Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Felco loppers buying guide

Updated: 22 October 2026

You are buying a first Felco lopper for a UK garden, because a shrub or a young fruit tree has outgrown the secateurs and the titles look interchangeable. This Felco loppers buying guide is the order before you compare star lines: the wood, the printed diameter, the length you can swing, then a gear only if force is the limit. The [Felco loppers comparison](/hub/garden-tree-and-hedge-shears/felco-loppers) holds the eight-listing table and the shelf prices. Peter F. wrote this on 21 October 2026 from those captures and from Felco's pages, not from a lab test. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are buying a first Felco lopper for a UK garden, because a shrub or a young fruit tree has outgrown the secateurs and the titles look interchangeable.

Our top picks

Felco Felco 231 anvil

Best overall

Felco Felco 231 anvil
8.6/10about £190.00
View offer
Felco Felco 221-70 bypass

Alternative

Felco Felco 221-70 bypass
7.1/10about £109.00
View offer
Felco Felco 211-40 bypass

Best value

Felco Felco 211-40 bypass
8.0/10about £89.95
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Start with the wood
  2. 2.Match the printed diameter
  3. 3.Pick a length you can swing
  4. 4.Pay for a gear only if force is the limit
  5. 5.Read the parts and warranty lines

Start with the wood

Living growth and dry wood ask for different heads, and the price does not choose. The bypass tools in this set are the 201, the 211, the 220, and the 221. Felco's 220 page types that bypass for young branches. The 231 is the only anvil, and Felco types it for dry wood. In the captures the 231 was £190.00, beside the geared bypass 220 at £198.18, so the dearer tag does not make the anvil right for live wood. The rest of that decision is on Felco bypass or anvil loppers.

Match the printed diameter

Match the stem to the diameter Felco prints before you chase a longer handle. Felco states 35 mm for the 201 and the 211, 40 mm for the 220 and the 231, and 45 mm for the 221. The 45 mm class is the wrong spend when the stem is still inside 35 mm. One 35 mm title shows 1.2 inches, which is not another way of writing 35 mm. Felco's 211-60 page states 35 mm, and that is the capacity to keep.
Felco Felco 231 anvil

Testsieger

Felco Felco 231 anvil
8.6/10about £190.00
View offer

Pick a length you can swing

Choose a length you can open fully where you stand. The short bypass names are the 201-40 and the 211-40. The 211-60 is the mid length in the same 35 mm class: Felco's page states 600 mm and 35 mm. Handles at 70, 80, and 90 cm are on Felco long-reach loppers. None of these eight listings is telescopic.

Pay for a gear only if force is the limit

A gear is the upper price band, not a general step up. The captures put the 231 at £190.00 and the 220 at £198.18. The lower band, £89.00 to £91.91, holds the ungeared 35 mm tools, and the mid band, £109.00 to £125.23, is where the 221 sits. Felco's 220 page states about 65 percent more cutting force. That figure is Felco's, not a result from this comparison.

Read the parts and warranty lines

Service is narrower than the word lifetime looks. Felco's warranty page states 24 months on defects, a lifetime line for the forged aluminium, and consumable status for blades, anvils, shock absorbers, springs, and grips. The 220's amazon bullet says a lifetime guarantee against the manufacturer's defects. A blunt blade is a consumable on that page, not a defect the bullet has agreed to replace. A pick for one job, with a condition attached, is on best Felco loppers.

Common questions

Do I need a lopper or will secateurs do?
Buy a lopper when the stem is past the secateurs. Masseys' UK guide puts secateurs at about 25 mm and the Felco 211 at 35 mm. That is their shop sequence, not a tape measure on your shrub. If the growth still fits the secateurs, the lower amazon band of £89.00 to £91.91 adds reach and price without changing the wood. Step up when the jaw you already own is the limit.
Is the 211-40 enough, or the 211-60?
The 211-60 is the 35 mm head on a longer handle. Felco's page states 35 mm and 600 mm. The 211-40 is the shorter name. The two share 4.6 from 575 reviews on amazon.co.uk, so the longer one has not collected a separate score. Use the 211-40 when the shrub is tight and the stem is in reach. Use the 211-60 when you need the extra handle and you have room to open it.
When is the 221 worth the extra pounds?
The 221 is worth the mid band of £109.00 to £125.23 when you need the 45 mm class, or a longer ungeared handle than the 40 cm and 60 cm tools. Leave it when the stem is thin, live, and already inside 35 mm. A 90 cm title here also shows an item length of 80 cm, so check the main table before you trust the name as the reach.
Why do two listings share one star line?
The 211-40 and the 211-60 share 4.6 from 575 reviews in the amazon.co.uk captures. That is one pool on both listings, not two tests of a short handle and a long one. It cannot show which length fits the border. Choose by the 35 mm capacity and by the centimetres you can swing, and leave this 575 on those two rows.
Which inch figure do I trust when it disagrees with the millimetres?
Trust the millimetres Felco prints for that model. A 35 mm title in this set shows 1.2 inches in a listing field, and the two figures do not describe one capacity. The 211-60 page states 35 mm, which is the figure to use for that head. A conflicting item length, such as 60 cm on the 201-40, stays on the comparison table, and capacity stays in millimetres.

Related pages

Felco secateurs

Felco loppers

Best Felco loppers for living, dead or distant wood

Felco bypass or anvil loppers for the wood you cut

How to prune with loppers and when you should stop

Felco long reach loppers for 70, 80 or 90 cm crowns

Sources

Public sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are the saved amazon.co.uk captures, not a live price check.

  1. Felco F201-40 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. Felco 220 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. Felco 231 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. Felco warranty and repairs (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. RHS pruning guide (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. Burgon & Ball — bypass or anvil (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. HSE — PUWER overview (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 22.10.2026)