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IMAGE Left to right kirisa99/Getty Imags, José Antonio Luque Olmedo/Getty Images Opposite left to right hiphoto40/Getty Images, cjp/Getty Images<br />
left to right Make sure your chosen pair<br />
of secateurs fits with the size of your<br />
hand; The weight of your lopper will<br />
affect how long you can use it.<br />
Tools that make the cut<br />
Secateurs<br />
There is probably no other tool that gets me<br />
climbing on to my soapbox quicker than the<br />
secateur. As it is the tool we use most often, it<br />
needs to be fit for purpose and robust, not cheap<br />
and shoddy. Price will usually be an indicator of<br />
quality, as will German and Japanese brands,<br />
which are well-designed with good quality steel.<br />
Buy a pair that fits your hand – I have a small<br />
hand and would find a large pair difficult to use.<br />
You want to be able to use your secateurs without<br />
having to constantly be adjusting your hand<br />
when using them. I mostly use my Felco and ARS<br />
secateurs.<br />
Hedge clippers<br />
Get yourself a decent pair of hedge clippers – I<br />
have had my pair of clippers for years and years,<br />
and they still sharpen up well with that shick-shick<br />
sound, which means they are going to cut cleanly.<br />
Buying quality should ensure the blades hold<br />
true and don’t bend. I also like a bit of heft with<br />
my hedge clippers. If they are too light, the job is<br />
made more strenuous. My Freund hedge shears<br />
have performed well for years.<br />
Reciprocating saw<br />
One of my favourite tools is the reciprocating<br />
saw (aka cordless sabre). I love the freedom that<br />
this tool has given me – the freedom to do the<br />
job myself without having to call in extra help. It<br />
bridges that gap between loppers or handsaw and<br />
chainsaw. It deals to branches quickly, and, being<br />
battery powered, it is easy to use. In addition,<br />
when needing to reach out to cut a branch when<br />
up a ladder, it can even be used one-handed. I<br />
use a Toolshed reciprocating saw, which I find is<br />
perfectly fine. If better quality was wanted, then I<br />
would buy Makita or Hikoki (formerly Hitachi).<br />
Loppers<br />
Another necessity. As with secateurs, the loppers<br />
you choose must be of sufficient quality to not<br />
only cut through branches with relative ease, but<br />
not twist in the process, and ideally last longer<br />
than you do. Choose a metal or fibreglass handle<br />
over a wooden one for strength. Don’t necessarily<br />
get the biggest cutting mouth as bigger means<br />
heavier, and weight becomes a consideration if<br />
you are doing either prolonged work, or work<br />
above your head. Also think about whether you<br />
really need those telescopic handles – again for<br />
the weight aspect, and also because the handles<br />
will open really wide and may be cumbersome to<br />
use. If you have strong, burly arms that may not be<br />
an issue for you. For cleaner cuts, choose bypass<br />
or parrot beak-shaped blades, not the anvil type.<br />
My Bahco loppers have been with me for years.<br />
I also have a pair of ARS in reserve, but haven’t<br />
needed to use them yet.<br />
Pruning saw<br />
Carry a pruning saw around with you, ready for<br />
pruning those unruly rogue branches. These saws<br />
come in a rigid blade option and a foldable option.<br />
I prefer to be able to fold up my saw so it will fit<br />
into my work bucket, but either option is fine.<br />
Just make sure the blade is clean and dry when<br />
you fold away the blade. Good for the odd branch<br />
here and there, but for more concerted work, use<br />
a reciprocating saw. Once again I rate Bahco, also<br />
the Silky brand.<br />
24 kiwigardener gardener.kiwi
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