Spear & Jackson 8120RS/09 Razorsharp Telescopic Hedge Shears

Product Information

The excellent Flip-Lok extension system makes the handles easy to extend to the exact length you want, then simply retract them when you’re finished for easy storage! Think of these as the supercars of the shearing world – lean, mean shearing machines, which bring to mind a surgical instrument. Prior to reviewing these, we’re not sure we’d have been convinced about the value of dedicated vegetable shears, but we’re officially converts, largely due to the ultra-sharp blades, which have a serrated edge to prevent slippage – a major bonus when you’re pruning around your prized tomatoes.

Hand pruners are good for small and precise cuts, lopper-style shears are great for slightly larger branches, and hedge shears are perfect for… small tree branches. The handles are incredibly tactile, and although we were initially sceptical about the angled design, this aspect absolutely transformed the speed with which we could tidy up the edges of our lawn, while also making it much easier to prune awkwardly angled branches. The ones we’ve included in this round-up are suited to a wide range of tasks, but thankfully our garden was the perfect environment. Simply fill in the enquiry form below and we will send you a username and password for your online account.These shears, which have a surprisingly long reach, are all about comfort, and we loved the large areas of gel-based cushioning, the smoothness with which the telescopic handles extended, the shock-absorbing bumpers and the presence of a dual compound lever, which ramped up the power without the need to open the handles extra-wide. Sophie Conran, of the legendary British design dynasty, has created a thing of beauty – elegant shears with tactile FSC-certified ash handles adorned with a brass plaque, paired with drop-forged carbon steel blades.

These telescopic shears are easy to use and incredibly lightweight – weighing in at just over 1kg – allowing you to use them for long periods without causing discomfort or back pain. We especially appreciated the large areas of cushioning, which made it change the position of our grip, while still maintaining a secure hold, when doing different types of work. These shears were tested on everything from gladiolas to grass (who doesn’t want a perfect lawn, after all?

We also appreciated the generous areas of rubber cushioning, while a slight angle on the blades (designed for work on smooth surfaces) allowed us to shear a particularly unruly hedge into shape in no time. Add the finishing touch after cutting your lawn by trimming the edges with the award-winning Darlac Telescopic Edging Shear.

Oliver Hill, founder of gardening site GardenList, suggests taking a moment to figure out what gardening tasks you’ll be undertaking. E. coating reduces friction, making these garden shears ideal for all green growth as well as light woody growth.A growing number of gardening tool brands make claims about Japanese metals and artisan blade makers from Japan, but Niwaki’s fantastic Japanese garden shears, which combine both beauty and power, are a reminder that this brilliant heritage brand doesn’t rest on its laurels.

They tackled everything from shrubs to hedges (we also used them to tidy up the edges of our lawn) with ease, and are also particularly suitable for topiary. The tapered blades are ideal for precision trimming a wide range of plants, and despite a rather lengthy pruning session, we experienced zero wrist ache, thanks to the ultra-lightweight aluminium handles. The hardened steel blades are incredibly sharp, and the forged aluminium handles feel reassuringly tough but surprisingly light. These might not be the prettiest shears but when we’re knee-deep in a privet bush, we don’t really care. Plenty of padding and slick telescopic handles made our shearing session a breeze, and we appreciated Fiskars’ trademark flashes of bright orange, which helped the shears stand out, even when left carelessly in our weed-prone flowerbed.What we do care about, however, is our shears’ ability to whip our hedges into shape and these do so with ease.