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

How to prune with loppers

Updated: 22 October 2026

You already have the loppers in your hand, and the branch is thicker than the secateurs will take without tearing the bark. How to prune with loppers is a question of where the cut sits, and of the moment you stop. The [Felco loppers comparison](/hub/garden-tree-and-hedge-shears/felco-loppers) is the model table. This page does not rank the eight listings. Peter F. wrote it on 21 October 2026 from the RHS pruning guide, a council volunteer sheet, and the HSE note on work equipment. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You already have the loppers in your hand, and the branch is thicker than the secateurs will take without tearing the bark. How to prune with loppers is a question of where the cut sits, and of the moment you stop.

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.Put the cut in the right place
  2. 2.Stay inside a diameter you can seat
  3. 3.Stop before you force it
  4. 4.Overhead and at work

Put the cut in the right place

A clean cut starts at the bud or at the collar, not in the middle of a stem because that is where the jaws happened to close. For thin wood you are shortening, the RHS puts the cut about 0.5 cm above an outward-facing bud. When you are removing a whole branch, finish just outside the branch collar. Cutting into the collar wounds wood the tree uses to close. Leaving a peg stops that close. The RHS also asks for the three Ds first: dead, diseased, and damaged wood. Which head belongs on green wood and which on dead wood is on Felco bypass or anvil loppers.

Stay inside a diameter you can seat

The lopper is the right tool only while the stem sits fully in the jaw and the handles close without a twist. The RHS puts secateurs or loppers on branches under 2.5 cm, and a saw once the limb is heavy. Felco states 35 mm for the 201 and the 211, 40 mm for the 220 and the 231, and 45 mm for the 221. Hold both. Those millimetre lines are Felco's stated capacity, not a measurement from this comparison. If the stem is past the jaw, the tool is the wrong one. Length and diameter are chosen in the Felco loppers buying guide. The RHS saw sequence, an undercut about 20 cm out then a top cut, is for a saw, not a trick you copy with loppers.
Felco Felco 231 anvil

Testsieger

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

Stop before you force it

If the handles twist or creak, you are finished with the lopper on that stem. Basingstoke's greenspace volunteer manual tells volunteers to stop at that point, and not to cut with the tool on the ground. When you put the loppers down, close them. Do not rock the handles, and do not add a second person on the ends. Wipe sap off when you finish. The RHS does not tell you to paint the cut.

Overhead and at work

Reach is not a reason to leave the ground. If you cannot place the cut with both feet planted, the limb is no longer a lopper job for you. A hard hat is the overhead precaution in the Basingstoke volunteer sheet. Handle length, if the crown is the actual limit, is on Felco long-reach loppers. At work, the Health and Safety Executive's PUWER overview applies: the tool has to be suitable, and the person using it trained. A Saturday apple tree in your own garden is not that regime. Call a tree surgeon when the limb can hit a building, a path, or a cable.

Common questions

How far above the bud do I cut?
About 0.5 cm above an outward-facing bud, on thin wood you are shortening. That figure is from the RHS pruning guide, not from a Felco manual. When you are taking off a whole branch, ignore the bud measurement and finish just outside the branch collar. One clear stem, both feet on the ground, is the place to see the difference.
When do I switch to a saw?
Switch when the stem will not seat, when the handles twist or creak, or when the limb is heavy. The RHS puts loppers or secateurs on branches under 2.5 cm and wants a saw for a heavy limb, with an undercut about 20 cm out before the top cut. Felco's stated capacities run from 35 mm to 45 mm by model. Those are the maker's figures. They do not turn a heavy, awkward limb into a lopper cut.
What if the bark tears?
Stop, and do not chase the tear with a second forced cut. A tear usually means the blade was not seated, the cut ran into the collar, or the handles twisted. One UK review of a 221-90 mentioned slight laurel bark damage, which shows a bypass can still mark bark. It does not set a rule. Leave a clean edge outside the collar if you can do that with a saw. Do not paint the wound. The RHS does not ask you to.
Can I use loppers on a ladder?
Make the cut with both feet on the ground, or do not make it with loppers. A longer handle is for reach from the path, not for climbing. Overhead, the Basingstoke volunteer sheet calls for a hard hat, and it tells you to stop if the tool twists. If the branch can fall onto a path, a building, or a cable, that is a surgeon's job. This page is not a ladder method.
What if the handles twist?
Put the lopper down on that stem. Twisting or creaking is the stop in the Basingstoke volunteer manual, and it means the wood is too hard, too thick, or poorly seated. Do not bounce the handles or ask someone else to pull. Move to a pruning saw, or leave the branch if it is heavy enough to need a professional. Close the tool when you set it down. Cutting on the ground puts grit in the edge.

Related pages

Felco secateurs

Felco loppers

Best Felco loppers for living, dead or distant wood

Felco loppers buying guide for wood, size and reach

Felco bypass or anvil loppers for the wood you cut

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)