The best anvil secateurs, compared.
Top pick: DECERK dual-mode ratchet anvil Best value: Spear & Jackson 6358RS ratchet anvil – About £9.65 for a named 20 mm ratchet with 4.4 from 2,840 reviews. Thin stems stick, and a pin sheared. Updated 22.10.2026.
An anvil secateur closes one blade onto a block, like a knife on a board. You want that jaw for dead or woody stems, or because one hard squeeze hurts. The eight listings are a plain anvil, a geared anvil, ratchet anvils, and one set that pairs an anvil with bypass. The Association, & and put living green wood on bypass secateurs, because an anvil can crush soft tissue. A ratchet changes the squeeze, not the geometry. Thin stems stick on that ratchet, and one review says the pin sheared. Quality here is a stated millimetre cut, a mechanism the reviews agree with, and a lock you can open. How to order those checks is in the [anvil secateurs buying guide](/hub/garden-tree-and-hedge-shears/anvil-secateurs/sub/anvil-secateurs-buying-guide). Live green stems, and a final cut on a valued shrub, are a bypass job. Burgon & say their anvil ratchet is not for green wood.
An anvil secateur closes one blade onto a block, like a knife on a board. You want that jaw for dead or woody stems, or because one hard squeeze hurts.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What are you cutting?
DECERK at £23.99 is sold as a dual-mode ratchet anvil, 19 mm and 167 g, with an SK5 blade and a Teflon claim. S is a direct cut. R is a staged ratchet. The blade-type field says Anvil, Bypass, which the title does not explain. The amazon.co.uk line is 4.8 from 8 reviews. All seven UK texts in the file are positive about the switch, the lock and woody cuts, including one buyer with limited hand mobility. That sample is too small to treat as a durability result. A review describes a pink pair. The specification colour is Orange.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want one tool that claims both a direct cut and a ratchet, and you can accept eight reviews.
Less suitable: You want a blade-type field that says anvil only, or a star line built on thousands of reviews.
Specifications
Common questions
What are S and R?
The bullets say S is a direct cut on fresh stems and smaller branches, and R is a staged ratchet on tougher woody branches. The stated cut is 19 mm. Weight is 167 g. A bullet also says 166 g.
Does the blade-type field say anvil only?
No. It says Anvil, Bypass. The title says ratchet anvil. The file does not explain the extra word.
How many UK reviews are in the file?
Seven texts, against a listing count of 8. They praise the switch, the lock and the cut. They do not describe a repeated break. One calls the colour lurid, and one describes a pink pair while the spec colour is Orange.
The Kew CUTTINGSET3K at £19.07 is two tools, not a single anvil. The bullets assign bypass to living stems and anvil to thicker or dead material, with two width settings and a stated 15 mm cut. The blade-type field still says Bypass. The amazon.co.uk line is 4.7 from 2,621 reviews, and the bullets print a 10-year guarantee. Across the 50 UK texts, smaller hands and a long session without aching are the praise. The same sample includes locks that jam shut, blades that will not open wide enough for thicker twigs, and an anvil pivot that loosened. One review expected a ratchet. The bullets do not claim one.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want both jaws in one purchase, and smaller hands are the reason you are looking at a second width setting.
Less suitable: You want one anvil tool, a ratchet, or a lock that reviews say stays easy to open.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this one anvil secateur?
No. The title is a bypass and anvil set. The bullets say bypass for living stems and anvil for thicker or dead material. The blade-type field says Bypass. Number of items is 2. Weight is 300 g.
What width choices are on the listing?
The bullets say two cutting widths, with the smaller setting for smaller hands. The cutting-width field is 15 mm. A review says each pair can sit locked, halfway or fully open.
What do the UK reviews repeat about the lock?
Small hands and a sharp cut are the praise. Both pairs jammed in the locked position for one buyer. The anvil pivot loosened after a few months, and the seller no longer stocked a replacement pair.
Spear & Jackson 6758GS at £10.20 is the geared anvil in this set, with a stated 15 mm cut, an SK5 blade and a PTFE claim on a cast aluminium body. The amazon.co.uk line is 4.5 from 8,715 reviews. Across the 50 UK texts, comfort and leverage on thicker stems are the repeated praise, including buyers who mention a weaker grip. The same sample includes a spring that failed after a couple of months, an edge that went blunt on light rose pruning, and a buyer who wanted a bypass because the cut was not clean. The spare-part field says 1 year. A review also calls the tool sharp and stiff, and says it should be kept away from children.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a geared anvil for dead or woody stems up to the stated 15 mm, and you want the largest review count in this set.
Less suitable: You need a clean cut on live green wood, or you want a ratchet that finishes the cut in several squeezes.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this a ratchet?
No. The listing calls it a geared anvil. The cut is one squeeze, with gears, and the stated width is 15 mm. A ratchet is a different Spear & Jackson model in this set.
What do the UK reviews repeat?
Of the 50 texts read, many praise a comfortable cut on thicker stems and brambles. A spring failed after a couple of months. Light rose pruning left a blunt patch. One buyer wanted bypass because the cut was not clean.
Does the listing say how long spare parts are available?
Amazon's spare-part field says 1 year. The five bullets do not print a guarantee length.
Spear & Jackson 6358RS at £9.65 is the ratchet anvil with a stated 20 mm cut, a PTFE claim and a 10-year guarantee on the listing. The amazon.co.uk line is 4.4 from 2,840 reviews. Across the 50 UK texts, the ratchet is credited with thicker stems and with less strain on sore hands. The same sample says thin stems stick, the loop will not take gardening gloves, and the tool is clunky as an ordinary pruner. One buyer's ratchet pin sheared and they could not buy a spare. Others say the mechanism needed several closes on a thin shoot or failed within days. The unit-count field says 225 g against an item weight of 231 g.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a low shelf price on a named 20 mm ratchet anvil, and your job is thicker dead wood rather than thin twigs.
Less suitable: You deadhead, you wear thick gloves, or you need a spare ratchet pin to be listed as available.
Specifications
Common questions
What cut does the listing print?
20 mm, for dead or thicker woody stems. The bullets say the ratchet works in four short steps. Item weight is 231 g. The unit-count field says 225 g.
What do the UK reviews repeat about thin stems and gloves?
Thick stems are the praise. Thin stems stick, and the tool is a poor deadheader. The loop handle will not take gardening gloves, in more than one review.
Are spare parts mentioned?
The listing prints a 10-year guarantee and a 10-year spare-part field. A review says the ratchet pin sheared and the buyer could not find a replacement.
Zrebcley at £9.99 is titled as a ratchet with a 20 mm cut, SK-5 in the bullets and high carbon steel in the spec block. The specification block does not name the blade type. A UK review describes an anvil jaw. The amazon.co.uk line is 4.4 from 5 reviews, and all five texts are in the file. They praise sharpness and, in one case, inch-thick rose stems. They also say the lock is not easy to open and that the grips suit large hands. A page question asks how to sharpen the blade. The bullets do not answer it.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a cheap ratchet with a 20 mm figure, and you have checked the jaw yourself because the spec block does not name it.
Less suitable: You need the anvil geometry in the specification block, or a review count beyond five.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the specification block say anvil?
No. The title says ratchet and the cutting width is 20 mm. A UK review describes an anvil jaw and an S and R slide. That is a review, not a specification line.
What is in the box?
The included-components line says a ratchet pruner and a snap fastener. Weight is 223 g. Handle material is not stated.
What do the five UK reviews say?
They call it sharp and good value. One says the grips need large hands. One says the lock is not easy to open. Five reviews are not a durability result.
The Gardener's Friend at £29.99 is an anvil ratchet. The cutting-width field is 2.5 cm, the bullets say about 1 inch, and the highlight says a 3-stage action up to 25 mm. The specification block says carbon steel. The bullets say manganese steel. The amazon.co.uk line is 4.3 from 5,342 reviews. Across the 50 UK texts, many people with arthritis or a weak grip say the ratchet reduced the squeeze, and some pairs were still in use after several years. The same sample says the lock is too stiff for the weak hands the listing addresses, or that it springs open. The ratchet does not always engage. One short review says they do not last long, without a measured interval.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a widely reviewed ratchet anvil and you can open the lock with the hands you will actually use.
Less suitable: You need the steel grade to be one material, or you cannot work a stiff lock.
Specifications
Common questions
What steel does the listing name?
The specification block says carbon steel. The bullets and the highlight say manganese steel, and the highlight also says an aluminium body. Those lines are not reconciled in the file.
What cut is printed?
Cutting width is 2.5 cm. The bullets say branches up to 1 inch, depending on the wood and your input. The highlight says up to 25 mm. Weight is 220 g.
Do the reviews agree it suits weak hands?
Many of the 50 texts say the ratchet made pruning possible with arthritis or a weak grip. Others say the lock is too stiff to open, springs open, or the ratchet does not bite unless something hard is in the jaws.
VOTREK VT-X850A at £25.99 is a plain anvil, not a ratchet, with a stated 20 mm cut, a stepless handle and a lanyard. Weight is 260 g. The amazon.co.uk line is 4.2 from 69 reviews. Across 32 UK texts, clean cuts on dry and woody stems, the adjustable grip and either-hand use are the praise. One verified review says the handle broke on first use. Another says the blade was very blunt. The bullets claim the tool for dry, dead and woody growth. Some reviewers still used it on live roses. No guarantee length is printed in the specification block.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want one squeeze on dead wood up to 20 mm, and you want the grip span to adjust.
Less suitable: You need a ratchet, or you are buying on a guarantee length the spec block does not print.
Specifications
Common questions
Is there a ratchet?
No. The listing is a plain anvil with a stated 20 mm cut and a stepless handle. It is not sold as a ratchet.
What do the UK reviews say about the handle?
Of 32 texts, many praise a clean cut on dry wood and the adjustable grip. One verified review says the handle broke the first time they used it. Another calls the blade very blunt.
Does the file print a guarantee?
The specification block does not. One review mentions 10 years. That figure is not a listing field in the saved listing.
LINZI at £10.99 is titled as a ratchet anvil, 18 mm, 200 mm long, with an extra blade and spring. The spec block says alloy steel and aluminium handles. The bullets say SK5. Weight is 216 g. The amazon.co.uk line is 3.9 from 22 reviews, and only three UK texts are in the file. One says the shears have no ratchet and are incorrectly described. Another welcomes the spare blade and an easy lock on a large buddleia. The third is a single letter. The anvil word is in the title and the blade-type field. The ratchet word is not confirmed by the review that addresses it.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want the spare blade and spring, and you are not buying this for a ratchet.
Less suitable: You need a ratchet. The review that checks the mechanism says it is not there.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the file confirm a ratchet?
The title says ratchet anvil. A verified UK review says there is no ratchet and the description is wrong. The blade-type field says Anvil. The stated cut is 18 mm.
What spare parts are named?
The title and bullets include an extra blade and an extra spring. Number of items is 3. Number of packs is 1. A review says the spare blade will be useful.
How many reviews were read?
Three UK texts, against a listing count of 22. One is a single letter. One praises a buddleia cut and the lock. One denies the ratchet.
Scores compare the eight amazon.co.uk anvil secateurs kept in this set. Prices, stars and review counts are the listing lines saved on 19 October 2026. There is no laboratory test. A mechanism, a millimetre cut or a steel grade counts only when that ASIN prints it. A review can contradict a title. It does not fill a blank specification line. A higher star line on a handful of reviews does not outrank thousands. The weights below sum to 100. They describe this set only.
Amazon evidence
35%The star line on amazon.co.uk, then the review count. A 4.5 from 8,715 scores higher than a 4.8 from 8 or a 4.4 from 5. A small star line is not a durability result.
Listing fit
30%A named anvil action and a millimetre figure you can read score up. A title that a review contradicts, a blade-type field that says bypass, or a spec block that does not name an anvil scores down.
Review outcome
25%Cuts that match the stated job score up. Points come off for a failed spring, a sheared pin, a lock that jams, a first-use break, and a missing mechanism.
Value
10%Shelf price in GBP against a job the listing names. The low price on a named 20 mm ratchet with thousands of reviews is the value score, because the highest score is already the geared anvil.
Choose the wood before the mechanism. Dead or dry stems are the anvil job. Live green wood is a bypass job. A ratchet changes the squeeze, not the jaw. Prices below are amazon.co.uk shelf prices on 19 October 2026.
An anvil secateur closes one blade onto a flat block. In this amazon.co.uk set the job is dead, dry wood, bramble and scrub. Live green stems, and a final cut on a valued shrub, are a bypass job. The Arboricultural Association, Burgon & Ball and Dan Cooper Garden say an anvil can crush soft tissue. A ratchet changes how hard you squeeze. It does not change the jaw. Burgon & Ball say their anvil ratchet is not for green wood. Read the millimetre figure on the listing before you buy.
Dead, dry wood, bramble and scrub are the anvil job. Live green stems are a bypass job. A ratchet or a PTFE claim does not make the jaw suitable for green wood.
LINZI's title says ratchet. A verified UK review says there is no ratchet. Zrebcley's spec block does not name an anvil. A review describes one. Read the specification line, then the review that checks the mechanism.
A 4.8 from 8 reviews, or a 4.4 from 5, is not the same evidence as 4.5 from 8,715. A small star line is not a durability result, and it is not a claim that the tool suits arthritis.
Dead, dry wood, bramble and scrub are the anvil job. Live green stems and a final cut on a valued shrub are a bypass job. This snapshot prints 15 mm on the 6758GS and the Kew set, 18 mm on LINZI, 19 mm on DECERK, 20 mm on VOTREK, the 6358RS and Zrebcley, and 2.5 cm on The Gardener's Friend. A 15–25 mm band is a rule of thumb, not a British Standard. Past the printed figure, use a longer tool or a saw. The stated width is the listing's ceiling.
One squeeze: VOTREK VT-X850A. Gears on one squeeze: the 6758GS. The maker claims cutting is 20 per cent easier. That is their claim, not a test here. Several squeezes: the 6358RS, DECERK's R mode, The Gardener's Friend and Zrebcley. LINZI's title says ratchet, and a UK review says there is none. Every kept listing says ambidextrous. Reviews still say some locks jam shut, will not open with weak hands, or will not take gloves.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want an anvil jaw and you will stop at the printed millimetre figure. The Spear & Jackson 6758GS is a geared anvil with a stated 15 mm cut, about £10.20, and 4.5 from 8,715 reviews. Reviews credit the gears on thicker stems. A spring failed after a couple of months, and one edge went blunt on light rose pruning.
You want several squeezes, or gears, instead of one hard close, and a lock you can still work. The Spear & Jackson 6358RS is a 20 mm ratchet at about £9.65, 4.4 from 2,840 reviews, with a 10-year guarantee on the listing. Thin stems stick, and the loop handle is hard in gardening gloves.
You want both jaws in one purchase. The Kew set pairs bypass for living stems with an anvil for thicker or dead material, stated 15 mm, about £19.07, 4.7 from 2,621 reviews. The blade-type field says Bypass. Reviews include locks that jam shut and an anvil pivot that loosened.
In this set the top pick is the Spear & Jackson 6758GS geared anvil: about £10.20, a stated 15 mm cut, SK5 and a PTFE claim, and 4.5 from 8,715 amazon.co.uk reviews. A spring failed after a couple of months, and the spare-part field says 1 year. The best value is the Spear & Jackson 6358RS at about £9.65, a named 20 mm ratchet with 4.4 from 2,840 reviews and a 10-year guarantee on the listing. Thin stems stick, and a ratchet pin sheared. These scores are not a cutting test. A stated width is the listing's ceiling.
Spear & Jackson 6358RS ratchet anvil
About £9.65 for a named 20 mm ratchet with 4.4 from 2,840 reviews. Thin stems stick, and a pin sheared.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are from amazon.co.uk on 19 October 2026.
Expert source (DIY & tools): Charlie White (Charlie DIYte) (external profile) – public expert commentary used as a research source, not as a contributor to our pages.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars, and review counts are the UK listing lines. We did not run a lab test.
