10 Best Tree Loppers of 2023

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If you’re keen to avoid hiring professional help to deal with overgrown trees and hedges, the Davaon Store Telescopic Ratchet Loppers works through some pretty tough areas without too much difficulty. In fact, Davaon claim that this lopper has 5 times the cutting power of regular tree loppers.

Whilst that’s pretty hard to measure, the tree lopper is more than capable of cutting through branches of at least 4.5 cm thick, and this is made easier on the hands thanks to the built-in ratchet system. Thick branches are managed bit by bit, and the carbon-steel blades also help in getting through tough branches. This is the best tree lopper if you want a powerful, telescopic tool.

Even after extended use, the blade remains sharp, and it’s strong enough to cut through bamboo as well as different tree branches like laurel and leylandii hedges.

Considering how well this tree lopper cuts, and the fact that it’s telescopic as well, it offers good value for money. It’s inexpensive, whilst providing more versatility than non-telescopic loppers.

The handles extend from 68 – 100 cm which makes it useful for pruning both low and high branches. The only thing to look out for is not to force the lopper to cut very hard large branches when fully extended, as the aluminium handles can bend.

Even so, on most reasonably-sized branches, the ratchet system works well to create a neat cut, much quicker than would be achievable with traditional loppers.

Despite the aluminium handles, this lopper still weighs 1.6 kg which may get a little heavy. As with most telescopic loppers, the tree lopper can feel unbalanced when used fully extended for prolonged periods, so it may be necessary to take a few extra tea breaks (which, arguably, is hardlly the worst news…!).

Overall, this Davaon tree lopper offers a good combination of power and long-reach cutting. Therefore, it’s the best tree lopper overall: it’s useful if you want to cut larger branches and would also appreciate telescopic handles.

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The Spear and Jackson Heavy Duty Telescopic Ratchet Anvil Lopper offers a great ‘middle ground’ between pruners and saws when cutting back hedges and trees. It’s telescopic, for reaching taller trees, and employs a ratchet mechanism to make cutting easier.

If you’re approaching a large hedge, this anvil lopper can cut through branches of at least 4.5 cm thick, snapping through them quite easily when traditional loppers would require a lot more effort.

One of the features that makes this lopper so effective on bigger branches is the ratchet mechanism. Unlike standard loppers, you winch the blades down so that the lopper takes the brunt of the work (it’s not a case of it relying on hand/arm strength alone).

Whilst this tree lopper can cut through smaller branches too, you’ll probably still want pruning shears on hand to make the job quicker – you have to winch the blades down every time, which can take a while if the branch is small.

You can, however, use this tree lopper on branches that are larger than 5 cm in diameter if you cut into them with a saw first, which is why they make a good middle ground between a pruning shear and a saw.

As mentioned, the lopper handles are telescopic, so they extend from 40 – 80 cm with a twist-and-lock mechanism, making it possible to cut higher branches without a ladder. This works well, but has its flaws – primarily because as the handles extend, the ratchet width gets wider. As a result, the lopper can be quite difficult to use in confined spaces as you need to be able to open them sufficiently wide to engage the ratchet first.

Made with aluminium handles and carbon steel blades, Spear & Jackson customers have rated this lopper as a long-lasting tool; however, it’s worth pointing out that the construction isn’t the most light weight. At 1.91 kg, the lopper may get tiring if used for long periods, especially when extended.

All in all, this is the best best tree lopper for medium jobs, making it a lot easier to cut through relatively thick branches with limited effort. As mentioned, this lopper is ideal when used in conjunction with pruning shears and a saw, to allow each tool to be used as effectively as possible.

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This Spear and Jackson 8100RS Telescopic Ratchet Anvil Lopper employs a powerful anvil cutting mechanism and is able to cut branches up to 4.5 cm in diameter. This tree lopper is also among the cheapest of the loppers on this list, making it the best anvil tree lopper in terms of value for money.

Spear and Jackson are a reputable brand when it comes to garden tools and this tree lopper has some nice design features. For example, in order to lock the telescopic handles in place, you twist the lower portion of the hand grip instead of the whole thing. This makes them less likely to come loose and unscrewed by accident.

This lopper uses an anvil cutting mechanism. It employs a powerful cutting action making it better for pruning thicker branches. In particular, its anvil cutting mechanism makes it more suitable for pruning hard, dead branches.

The tree lopper also utilises a ratchet mechanism, allowing you to cut progressively. This opens relatively wide, making it easier to cut by doing it in many stages. This results in a powerful lopper that can cut branches up to 4.5 cm in diameter. It is great for medium duty work and the carbon steel blades maintain their sharpness over time.

One downside to how wide the lopper opens is that it can be a bit more challenging to use in dense areas with lots of branches. In these situations, it can be difficult to open the handles as wide as necessary.

With telescopic handles, the lopper can be extended for overhead pruning. However, the maximum cutting diameter shouldn’t be exceeded as this could cause the aluminium handles to bend. The handles extend from 46 cm to 72 cm.

There are soft grips on the handles and the aluminium construction helps to keep the weight down. Although still not the lightest tree lopper here, weighing 1.58 kg, it’s not amongst the heaviest either.

Overall, this tree lopper is a great choice if you’re looking for an anvil lopper at a reasonable price. It is powerful and versatile thanks to its telescopic handles.

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The TABOR TOOLS GG11E Professional Bypass Lopper is very powerful; its cutting potential is particularly impressive considering it doesn’t use a ratchet mechanism. This tree lopper is capable of cutting through branches up to 4.5 cm in diameter; therefore, it’s the best tree lopper if you want power without using a ratchet.

Cutting branches of 4.5 cm can be achieved by applying a fair amount of force on the lopper. However, anything under 4 cm in diameter is easy to slice through without requiring too much strength.

The lopper has hardened carbon steel blades that remain sharp even after heavy use. The blades have been treated with a low friction non-stick coating. This allows the lopper to cut through thicker branches with minimal physical effort required. The lopper uses a ‘compound cutting action’ which is a fairly unique mechanism. It concentrates the force you apply on the handles in order to cut larger branches. According to TABOR TOOLS, this cutting action multiplies the force applied to the blades by three.

The blades are extremely sharp and slice through green wood easily, as long as it does not exceed the diameter limit.

With rubberised grips on the handles, this tree lopper is also very comfortable to use. At 76 cm long, you’ve got ample leverage to get through tough branches and you’ll also be able to navigate some higher branches as well.

The only potential downside to this tree lopper could be its weight – at 1.66 kg it’s among the heavier loppers featured here. For this reason, it may become tiring to use over long periods of time.

Overall though, it seems that managing the weight is the compromise required in order to get the power that this tree lopper offers. It’s one of the best tree loppers if you want a powerful pruning tool, but also want more versatility and efficiency than you’d get with ratchet loppers. They can cut thick branches, but they’re also well equipped for cutting thinner ones as well.

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The Fiskars Bypass Lopper has been designed to be comfortable to use whilst remaining effective and easy to cut with. This is one of the best tree loppers in terms of comfort, thanks to the shock absorbing bumpers that are built into the design.

The shock absorbing bumpers help eliminate that jarring feeling at the end of each cut, meaning you can use the lopper for longer in comfort. The handles are also wide enough to prevent hands from knocking together or fingers getting caught. This tree lopper is easy enough for amateur or beginner gardeners to use, but it’s equally suitable for experienced gardeners wanting to neaten up their hedges and trees without the use of a saw.

The loppers have a durable, stainless steel blade that stays sharp even after heavy use. The blade is ideal for cutting through branches around 2.5 – 3.8 cm (1 – 1.5”) in diameter. Although this lopper isn’t designed for heavy duty work, on small-to-medium soft branches it will produce a clean and powerful cut.

One thing to note is that this lopper doesn’t have a ratchet mechanism which is also why it is limited to slightly smaller branches. It measures 71 cm long in total, with no telescopic handles. This will be suitable for standard pruning tasks, but you may struggle to reach higher branches without a ladder.

Weighing 1.32 kg, this is a mid-weight tree lopper. It’s a well-balanced tool overall..

The blade has a low-friction coating, meaning each cut will be smooth and the blades won’t snag. This coating allows the lopper to glide through wood and prevents it from getting stuck. This coating also reduces the chances that the lopper blades will rust, although the tree lopper should still be stored carefully in order to prolong its lifespan. The handles have soft grips which adds to both the ease of use and safety

If you’re looking for a comfortable and easy-to-use pruning tool, this is the best tree lopper to consider. It is extremely sharp and cuts well. Plus, the shock absorbers help reduce any jarring movements from the cutting action. Also, even though there is no ratchet system, this may actually be preferred by some people. Although ratchets can help with cutting thicker branches, they can also slow you down when it comes to everyday pruning.

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If you’re fed up of pruning taking ages, this Fiskars PowerGear Lopper Bypass will shave some time off compared to traditional loppers. It’s the best tree lopper for working quickly and easily.

The reason for this is two-fold: the lopper is relatively light, at 1.06 kg, meaning it won’t slow jobs down by being tiring to hold, plus it uses a ‘rack and pinion’ system to cut through thicker branches.

This lopper is powerful – capable of cutting through branches up to 5 cm thick – and can also cut smaller branches because the ratchet doesn’t need to be fully extended to work. It only needs to be opened as much as the branch size demands.

However, it does therefore still have some of the same problems as other ratchet loppers when trying to cut thick branches in confined spaces, because there’s not always enough room to open the handles wide enough.

The handles are made from fibreglass-reinforced plastic which is both strong and light, and the precision-steel blades have a non-stick coating which should reduce the number of times you have to stop working to clean the blade.

Unlike some other models featured on this list, this Fiskars lopper isn’t telescopic, so it has a set length of 69.2 cm. The general consensus is that this offers a good length-to-weight ratio, and the lopper is useful for both closer jobs as well as those that require reaching a little further. Of course, it is worth bearing in mind, particularly if you have tall hedges and trees, that this lopper won’t have quite the same range as telescopic loppers.

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Spear & Jackson have a good reputation amongst gardeners for creating quality equipment, and their Razorsharp 8090RS Telescopic Ratchet Bypass Lopper is a good all-round tool for the garden.

It works with a bypass cutting action meaning this tree lopper is best suited to creating clean cuts on smaller, green branches. It isn’t as heavy as Spear & Jackson’s 8290RS anvil lopper, but still weighs 1.62 kg. This makes it a more manageable choice if you can get away without needing the anvil cutting action, although breaks will likely still be needed. It has an un-extended length of 45 cm and an extended length of 76 cm.

When it comes to cutting, this tree lopper uses a ratchet mechanism and can get through branches of up to 4 cm in diameter. It is fitted with carbon-steel blades that have been coated to protect them from rust. They seem to maintain their sharpness well even with regular use.

Considering Spear & Jackson’s reputation, this is also one of the best tree loppers in terms of value for money – it’s relatively inexpensive, yet brings a lot to the table in terms of quality and design. The main thing to bear in mind is that this tree lopper’s maximum cutting diameter is a little lower than some and they’re best suited to soft, green growth.

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This GARDENA Combisystem Bypass Lopper is a little different to your standard two-handle garden lopper. It’s the best tree lopper if you are more comfortable using a pulley system, capable of cutting through branches up to 3.5 cm in diameter. One benefit of a pulley system is that it can be easier on the wrists and useful for those who lack grip strength.

The handle is not included, so needs to be bought separately. This means you can choose which length pole will be most appropriate for the job – or even purchase more than one pole for different tasks. The pole needs to be oval to be compatible.

In terms of the lopper itself, the bypass cutting mechanism works well and it has a long pull rope length of 4.7 m – perfect for use with telescopic poles. Consisting of hardened blades, this lopper slices through branches cleanly and smoothly without damaging the tree. This makes it ideal for pruning live branches. The blades have a hooked design that helps keep the branch in place while you slice, meaning the cut is clean even when cutting branches high up. The non-stick coating also helps create a clean cut.

The lopper is comfortable to use thanks to the D-grip handle part way up the pole. This helps provide stability. The pulley rope can be secured around the D-grip so that it can’t become knotted or tangled during use or storage.

There aren’t many downsides to this tree lopper, although the pulley cord can be fiddly as it’s fairly long which may take a bit of getting used to. However, its length is also an advantage as it gives a long reach. It also runs down the outside of the lopper, whereas some pulley loppers encase the cord, so you do need to manage it properly to avoid tangles.

Perfect for standard domestic pruning, this is the best tree lopper if you want to use a pulley system and a telescopic pole. Although not designed for the thickest of branches, the ease of use and pulley system means this lopper excels during medium duty pruning tasks.

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An excellent budget-friendly option, the GRÜNTEK Anvil Pruning Lopper is a good all-rounder that can be used on both green and dry wood. Thanks to its reasonable price, it’s the best anvil tree lopper to buy on a budget.

The tree lopper employs a gear drive system which helps concentrate the force of the carbon-steel blade. The anvil section of the blade is also adjustable, so you can make the cutting gap smaller or wider as required.

It is capable of tackling green branches up to 3.2 cm in diameter, and dry wood up to 2.8 cm in diameter. The overall length of this tree lopper is approximately 47 cm, so it is a good choice for standard pruning, but has no telescopic extending capacity.

The handles are round and lightweight, made from aluminium with non-slip handles. Another benefit to this tree lopper is that it is very lightweight, weighing just 687 g. It is well balanced and easy to control. Also, because of the design, this tree lopper is suitable for both left- and right-handed users.

Overall, this is the best tree lopper to buy on a budget, particularly if you want an anvil cutting option. It also has sufficient quality not to feel like a budget option. Despite coming from a lesser known brand, this tree lopper is sturdy and cuts well.

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Due to its small size, the AIRAJ Bypass Lopper is a great choice if you are pruning in tight areas. It’s lightweight, easy to manoeuvre and capable of cutting through branches of around 2.5 cm in diameter.

This compact tree lopper is exceptionally lightweight weighing just 600 g. It has an overall length of 38.5 cm, making it one of the smallest tree loppers featured here – something which will make it easier to work in dense areas of the garden. This tree lopper will be suitable for pruning low level shrubs, trees and bushes.

The blades are made from high carbon steel, complete with a non-stick coating that helps create a smooth and clean cut. This coating also helps to prevent rust. The curved counter blade offers stable positioning on the branch to help achieve a clean cut.

The handles are ergonomic, with textured non-slip grips that allow you to work comfortably for an extended period of time. As an added bonus, this tree lopper is suitable for both left and right handed users.

Of course, due to the handle length, this tree lopper does have its limitations. While the shorter length helps keep the weight down and allows you to work in tight areas, it does mean that you sacrifice some of your leverage, or cutting power. For this reason, this tree lopper isn’t quite as powerful as others on the market, and you may struggle to get through thicker branches. The maximum branch size that it can easily cut through seems to be around 2.5 cm.

Overall, this is the best tree lopper for anyone who’s after a smaller, lightweight tool. This might be due to working in tight areas, or not feeling confident with handling larger garden equipment. Either way, it’s exceptionally lightweight and manageable. The only thing to bear in mind is that it is limited to branches of around 2.5 cm in diameter.