Popular brands
When choosing a tool for working in the garden, you need to take into account its volume, as well as how difficult it will be. Even mechanical models are suitable for cutting short grass, shaping small shrubs, trees and lawns, but more functional hedge trimmers should be chosen for cutting thick hedges.
Below is a rating of the most popular models of both electric and mechanical shears.
Gardena 08704. German model of good quality steel mechanical shears with protective coating on the blades. The total length of the tool is 18 cm and weight is 100 g. The miniature tool is perfect for mowing small areas of the lawn, as well as for use in the kitchen. Comfortable plastic handles do not slip in your hands. The scissors are designed to work with both the right and left hand. The only drawback is that a retainer is not provided.
Lever extended scissors
Of the lawn hand shears, these are the most powerful. They are intended primarily for cutting grass, as well as trimming hedges or trees to a height of 2.5 meters. They have an angle adjustment in the range of 0-270 ° between the handles and the cutting plane, which allows them to be used as angular when mowing lawns without bending over, or for pruning shrubs just as long lever arms. However, it is not very convenient to work with them on lawns, since both hands are occupied.
It only remains to add that caring for a mechanical shears is not difficult at all. They only need to be lubricated and cleaned of debris as needed. Of the most eminent companies producing very good mechanical grass shears on the Russian market, such companies as Gardena, RACO, Fiskars and Wolf-Garten stand out.
Materials (edit)
In addition to technical characteristics, scissors differ in design and material of manufacture, shape of the handle and cutting elements. For example, the blades can be smooth or serrated. The former will be more convenient to sharpen, while the latter remain sharp longer.
Handles are available in wood, polyamide or carbon fiber. Devices with carbon fiber handles are very comfortable and light, but they cannot withstand falls from a height - the material does not have sufficient strength.
Some handles are rubber coated to prevent slipping while using the tool.
The blades are made of steel. The quality depends on its chemical composition and external coating. The most durable are zinc and Teflon coated blades. The special coating prevents grass and dust residues from sticking, and also protects the instrument from corrosion. However, the price for such a unit will be high, but it will last much longer than a cheap analogue.
Less and less on the market you can find brushcutters, when working with which it is necessary to use both hands, since they have already outlived theirs. It is more practical to use the model for one-handed work, an even more comfortable option is scissors with a telescopic handle. They have many advantages - the ability to adjust the handle to your height, no need to bend over, can be used to cut branches of tall bushes.
Review of the best models, prices
Battery powered garden shears are available from many manufacturers. But the tools from Gardena and Bosch have proven themselves especially well.
Trademarks usually offer several models of garden shears, differing in functionality.There are models equipped with additional knives for cutting shrubs, a bar, etc. The price depends on the number of functions and equipment.
Gardena AccuCut 09850-20.000.00 - scissors ideal for cutting small areas of grass, lawn edging. The blades have precision sharpening, thanks to which they will be sharp for a long time. The battery is a lithium-ion. On a single charge, the tool can work for 40 minutes. You can buy scissors for 4600 rubles. Such a tool can come in handy in the landscape design of a small courtyard of a private house.
Gardena ComfortCut 08897-20.000.00 is a model suitable for cutting grass and bushes. Replaceable attachments are used for different purposes, one of them is with 18 cm blades. Very comfortable handle with a soft grip. The battery is lithium-ion, it has no memory effect and does not discharge itself. The manufacturer promises that the scissors can work continuously for an hour and a half. Their weight is 1.15 kg. The price of the instrument is 7300 rubles.
BOSCH ISIO 3 is a laconic version of garden shears that cut grass well. The battery can work without recharging for about 50 minutes. The battery is indicated by the indicator. Rubberized handle, comfortable grip. Weighs 500 g. Processing width - 80 mm... Gloves are included with the scissors. The price of the instrument is 5600 rubles.
BOSCH ISIO. The scissors are equipped with a telescopic bar. The battery is lithium-ion, it charges quickly, there is no self-discharge. Built-in indicator of the state of charge, the set includes a charger-base. The handle is a convenient device: it can be folded and extended, it is adjustable in length within the range of 80-115 cm. The bar can be rotated, thanks to which you can cut the grass horizontally with the scissors, and by turning it vertically cut the edges of the lawn. The scissors together with the bar weigh 1.2 kg. You can buy this model for 7050 rubles.
Hitachi CH10DL. The scissors are also suitable for cutting grass and for trimming bushes (the permissible branch thickness is 8 mm). The length of the knives is 19 cm. They can work for 40 minutes without a break. Price - 8000 rubles
It is also worth paying attention to how the Japanese style looks and is done in landscape design.
Makita BUM166Z. With this tool, you can cut large areas of lawns and shrubs.
They have a large cutting width of 16 cm and you can adjust the cutting height. There is a special protective cover over the blades. This model does not come with a battery and charger. Price - 3270 rubles. But how to perform country style in landscape design, this information will help you understand.
You may also be interested in information on how you can make a simple landscape design of a small area in front of the house with your own hands.
How to use
Cordless shears consist of two horizontal knives, which are one above the other. The lower knife is stationary and the upper knife is movable. The device is equipped with a motor and a mechanism that transmits translational movements from the electric motor to the movable blade. The user needs to hold the tool firmly by the comfortable rubberized handle and bring the blades to the grass in the place where it needs to be cut. By pressing the button, turn on the mechanism. The blades cut the grass, the operator only needs to guide. It is easy and simple to work with such equipment.
The use of the cordless shears depends on the length of the battery life. Its charge can last from half an hour to two hours of operation (depending on the model). To use the scissors longer, it is advisable to have two batteries: when one is discharged, put it on recharge and continue using the other.
The video shows how to use the scissors:
Long-term continuous operation may cause the motor to overheat or jam the gearbox. To prevent this from happening, do not overload the instrument, let it rest every 20-30 minutes.
When working with scissors, make sure that grass and leaves do not get stuck in them, this can interfere with the blades.And remember, the thicker the branches you cut, the faster the battery will discharge.
The blades are laser sharpened. This means that they will not be blunt for a long time, you can work with them longer than with those sharpened with ordinary sharpening. But over time, the blades will become dull and need to be sharpened. Better that it was laser sharpening.
Remember the safety precautions when using cordless garden shears! Keep out of reach of children. Use gloves and glasses when working.
But what is a pruner for pruning bushes and how to use it correctly, you can see here.
Species overview
Today the market for horticultural products is flooded with a variety of models of lawn shears.
Each of these models has its own technical parameters, which you must pay attention to when choosing this very necessary tool for yourself.
There are two main types of such scissors - manual and electric (cordless). Detailed information will be presented below about each of the types.
Manual
Such a lawn mowing tool is the simplest in design, but is still in demand among owners of relatively small areas.
Outwardly, manual lawn scissors are almost identical to conventional ones, differing only in that their blades move in a plane perpendicular to the movements of the handle. Using them, you can achieve a smooth cut almost close to the ground.
The main advantage of a hand tool is that it does not require the use of electricity to work with it. In addition, manual shears are convenient to operate, they are more mobile, more accurately cut off unnecessary grass height or the length of bush branches.
Rechargeable
Every year, new models of electric brush cutters and lawn mowing equipment are offered to help gardeners. Their invention made it possible to significantly reduce the cost of human effort and time to give your site an aesthetic appearance. Many are satisfied with their mechanical counterparts, but those who purchased an electric tool have never regretted their purchase.
Cordless models are very convenient for controlling weeds growing along fences, near flowers and trees, where it is quite difficult to get rid of grass with ordinary pruners. Using such a device, gardening is faster, more convenient and without much hassle.
There is no unnecessary noise and unpleasant smell of gas, which is characteristic of the operation of electric or gasoline lawn mowers. It is only necessary to ensure that cut grass or small branches do not get stuck between the blades. In addition, you need to take breaks every 20-30 minutes, since with constant operation, the scissors heat up, and their excessive heating can lead to breakage.
When choosing a model, you should pay attention to the capacity of the power supply - the operating time of the device depends on this.
If the price category does not really matter, then it is better to choose models with several attachments, a powerful battery and a telescopic handle that can be set to a certain length. The long-handled tool will prevent you from bending over to cut low grass.
The shape of the pruning shears' blades is also important, as each blade is designed for specific areas of the area. For example, straight scissors are perfect for topiary art or work in a flower bed. The tine models are ideal for cutting dry grass, tall, tough stems and shrub branches. The wavy blades allow you to cut the grass as smoothly as possible, as well as fight against dense stems.
Electric scissors
They look a bit like a hair clipper. The principle is the same, only the blades are much larger. The system consists of two steel knives with protruding teeth - elements of the cutting comb. As a rule, the lower part of it is motionless, and the upper part slides along it from side to side, cutting off the grass that falls between the teeth. Their weight is very small - from 0.5 to 3 kg for the most bulky models.
Power supply
Almost all companies that produce various shears for cutting grass, electric ones are represented only by battery technology. This is due to their low power consumption at a rather large specific capacity of modern lithium-ion batteries. For the best models, it is 3-4 ampere-hours at voltages from 3.6 to 18 volts.
It is worth noting that the value of the electric capacity directly depends on how long the cordless grass shears can work continuously until the battery is completely discharged. Various companies announce run times from 20 to 120 minutes for their products. On the body of the instrument, as a rule, there is an indicator of the degree of charge, showing in green that it is still possible to work on the battery, in red - it is time to charge the battery.
The charger is usually included in the kit, but sometimes it is built-in in cheap models, and it is impossible to remove the battery without disassembly. But a replaceable battery is not always attached, so sometimes it makes sense to buy a spare one so that you can work alone and charge the one who is hooked at this time.
Equipment
A lawn cutter is not a lawn mower, so their grip is small, from 8 to 16 cm, no more. Almost all but the cheapest models come with additional cutting attachments. They turn the cordless grass shears into a compact hedgecutter, for example, used as the main tool in topiary art. The knife block can be easily changed without the need for any additional accessories. Sometimes there are also various non-standard attachments on sale. Despite the advertised "diamond sharpening", the blades should be regularly checked for sharpness, nicks, and, if necessary, sharpened.
Some models of scissors may have the option of turning the knife block by an angle of 0–90 °, which allows you to work in narrow places, on flower beds, on uneven surfaces, for example, when refining rockeries or curly haircuts. The extended handle is also a very useful option. Grass shears with a telescopic bar are much more convenient to handle long sections of paths or row spacing in the garden, which can only be reached with the help of an elongated handle in order to trim something there. With them, you definitely won't have to crawl around the garden on your knees.
This functional independence is convenient in that this telescopic rod can be disassembled, lengthened or not used at all. It is, in fact, an extension of the minimum set of the scissors themselves, and may be supplied separately from some manufacturers. The telescopic bar is simply irreplaceable in combination with the brush cutter attachment for the cultivation of walls covered with decorative climbing plants.
Manufacturers overview
Currently, there is a fairly large selection of cordless shears on the Russian market. Of these, the most famous are products of such brands as Makita, Wolf-Garten, Bosch, Al-Ko, Champion, Gardena. In addition to a good choice and additional equipment for their products, they also offer a very decent service. However, their price is quite high, since such products in our country are still considered an indicator of luxury. Cheaper models, with low reliability and low battery capacity, are also produced under Russian brands, often, however, made in China. However, this tool is also in demand due to its low price.
Why do you need rechargeable garden shears
Their purpose is to cut grass and bushes. Of course, lawns are more convenient to mow with a lawn mower, bushes are cut with pruning shears. But there are places where their use is impossible. This is where scissors come in handy. For example, cutting grass close to the flower bed, around bushes, near tree trunks, near a fence or hedge, under bushes, that is, where it is impossible to get a lawn mower.
Scissors with a telescopic handle (rod) are especially functional.They can work in hard-to-reach places. And if the bar is equipped with wheels (and there are also such models), then you will not have to bend low to the grass, such devices greatly facilitate work on the site. There are models with shrub attachments. Thanks to this function, the scope of application of the scissors is also expanded.
You may also be interested in learning more about what electric bush clippers are and how to use them.
In the video - why do you need battery garden shears:
How to choose
Having decided to buy battery scissors, you should decide on the model. To choose the most suitable one, you need to know exactly:
- purpose (where and why such a tool will come in handy, if you are going to cut only grass or bushes, you will also need to cut it);
- scope of work. It depends on what width of the blade is better suited, how much power is needed for the scissors;
- the need for additional elements (rods, wheels, attachments).
Knowing the scope of the proposed work, you need to take into account the battery capacity when buying scissors. This parameter is specified in the operating instructions or with a consultant in the store.
Be interested in additional features (for example, there are models in which the blades can rotate 90o). Think about how relevant they are to you.
Proceed from what you are going to use more scissors for, mowing grass or pruning bushes, what amount of work will have to be done at one time. Usually, the less work, the easier the tool is needed. If working bent over or squatting is difficult, choose the model with a telescopic handle. It is much more convenient and safer to use them.
Find out what is better to make a hedge here.
When choosing a tool, study its technical characteristics:
- Battery capacity.
- Battery Type. Please note that the lithium-ion battery can also be used in other equipment if the connectors match. A tool with a large battery capacity lasts longer, but also takes longer to charge.
- Weight of the device. Many models weigh 600 g, but there are scissors weighing 1.5 kg.
- Working width (according to this indicator, it is immediately clear how wide the area will be processed in one swath). Most often it is 8 or 16 cm.
If you buy the battery and charger separately, make sure the connectors in the battery and scissors match.