How to choose
General criteria
Blades
Choose the pruning shears with the sharpest blades so that they last for a long time without the need for home sharpening. No matter how well you do it later, it will still lose to the factory one.
When buying, carefully inspect the contact point of the blades. If there is no gap between them, choose it. Otherwise, a large amount of debris will constantly accumulate there, it will have to be cleaned out and independently regulated after each trimming.
Hand grips
First, try how they fit in your hand. Whether the grip is comfortable, whether something is getting in the way, whether there is a sliding effect. Rubberized or leather overlays are welcome. Of the materials, the best options are fiberglass, reinforced polyamide, plastic. Models with a protective hilt against needles and thorns are good. Some brands make special grooves for the fingers, which is very convenient.
Fastening
Use your garden shears in the air, no paper. Is the fastening bolt that keeps this tool safe from loosening? It must be screwed on firmly.
Depreciation
If pressing the handle is given with great effort, on the one hand, this is good. In this case, the spring will serve for a long time. On the other hand, the hand will get tired. But even with weak shock absorption, it is not worth choosing secateurs - most of them have a wire mechanism and quickly fail.
Appearance
The striking design will prevent you from losing the tool in the grass, or throwing it away with cut branches.
Steel
There are different types of steel for pruning shears. Which one should you choose?
65X13
SK-5
Composition: carbon, manganese, chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, nickel, silicon, phosphorus, sulfur. Advantages: hardness, strength, resistance to corrosion, high mechanical stress and high temperatures, elasticity, keeps sharpening well. Over time, high-carbon steel oxidizes, forming a dark film on the surface. This does not affect the quality of the pruner, but spoils the appearance. This is a Japanese development.
440A
Composition: iron, carbon, chromium, manganese, molybdenum, silicon, phosphorus, sulfur. Advantages: hardness, strength, corrosion resistance, long service life, cutting edge retention, low cost, availability. Disadvantages: the need for constant and careful care, injury, sensitivity to acids and salts. Distribution - in America and Europe.
AUS-6
The composition is similar to SK-5, but the proportion of vanadium and chromium is increased, due to which indicators such as resistance to corrosion and mechanical damage are increased. However, this steel has less carbon, so it is not as hard. Japanese development of the company Aichi.
Titanium
Does not possess magnetic properties, does not react with biomaterial, corrosion resistant, lightweight, durable. Some manufacturers resort to a little trick - titanium anodizing, as a result of which it acquires rich shades. It is not surprising that these pruners are most often chosen by women. Of the shortcomings, one should bear in mind the difficulty of sharpening at home, and even this alloy does not hold it well. The price for it in comparison with the rest is quite high.
Mechanism selection
When choosing a brush cutter, special attention should be paid to the return spring. Everything is simple here - the simpler it is, the more convenient it will be to work with it.
The most durable and durable are strip types of plate springs.It is optimal that they are made of strong dense metal.
Pruners can also be mechanical, electrical, battery and gasoline.
Mechanical ones work due to the influence of the muscular force of the operator, these are the cheapest and technically primitive models, their advantages are undoubted:
- products can have different power, are often equipped with a ratchet mechanism, which transports return rotary movements into reciprocating ones;
- the cutting head of a mechanical pruner has a small size, it is lightweight, due to which increased maneuverability is achieved, thanks to which such hedge trimmers allow cutting branches even in the most inaccessible areas;
- the handle of such a mechanism has a T-shaped stop, which prevents the risk of slipping;
- The instrument is not tied to AC power - it does not need to be plugged in or charged from time to time.
There are also disadvantages, namely low power and labor intensity. These hedge trimmers can cut branches up to 5 cm in diameter. Electric pruners, as the name suggests, must be connected to a power source at all times.
This feature can be attributed to shortcomings, but among the advantages are the following:
- environmental safety, absence of toxic, polluting exhaust gases;
- the possibility of turning the working part by 180 degrees, due to which the coverage of branches is significantly improved;
- compactness and dynamism - these qualities allow even the elderly and adolescents to work with the pruner;
- ease of use;
- low noise and vibration level;
- extremely high cut quality, which is due to the presence of a chain saw;
- rubberized handle with control panel.
Electric models are often equipped with a high-altitude telescopic mechanism, so that branches can be effectively cut at a height of 5.5 meters or even higher. Most modern models are usually equipped with an automatic cord that allows the cord to be tightened as the hedge trimmer moves.
Electric models do not differ in special power characteristics, they are designed for cutting branches no more than 2.5 cm in diameter. The use of such a device is sometimes associated with a low level of convenience, because the power cord is often entangled in branches and has to be “released”.
Cordless models combine all the advantages of mechanical and electrical products. They are characterized by good maneuverability and superior performance. The device is powered by a battery, so that work can be carried out autonomously, and this is one of the undoubted advantages of the model.
Using high quality cordless pruning shears has other benefits:
- the operator can freely move around the site;
- if desired, you can always replace the "native" battery with a more powerful one;
- the device is easy to maintain;
- has a relatively low weight;
- works almost silently.
Gasoline models run on liquid fuel, are equipped with a two-stroke engine and an air-cooled system, and are lightweight. The main controls of the device are located on the ergonomic handle, and there are also built-in elements to prevent accidental start-up.
The pluses of such pruners include:
- convenience of work;
- increased power;
- the ability to cut fairly thick branches and even stumps and trunks;
- the ability to carry out work at any slope.
There are also disadvantages:
- harmful exhaust emissions are emitted during operation;
- makes quite a lot of noise;
- requires professional maintenance.
Such products are quite expensive because they are professional equipment. They are rarely bought for work in summer cottages and small garden plots; their main field of application is park zones, squares and reserves.
A separate category of pruning shears includes rod hedge trimmers.They are equipped with an elongated handle, in which a pulley is mounted, which reinforces the transmission to the cutting elements.
How to choose?
The lopper is a very handy tool. However, the effectiveness of their use directly depends on how correctly you have chosen the model of the instrument.
When buying a hedge trimmer, focus on some of the intricacies of using these devices. The blade must certainly be made of strong hardened steel and must be perfectly sharpened, otherwise you cannot avoid deformation of the wood tissue, and the tool itself will not last long.
The blade must certainly be made of strong hardened steel and must be perfectly sharpened, otherwise you cannot avoid deformation of the wood tissue, and the tool itself will not last long.
See the next video for more details.