The 8 best garden loppers for your garden in 2026 – as tested by our reviews experts

When it comes to pruning season, trimming and shaping trees and shrubs with thick, woody growth can feel like a daunting task. While your secateurs and other essential gardening tools may not be up to the task, a strong pair of garden loppers are more than capable of tackling tougher trimming jobs. Used with both hands, their long handles make them ideal for cutting branches up to 50mm thick, depending on the lopper.

If you’re pruning dense dead wood, then a pair of loppers with an anvil blade is the tool for you. Cuts are made as the top blade slices through the wood onto the flat anvil base. They can crush stems as they cut, and although bypass blades make cleaner, more precise cuts, anvil blades have greater force. They're ideal for clearing dead branches and making the first cut on thick branches before removing them cleanly with bypass loppers or a saw.

Bypass loppers carry on where your secateurs leave off, giving a lovely, clean cut on living stems that are just that bit too thick for secateurs. They have two blades, which pass over one another to give a precise cut in a scissor action and that makes them perfect for the finer pruning of shrubs and trees. Both types of loppers are available with telescopic handles that extend for greater reach, and many have an additional cutting mechanism to help you cut thicker wood with less effort, helpful for those with less strength, and for very tough wood.

Best Buy garden loppers at a glance

Bypass lopper Best Buys

• Best bypass loppers for ease of use 2024: Alpen Loppers Weisshorn 280
• Best bypass loppers for value 2025: Kent & Stowe SureCut All Purpose Extra Power Bypass Loppers
• Best bypass loppers for general use 2025: Felco 221 70cm straight head loppers

Anvil lopper Best Buys

• Best heavy-duty anvil loppers for ease of use 2025: Felco 231 Loppers
• Best telescopic anvil loppers 2025: Wolf Garten Telescopic loppers
• Best anvil loppers for general use 2025: Fiskars Power Gear X anvil loppers LX99
• Best anvil loppers for ease of use 2025: Darlac Compact Compound anvil loppers
• Best ratchet anvil loppers 2025: Spear & Jackson Razorsharp Advantage Telescopic ratchet anvil loppers

Jump to:

• Best loppers
• Best of the rest
• How to choose the best loppers
• Top tips for pruning
• How we tested loppers

In every review, we award the outstanding products our coveted Best Buy award. To see these and the others we recommend, browse our pick of the best anvil loppers below:

Best bypass loppers

Alpen Lopper Weisshorn 280

RRP: £64.99

Our rating: 4.5/5

Available from Amazon

Pros

• Lightweight aluminium handles
• Effective shock absorbers
• Cam-assisted mechanism for easier cutting
• Replaceable blade

Cons

• Long handles make these more difficult to use close to your body

These simple, unfussy loppers are light, with Japanese SK5 carbon steel blades and a cam-assisted mechanism that makes them a great choice for gardeners who lack strength. The gearing gives greater cutting power for tougher woods, and they really do make light work of even tough older wood, with shock absorbers also helping to take the strain. We awarded them a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for ease of use in 2024. A 40mm cutting width makes these perfect for pruning larger stems and branches, and the long handles are useful for reaching up into shrubs. Although they’re light and easy to manoeuvre, they do make it trickier to work in tight spaces. They’re excellent value for money, the blade is replaceable, and they come with a two-year warranty.

Buy ALPEN Wiesshorn 280 loppers from Amazon

Kent & Stowe SureCut All Purpose Extra Power bypass loppers

RRP: £39.99

Our rating: 4.5/5

Available from Crocus

Pros

• Handles are comfortable with a good grip
• Easy to adjust telescopic handles
• Excellent shock absorption
• Hanging loop
• Good value

Cons

• Colouring makes them hard to see in the undergrowth
• Design may not appeal to all

This comfortable, versatile pair of loppers cuts cleanly and smoothly, and it's ideal for cutting live, green wood. Made from high-quality carbon steel, the blades are coated for high rust resistance, and chunky rubber bumpers help ensure easy cutting with little effort and no reverberation travelling through your wrists and arms. They have a maximum cutting width of 35mm, which is adequate for most garden tasks, and the shaped handles are gripped for extra comfort. They’re also telescopic, giving you extra stretch to reach higher branches, but when reduced in length, they’re still easy to manoeuvre through dense stems. Unfortunately, no spare blades are available, but otherwise, these loppers are very competitively priced, come with a five-year warranty, and we’ve awarded them a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for value in 2025.

Buy the Kent & Stowe SureCut All Purpose Extra Power Bypass Loppers from Amazon, B&Q and Crocus

Felco 221 70cm straight head loppers

RRP: £119.99

Our rating: 4.3/5

Available from Amazon

Pros

• Simple, no fuss styling
• Comfortable and easy to use
• Effective shock absorbers
• Strong and robust
• Repair service and lifetime warranty

Cons

• Expensive

Robust, well-made and thoroughly practical, these loppers from Felco are user-friendly and simple in design. The lightweight aluminium handles are comfortable and well-balanced, with grip handles in ‘Felco red’, and the hardened steel blades have a generous 45mm cutting width. A hooked lower counter blade helps to keep a firm hold of the branch you’re cutting. The loppers are also easy to maintain and come with the same tool you get with Felco secateurs to take them apart for cleaning and sharpening. They also come with a lifetime warranty and, although they’re the most expensive loppers on test, they’re a lifetime purchase for a serious gardener. We awarded them a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for general use in 2025.

Buy the Felco 221 70cm straight head loppers from Amazon

Best anvil loppers

Felco 231 Loppers

RRP: £219.99

Our rating: 4.75/5

Available from Amazon

Pros

• Cuts up to 40mm
• High-quality steel blade
• Lightweight tubular aluminium alloy handles
• Optimised lever system for effortless cutting

Cons

• Very expensive

The straightforward but quality construction of these loppers makes them a delight to use, cutting through 40mm woody material with ease. They feel powerful and strong in the hand, while the 1.2kg weight is both comfortable and nicely balanced. The strong alloy handles feature bright red grips, which would be easy to spot in debris. The lever action looks deceptively simple but adds substantially to the cutting strength, while the curved anvil head is easy to clean, sharpen and service.

With their narrow, uncomplicated design, these loppers are easy to manoeuvre between branches, cutting cleanly and deftly, which is why we awarded this product a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy heavy-duty lopper for ease of use, 2025. With a lifetime warranty on handles, and replacement blades readily available from the manufacturer, these are a lifetime purchase for the keen or professional gardener.

Buy the Felco 231 Loppers from Amazon

Wolf Garten Telescopic Anvil Loppers

RRP: £99.99

Our rating: 4.8/5

Available from B&Q

Pros

• Comfortable, with a non-slip grip handle
• Easy telescopic handles lock securely in place
• Cut effortlessly
• Flat screws prevent damage to wood

Cons

• Expensive

The Wolf Garten loppers were our highest-scoring model overall and were awarded a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for the best telescopic loppers in 2025. They have a non-stick steel blade with a metal anvil. The extending aluminium handles have matching locking holes on each handle to keep them even and a comfortable, non-slip grip. With flat screws, there was no damage to the wood, and the cut was effortless. Replacement blades are available, and the warranty lasts for 10 years.

Buy the Wolf Garten Telescopic loppers from B&Q

Fiskars Power Gear X Anvil Loppers LX99

RRP: £79.99

Our rating: 4.5/5

Available from Amazon

Pros

• Light and comfortable
• Good reach
• Clean, powerful cutting action
• Curved anvil hooks branches into place
• Long warranty

Cons

• Expensive

A BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for general use in 2025, these garden loppers feature a coated, non-stick steel blade with a curved metal anvil that helps you catch and grip branches as you cut. There’s a geared mechanism as well as light and narrow aluminium handles with a rubber grip. The loppers cut cleanly with a wide cutting width, and there are also useful hanging holes in the handles. They come with a generous warranty of 25 years.

Buy the Fiskars Power Gear X Anvil Lopper LX99 from Amazon and ManoMano

Darlac Compact Compound Anvil Loppers

RRP: £25.99

Our rating: 4.5/5

Available from Mr Fothergill's

Pros

• Very light
• Simple design and easy to use
• Excellent cutting strength for size
• Great value

Cons

• Small cutting width
• Limited reach

Awarded a BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Best Buy for ease of use in 2025, these small, light loppers have a steel blade with a rust-resistant coating and a metal anvil. The oval handles are made from aluminium with a rubber grip for added comfort, and there’s also a compound-action cutting mechanism, which we found provided excellent strength when working. These lightweight loppers have a small cutting width; however, a lifetime warranty is included, and replacement parts are available.

Buy the Darlac Compact Compound Anvil Loppers from Mr Fothergill's

Spear & Jackson Razorsharp Advantage Telescopic Ratchet Anvil Loppers

RRP: £32

Our rating: 4.5/5

Available from Argos

Pros

• Light and comfortable
• Cuts smoothly
• Handles adjust easily with one hand

Cons

• Narrow cutting width
• Handles slide into place by eye only

Our testers were impressed with these Spear and Jackson loppers and awarded them a BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Best Buy for the best ratchet loppers in 2025. The carbon-steel blade and anvil are non-stick and rust-resistant, plus there’s a five-stage ratchet mechanism. The twist-and-slide aluminium handles have a rubber grip and extend 72-104cm. The included warranty is valid for 10 years.

Buy the Spear & Jackson Razorsharp Advantage Telescopic Ratchet Anvil Loppers from Amazon and Argos

The best of the rest

Although some models didn't quite achieve a BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Best Buy award, they still have various features that make them worth recommending. Browse our pick of the best of the rest on test.

Roughneck XT Pro Anvil Loppers

RRP: £70.91

Our rating: 3.6/5

Available from B&Q

Pros

• Drop forged for extra toughness
• High leverage compound cutting action
• 45mm cutting capacity
• Chrome vanadium steel upper blade ensures outstanding toughness and longer-lasting sharpness
• Heavy-duty steel handles
• 25-year warranty
• Bright yellow makes them easy to spot in debris

Cons

• Struggled to cut denser wood

Sturdy and robustly made with a chrome vanadium steel blade, these anvil-action loppers feel nicely weighted and strong enough to tackle any job, especially with the wide 45mm cutting capacity. The air-cushioned grips and overall weight of 1.4kg make them feel workman-like in the hand, and the narrow cutting head makes them easy to manoeuvre amongst branches. They cut most material well, although dense green holly proved something of a challenge.

The spare construction makes them easy to clean and oil, while the bright yellow handles make these loppers easy to spot in debris. With a lengthy 25-year warranty, these are a good choice for a gardener dealing with rough pruning work, such as brambles.

Buy the Roughneck XT Pro Anvil Loppers from Amazon, B&Q and Power Tools Direct

Bulldog Pro Heavy Duty Tri-Bite Loppers

RRP: £34.98

Our rating: 3.6/5

Available from Tool Station

Pros

• TRI-BITE geared system
• Carbon steel blades with non-stick coating
• 40mm cutting capacity
• Large, soft-grip handles
• Lifetime warranty

Cons

• More moving parts to clean
• Can snag on branches in tight spaces

These loppers feel strongly made and robust, and are generally heavy and substantial both in the hand and in use, weighing in at almost 1.6kg. The three-geared mechanism, combined with the non-stick coating on the steel blade, cuts through 40mm woody material easily.

The large, soft-grip handles offer excellent control, especially when using the loppers in awkward spaces. However, the chunkier head makes manoeuvring the loppers more uncomfortable, and the complex gearing makes them more prone to getting caught and more difficult to clean. With a lifetime warranty and an affordable price tag, these loppers feel like a sturdy, well-made tool that would suit many gardeners.

Buy the Bulldog Pro Heavy Duty Tri-Bite Loppers from Tool Station

Corona ComfortGEL DualLink extendable limb and branch loppers

RRP: £49.99

Our rating: 4.1/5

Available from Amazon

Pros

• Lifetime warranty
• Cuts up to 4.5cm
• Power-compounding link feature
• Bumper system for user comfort
• Two-zone blade for powerful large cuts and precision small cuts
• Non-stick blade coating for enhanced cutting performance
• Telescopic handles

Cons

• Not very manoeuvrable in a tight space
• More moving parts to clean
• Heavy

Weighing in at just over 1.8kg, these loppers feel tough, beefy and ready for anything up to their 45mm cutting capacity. They're comfortable to use with telescopic steel handles featuring ‘comfort gel’ grips and an integrated bumper system designed to reduce hand and shoulder fatigue. The power-compounding link feature, DualLINK, works to boost power with less effort, which makes light work of woody material.

The high-carbon steel blade is coated with a non-stick finish for ease of cleaning and cutting, but the gearing requires a number of moving parts to keep clean and oiled. Also, the chunky head is difficult to manoeuvre in tight spaces, although the loppers are nicely balanced both in the shorter setting and at the full 94cm reach of the extendable handles. With a lifetime warranty and an affordable price, these loppers are a great buy for the gardener with a lot of regular woody pruning to do.

Buy the Corona ComfortGEL DualLink extendable limb and branch loppers from Amazon

Darlac Heavy Duty Double Compound Action Anvil Lopper

RRP: £39.99

Our rating: 4.3/5

Available from Crocus

Pros

• Light and easy to use
• Good reach
• Spare parts available

Cons

• Long blade only cuts tough wood at the base
• Struggles with denser wood
• Strain on the wrist when cutting tough wood

A long steel blade with a rust-resistant coating and light, narrow aluminium handles with a rubber grip make these loppers light and easy to use. Guaranteed for life, the tool features a compound-action cutting mechanism and offers great reach. While spare parts are available, the loppers struggled on tougher wood, putting strain on the wrists while working.

Buy the Darlac Heavy Duty Double Compound Action Anvil Loppers from Crocus

Wilkinson Sword Ratchet Loppers

RRP: £34.99

Our rating: 4.3/5

Available from Wilkinson Sword

Pros

• Very light and easy to use
• Cuts most wood cleanly and smoothly
• Good value

Cons

• Narrow cutting width
• Ratchet catches occasionally

Good for less able gardeners, these loppers feature a long, non-stick blade made from carbon steel with a metal anvil. They have long, narrow aluminium handles with a rubber grip, plus a three-gear ratchet mechanism, although our testers found this did sometimes catch. The warranty on this model is 10 years.

Buy the Wilkinson Sword Ratchet Loppers from Charlies and Wilkinson Sword

Burgon & Ball RHS-endorsed Telescopic Ratchet Loppers

RRP: £48.99

Our rating: 4/5

Available from Turner & Sons

Pros

• Cuts tough wood well
• Handles are easily adjusted with one hand

Cons

• Handles slide into place by eye only
• Handles bow under pressure
• Narrow cutting width
• Heavy

These Burgon & Ball loppers feature a five-stage spring-ratchet mechanism and a carbon-steel, non-stick blade with a chrome-plated anvil. While heavy, the tool cuts well through tough wood, and the telescopic handles extend to 72-104cm. The loppers are guaranteed for 10 years.

Buy the Burgon & Ball RHS-endorsed Telescopic Ratchet Loppers from Dobbies and Sam Turner & Sons

If you're pruning larger branches, take a look at our review of the best mini chainsaws, the best wood-splitting axes and the best pruning saws, or for smaller cuts, our roundup of the best secateurs and electric pruners. For help clearing up, see our test of the best shredders, best splitting axes and the best wheelbarrows. We also have guides detailing how to prune fruit trees in winter and pruning mistakes to avoid, as well as information on other tools, such as the best Japanese gardening tools and how to use them.

How to choose the best garden loppers

Loppers are ideal for tougher pruning jobs later in the year, and there's a wide range of choices available. In this guide, we go through some of the different models of loppers and the various features they offer, so you can understand which type might work for you.

What are loppers used for?

Loppers are essentially a pair of large, long-handled secateurs capable of taking on stems that would be too thick for even your very best secateurs. Ideal for the autumn and winter pruning period, loppers are designed to cut branches up to around 50mm thick. The tool features long, even telescopic handles, which are operated with both hands to tackle stubborn growth.

What are bypass loppers?

Bypass loppers have two blades that operate in a scissor action to slice cleanly through stems and wood. They are best for all general pruning of green stems and thicker live branches. They often have a slightly narrower cutting width than anvil loppers, of up to 45mm.

What are anvil loppers?

Anvil loppers feature a single blade closing onto a flat base, operating in a similar way to a knife cutting on a chopping board. There may also be a mechanism in the head of the loppers. This could be a ratchet, compound-action or geared mechanism that helps them cut more powerfully and with less effort from you. A ratchet cuts in multiple steps, while geared and compound action provide more leverage to a single cut. Anvil loppers are the toughest type of garden loppers and particularly suit any jobs which involve clearing a lot of dense, dead wood. Lopper blades are usually made from steel or carbon steel and can have a protective or non-stick coating to increase durability.

What are extendable loppers used for?

There are many long-handled loppers that help you reach further or higher up branches, but some are extendable, with telescopic handles. Being able to adjust and extend loppers means you can increase your leverage and cover more areas of your garden. The adjustable nature of telescopic tree loppers means you can alter the length for your needs, rather than being left with excessively long handles while you complete jobs within easier reach. Many of these long-reach loppers with telescopic handles have an additional cutting mechanism that should help make slicing through tough wood a less strenuous job. There are often other handy features on loppers, extendable or otherwise. These include grips over the handles for added comfort or ‘bumpers’ that soften the impact of each cut by preventing the two handles from banging together.

Top tips for pruning

Once you’ve got the perfect loppers, don’t get too carried away; pruning can make or break a plant. Follow these four tips to keep your plants in top condition:

• Prune in the right spot on the stem or branch to keep your plants healthy – too high, and you could encourage disease, and too low, and you could damage the bud
• Check what time of the year to prune your plants. Most plants respond well to winter pruning, but not all, so do a bit of research before you get started
• Keep your secateurs and loppers sharp and clean to avoid disease
• Prune at a downwards angle, so rainwater runs off the wound. If you cut flat, there's a risk of fungal infections

For more pruning advice, browse our pruning guides

How we tested loppers

We tested a range of bypass and anvil loppers with different features, including telescopic handles and ratchet mechanisms. Our experts put the loppers through their paces on various woody branches and stems to test their overall performance. Each pair was assessed according to the following criteria, with equal marks attributed to each:

• Handling: Looked at comfort, weight, balance, manoeuvrability and ease of use.
• Cutting: Focussed on the blade material, strength, cutting widths and cutting efficiency.
• Maintenance: Assessed ease of cleaning and sharpening, and whether replacement blades are available.
• Value: Considered the price versus quality, design, performance and warranty.

For more information on our testing process, take a look at How we review

Meet our testing panel

Oliver Parsons, Strategic Projects Editor
Oliver is a gardener and magazine journalist of 20 years’ experience. He trained as a professional horticulturalist at RHS Garden Hyde Hall in Chelmsford and has also worked for Gardening Which?, as a freelance gardener and with the gardening team at Down House in Kent. He is now Strategic Projects Editor at BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine and GardenersWorld.com, heading up our reviews desk, Apple News output and weekly newsletter.

Kay Maguire, Magazines Editor
Kay trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and has been writing and making films about gardening ever since. She has written for websites and magazines, including The Garden and Amateur Gardening, was Horticultural Editor on BBC Gardeners' World Magazine for five years, and has also written several books on a range of gardening topics from growing house plants to making the most of a small space. After several years as Reviews Editor, building up our reviews section into a leading resource for UK gardeners, she has now become Magazines Editor for BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, responsible for all print output.

Harry Duncton, freelance powered tools tester
Harry has a wealth of experience, from being a language teacher to a tree surgeon, and has built this into a career writing about all things DIY and gardening. A passionate believer in self-reliance, his aim is to inspire others to give it a go themselves and not worry about making a few mistakes along the way. A regular contributor to popular DIY blogs and a recent addition to the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine team, he loves tracking down the best new tools and writing about them.

Sue Fisher, freelance garden writer
Sue’s extensive horticultural career spans over 40 years, starting with a decade in the garden centre and nursery industry before developing into an accomplished gardening writer, designer and speaker. Sue writes regularly for BBC Gardeners' World Magazine, GardenersWorld.com, and Garden Answers magazine. She has written 10 books on subjects including container gardening, plants for small gardens and designing with colour, and she has co-authored other books with some of the biggest names in gardening.

Emma Crawforth, Horticulture Editor
Emma holds the Kew Diploma in Horticulture and has been working in horticulture for 18 years, including roles in public gardens, a plant nursery supplying plants for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and a training college for young horticulturists. She looks after an ornamental, fruit and veg garden at home and regularly undertakes trips to see plants growing in their natural habitats. She is the author of the Kew Publications book, Things to do with Plants.

This review was last updated in January 2026. We apologise if anything has changed in price or availability