6 Best Loppers for Pruning Tree Branches and Twigs

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There are several types of gardening tools you can use to prune tree branches and twigs in your yard, such as pruning shears, mini chainsaws, pole saws, and pruning hand saws. But none of them can replace a really good lopper.

You see, loppers are designed for pruning branches, twigs and shrubs that are 1 inch to 2.5 inches in thickness. If you’re going to prune anything within that thickness, there is no better tool.

Most of the other pruning tools (such as pruning saws) will leave a rough jagged edge on the pruned branch, which is not good for the overall health of the tree or plant being cut.

Loppers on the other hand leave a very clean smooth cut on live branches, which overall looks much better and makes it easier for the branch to heal up nicely.

They look just like scissors or garden shears, but with much longer arms and typically requires your two hands to hold them properly.

The handles are purposely made long, typically between 12 inches and 36 inches in length, to give enough leverage to cut through thick branches.

Some even come equipped with telescoping handles that can be extended further as long as 40 inches to increase leverage and enable the user to reach higher branches on a taller tree or shrub.

All loppers literally look the same with very little differences between them. So, choosing the right one is not that straightforward. That’s why we took it upon ourselves to do the tests and research on your behalf and list only the best ones for you.

Below, you’ll find our list of the 6 best loppers you can use for your projects.

But first, here are our top picks out of the 6.

Our Top Picks

• BEST OVERALL: Felco 231
• BEST FOR TALL TREES: Kings County Telescoping Ratcheting Bypass Loppers
• BEST FOR GREEN BRANCHES: Corona Dualink
• BEST FOR HARD DENSE WOOD: Spear and Jackson 8290RS

Types of Loppers

There are 2 main types of loppers, which are:

• Bypass loppers
• Anvil Loppers

Bypass loppers

The main difference between bypass and anvil loppers is in their blade design. While bypass loppers have both blades sharp, and slide past each others like a regular scissors, anvil loppers have one blunt blade called an anvil.

Cuts made by bypass loppers are cleaner and smoother. They’re better for cutting green soft branches you don’t want any damage to come to. They’re best for cutting live branches from trees and plants you’re taking care of.

They’re not built for cutting very thick branches though. That’s what anvil loppers are for.

Anvil Loppers

Anvil loppers have two jaws that don’t slide past each other like the blades of scissors but rather close against each other like an anvil.

One of the jaws (straight or curved) is usually made of hardened carbon steel and sharpened to make the cut, while the other jaw is shaped flat like an anvil, and it’s usually made of a softer metal than the sharp jaw or blade. The sharp jaw closes against the contoured anvil surface of the other jaw to make the cut.

Because anvil loppers have one jaw shaped flat like an anvil, they have the disadvantage of tending to crush the branch instead of cutting it smoothly if the cutting jaw is not sharp enough.

However, they’re ideal for cutting thicker, harder, and more fibrous branches as they have more relative strength than bypass loppers, and it’s also less likely for a branch to deflect the jaws or slide in and jam in between the jaws.

The Best Loppers

We tested several loppers with different types of tree branches and twigs of different thicknesses, and the following 6 loppers performed best out of all the ones we tested. We strongly recommend them.

Felco 231 Anvil Loppers

The first time I saw this lopper and its price tag, I was like, how do these people justify this price?

Most of the other loppers you’re going to find out there are priced between 30 and 80 USD. This Felco is priced close to 200 USD, which to me at first was pretty absurd.

However, I tell you now that this is unlike any lopper you’ve ever used before. It’s an anvil lopper that is almost 32 inches long, but it weighs just 2.9 lbs.

The weight is not really what sells this Felco. It’s the cutting action. This cuts easier and smoother than any Anvil or bypass lopper I’ve ever had my hands on.

It just gets the job done. It’s how easy it makes the cut, with very little effort applied that really sells it for me.

With this Felco 231, you don’t have to worry if you’re powerful enough to cut a branch or a twig. The tool does all the job.

The blade is very sharp, and the jaws are curved in such a way that the blade grips the branch, ensuring it doesn’t slip out as the cut is made. The cutting head also includes a lever that significantly reduces the effort you need to apply to make the cut.

The Felco 231 is designed to cut branches up to 1.57 inch thick. But you can cut up to 2 inch branches if you open the jaws wide enough.

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Fiskars Powergear2 Bypass Loppers

The Fiskars Powergear2 is one of the best bypass loppers I can easily recommend to anyone for gardening projects.

If you want to prune trees with thick branches in your garden, this will do the job. It can prune branches up to 2 inches in thickness pretty easily. And it does that because its got the Powergear system, which is a system of 2 gears integrated into the pivot point to help multiply your leverage or the effort you apply.

So, you don’t even need to apply a lot of effort to cut these thick branches. The PowerGear system will multiply what little effort you have and transfer it to the cutting blades to cut the branches.

Also, it’s 32 inches in length. That also helps to multiply your effort, because the longer the handles are, the more your effort is multiplied.

However, too long handles can add extra weight. So, you have to worry about the weight as well.

Overall, I really like this Fiskars PowerGear2. It’s cuts through branches easily, and it looks well-designed.

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Spear and Jackson 8290RS Telescoping Anvil Lopper

This Spear and Jackson anvil lopper is a favorite of mine. It’s one of the easiest loppers you’ll ever use, and it has a pretty interesting design.

You don’t just cut by pulling the handles together in just one swing just like most of the other loppers. This Spear and Jackson uses a ratchet action to cut. That means you open and close the handles repeatedly, and each time the blade closes in against the wood, cutting it in the process.

This ratchet action reduces the amount of effort you have to apply to make the cut, because you don’t have to force the blade through the branch. Each time you pull the handles together, the ratchet engages, multiplying your effort, pulling the blade through the branch, and holding it in place until you pull the handles together again to advance the cut.

This makes it ideal for cutting really thick branches. You can cut branches as thick as 2 inches without forcing your way through the cut. The ratcheting action ensures you use expend the least amount of effort possible.

Trust me when I say, this is one of the easiest anvil lopper you’ll ever use. It’s the Spear and Jackson 8290RS anvil lopper.

One more thing you should know. It’s also a telescoping lopper. It’s got telescoping handles. So, you can reach taller trees and branches with it.

As regards weight, it’s not that heavy. The handles are tubular, and are made of aluminium. They’re easy to extend and lock in place. The whole unit is easy to use. And when you’re done with it, it’s easy to store away.

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10.

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Corona DualLink Bypass Loppers

This is by every means one of the best bypass loppers out there in the market right now. It’s the Corona Dualink loppers.

There are a few important things that made us give it the nod and include it in this list. First of all, it’s got a very large cut capacity of 2+ inches.

Bypass loppers are not exactly known for their large cut capacities, but this one is just different.

It uses a compound lever system to minimize the amount of force or effort needed to push the blade through cuts.

If you really look closely at the levers moving the blades, you’ll be able to see how your effort is transferred from the handles through the different levers, then through the blade to make the cuts.

The blade of this particular lopper keeps it edge for a very long time. And as we learned, that’s because it was forged and compacted so it stays sharp for as long as possible.

Overall, I really like this bypass lopper from Corona Tools. The design is great, it’s got great build quality, it’s got large cutting capacity and it requires very little effort to make cuts.

If you’re looking for an easy to use, durable bypass lopper to use in your yard, this is one we’d happy recommend.

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GARTOL Anvil Loppers

This GARTOL anvil loppers also uses a compound lever action to increase leverage reducing the amount of effort you need to make cuts, just like the Corona DualLink I just talked about above.

But, what I like most about this GARTOl loppers is the blade design. I like the way it’s designed with inner curves to hug the branch as you make the cut.

Even though you’re cutting a very thick branch, it will not slip out. As long as the branch fits into the jaws, the anvil blade curves inside with a little lip at the tip so that it keeps the branch inside as the cut is made.

This Gartol lopper is about 29.5 inch in overall length. It’s not the longest unit you’ll find, but it get’s the job done.

The handles are well designed with rubber wrapped around so they’re comfortable to hold. The blades are coated so tree sap don’t stick to them, and I really like the overall build quality.

So if you ask me, I’d say GARTOL got this one right. We do recommend it.

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Kings County Telescoping Ratcheting Bypass Loppers

If you’ve never used a ratcheting lopper before, using this one from Kings County tools will change everything you know about loppers.

I’ve already talked about one ratcheting lopper above, but that one is made by Spear and Jackson. But that should give you an idea of what this mechanism is designed to do.

A ratchet mechanism is incorporated into the pivot points so that each movement of the handles pulls the jaws together and locks the blade in place.

So you don’t have to keep exacting force on the handles to cut the branch. The ratchet saves every effort you add, compounding it, and thus making the cut easier.

This Kings County bypass lopper uses the same ratcheting mechanism. It’s very easy to use. Requires very little effort, and it cuts flawlessly.

The handles are also telescoping, extending from 26 inch to 40 inch long, so you can reach high branches without any issue. And it has a large cutting capacity. You can cut branches up to 2 inch and even more with it.

Overall, I really recommend this Kings County Ratcheting bypass lopper. The design is great. It’s got great build quality, and it requires very little effort to operate.

What To Consider When Choosing A Lopper

If you want to choose the right lopper for your tree pruning projects, it’s important that you consider the following factors.

Cut Capacity

The first factor you need to consider when choosing a lopper is the cut capacity of the lopper. You need to consider the diameter of the tree branches you will be pruning, and ensure the lopper you choose can handle that kind of capacity.

Cutting Mechanism

Apart from the standard pivot point and long handles which provides the leverage and force that cuts through branches, some loppers come equipped with additional cutting mechanism to increase that leverage further, and thus make it easier to cut through thicker, denser branches with less effort.

Some loppers have it, while others don’t. There are 2 main types of cutting mechanisms you’ll find in loppers. They are compound action levers, and ratchet gearing.

Compound Action Levers

Loppers equipped with compound action levers have additional pivot points or fulcrum close to the blade that allows the handles to open wider than the blade distance, thus increasing more leverage and making it easier to cut through thicker branches.

Ratchet Gearing

With a ratchet gearing, the lopper locks and releases in stages as you apply pressure to the handles. Each time you squeeze or pull the handles together, the ratchet engages and prevents the blade from coming apart.

It allows you to continue cutting the branches in small incremental stages while locking the blade in place, preventing it from opening wider until the cut is complete.

Both the compound action and ratcheting system are designed to help you cut through thicker branches while expending less effort.

The only disadvantage of these cutting mechanisms is that they make the lopper a little bit heavier.

Handle Length and Material

Longer handles provides more leverage, making it easier to cut through branches, but they may make the lopper heavier depending on the type of material used to make the handle.

The handles are commonly made from different types of materials like wood, fiberglass and aluminum.

Wooden handles can be heavier and less durable, but are more comfortable to grip. Aluminum and fiberglass handles are stronger, more durable and lightweight.

Blade Material

One of the most important things to consider when choosing a lopper is the material used to make the cutting blade.

The blades can be made from high-carbon steel, hardened steel and stainless steel. High carbon steel blades can maintain their edge for long periods of time but not as much as hardened steel blades. They’re however, easier to sharpen compared to hardened steel.

Both high-carbon carbon and hardened steel blades are not resistant to rust and corrosion, but they can be coated with non-stick material to help them resist corrosion, and prevent sap and other materials from sticking to the blade during use.

Loppers with stainless steel blades are rust and corrosion resistant, but they’re slightly less durable than high-carbon and hardened steel blades.

The Blade Type

You’ll also have to consider choosing between a bypass blade or an anvil blade. Bypass blades are more versatile and produces a cleaner cut, which makes them suitable for pruning live branches.

Anvil blades on the other hand can crush and split branches, which may make it more challenging for the tree to heal and potentially increase the risk of the branch getting infected. They’re however better suited for handling thicker branches. They can cut branches up to 2 inches in diameter and even more.