Best Secateurs Reviews UK 2023 – Top 10 Picks Compared

Last Updated on January 10, 2023

Our Favourites

Editor’s Choice: Felco FEL2 Model 2
Japanese Choice: Okatsune 103 Bypass
Choice For Small Hands: Felco Model 12 Compact

Are you looking for a pair of the best secateurs to keep your shrubs and trees in check?

Any green-fingered gardener knows that it takes a wide selection of essential tools to create a pristine-looking yard. There’s more to getting the perfect landscape ironed out than buying the right lawnmower or investing in a sturdy hose. Secateurs are some of the often-overlooked, but most essential tools in a gardener’s arsenal – particularly when you have a lot of shrubs and branches to deal with.

Often referred to as “pruners”, secateurs give you the extra cutting strength that you need to prime and prep various components in your garden.

To help you pick the best tools for your needs, we’ve read through thousands of secateurs reviews, and checked up on some of the top-selling products, to give you this list of must-have garden secateurs to consider.

How We Compared Secateurs

To find the right secateurs we considered multiple factors including:

• Design
• Safety
• Cutting Diameter
• Size
• Pivot
• Bright Colours
• Ratchet or Gear Mechanism

Our team planned comparison points and specifically looked for products that would cater to all kinds of needs. We spent countless hours researching, consulting customer reviews and comparing features to come up with this list.

To find out more about our process please see here.

Best Secateurs Reviews – Top 10 Picks

1. Felco FEL2 Model 2 (Editor’s Choice)

The original go-to option for a pair of secateurs, Felco’s FEL2 Model 2 cutters are perfect for tackling tough jobs in a hurry.

These high-quality anvil secateurs come with a robust set of forged metal alloy handles that are strong, lightweight, and easy to grip. What’s more, the Swiss-made precision cutting blades are sharpened for quick and reliable performance. You can even replace the blades when they get worn down.

With a hardened steel bolt at the centre, Felco’s Model 2 secateurs are designed to keep cutting year after year. If you’re looking for ergonomic, easy-to-use gardening equipment that will never let you down, then Felco has you covered. There’s even a safety catch included to make sure that the anvil blade scissors remain tightly closed when not in use.

Felco anvil secateurs are some of the best renowned in the world for a reason. They offer the most impressive secateurs reviews of anything we’ll cover on this list today. Perhaps the biggest issue is that it can be challenging to unlock your blades after you’ve locked them for safety reasons.

2. Okatsune 103 Bypass (Best Japanese)

The more time you spend in the gardening industry, the more you’ll notice that there is a wide variety of garden tools available. For instance, Japanese secateurs are some of the most popular pruning tools for experienced gardeners, because they offer a swift and smooth cut.

This general-purpose cutter from Okatsune is a great introduction to the value of Japanese pruners. Made from the finest stainless steel, the blades are designed to stay sharp for as long as possible.

The Okatsune secateurs are also ground into two angles, so you can smoothly slice through wood without harming the plant. This makes it easier to use your cutters to support the growth of trees and other plants. The unique shape of the hollow ground blade also allows for sap to flow away from the cutters, to make your life a little easier.

Okatsune also offers a variety of accessories like whetstones and storage holsters to support your gardening habit. One point to keep in mind is that it does take a little time to get used to the locking mechanism of these cutters. Also, the handles are difficult to get a full grip on for some users. Many customers say that they would prefer an anti-slip grip.

3. Felco Model 12 Compact (Best For Small Hands)

When it comes to shopping for the best secateurs, the chances are that you’re going to come across the “Felco” brand pretty often. This company has become something of the go-to choice for today’s gardeners, thanks to its commitment to highly efficient and reliable tools. So, you might be wondering which of Felco’s vast range of products you should invest in.

Our choice for the best Felco secateurs has to be the Model 12 Compact Deluxe. With forged aluminium handles for lightweight strength, this cutter comes with everything you need for excellent garden performance. The manually-adjustable centre nut allows you to get the perfect return on each cut, and there’s even a wire cutting notch included, too.

The cushioned grip makes it easier to spend more time on your work in the garden without any aches and bruises. What’s more, this Felco secateurs offer a lifetime guarantee for your utmost satisfaction. However, some people found that the rotating handles on this pruner make them challenging to operate.

Nonetheless, it’s one of the best secateurs you’ll find on the market today.

4. Davaon Pro Bypass (Best With Rotating Handle)

The best garden secateurs for you will often be the pair that can give you the excellent performance you need, without breaking the bank. If you’re looking for the perfect combination of results and value for money, then it’s hard to go wrong with these Davaon Pro Bypass secateurs.

Designed to give you more comfort for less effort, the secateurs’ automatically rotating lower handles help to spread muscle force from each cut evenly over your fingers.

The less strain you expose yourself to when gardening, the smaller your chances of injury will be. Additionally, the hardened carbon steel blades that come with this pair of scissors are great for offering precise cutting for rose bushes, hedges, trees, and more. There’s even a finger protection guard included for better peace of mind when you work.

As well as using the highest quality of material in their secateurs, Pro Bypass also include instructions on how to use your new investment. However, those instructions are sent by email, which can be annoying for some customers. Additionally, this pruner might not be the best secateurs for petite gardeners.

5. Spear & Jackson 6758GS Razorsharp (Best Anvil)

Anvil secateurs are often the best choice for gardeners working on thicker stems and robust wood. These Spear & Jackson cutters are ideally suited to those tougher jobs.

With geared action intended to deliver smoother and maximum cutting results, the Razorsharp anvil secateurs is a great buy for any gardener. Crafted with a lightweight aluminium body, you can use your anvil secateurs for longer, without getting an ache in your fingers or wrist.

They have been designed to encourage long-lasting sharpness while resisting damage and rust. Additionally, these cutters offer an amazingly clean cut and an anvil cutting action that is most handy for some gardeners. Meaning, beginners or people without a lot of body strength can still manage more challenging tasks in the garden. What’s more, you benefit from the knowledge that all Spear and Jackson products are manufactured to the highest standards, with quality materials throughout.

Crucially, if you’re making precise horizontal cuts, this anvil blade secateurs might not be ideal for you, as some cuts can cause the mechanisms to jam. Some reviewers also noted that it’s easy for sap to build up in the bottom groove of the blades, too.

6. Davaon Pro Switch (Best Value)

Anvil or Japanese cutters aren’t your only two options when it comes to picking the best secateurs. Some gardeners also like the functionality of ratchet secateurs, too.

This pruning device comes with extra cutting power by using a ratcheting mechanism to build on the strength that you have in your hand and arm muscles. When you squeeze, the latch clicks so you can release and press to perform higher-quality cuts.

The Davaon Pro Switch cutters are some of the best ratchet secateurs that we’ve seen so far. They come with 2-in-1 performance, allowing you to switch between ratcheting and single cut mode. Additionally, their ergonomic handles make it easier to persist in your cutting action, no matter what kind of pruning method you choose. The Davaon Pro Switch secateurs also come with a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee.

Lightweight and easy to use, these professional secateurs are an excellent choice for any gardener. However, the lock included on the blades can be difficult for beginners to open and close according to the reviews that we read.

7. Felco L83 Standard (Best For Ladies)

Another excellent option for gardening from Felco, these L83 professional secateurs are lightweight, ergonomically-designed cutters with pressed steel handles. They’re designed specifically for ease of use and comfort among people without a lot of grip power.

If you have smaller hands, or you’re looking for ladies’ secateurs, then the L82 product could be the perfect option for you. What’s more, there’s a wire-cutting notch included, and a sap groove. Additionally, you can easily adjust the blades by using the central nut and bolt system.

Although these might not be the strongest secateurs in the market, they are built with the highest quality materials. Hence, you shouldn’t have a problem using them to tackle a wide variety of jobs. Furthermore, because this product comes from Felco, you know you’re getting a pair of pruners designed by the brand known for manufacturing the best secateurs in the world.

Once again, the biggest issue with this pair of secateurs is that it can be challenging to remove the lock from the cutters once you have it set up. Moreover, even these slim-line secateurs may be too big for some people.

8. Davaon Pro Geared (Best For Professional)

If you’re the kind of person who uses garden secateurs at work all day, then you’re going to need a set that holds up to the rigorous and consistent strain.

These Pro Geared secateurs from Davaon are fantastic for any pro user because they take about 20% of the stress out of your cutting process. You can reduce the effort used with the Davaon Pros by about 20%, thanks to the option to switch between bypass and anvil secateurs in a matter of moments.

If you’re wondering which secateurs to buy and you know you need something that will stand the test of time, Davaon has you covered. The ergonomic grip on these cutters, combined with extra features like a thumb safety lock, shock-absorbing spring, and sharp high-performance carbon-steel blade makes this secateurs from Davaon a must-have for any gardener.

However, keep in mind that these secateurs aren’t the strongest on the market. They can be a little flimsy for some.

9. Gruntek Flamingo (Best Brightly Coloured)

Having a brightly-coloured set of secateurs might not seem like a big deal until you start using them. Ask any gardener what one of the essential features is for any pair of secateurs. They’re likely to tell you to choose something brightly-coloured to boost your chances of keeping track of your garden tools. It’s all-too-easy to misplace something when you’re working.

These Gruntek Flamingo garden secateurs are great for helping you to keep track of your belongings, and they come with a non-stick coated precision-cut set of blades. Robust and sturdy, these garden secateurs come with a Teflon-coated upper blade, and a switchable opening with different handles depending on your hand size.

Unfortunately, this pruner is a little bit difficult to lock after use, and they can stick quite easily.

10. Spear & Jackson 6060BS (Best Large)

Finally, if you’re looking for a set of large secateurs to tackle some of the toughest jobs in your garden, then you can’t go wrong with this pruner from Spear and Jackson.

Designed with high-strength carbon steel blades, non-slip comfort grips, and contoured ergonomic handles, these secateurs have it all. What’s more, there’s even a sap groove in the blade, too.

The razor-sharp blades from Spear and Jackson secateurs aren’t designed for people with smaller hands. However, they’re great for those who prefer the bypass scissor-cutting action to getting through living stems. For thicker dead stems, you’ll need an anchor set instead. The secateurs also comes with an impressive 10-year guarantee.

Unfortunately, many reviewers agreed that the handles don’t have a lot of grip and can make you quite sore after a lot of use.

What are Secateurs? Choosing the Right Product

Secateurs are basically a set of pruning clippers that you use with a single hand. If you require a tool that can slice through branches and shrubs with ease or give you the power to cut into trees and improve their growth, then you need a set of secateurs for pruning.

For many gardeners on the go, secateurs are better than pruning shears, because they give them a free hand to work with while they’re cutting. The question is, how do you know what kind of secateurs you should buy?

While browsing through our pruner options above, make sure you think about:

1. Design

Are the secateurs lightweight and designed to suit the hand that you cut with? For example, are these suitable for left or right-handed?

2. Safety

A safety clasp is a good way to avoid accidents with your pruner, but you’ll need to make sure that it’s easy to remove when you want to get to work.

3. Cutting Diameter

It’s good to check the thickness of the branch or stems that your new secateurs can handle if you’re buying them to deal with a specific project.

4. Size

Large secateurs might be harder to use if you have a smaller or dainty hand. Keep that in mind, when making your choice.

5. Pivot

The bolt that holds the secateurs’ blades together should be adjustable to give you more control over an accurate cut.

6. Bright Colours

Vibrantly coloured handles make your secateurs easier to find.

7. Ratchet or Gear Mechanism

A pair of secateurs with this feature makes it more manageable to engage in more powerful cutting without hurting your hands.

How to Pick the Best Secateurs

Whether you’re slicing through plant stems to help encourage growth, or you’re getting rid of pesky brambles, you’ll need some good quality secateurs to get the work done safely and efficiently. The best secateurs for you will depend on several factors, including the type of cutting you’re going to be doing.

We recommend the Felco FEL2 Model 2 secateurs as our top choice. These excellent high-quality cutters are perfect for tackling the tougher jobs in your roster, thanks to the incredible materials throughout. What’s more, the Model 2 set from Felco had some of the most positive secateurs reviews that we’ve seen in the market so far.

What kind of secateurs are you looking for to fill the gap in your gardening toolkit? Let us know in the comment section below.