool for beginning gardeners.

EZ-Kut Ratchet Pruner looks more like a gardening clipper, and it is very comfortable to use and grip. This makes this tool a good fit for most hands. 

Being a ratchet pruner, this tool comes with a 3-stage ratcheting mechanism, which greatly reduces the effort needed to use the tool. This mechanism also makes the pruner ideal for handling tougher branches.

This 8.26-inch shear is made of aluminum. The handle, which has a comfortable grip coating, comes with a unique design that gives the shear better leverage than some others on the list.

It is worth knowing that the maximum cutting capacity of this pruner is 1.5 inches, which makes it ideal for clipping through stems and greenery. 

But in case you have thicker branches to cut, the EZ-Kut Ratchet pruner is also designed for making circular cuts. 

All you have to do is use its blade to make a circular cut around the branch, cutting deep as far as you can go. After that, make a final cut-through to remove the branch.

However, this tool has a green color, which can make it difficult to spot if it falls in the grass.

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Felco F-6 Classic Pruning Shears

This shear is perfectly designed for small-to-medium hands. It is also similar in operations to the Felco F-2, but it is designed for smaller hands. 

The handles are also slightly bent inwards, with a spring in-between them for easy handling with one hand.

Just like the other models under this brand, all its components are also readily available and easy to replace. However, the Felco F-6 is 7.68 inches long, which is slightly shorter than the Felco F-2.  

The blades are very sharp and durable, enabling its users to prune their plants very quickly. The blades are also slightly more angled, making it easier to cut stems or branches in tighter spots.

This Felco pruner comes with a sap groove, which helps to prevent the accumulation of sticky grunge on the blades. Depending on what you want to cut, you can adjust the nut and bolt to set the blades at the right angle for easy use.

This 0.46-pound pruner has a slightly lower cutting capacity of 0.8 inches. Some may consider this a very small cutting capacity, but it’s still okay for twigs, stems, and branches that are not too thick or hard.

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Corona ComfortGEL Pruner

The next pruner on our list of the best garden shears is the Corona ComfortGEL Bypass Pruner. One thing that sets this pruner apart from others on this list is the FlexDIAL. 

The FlexDIAL comes with eight handle settings and enables users to adjust how far they want the pruner to open. This also allows the users to adjust the pruner to the size of their hands. 

Hence, the FlexDIAL makes this tool suitable for both small and large hands. With these settings, users can adjust the pruner’s cutting capacity from 0.25 inches to 0.75 inches.

This garden snip comes with sharp steel blades that cut easily and cleanly through stems and branches. The blades are non-stick and coated to prevent sap buildup.

Another thing we love about this tool is its ergonomic handles, which offer a very comfortable grip. 

One disadvantage of this tool is the FlexDIAL’s stickiness. The FlexDIAL tends to stick when being adjusted. However, you should be able to work around this by squeezing the shear gently while turning the dial.

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Gonicc Titanium Bypass Pruning Shears

We understand that a good quality hedge shear can be expensive, but this Gonicc bypass pruner comes at an affordable price.

It features very sharp, premium Titanium steel blades with ultra-fine polishing technology. The blades can easily and cleanly cut through small stems of up to 0.75 inches in diameter. 

That makes this tool useful for nipping through greenery and small branches in your garden, but not dead wood.

The ergonomically designed handles are made of aluminum and are strong, lightweight, and comfortable. They are covered with non-slip soft plastic for thick cushioning and improved grip. 

This 8-inch pruner has a sap groove that helps channel off saps and prevent them from sticking to the blade. This helps to reduce the effort needed to clean the pruner after each gardening session.

Out of the box, the blades are coated with anti-rust oil to protect the blade from rust. So, don’t be disturbed if you receive your product with some oil on the blade.

Overall, the Gonicc bypass pruner is an excellent tool for most small pruning jobs. However, we are afraid that the spring may break during heavy use due to its fragile nature.

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Fiskars PowerGear 2 Pruner

This heavy-duty bypass pruner is undoubtedly essential for gardening. It is easy to use and suitable for different hand sizes.

Fiskars PowerGear 2 pruner features a gear and cam mechanism, which makes it easy for users to cut through 0.75 inches stems and branches with very little effort. This means less stress, strain, and fatigue to your hand when pruning your garden.

The handles are ergonomically designed with strategically placed soft cushioned areas to prevent blisters while using the pruner for long gardening sessions.

This 11.5-inch tool features contoured, rolling handles that perfectly fit the natural motion and shape of your hand for added comfort. All you need to do is get used to the rolling motion to begin pruning your stems with ease.

Fiskars PowerGear 2 pruner is specially designed to suit right-handers mostly. However, some users claimed that they could use this tool with their left hand. We are sure that such users will not enjoy the usefulness of the rolling handles.

The strong steel blades are coated with Titanium, which helps to provide a smooth cut and prevent rust and sticky sap. 

You won’t need to resharpen the blades frequently because they stay sharp for a long time, even after repeated use. And when you eventually need to sharpen the blades, you can conveniently open the blades wide enough to sharpen them easily.

This tool has a latch at the top for easy closing and locking of the blades for storage. You won’t regret adding this pruner to your gardening tools.

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Vivosun Pruning Shears

Vivosun pruning shear has a very different and unique design that makes it look more like a gardening scissors. It is a perfect tool for gardening whether you are right- or left-handed.

The straight blades are made of stainless steel and have micro tips to make precise cuts. You can easily “clip and snip” only the part you want to cut without damaging the other vital parts.

They are compact, lightweight, and perfect for light pruning around the vegetable garden bed. You can also use them to remove twigs, cut deadheading flowers, cut off unwanted greenery, and prune houseplants.

Always clean the blades after each use to enjoy long-term use.

The large handles are made of strong plastic with a rubber grip for comfortable handling. The handles make it easy for users to work with this tool for long time without feeling hand pain.

There is a return spring in-between the handles, which can sometimes be a bit tight to squeeze. There is also a safe and secure sideways locking mechanism to keep the blades protected and closed when not in use.

Although the maker of this tool did not indicate its maximum cutting capacity, we recommend that you use this tool only for soft plant materials. Also, don’t use this delicate 6.5-inch shear to cut plant materials of more than 0.25-inch diameter.

While you should not use Vivosun pruning shears for major pruning, it is an essential tool for those light garden pruning that require a fine touch.

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Gonicc Professional Anvil Pruning Shears

Here is another amazing product from Gonicc. Just like the EZ-Kut Ratchet Pruner, this tool is also a ratchet pruner. It is specially designed to reduce the amount of effort needed for pruning.

This tool operates using a ratcheting mechanism, which multiplies your hand’s power by up to 3 times. 

This helps in reducing the amount of effort needed to cut through stems and branches. Also, this feature makes this tool a good choice for those with painful hands or a weak grip.

This anvil pruning shear has a grooved stationary blade and a sharp-cutting moving blade that goes straight down into the groove to make clean cuts.

This 8 inches Gonicc professional pruning shear is ideal for pruning small branches, woody stems, and dead twigs.

The blades, which are made of high-quality SK-5 Steel, always stay sharp and require infrequent resharpening. They are ideal for light branches of trees, rose bushes, shrubs, and hedges.

The handles are made of high-quality chrome vanadium steel but covered with a soft rubber grip for comfort. This makes the shears stronger and more powerful.

With a maximum cut capacity of 0.75 inches, this garden shear can handle most major pruning tasks in your garden. However, its large handles might be a bit large for those with very small hands.

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Haus & Garten ClassicPRO Bypass Pruning Shears

The Haus & Garten ClassicPRO bypass shear is very similar in handle design to the Felco F-6 Classic pruning shear.

The blades are built with anodized aluminum for strength and durability. They are coated with Titanium to reduce friction and protect against rust and corrosion.

The blades can make precise cuts without damaging your plants. Also, they can stay sharp for years, even after repeated use.

The handles are ergonomically designed with shock-absorbing pads and cushioned grips. All these help to reduce stress and fatigue to your hand and wrist. 

The handles are also perfect for those with smaller hands or those suffering from arthritis.

This pruner is suitable for experienced gardeners and professional landscapers because it can be adjusted to suit most gardening purposes. It can be used to trim or cut indoor flowers and plants, stems, and branches up to 1 inch thick.

If you are looking for a reliable pruning shear for both home gardening and professional use, you can’t go wrong with this lightweight Haus & Garten ClassicPRO bypass shear.

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DeWalt 20V MAX Cordless Battery Pruner

The garden shears on our list is the DeWalt DCPR320B 20V MAX Cordless Battery Bypass Pruner. it is one of the best electric pruner you will ever find.

Being an electric-powered pruner, it requires almost no hand strength to trim stems, twigs, or branches. However, it weighs 2.5 pounds, which is somewhat heavier than many manual pruning shears.

It has a larger cut capacity of about 1.5 inches thick. This makes this tool suitable for cutting dead woods with ease. 

It is cordless for easy mobility, and is powered by a 20v battery that can make up to 1,100 cuts when fully charged. However, the number of cuts largely depends on the thickness of what you are pruning.

To use this device, all you need to do is place the device over the stem you want to prune. Then, squeeze the trigger gently to activate it. The tool automatically closes its blades to cut through the stem and opens the blades again for the next cut.

The sharp blades are non-stick and won’t accumulate sticky sap over time. The plastic body has a rubbery grip that makes it easy and comfortable to handle. 

This tool has an inbuilt LED light to guide you during pruning. The LED light helps to easily pinpoint the stem you want to cut.

Please know that this pruner comes without the battery, and you need to purchase the battery separately.

Although this tool is more expensive than others on this list, its amazing functionalities justify the price.

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Considerations Before Buying A Garden Shear

Before finally settling down for a particular brand or model of the best garden shears, make sure to consider the following criteria:

• The best pruning shear must be able to make straight, clean, even cuts without hurting your plants or hands.
• The blades must be made of high-quality, durable, and hard metal, such as high-carbon steel. The harder the metal used for the blades, the longer the blades stay sharp. Please note that resharpening the blades removes any protective coating on it, leaving it vulnerable to rust. That means you need to clean the blades immediately after each use to prevent rust.
• The type of pruner. There are basically two types – bypass and anvil. Bypass shears are like a pair of scissors with two sharp blades that pass through each other. Anvil pruners have a sharp moving blade that stops on a fixed, hard, flat surface or blade. Bypass pruners are better suited for live cuts, while anvil pruners are perfect for dry, dead brush.
• Check the tightness of the blades. The blades must be resting so tightly against each other to cut well. Otherwise, stems will get stuck in-between the blades if they are too loose. It is better to have your pruner properly and perfectly adjusted out of the box. However, the best pruners have a center nut or screw to control the distance between the blades.
• Always go for a pruner that fits well into your hand – this has to do with the shape and size. This is very important and will determine the grip and comfort you get while using the tool.
• Finally, consider a pruner with available replacement parts. No matter how careful you are with your pruner, anything can happen over time that calls for replacing a part. Make sure that replacement parts are available and easy to get.

Conclusion

A pruning shear is a necessary gardening tool for maintaining your shrubs and plants. Make sure that you invest in the future of your yard and garden with any of the best garden shears reviewed above.

These shears are specially designed to offer durability, comfort, unparalleled precision, and elevate your gardening experience.

With a commitment to high-quality performance, these pruners are the perfect companion for any gardening enthusiast.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)