How to choose a garden shears for cutting bushes, tips and tricks

Garden shears are available in the arsenal of many gardeners.

Scissors are used for cutting bushes, grass or flowers, but not many know what they are called. In this article, you will learn about the purpose of this tool, the types of scissors and get acquainted with a brief description of possible pruners.

Garden shears: description and purpose of the tool

Garden shears or pruners are hand tools. It is used for trimming shoots and not thick branches. It is used in the care of shrubs, treetops and grape harvesting.

A standard pruner is made of several parts: a working blade, a bolt and a nut, a spring, a supporting blade, a buffer, a lock and handles.

By means of a working blade, a good cutting ability is achieved. The angles of the blade are very sharp. This is done to properly and cleanly cut plant tissue without splitting. The bolt holds the cutting edges and, when working properly, is always tight.

The spring returns the pruner to its original position after trimming.

The support blade is specially bent. This is done to reduce friction. The blade is equipped with a special groove for dripping juice. The bend serves to better capture the shoot and hold it.

The buffer restricts the stroke of the handles during trimming.

The lock secures the secateurs in the closed state, and the handles are made to eliminate the rubbing of the corns when pruning the plant.

Secateurs can be big and small. Large garden shears are used for cutting high hedges and shrubs, and small for cutting grass and shrubs.

Types of garden shears

Garden shears are of various types and purposes, and they all have different names.

Anvil shears are used for cutting dry branches. They significantly reduce the burden on the hand, therefore, it is convenient to handle a large number of trees and bushes.

Garden shears with a ratchet mechanism are used to trim any kinds of branches. They can cut thick shoots and boughs.

Scissors have two cutting blades, and are used for cutting flowers and young shoots. Bush scissors have long handles and it is convenient to cut the bushes with them. The handles reduce the force applied during operation and cope with 50 mm thick branches.

Rod garden shears are used to trim high branches.

There are also mechanical and electric garden shears. They allow you to perform large amounts of work in the shortest possible time.

Hand Scissors Selection

Hand shears with long knives are often used for cutting shrubs. For large plants, scissors with toothed or wavy sharpening are used. They hold the branch and do not let it slip out. This pruning is faster and more efficient. Many companies have in their arsenal professional models of scissors for hedges. A feature of such products is a gear or lever transmission. With this feature, the load on the hands is greatly reduced.

There are also models with telescopic handles.They are designed to work with bushes of different heights.

Hand pruning blades, most often, have a protective coating of Teflon or zinc. They prevent sticking of the leaves and corrosion.

Garden shears with short knives and straight sharpening are usually used for accurate and accurate trimming of bushes and fences. The same tool is used for trimming leaves. Special grass shears are used not only to mow the lawn, but also to form bushes. With their help, you can cut the grass and leaves along the entire length of the blades. Some models of manual scissors can be turned under any angle (from 0 to 180 °). This will allow you to reach hard-to-reach places with both hands.

Other models of grass shears have elongated handles. Thanks to them, you can cut the lawn in a vertical position or cut the top edge of the fence without a stepladder.

Grass shears vary according to the following basic criteria:

1. Edge coating type
2. Blade shape
3. Handle length, size and material

The most common blades have a straight classic shape.Garden shears of this type are suitable for cutting grass and trimming bushes and trees.

With their help, curly haircuts dense crowns of trees.

Models with jagged or wavy edges are used quite often. The advantage of such scissors is that the blades do not slide along the branches and shoots. Gardeners use them for pruning coniferous bushes rounded.

The serrated blade copes with thick branches, and their main advantage is that you can work with such scissors for a long period without sharpening.

Electric scissors

Electric garden shears are used to create landscape design. They are also convenient to care for trees, shrubs and hedges.

Such scissors differ in the following parameters:

1. Shape and type of blades
2. Engine power
3. Location of buttons and switches
4. Knife length

The working part of the scissors has a double-sided serrated blades. You can work with thick branches, but it all depends on the distance between the teeth.

When you choose your own electric garden shears, pay attention to the length of the knives.If you want to create curly hairstyles, then you will need short blades, while long ones are better to use for regular trimming. These scissors can serve as a manual grass clipper.. This is possible by adjusting the position of the knives, which allows you to set the blades at the desired angle.

All power tools are dangerous, therefore, they are equipped with a special protective system. They also have a protective screen, which is located between the knives and the handle.

How to choose a scissors for a garden with a gasoline engine

Now that we have talked about grass shears, we should pay attention to the scissors with a gasoline engine.

Gasoline shears are ideal for large areas. They do not require electrical connection, as electrical. With the help of petrol shears, you can work without any problems in any part of the site in all weather conditions.

Despite the fact that the petrol shears have high power and long knives, they have several disadvantages:

1. Big weight
2. Permanent refueling
3. Exhaust fumes during operation
4. Difficult operation

Gasoline shears are used not only for cutting bushes, but also for lawn. They are considered the most powerful tool for processing plants. Petrol scissors can cut branches 4 cm thick.

But with such a machine is difficult to work at the expense of its weight, especially if we consider the fact that the haircut will be carried out on outstretched arms. That is, such a device is more suitable for men.

In order to buy good petrol garden shears, pay attention to the following criteria:

1. Anti-vibration system (hand health will depend on it).
2. Filtration of exhaust in the engine (this is done so that a person can breathe clean air).
3. Purpose of the cutting tool. That is what petrol shears are used for: for trimming tall hedges or for shaping figures.

Despite the fact that gasoline units are used for large areas, they are quite noisy, compared with manual scissors, but they are convenient to use for cutting grass or hedges.

But noise and heavy weight are the only drawbacks. The advantage is that there is no access to the power grid, especially if cutting is done frequently.

Cordless scissors

If you want to use garden shears exclusively for cutting grass, then battery packs with handles will suit you. They combine all the advantages of gasoline and electric tools. Cordless scissors are light and with them you will not notice how to trim almost the entire garden.

Mechanical or manual garden shears are classic (the blades open and close) and swivel (the blades turn at the angle you need). Cordless garden shears are best used for cutting grass. This is explained by the fact that they work faster and faster.

Also on the battery scissors set the lock button. This helps prevent accidental pressing of the start button.

Before buying a battery lawn shears, pay attention to the following model parameters:

1. Handle scissors. The best option would be rubber-plastic inserts on the handles. They will not rub their palms, unlike wooden ones, from which hands quickly get tired;
2. Model weight and center balancing;
3. Does the tool work smoothly when opening and closing;
4. Power and number of batteries;
5. Angles of inclination of the blades. In this case, find out if you can use garden shears to mow a lawn with slopes of different heights.

Also note that the rectilinear sharpening of scissors is more suitable for curly hairstyle, and wavy - will help you to cut hard branches.

The main criteria for choosing a garden shears

When choosing garden shears for grass, shrubs and hedges, pay attention to the material and sharpness of the blades. Hardened steel is considered to be the best material, and for better friction of the blades it is better to choose models with a teflon coating. This coating prevents the resin or juice from sticking to the blades.

Spring shears are of two types: spiral and flat. We recommend that you knock out the second option, as it is more convenient and reliable. Before buying a scissors for a lawn or hedge, hold the device in your hands and make a few movements. The blades at this time should easily disperse and cling close to each other as close as possible. Also, the selected model should have an adjustable bolt.With it, you can adjust the optimal location of the blades.

The pruning shears should be made of a material that does not slip during operation. The most popular at the moment is fiberglass. It is durable, ductile and light enough.

Also a big advantage are handles with anti-slip pads. They will hold the garden shears for grass or shrubs tightly during mechanical work.

The support handle of the closed type will help you protect your hands while working in the garden. Also note the limitations of use. Typically, manufacturers indicate the thickness of the branches for each type of garden shears.

Do not pass by tools with clamps. Locks will lock the blades in one position, and you will not get hurt by the open blade at any time.

Pay attention to the removable blade. If manufacturers make it possible to change the blades, then take them. Such blades are convenient to grind.

From all of the above, you can choose for yourself garden shears of any type, whether they are with long or short blades. Pick up for yourself any option of garden shears and care for your garden.