Spear & Jackson 8120RS/09 Razorsharp Telescopic Hedge Shears

Product Information

Alternately use garden hand shears or petrol / electric shears. The key to a lovely looking Laurel boundary using shears is timing. Best to trim in late Spring as new growth will cover any tatty, half cut leaves.

The presence of a motor increases its weight, so it’s not the lightest pruner at 3.8 kg, but there is a shoulder included to help make it more manageable. Whilst the strap does help to some extent, using the RPP750S still requires a fair amount of upper body strength. They come with a 330 mm saw which gives the user extra cutting power on larger branches, although it’s worth noting that this saw is a little weak and not particularly effective. The saw also occasionally gets caught on branches and needs to be removed.Remember that the further the pruner is extended, the harder it’ll be to control and use safely. Therefore, it’s best to only extend the pruner as far as necessary, depending on the job. If you also want to use the pruner for some close-range jobs, make sure that its non-extended length is manageable. Extendable pruners tend to be over 1 m long even on their shortest setting, so there may still be jobs that will still require a pair of smaller hand pruners.

I imagine many of us will have experienced the difficulty of trying to trim a hedge that has some branches lying frustratingly just out of reach. If this happens a lot in your garden, these Wilkinson Sword Telescopic Garden Shears will certainly come in handy. Thanks to their telescopic handle, these hedge shears offer a lot of flexibility in their length, making it easier to reach awkward spots when hedge trimming. These shears can cut up to a diameter of 10 mm with their 18 cm blades, meaning that the majority of hedges, be they horn beam, laurel or conifer, can be approached without needing any other tools. Of course, the job that will take a little while longer than if you were using a power hedge trimmer, but seeing as you’ll have to take less breaks, it’s likely the timing will even out. They’re a good all-round tool, efficiently cutting bigger hedges as mentioned, whilst being sharp and precise enough to be used for some types of topiary as well. The long 47.3 cm handles make it possible to access different angles, whilst being comfortable to hold in different cutting positions.

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Whether you need to prune roses, or cut high-reaching bamboo canes, the Garten Primus Rose Cavalier Pruner makes it easy to do all the jobs around the garden without requiring multiple tools. Evergreen Yew hedges make one of the most forgiving when it comes to maintenance. When pruned correctly yew creates one of the best barriers and evergreen screens.

Firstly, if I may be so bold, I’m going to mention the Multi-Sharp 1401 Shear & Scissor Sharpenerwhich I have found to be one of the easiest ways to sharpen manual hedge shears (plus, extra tip: you can also use it to sharpen household scissors!). Always make sure to leave time for the blades to dry (in a wide-open position). Lightly oiling them periodically will help prevent rust from building up. Many styles of hedge shears have lacquered or coated blades, but this coating can wear off through use so it’s good to keep protecting them. With an adjustable handle that can extend from 2.4 – 4 m, this pruner is the longest model featured on this list, and one of the best telescopic tree pruners for reaching higher branches in treetops. Combined with arms-reach, it will be able to access branches approximately 5 – 6 m high. Caring for and maintaining your garden shears is important. That includes everything from knowing how to sharpen your garden shears to ensuring that you remove plant matter and dirt before storing them away.

The verdict: Garden shears and secateurs

One other issue is that the cord isn’t quite long enough when the handle is at full extension, so you may need to lengthen it if you’re regularly pruning at full extension. Their overall weight is 1.5 kg which might also need to be a consideration for some people – whilst they work well thanks to being incredibly sharp, the downside of their design is that you have to hold them elevated the whole time you’re cutting.

Most telescopic tree pruners for residential use will extend up to approximately 2 m. This tends to give enough reach for the majority of small trees and bushes without needing to use a step or telescopic ladder. Of course, if you have some trees that are slightly larger, you will be able to use the pruner in conjunction with a ladder as well. However, for the most part you won’t need to. For this reason, they’re a particularly good choice for anyone that struggles to use manual shears, although there are several other ways that they can come in handy. One downside to telescopic hedge shears is they can feel a little unwieldy – you’ll generally need good upper body strength to control them properly.

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I found them to be well made and balanced on the hands. They are 1.5kg in weight owing to the extra metal to make these telescopic shears but did not find my hands, wrists or arms aching after use. As always, a decent pair of shears with super sharp blades is advisable and a good clean of your shears after trimming is advisable to keep in the best shape and prevent spread of disease. Box (Buxus) In terms of weight, at 1.11 kg, these hedge shears are neither the lightest nor the heaviest – this sort of weight is reasonable to manage for a fair amount of time, but it’s true that some gardeners might prefer something lighter.