I’m a gardens editor and these are the 6 best secateurs around – from bypass to ratchet pruners

My mum and I are huge fans of WOLF-Garten tools (the Scarifying Roller Head Rake transformed my lawn), so we had to try out their secateurs, too. I'd seen the bypass secateurs on Amazon time and time again, and they've got brilliant reviews.

They definitely impressed us – I'm right-handed, and they were a breeze to use when pruning my lavender plant, but my mum is left-handed and finds them just as comfortable. The handles are ergonomically designed, and there's an integrated thumb rest for safety. WOLF-Garten says they're suitable for a larger-sized hand, so I was a little worried they'd be too big for me – and though they were a bit more of a stretch than some of the other pruners on this list, they were still comfortable enough to use and lock via an easy push-to-lock mechanism.

The blades are made from durable, corrosion-resistant alloy steel, and they're non-stick, so they're perfect for pruning sappier plants. The upper blade is fully replaceable, too, and the secateurs come with a 10-year guarantee, so they'll offer more than your money's worth in service.

WOLF-Garten says these secateurs can cut young, green stems up to 22mm thick, and I found they performed really well and felt like a sturdy piece of kit. The cuts were sometimes just a tad less clean on some of the thicker stems I pruned – so I'd say these ones are perfect for thinner green stems and younger plant growth.

Wilkinson Sword's Comfort Ratchet Pruners were the best secateurs I tried for easy, comfortable pruning of woody stems – so if you're going to be pruning older, woody growth, these ones are a must. They're a 2-in-1 pruner, providing either a straight cut or a ratchet mechanism on tough, woody growth.

They're also perfect for gardeners with weaker wrists, because they reduce cutting effort by around 30% – and that's definitely something I noticed when I tried them out. In fact, I put them to the test on some 20mm-thick woody stems (they can cut stems up to 22mm thick), and they made the cut a lot easier than some of the other anvil secateurs I tested. You'll still need to apply a fair amount of effort on thicker woody stems, of course – but far, far less than other anvil pruners on the market. The high carbon blade and anvil block are non-stick, too.

I also love the design and feel of these ratchet secateurs. The lightweight aluminium body features a soft grip insert on the handles for comfort, and I found them a pleasure to prune the woody growth on my cotoneaster shrub with.

The only downside was the position of the lock, which is between the two handles – so it's a bit fiddlier to set the catch – but for the comfort and strength of these pruners, I'll take it!

This one goes out to gardeners with small hands! Kimura’s Professional Model Pruning Shears caught my eye as one of Amazon’s Choices, so I thought I'd give them a whirl.

I wasn’t disappointed – instead, I was wowed by their clean cut, ease of use, and their perfect size for my small hands.

The ergonomic design and smooth handles are non-slip, making for comfortable pruning sessions, but what I really loved about these Kimura secateurs was the intuitive safety lock mechanism – gently squeezing the handles together releases the lock, so it's really simple to unlock-and-go. To reapply the lock, you just squeeze the handles together and push the lock into place (but don’t squeeze too hard, or it won’t catch!). Kimura says the design is great for those with arthritis and carpal tunnel, too.

The secateurs claim to cut through green stems up to 25mm thick, and I had no problem pruning the thicker green stems on my jasmine plant – in fact, they were really, really satisfying to use. The blades are made from Japanese SK5 steel, which provides a smooth, easy cut and long-lasting edge retention. They’re also PTFE-plated to prevent adhesion, corrosion and rust.

Another bonus is that these secateurs come with a lifetime warranty, so if you stumble across any problems, you can contact Kimura directly and they’ll sort them for you.

If you’ve got larger hands, you’ll want to take a look at Gardena’s PremiumCut Pro secateurs for fresh wood. They’re advertised as ideal candidates for precise pruning of green wood, and are said to offer effortless, fatigue-free cutting.

I have small hands, so they were a little too large for me – I found that they stretched my hands too far, which made them slightly awkward to use. However, those with larger hands will find them perfectly comfortable to use – they’ve got a soft ErgoTec ergonomic handle which is reinforced with fibreglass for added stability, and there are even wrist buffers for added comfort.

Even though they were a little big for me, I managed to get a good pruning session out of Gardena’s PremiumCut Pro Fresh Wood Secateurs, and I found them strong and sturdy. The only downside was that it crushed one or two of the thicker green stems rather than giving them a clean cut like bypass secateurs usually do – but since it only happened a few times, that could’ve been down to my technique! It's also worth noting that this model is designed for fresh wood instead of green stems – so I'll be reporting back once I've tried it out on woodier growth in the future.

I was impressed with these ones – and I still can’t believe how affordable they are!

Spear & Jackson’s Razorsharp Advantage Bypass Secateurs are easy to use, comfortable to hold, and suitable for smaller hands (I found them really easy to use). The upper blade is made from SK5 carbon steel for lasting sharpness, and coated in PTFE for rust resistance. The lower blade is hard chromed for rust resistance, too.

The secateurs were a breeze to use when pruning the green stems on my lavender plant, and they felt solid and sturdy. Even better, though, was the comfort – the handles are ergonomic with soft grips, so, really, they’re a pleasure to hold.

There’s also an ambidextrous locking mechanism (which I found really easy to use), so they’re perfect for left- or right-handers.

Niwaki’s Sentei Secateurs look, feel and work like a luxury – and I’m obsessed.

Now, it’s important to note that these secateurs aren’t designed for heavy duty work – they only cut stems up to 7mm thick, and other secateurs in Niwaki’s GR Pro range are better suited to thicker and woodier stems.

For thinner green stems, though, they're magical – I’m convinced that they can turn any pruning session into a fun, or at the very least therapeutic, event.

The blades are made made from KA-70 carbon steel with a really sharp edge, and they function with a soft spring action. I pruned my jasmine with the Sentei secateurs, and they sliced through the green stems so cleanly, I barely felt the effort. They’re the perfect size for small or large hands, and there’s a simple catch mechanism at the end of the handles to secure them for storage.

I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover (though in this case, I didn’t need to), but the design of the Sentei secateurs is one of my favourite things about them. They’re sleek, simple, and the handles have a wood effect that sets them apart from other secateurs on the market. They even come with a spare spring, and you can buy replacement bolts and springs, too. Plus, if you’re gifting them, you can pay extra for a canvas or leather holster, which I think is a really nice touch.