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Don’t give hand pruners as a gift. Here’s why.

November 23, 2022

I have a long list of gifts that make excellent gifts for gardeners, but I have a short list of things that are poor gifts for gardeners. At the top of that list are hand pruners.

My rule for hand pruner gifting: If you don’t know the recipient well enough that you’d be comfortable buying them underwear as a gift, don’t buy them hand pruners.

tree pruning

Every gardener needs a quality hand pruner, but every gardener doesn’t need the same pruner.

What do underwear and hand pruners have in common? They are both incredibly personal bits of gear. Assuming you’ve addressed the quality issue, the most important factor that makes both underwear or hand pruners work for a person is feel. Gardeners who love their hand pruners sometimes say they feel like an extension of their arm. That’s not something you can choose for someone else.

But before we get to feel, quality should be taken into account. For any gardener who considers them something more than just a casual gardener, I think investing in quality hand pruners is worthwhile. The longer you garden, the more you will wish you’d taken better care of your hands sooner, and poor quality hand pruners that don’t cut well are a ticket to hand problems.

Quality hand pruners will be made of high-quality steel, have replaceable parts and have a good grip. If you check off those boxes (and don’t lose them), hand pruners can and should last for decade or maybe more. 

There are a lot of hand pruners that meet the quality criteria and after that it’s all about the feel. You have to put them in your hand and feel the weight of them. Open and close them and feel if they stretch your hand too far (this is a problem for many that I’ve tried). Flip the latch and get a feel for the motion. I find most to be fine and others to be annoyingly uncomfortable. If you’re able to actually prune something with them, you want them to almost feel like you have a mechanical advantage, like you’re cutting more and cleaner than the amount of effort you feel you’re putting into it. 

Find the right mix of all those qualities and you have probably found your pruners. 

The right pruners for you, however, will probably be different from the right pruners for your gardening pal. You, like many, many gardeners, particularly in the U.S., might swear by your Swiss-made Felco 2s. Given the fervor that Felco users have for the iconic red-handled brand, I imagine a scenario in which a mugger demanded a Felco gardener to hand over everything they’d start throwing cash and jewelry before they’d part with their Felcos. 

felco 2 pruners

The Felco 2 pruners, by the way, may be too big for smallish hands. Give the Felco 6 model a feel before you commit to the large Felco 2.

Niwaki, a Japanese brand that comes via England, makes excellent pruners—check out the GR Pro—from Japanese steel. Their yellow handle is becoming almost as recognizable as Felco’s red.

Niwaki GR Pro

ARS is another good Japanese brand. They size pruners in a very sensible manner—the size number refers to the length of the pruners.

ARS pruner

I’m certain there are other high-quality hand pruner brands out there, and I’m certain that they have models that are perfect for someone. But until you feel them, you just won’t know.

So unless your gardening gift recipient has given you a hint that includes a brand and model, skip the hand pruners (and the underwear).

A better option for gift giving: Consider a pair of snips. These lightweight pruners are good for deadheading, cutting stems for bouquets and just about any other cutting job that doesn’t include cutting into hard wood. Look for models that have a pointy, needle nose tip that makes getting into small spots much easier. I like the Niwaki Garden Snips ($15) and the Felco 322 snips ($19). 

  • Buying from Felco? Use the code IMPATIENT10 for 10% off. (Not an affiliate link, just discount because you deserve it.)
  • Ordering from Niwaki? Use code FREESHIPPING22 through November for, you guessed it, free shipping.

If you need more gift ideas for gardeners, check out my instagram account, where I’ve been featuring some of my favorite tools that make great gifts in a series of short videos.

ars felco hand pruners niwaki pruners
by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
7 Comments

About Erin @ The Impatient Gardener

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Comments

  1. Erin says: November 23, 2022 at 2:27 pm

    100% spot on Erin!

    Reply
  2. John Miller says: November 23, 2022 at 6:16 pm

    I’m still using my Felco #2 pruners after about 40 yrs or so.

    Reply
  3. Beth Howman-Combs says: November 23, 2022 at 11:00 pm

    Agree! I have a Lowe 8.107 (German brand) ordered it through Lee Valley Tools.
    It fits my small hands perfectly. I didn’t think I could love a hand clipper, but
    I love this tool!

    Reply
  4. Sandra S. Elam says: November 23, 2022 at 11:06 pm

    I used Corona pruners for years but decided to upgrade to Felco # 2 hand pruners. While they are high quality, I agree they’re a little large for my small hands. I knew this before buying because of the clear guidance on the Felco website. I decided to buy them anyway because none of the other models seemed the right style.

    Reply
  5. kate swift says: November 24, 2022 at 6:41 am

    Felco also makes a left-handed pruner; number 9, I believe. A godsend if you’re left-handed as most pruners, like scissors, don’t work so well for us lefty’s.

    Reply
  6. Cheryl A. says: November 25, 2022 at 9:31 pm

    Absolutely spot on, Erin! Hand pruners are something that you’ve really got to try on for size. I have small hands and had never quite found the perfect fit in a hand pruner. Many years ago, while working along side my gardening pal Rich one day (and cursing the pruners I was using), he insisted that I give his Felco #6 a try. It was like heaven. Later that year, he gifted me a pair for my birthday. They are one of my most treasured tools, in my hip pocket every single day. With a regular cleanup and replacement blades, they are still going strong 13 years later.

    Reply
  7. Soni says: November 26, 2022 at 2:19 am

    I love my Felcos! I have small hands but I enjoy Felco 2 more than my Felco 6. Which Niwaki pruner with Yellow handle is closest to Felco 2?
    Thank you 😊

    Reply

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The Impatient Gardener

Do you love gardening? Me too! I'm Erin and I garden in Southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5. The Impatient Gardener is all about real-life gardening: the good parts, the bad bits and even the funny stuff. It's part information, part inspiration and a little bit commiseration. Thanks for visiting.

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I had a rather unpleasant realization last night w I had a rather unpleasant realization last night when I remembered that I’d not yet ordered tomato seeds. And I’m not going to rectify that until I dig into my seed stash, because I don’t go through tomato seeds quickly so there are definitely some lurking down there. 

I never used to grow tomatoes from seed because there are great varieties to be had in garden centers (including many heirloom varieties). But it’s almost non-negotiable for me now that I’m a convert to dwarf tomatoes. If you’re not familiar with the #dwarftomatoproject championed by @nctomatoman and others, these are heirloom varieties that are crossed with dwarf varieties to create plant that produces all the flavor and interest of an heirloom in a short (usually less than 4 feet) plant. 

They are particularly great in my tall raised beds. Of course I leave room to try new non-dwarf varieties every year (I loved Sun Dipper from @panamseed last year and I’ll grow it again).

Last year was a good tomato year and the photo shows some of the varieties I harvested in one day. I hope this summer will be equally good for the tomato harvest. 

One of my favorite questions to ask gardeners is: What is your favorite tomato variety to grow? So have at it in the comments because inquiring minds want to know!
And this is why I leave my winter containers assem And this is why I leave my winter containers assembled until at least March. A dusting of snow gives them a whole new look (even if it’s shades of gray). Also, I think I love my Limelight hydrangea even more in winter. Fabulous winter interest!
I’m going to look for opportunities to add more I’m going to look for opportunities to add more ferns to my garden this year. They are such interesting plants and often real problem solvers, bringing texture and color to places that many plants aren’t interested in. Athyrium niponicum (Japanese painted fern) ‘Crested Surf’ grows well for me in part shade (even pushing a bit into part sun) and looks great next to Persicaria ‘Golden Arrow’.
Birds chirping, glorious fresh (i.e. not nibbled o Birds chirping, glorious fresh (i.e. not nibbled on) foliage, and texture galore. I can’t wait to have moments like this again. The star, by the way is Hakonechloa ‘All Gold’ which looks so good with the bold foliage of Ligularia dentata ‘Desdemona’ next to it. 

With the new path, this area will be getting a small revamp. It’s the next spot I’ll be focusing my planning on.
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