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Choosing ratchet/geared extendable loppers help please?

CopperdogCopperdog Posts: 617
in Tools and techniques
Hello there I want to purchase a decent lopper for cutting back a large magnolia amongst other things.  Some say up to 45mm which is fine.  Some say ratchet and some say geared.  I def want this type of action as I used that sort before and makes light work of cuts.  Is ratchet and geared the same thing?  also should I go for anvil or bypass...I know they each make a different cut but which is most versatile please?  happy to hear your suggestions of which ones you have please.  Oh and I do need to get extendable ones please.  sorry for all the questions!

Posts

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    edited May 2023
    I’ve got a ratchet one,  so heavy I can hardly lift it off the ground let alone above my head.
    Maybe there are smaller ones.  I can use the extending handle ones,  heavy duty but
    not as heavy as the ratchets. 
    Maybe go to a shop and get the feel of them.
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • CopperdogCopperdog Posts: 617
    Thank you for your reply @Lyn my husband will use them but that is a good point.  lighter weight would be preferable.  What do most people think about whether I should choose anvil or bypass too.  Is ratchet the same as geared?  Many thanks
  • Winston_The_Gravity_ManWinston_The_Gravity_Man Posts: 263
    Just a word of advice, from a body mechanics standpoint it’s not a good idea to try to operate loppers anywhere above shoulder height.  I know people do, and I’ve done it myself, but it’s leaving us open to all sorts of sprains and strains.  

    Did you know that by rights you shouldn’t lift anything heavy (how heavy is heavy I wonder!) above shoulder height to put on a shelf or whatever ?  It’s because you can’t keep the load close enough to your body so it becomes unstable and you can get injured that way.
    When there's always biscuits in the tin, where's the fun in biscuits ?
  • DaveGreigDaveGreig Posts: 189
    I’ve got a large pair of anvil loppers I’ve had for many years and a small pair of ratchet anvil loppers. Anvil I thinks better for the bigger stuff although it doesn’t give as clean a cut as bypass. I tend these days to use my pruning saw more than anything because I find it easier physically. As for the ratchet, I just don’t like it and it sits there not being used much and I’ll use the saw over it any day of the week.

    If I was buying the tools over, I would buy bypass loppers for the stuff that’s too big for secateurs and a decent pruning saw with a blade no less than 200mm long for the bigger stuff.

    That’s only my preference of course, but I hope it helps.
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    We (both of us in our 70s) have no difficulty using a ratchet type, bought from Aldi but, as always, you have to wait for that sort of thing until they appear on the 'Offers' list.
  • CopperdogCopperdog Posts: 617
    Thank you everyone for your help with this query, much appreciated x
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