Hedge shears buying guide

An efficient cutting tool

To maintain and trim your hedges, trees or lawn, there is an alternative to using power tools: hedge shears.

Operated with two hands and able to cut branches under 1.5 cm in diameter, hedge shears look like a giant pair of scissors! They have two long blades (generally 20 to 35 cm), and long handles (fixed or telescopic).

Uses for hedge shears

Hedge shears are the perfect tool for shaping your shrubs, pruning your hedges or for regularly tidying up.

There are several types of shears. Some are telescopic, others have angled blades, some have telescopic handles and others are adjustable! Let's focus on the two different types of blades, as their functional design is an important factor!

Straight blade shears

Straight blade shears are designed for cutting grass (at the base of trees and shrubs for example) and all types of hedge or softwood shrubs. Composed of two straight, cutting blades, this tool produces sharp, clean cuts. The blades can be either in line with the handles or offset for cutting grass that is hard to reach with a lawnmower.

Serrated blade shears

Specially designed to cut hardwood and irregular-shaped hedges, they have the same characteristics as straight blade shears but with wider and serrated blades. Also, the blades can be either in line with the handles or offset like straight edge blades.

1. When choosing your shears, go for a model with ergonomic handles for good grip, especially if you are planning on using them frequently.

2. To avoid having to force when trimming large hedges, select a tool with a lever system.

3. Choose a product with shock absorbers to reduce vibrations .

4. To prevent bending down, opt for angled edging shears with 90° blades at the end of the handle.

5. Choose a model with good quality blades (tempered steel), and if possible with a non-stick coating applied - especially if you have a lot of softwood to cut.

To complete your set of cutting tools, equip yourself with a telescopic tree pruner to reach high branches, a tree lopper and a garden shredder to reduce the volume of your waste.