Secateurs

[Greentea]

Ok, I was looking for a thread on secateurs and I read as far as 2011 and lost the will to live... So here it goes: I'm looking for a decent pair of secateurs not only because I have small hands but also my hands are not as strong as they used to be. I would like a pair that will last a lifetime and it could be serviced etc. I had a read on the tinternet but im even more confused so if you could share your knowledge would be greatly appreciated 😁

[Madasafish]

We have two Felco No2. They are 30 odd years old , very sharp and cut well. Red handles means they are unlikely to be lost....

[Scarlet]

I'm also a felco user, they are worth their weight in gold. They come in a size for small hands (which I have). They can be serviced for £20. This thread also has a link for an alternative brand that Kristen uses which is also worth a look although I'm not sure if they do a make for small hands.
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ing_83977.html

[Alison]

Mine are Felco too, treated myself to them a few years ago. Never had them serviced but regularly clean and oil them and sharpen every now and again without any difficulty.

[Jungle Jane]

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...urs_44588.html

This thread might be useful

[Kristen]

This thread also has a link for an alternative brand that Kristen uses which is also worth a look although I'm not sure if they do a make for small hands.
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ing_83977.html

Yup, there is a small / large version. The small version is for Japanese hands, the large for export! so hopefully the small version is suitable for small UK hands.

They can be sharpened, but not (AFAIK) services in the sense that Felco's can - unscrew one nut and take the whole thing to bits. OTOH they cost, new, about the same as the cost of having a pair of Felco's serviced (not that I would advocate the waste of chucking them away in preference to having a pair serviced)

[Greentea]

Thank you very much for your replies ! I think I'm sold on the Japanese technology �� .the sharpening service seems to be a bit of a fuff , I guess I'll just have to get the sharpening tools off their website as well

[seasprout]

Felcos, all sorts of sizes for all sorts of hands.

[Kristen]

I guess I'll just have to get the sharpening tools off their website as well

They won't need sharpening as often as Felcos - so if you don't use them "loads" then that may be "infrequently". I sharpen them once or twice a year, and I have a large garden and Secateurs are in frequent use.

Felcos, all sorts of sizes for all sorts of hands.

Definitely an advantage of Felcos if you have a local garden centre with a display stand - youc an try-before-buy to check the size.

The on-off catch on Felcos is my biggest bugbare with them. They lock-closed in use all too easily, which I find annoying as the catch isn't easy to release with gloves on. I like the contoured handles though.

[Bohobumble]

I don't have the budget for the lovely Japanese gucci kit but had been on the look out for some time for ergonomic secateurs (I also have grip issues and small hands) that have a smooth action and are well balanced, these are so far really good at both staying in my hand and pruning: Expert 200mm Deluxe Bypass Secateur | Draper Tools

I got them for £7-8 in tackymaxx.

The have screws and a hex-head fixing that will undo so I can sharpen them. Not sure how often this will need doing yet as I haven't had them that long. I will use them a fair bit as there is a full grown country hedgerow with brambles in it all along the length of my plot.

[Kristen]

Be interesting if Which? or someone did a test to see how much pressure was required to cut through a given branch. Might be that, for small hands / grip issues, a better quality / sharper?? steel would take less effort? But I have no idea if that is actually the case, or not.

[Bohobumble]

My secateurs are the only tool I've bought so far, otherwise I'm making do with hand-me-down's and freecycle finds. I thought it important to try quite a few out and get the feel of them in my hand.

At the risk of going off-topic; I am tempted to buy a long handled digging fork and a draw hoe.

[Greentea]

I'm not going for the most expensive pair, bohobumble but my hands are not what they used to be .
Kirsten , there's an article in the Gardeners World February magazine about all the types of secateurs putting them to the test.

[Kristen]

Thanks. I guess too late to find that on the newstands now ... I'd be interested in a summary of their findings if someone has a copy