Having a good garden shear will help you conduct excellent gardening activities like pruning trees, shrubs, and woody perennials. However, if you have arthritis in your hands, which causes pain and inflammation, using loppers, shears, and pruners can be difficult.
Don’t give up if your arthritis is affecting your gardening practice. The right tools can help alleviate the weakness or pain caused by arthritis, allowing you to adapt and keep up with all of the tasks that spring tends to bring.
Buying Guide
Before you go out and make a purchase, there are a few things you should know that will help you be more equipped about what you require. There are different types of shears. It’s necessary to know them and how they work so you can use them properly.
The Types of Shears & Pruners
The Anvil Pruners
The curved blade cut down and comes to rest against a block or anvil in this type of pruner’s cutting action. They work best on deadwood or drier stems because they can easily crush through brittle wood.
Anvil pruners may be easier on arthritic hands because pushing a single blade demands less force than attempting to pull two blades together.
The Bypass Pruners
These are perhaps the most common type of pruner, and they function similarly to a pair of scissors, with two blades moving past each other.
Bypass pruners typically make cleaner cuts than anvil pruners, but they do require better grip strength, which is why we’ve made the innovative choices above.
The Ratchet Pruners
These pruners are “staged,” which means they require multiple squeezes to accomplish a cut. When you squeeze the handle of a ratchet pruner, it locks into place, allowing you to let go of the handle and grab again, moving down to the next work position. When your hands are sluggish or easily fatigued, this mechanism comes in very helpful.
The Electric Pruners
Electric pruners can be anvil or bypass, with the distinguishing feature that their cutting operation is powered by an electric motor rather than the human hand.
This makes them extremely useful for people whose hands are very weak or who are prone to pain caused by arthritic inflammation.
Some Other Features to Consider
The Ergonomic design
This is a marketing catchword, but it is also a reality, particularly if you have a chronic condition such as arthritis. If you have to use pruners in a way that differs from your natural movements, you’re setting yourself up for hand pressure and stress wound.
Your pruners should comfortably fit in your normal grip, and the blades should open and close conveniently.
The Comfort of The Handles
Pruning puts a lot of pressure on your fingers and palm, so these handles come in handy.
Non-slip handles aid in maintaining a functional grip while cutting. The padded handles actively prevent soreness or bruises from forming at points of contact. The shear adjustable handles, such as the ones found on the Classic PRO, allow you to tailor your pruner suitably to your specific needs.
The best blade performance and durability come from hardened steel. This steel has been tempered, or heat-treated, to make it more resistant to shattering. Tempered metal also retains its sharpness longer than lower-quality steel and is simpler to re-sharpen at home.
To assist you in selecting the best garden shears for arthritic hands, we have compiled a list of the best garden shears for arthritic hands.
Best Garden Shears For Arthritic Hands
1) The Gardener’s Friend Pruning Shears
Because they use a structural ratcheting system to accommodate for a lack of strength, these shears are a top choice for those with arthritis or an inadequate grip.
They can trim through slender stems as well as branches approximately 1 inch thick and were designed by a company that began as a family-owned plant nursery.
Rather than making a single large cut through timber or stems, these pruners are structured to close in three stages or ratchets.
This mechanism allows you to make your cut with three small squeezes rather than one large one. The ratchet helps to hold the blades in place and enhances the user’s grip as they progressively close in between squeezes.
The body is made of lightweight aluminum, while the cutting edge is made of hardened carbon steel.
Pros
- The ratcheting system is very powerful
- Suitable for lefties
- It can cut branches up to an inch thick without fault.
Cons
- The enclosed bottom handle makes them challenging to wear with hand gloves
- There is a learning curve in the ratcheting system.
2) Scotts Outdoor Power Tools Cordless Rechargeable Power Pruner
Scotts Outdoor Power Pruners can be a useful tool. If you have a weak grip or a lot of plants to prune, these electric pruners are an excellent option. Scotts pruners have an electric motor that does all of the work for you.
These pruners weigh slightly more than a pound and are cordless. The rechargeable battery can power the device for up to two hours, and the grip is fitted to make it even more comfortable.
The hardened steel blade is capable of cutting branches up to 34 inches in diameter. Many respondents mention how quickly they prune large trees or shrubs that would otherwise take days to refine.
You can also get these pruners with an extension cable pole to reach deeper into the canopy of tall trees. As a result, your Scotts Power Pruner is an excellent alternative to traditional pole pruners, which require a great deal of strength to use.
Pros
- The cutting is done for you by the electric motor and save you the stress
- It has a pole extension for high pruning activities
- It is rechargeable and cordless.
Cons
- It is a bit heavy
- The shear battery lasts about 2 hours only.
3) ClassicPRO Titanium Bypass Pruning Shears
These titanium shears are an excellent alternative to traditional pruners. They appear to be ordinary, but they have a few characteristics that make them a good choice for people with mild arthritis.
The handles and body are constructed of a lightweight aluminum-steel alloy. The handles adjust from 6.7 inches to 4.7 inches, and the closer grip position helps to reduce wrist strain and muscle aches that many gardeners experience after a lengthy day of pruning.
Grooves in the blade aid in the prevention of sticking during and after cuts. The cutting edge is made of durable Japanese stainless steel, which retains its edge well and is simple to sharpen.
Pros
- The handles are adjustable
- It has a rust-resistant titanium blade coating
3.The shock absorbing works very effective.
Cons
- The locking mechanism may loose overtime
4) Gonicc 8″ Professional SK-5 Steel Blade – (Sharp Anvil Pruning Shears)
These ergonomic anvil cutting tools are made of high-quality carbon steel and feature a hard cutting edge as well as a side protection lock for easy one-handed release. The spring-loaded pulley system, which allows you to make large cuts with less power, is what makes them ideal for arthritic hands.
This system allows you to cut through large stems and branches up to 34 inch in diameter with ease, without ache or hand fatigue. The handles are also safely close together, and the steel blades remain sharp for an extended period of time.
Prons
- The pulley system helps to strengthen weak grip
- The steel blades are high-quality
- It has compatible handles.
Cons
- It can crush through stems during hard cutting activities
5) Felco Pruning Shears (F 6)
This Swiss-made brand is well-known for the high quality and durability of its products, as well as the wide availability of parts and components. This allows you to repair rather than replace your trusty pruner.
The build quality is exceptional, with each handle constructed from heat-treated aluminum and the blades manufactured using high-quality steel. Sharpening these blades is also simple, and it will help to increase their power and keep their cuts neat and tidy.
Pros
- Can be replaced by Felco If any parts breaks.
- Easy to handle and maintain
- The construction is very solid.
Cons
- It doesn’t have grip strength like other ratchet and pulley-driven pruner
- It’s a bit heavier than it suppose.
Our Recommendation
While reviewing this garden shears in details, I found all of them very useful. However, our top pick among the garden shears listed here is “Scotts Outdoor Power Tools Cordless Rechargeable Power Pruner.” This shear was selected because of it’s wonderful features and performance. It is the No. 2 on this list.
Read also: Best Garden Scissors: 5 Top Options
Conclusion
When deciding which of these pruners is preferable for you, keep in mind that if your hands are very weak, you should get ratcheted or pulley-assisted pruners to compensate for your grip strength.
To prevent the spread of fungal or bacterial infection, always sanitize your pruner blades as you start moving between plants. Before storing your blades, always wipe them down to remove water and dirt. Never leave them outside when not in use, as this invites rust. This ideas will help you enjoy a long use of your garden shears.
