Choosing the Right Cutting Tools for the Job
Pruning in your garden includes a wide range of plants and involves soft, sappy growth as well as more mature woody stems and branches. Many different kinds of cutting tools are available for garden jobs. Quality pairs of secateurs and loppers form an essential gardening kit, but choosing the right style for the job at hand is imperative. To perform at their best, cutting tools should have good quality blades that keep a sharp edge. They should also feel comfortable in your hand for long bouts of pruning. Kent & Stowe’s cutting range not only provides all these features but offers many extra benefits.
Knowing the Difference Between Anvil and Bypass Cutting
A fundamental concept to understand when choosing pruning tools is the difference between the two different cutting mechanisms they employ – anvil and bypass.
Anvil cutting tools have one blade that closes onto a cutting block. They are ideal for thicker stems and woody pruning. An anvil cut is more powerful than a bypass cut with minimal effort required. These tools are ideal for the powerful pruning of dead wood.
Bypass cutting tools have two sharpened blades that pass over each other to make a clean and precise healthy cut in a scissor action. These tools are ideal for cutting more delicate stems because the bypass action is less likely to cause bruising and damage to growth.
The design of the blades on secateurs should make it easy to use them in small gaps and to prune side branches flush with main stems. Never use your bypass secateurs to cut through stems thicker than the recommended cutting diameter; we always recommend you keep your packaging to refer to, to prevent damage to tools, and plants!
If you have thicker branches to chop through, loppers or a pruning saw are better alternatives, because choosing the right tools will make the job easier and achieve a professional finish.
Kent & Stowe Cutting Tools
Our Eversharp Secateurs offer the sharpest, hardest, anti-rust blades on the market. These secateurs will stand the test of time and come with a 10 year guarantee for confidence. They include an array of features such as an adjustable hand sizer and integrated cutting wire and string notches. Additionally, these secateurs can be used by both left and right-handed users.
Eversharp secateurs are available in both bypass style for deadheading flowers and cutting live wood, as well as anvil for pruning hard, dead wood.
Our SureCut range of secateurs includes features such as sap grooves on the bypass versions to direct sticky sap away from the blade. Both our bypass and anvil secateurs are made with high quality SK5 carbon steel heat-treated blades, with a dual position catch allowing you to adjust the span of the handles. These secateurs feature rubber-cushioned shock absorbers, providing a smooth working and soft closing action.
We have a wide range of loppers which are ideal for larger, more difficult-to-reach branches. These tools include premium ground carbon steel blades with non-stick PTFE coating for rust resistance and a smoother cut. They also feature rubber bumpers which absorb impact whilst cutting for a more gentle rebound, with minimum effort.
