How to choose a garden pruner?
In the modern world, a person begins to forget that nature requires a careful attitude towards itself. And you can often see unnecessary or ugly growing branches being torn off. After that, a scrap remains on the tree, from which a new branch is unlikely to grow. Therefore, in order to carefully care for the plants, people have created special professional tools, and now you can find pruners in almost every garden. In this article, you can learn about what such a tool is needed for and how to use it correctly.
Types and features
There are thousands of different pruning shears, which have their own design and usage rules. Every gardener has his own tool in stock. The types of this apparatus are divided according to the principle of performing certain tasks. For example, at present, there are several types of pruners that are most popular: loppers, pruning shears and anvil pruners. All of these tools are unique in their design and can be used for different purposes.
Lopper. As the name implies, such a tool is intended for preventive pruning of branches and twigs. It has long handles to increase the grip of the handles. This feature makes it possible to trim unnecessary vegetation even from hard-to-reach places. In addition, it is designed to level out overgrown bushes and tree crowns.
Garden shears are versatile tools. They fit easily in your hand and are easy to use. They are convenient for cutting off excess thin branches or forming a vine. Gardeners love to use them to cut flowers from flower beds. Anvil pruner has its own differences. If the previous versions had a scissor principle, then this variety has the concept of an ax. The design of this type of tool is designed in such a way that one blade remains stationary. The mechanism allows you to cut off the stem with a diameter of up to 0.3 cm without breaking and causing damage.
Herbal scissors are sometimes considered a type of pruner, but they are not. Their mechanisms are different, and it is better not to use such a tool when working with stems and branches. It is more intended for cutting thin grass. If you use it for other purposes, then either the tool itself or the branch that you try to cut will be broken.
Currently, another type of garden tool is gaining popularity - grafting. Cuts from such an aggregate are smooth and suitable to each other - this leads to the fact that the survival rate of a plant grafted with such a pruner increases. In addition, many manufacturers of grafting models include three nozzles for different branch diameters in the kit.
The electric pruner has several interesting points. For example, it is more convenient to use, since the gardener needs to apply much less effort, and the cuts are smoother. However, its essential difference from the manual version is that it can be used only near the house or indoors, since it constantly needs a charge of energy. The disadvantage of such tools is that the wires will always get tangled under the feet of the worker.
When choosing a garden pruner, the scale of the job must always be considered. If it is a small garden with roses, then garden shears are ideal.If it is necessary to trim the crown of trees, then choose a lopper with long handles. For beginner gardeners, the best option would be to purchase a pair of garden shears. They are compact, low cost and easy to use.
Rating of the best models
After the decision has been made to purchase a certain type of pruner, and the purpose of this acquisition has also become known, you can begin to review the models of this garden tool. Below is a rating of models to make it easier to navigate when choosing a pruner for the garden and vegetable garden. In this rating, models of garden shears are indicated, since they are in demand among gardeners.
German
For German manufacturers, quality is the defining criterion for creating tools, while they try not to overcharge their products. First of all, if you are interested in German pruning shears, then you should pay attention to the Raco company. Their Profi-plus is a reliable and powerful tool. In addition, it has a reinforced spring, which allows you to relieve some tension from your hands. For models of this company, the blades can be changed, and for some models they are included. The company mainly specializes in bush pruning shears. Another German pruner that made it into the ranking is the Traum ratchet pruner. This is a budget option. Due to its mechanism, it can cut branches with a diameter of 20-35 mm.
Japanese
These manufacturers have become more popular lately. Their pricing policy is suitable for every buyer, while the quality does not fall due to the low price. The leader of sales in Japan is Okatsune. Their secateurs are lightweight and practical. The company produces additional products for them, for example, covers and tubes. The pruner OKATSUNE 101 is a prime example of strength and lightness. The weight of this tool is only 180 g. To prevent a person from losing this compact garden tool in the grass, the manufacturer made the handles in red colors.
Russian
Domestic manufacturers keep up with their competitors, and the main advantage of our garden tools is their price. Garden pruners "Ermak" belong to the budget option and are ideal for cutting flowers. But with thicker stems, such a tool will definitely not cope. Zubr's sectors are made of stainless steel. Garden tools are suitable for cutting branches up to 25 mm in diameter. The special feature of these pruners is the wooden handles. They look nice, but they are not practical in action, unlike rubber options. But both "Ermak" and "Zubr" have one problem - because of the low price, the quality of garden tools suffers. Pruning shears are made from cheap materials, which greatly reduces the service life of the tools. Better to pay more, but use longer than buying a new pruner every month.
Do not forget about the American versions of the Black & Decker company, which has specialized in garden tools since the last century. It is worth paying attention to the electric pruning shears of this company. The GK-1000 uses external energy to operate, depending on the settings, it can be used as a pruner or a delimber. The metal from which the blades are made is stainless steel. But these tools are quite expensive.
Chinese manufacturers have also carved out their niche in gardening tools. The most popular model is the Palisad garden shears. They are easy to use, have comfortable handles and a tight lock. The company guarantees durability, but with intensive use, the scissors will fail early.
When a person chooses a garden tool, then he needs to pay attention to many factors. The quality of the product depends on the manufacturer. An inexpensive product should alert the buyer, because such a device will obviously not last long.When choosing an electric pruner, first of all, you need to think about how to provide it with power from the mains.
OBI is one of the leading online and offline retailers with a wide range of garden tools. There you can find current reviews and prices for the units of interest. The store also provides a guarantee for the goods sold. But even before buying in a specialized store, you need to find out what criteria to rely on when choosing a garden pruner.
How to choose the right one?
The modern selection of garden pruning shears for a summer residence is huge. The difference is not only in brands, quality and price. The best blade option is hardened steel. It is better not to choose blades made of alloys, as they quickly deteriorate. If such an option is not found, then you can take a closer look at stainless steel. This material is easy to sharpen. In the event that you have to work often and a lot with the tool, you should pay attention to the handles. It is with them that a person contacts during all work. Therefore, the productivity of the work will depend on how they are in the hand. Smooth handles often lead to blisters.
Another important detail to pay attention to is the color of the handle. Due to their small size, garden shears are often lost. For this reason, some resourceful manufacturers began to make pens out of brightly colored materials. The most popular color is red, as it is easiest to spot even in tall grass. The spring installed in the tools is of two types: tape and spiral. The pruner with the first spring will last longer. But its disadvantage is that it gets dirty faster and it is rather difficult to clean it.
You should always remember why you need a tool. The type of work also depends on what size the blades should be. A blade up to 15 cm is suitable for cutting thin branches and forming vines. Larger branches will require longer blades. Another nuance when buying a pruner: you need to ask the seller to demonstrate the tool in action. Thus, it is possible to evaluate the power and convenience before purchasing.
How to sharpen?
Any tool has a tendency to fail. A garden pruner is a thing that is used either too often or very rarely. And every use can make it unavailable for work. After a while, the pruner may stop cutting branches and start chewing or simply breaking them. If the problem is dull blades, then the first thing to do is to disassemble the tool. All secateurs have the same structure: two crossed blades and handles.
You will need an emery stone for sharpening. Each blade should be sharpened separately. The main thing is not to overdo it, otherwise there will be no sense from such sharpening, and the tool will be damaged, since each manufacturer chooses an individual angle of the blade. Sharpening should be done from the handle to the point at the same pace and direction, so as not to spoil the sharpening angle. Only the inner side of the blade requires careful handling. After the blades are sharpened, the tool should be assembled.
In addition, there are certain rules for using garden units. For example, you need to work in special clothing. It is necessary to check the tools for suitability for work. It is also worth paying attention to the sharpness of the blades, shock absorption and serviceability of the mechanisms and do not trust sharp tools to children.
In order to repair the secateurs less often, you need to remember some prevention rules.
- After work, you should always clear the soil and grass of your assistant.
- Rust should not be allowed, therefore water should be avoided on the tool.
- Sharpen the blades regularly.
By following these points, the life of the instrument will be greatly extended, which will save you money. A garden pruner is an indispensable item in the household.But regardless of whether the tool was chosen correctly, it is important to be able to use it, because a neatly cut branch can subsequently give offspring. A stem cut off with dull blades is more likely to bend and become unviable, so it's important to keep track of your gardening tools.
It is also important to remember the rules for the prevention and cleaning of secateurs - in this case, the investment will pay off faster. A person himself will enjoy working with high-quality tools, and then admire the results of his activities. A trained gardener should always have several garden pruners in stock - this will help to avoid unpleasant situations with tool breakage, as well as to provide maximum comfort when working with different types of plants.
For information on how to sharpen garden pruners, see the next video.
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