Secateurs, also known as pruners or scissors, are essential tools for one-handed plant cutting. But did you know there are two distinct types -anvil and bypass? Understanding the difference between them is crucial for getting the best results.
The names ‘anvil' and 'bypass' refer to the unique cutting methods of these secateurs. Anvil secateurs, with a single blade, sharpened on two sides, work like a knife on a chopping board, slicing through stems and branches before stopping at a metal block. Bypass secateurs, on the other hand, have a single blade that moves past a counter blade, shearing through plant material.
So, what’s the difference, and is one cutting method better than the other?
Before I get started, put aside any preconceptions. We’re all influenced by past experiences, our peers, marketing and fashion - yes, fashion influences the tools we choose and the clothes we wear! The answer to whether anvil or bypass secateurs are best depends on what you want to cut and how much effort you can put into it. Chances are, if you’ve been using one or the other for every cutting task in your garden, you’ve been using the wrong tool at some point. I believe that most keen gardeners would benefit from having at least one pair of each type of secateur in their armoury.
I’ve not come across anvil secateurs - why is that?
Over the last thirty years, bypass secateurs have become the norm as brands like Fiskars, Felco, and Niwaki have become increasingly popular in the UK. These brands specialise in bypass secateurs; consequently, that cutting method now dominates the market. However, there was a time when anvil secateurs were the norm and considered the best thing since sliced bread. My first pair of pruners were anvil secateurs, and my grandpa, a head gardener on a country estate, used them, too. They are durable, versatile, inexpensive, and were made in England for a long time. Anvil secateurs are arguably the only major innovation in pruning tools since the invention of secateurs two hundred years ago.
Today, many gardeners use bypass secateurs for everything, including jobs they’re not best suited for. Misuse may damage or dull their blades prematurely. At the same time, anvil secateurs are dismissed or overlooked by some writers and expert gardeners because they’re thought to damage plants, and this can be true if you are cutting soft, ‘green’ wood. However, the dominance of bypass secateurs is not, in my opinion, justified by changes in how we garden.
The truth is that both anvil and bypass secateurs have their uses and are brilliantly effective when used correctly. Here’s a summary explaining where each cutting method excels.
Reasons to use anvil secateurs
- To cut old, dead, dry or tough wood.
- To cut branches over 1.5cm in diameter up to a maximum of 3cm.
- In situations where bypass secateurs might slip, strain or twist, for example, on hard, shiny or slippery surfaces such as bamboo or hose pipe.
- For clearing scrub and brambles
- For pollarding and coppicing trees and shrubs such as willow or dogwood
- For pruning rambling and climbing roses and restorative pruning of fruit trees
- If you have a weak grip or tire quickly but still need maximum cutting power
- If you have a lot of pruning to do - they require less effort than bypass secateurs
- If you’re lazy with the tool maintenance - they remain effective, even when slightly blunt.
Anvil secateurs aren’t the best tool for cutting flowers or delicate pruning work, and they may crush soft tissue if they’re not immaculately sharpened.
If you are left-handed, it’s worth noting that either left-handed or right-handed gardeners can use anvil secateurs. Bypass secateurs come in separate right and left-handed models.
Reasons to use bypass secateurs
- To cut green, young or sensitive plant material
- To cut branches up to 1.5cm in diameter, but no bigger.
- In situations where a sharp, precise cut is more important than a powerful cut
- For deadheading and cutting flowers
- For taking soft and semi-hardwood cuttings
- For the annual pruning of roses and climbers, such as wisteria and clematis
- If you have a firm grip and don’t need the extra power.
Bypass secateurs will be a better option if your regular gardening routine doesn’t involve pruning woody plants, shrubs, and trees.
Bypass secateurs shouldn’t be used for ‘hacking back’, tackling overhanging branches, trimming canes or for long periods - the blades might get damaged, and your wrists will ache by the end of the day. If misused, the sharp yet brittle cutting blade can chip or break.
In practice, most keen gardeners will use secateurs for various tasks and should have both types of pruners in their back pockets. As a rule of thumb, if it’s green, go for bypass; if it’s brown, engage the anvils. Using the right secateurs for the job will prolong their life, keep you safe, and make the task quicker, easier, and more enjoyable.
SHOP PRUNING TOOLS
More about anvil secateurs
Anvil secateurs were invented in 1923 by a German gentleman named Walter Schröeder, roughly a century after the first secateurs were invented in France. In Europe, Schröeder’s secateurs were sold under the brand ‘Original LÖWE’ from 1925. Colonel B. J. Walker brought them to England in 1928, creating the Rolcut brand, a name you may recognise if you’ve been gardening for as long as I have. From 1945, they were also manufactured in England and exhibited at the Chelsea Flower Show.
Rolcut was bought by another tool company in the 1990s, and the much-loved anvil secateurs they were known for disappeared—if you look hard enough, you will find vintage Rolcut secateurs in online marketplaces. Dan Cooper Garden reintroduced them to the UK in 2024 with the ‘Original LÖWE’ branding, a year after the first model, Original LÖWE 1.100, celebrated its centenary.
Anvil pruners have only one blade, which closes onto a flat surface - the anvil. The blade is sharp on both sides and remains effective even when slightly blunt or misaligned - the same is not true of bypass secateurs. Much is made of the potential crushing caused by anvil secateurs, but if a top chef can successfully prepare food using a knife on a chopping block, there’s no reason why an amateur gardener can’t successfully prune a plant using anvil secateurs! With proper technique and care, anvil secateurs are safe to use and can provide excellent results in your garden.
Original LÖWE secateurs operate uniquely, combining a drawing cut with a pushing cut. The blade is longer than the anvil when the secateurs are open, thanks to an eccentric bearing. When the pruners close, the blade draws back slightly (the drawing cut) whilst pushing through the stem or branch you are cutting. Again, this is similar to chopping a cucumber on a chopping board, where you might push the knife forward and away from you while pushing down. This double action reduces the force needed to cut. The anvil is made of a softer metal than the blade, so the blade is not blunted when it meets the anvil. The blade also has a thinner profile, which reduces the chance of splitting thicker branches when they are cut.
More about bypass secateurs
The word secateur is derived from French and, in turn, from Latin secare, meaning to cut, so it will be no surprise to learn that they are a wholly French invention. Until the early 19th Century, the only tool gardeners and farmers had for pruning and cutting was a billhook. Using a knife made for slow, laborious and somewhat dangerous work in the fields and vineyards. In a quest to speed things up, Marquis Bertrand de Molleville, a French aristocrat, took inspiration from the guillotine's angled blade and is credited with introducing the first pair of secateurs in 1814. His invention went down like a lead balloon, at least with the vineyard workers, who could see that secateurs would lead to the demise of hundreds of jobs. By 1840, they had taken to the streets in protest against this monstrous invention. Resistance was futile, and by 1860 there were tens, if not hundreds of variations available to French gardeners, most resembling the bypass secateurs we are familiar with today. By 1827 secateurs had arrived in England, initially to a frosty reception, but British gardeners soon started to catch on. They finally entered the mainstream when William Robinson claimed to be converted in 1867. Although several British manufacturers began to make secateurs, the horticultural elite considered French-made models superior well into the 20th Century. Today we buy bypass secateurs made as far away as Japan and China and also from Europe, but there is no longer any major production in the UK.
Bypass secateurs use a scissor-like motion to cut plant material. A single blade sharpened on one side - like Bertrand de Molleville’s guillotine - bypasses a counter blade to shear through plant material. The precise cutting action puts very little pressure on the plant, leaving a clean cut which should heal quickly. However, the two blades can strain and twist when used to cut branches that are too thick or hard. Like paper scissors or tailoring shears, restoring a keen edge or resetting the blades can be tricky once they’ve become misaligned.
