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

Gardena bypass or anvil loppers

Updated: 22 October 2026

The anvil looks like the stronger Gardena, and then it bruises a green stem you meant to keep. Gardena bypass or anvil loppers split on whether the plant is alive. If the wood is fresh, open a bypass listing. If it is hard or dead, open the SmartCut. A ratchet does not change that. The [Gardena loppers comparison](/hub/garden-tree-and-hedge-shears/gardena-loppers) holds all five tools. The EasyCut L and the two TeleCut Pro models are the bypass side. The SmartCut is the anvil. Prices are amazon.co.uk snapshots from 20 October 2026. Peter F. used Gardena's UK hub and these listings. There is no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The anvil looks like the stronger Gardena, and then it bruises a green stem you meant to keep. Gardena bypass or anvil loppers split on whether the plant is alive. If the wood is fresh, open a bypass listing.

Our top picks

Gardena Gardena EasyCut L

Best overall

Gardena Gardena EasyCut L
9.6/10about £39.99
View offer
Gardena Gardena TeleCut Pro S

Best value

Gardena Gardena TeleCut Pro S
9.4/10about £51.37
View offer
Gardena Gardena SmartCut

Alternative

Gardena Gardena SmartCut
8.6/10about £72.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Alive or dead decides the head
  2. 2.The bypass listings are not the same reach
  3. 3.The SmartCut is the anvil, with the complaints in view
  4. 4.One tool only works when the wood is mostly one type

Alive or dead decides the head

Gardena's UK hub calls a bypass the pulling cut for fresh wood, and an anvil the cut for hard, dry wood. Burgon & Ball makes the same split and adds the consequence: an anvil can crush living stems. Gardeners' World's 2026 lopper explainer points the same way. The English Garden has called an anvil a useful all-rounder on living wood as well. That is not what Gardena's UK hub says, and it is not the rule here. A green shoot wants two blades passing. A grey, dry stub wants the blade brought down onto a block. Use the anvil on the green shoot and you pinch the stem. One UK review of the EasyCut L says it is not for very dry or dead hardwood. The decision is the plant, not the price and not the gear.

The bypass listings are not the same reach

The EasyCut L states 45 mm, a size field of 68 cm and 1.02 kg, at £39.99, with fixed arms and no gear. It is the chest-height tool. If the stem is in reach, you do not need a telescopic handle to get a bypass. If it is not, a TeleCut is still a bypass. It is not a step towards the anvil. TeleCut Pro S states 50 mm and 520–670 mm, at 1.54 kg and £51.37. TeleCut Pro L states 50 mm and 650–900 mm, at 1.86 kg and £66.55. Neither names a gear. The extra millimetres are handle, not permission past 50 mm, and the titles' 670 cm and 900 cm are not the size fields. Fifty millimetres of green wood is still the wrong tool for a dry stem. The best Gardena loppers page assigns those jobs.
Gardena Gardena EasyCut L

Testsieger

Gardena Gardena EasyCut L
9.6/10about £39.99
View offer

The SmartCut is the anvil, with the complaints in view

The SmartCut states hard wood up to 45 mm, with a four-stage ratchet, a title length of 59 cm and a blade guard in the box. The snapshot price is £72.99. The listing weight is 798 g. The catalogue page says about 1.3 kg and 25 years after registration. The bullets do not state a warranty. Keep the two weights apart. Do not average them. This is also not the EnergyCut Pro L Anvil, a different 50 mm model that is not in this set. Across 260 reviews the line is 4.3. Two UK reviews say the ratchet stops engaging. One says the pivot pin broke or came loose and a spare did not arrive. The ratchet spreads the close. It does not make the anvil safe for green wood, and it does not raise the cut above 45 mm.

One tool only works when the wood is mostly one type

Mostly living shrubs, within reach: start with the EasyCut L, and add a TeleCut only for green wood you cannot reach. Mostly dead or hard wood: the SmartCut, with the ratchet and pivot complaints in view. A mixed border is two jobs. The Gardena loppers buying guide is the full order. How to prune with loppers is the cut itself. The SlimCut's gears do not put it on the anvil side.

Common questions

When does Gardena say to use an anvil?
Gardena says an anvil is for hard, dry wood. Here that is the SmartCut, stated at 45 mm, with a four-stage ratchet and a 59 cm length. Burgon & Ball and the Gardeners' World explainer describe it as the dead-wood cut, because it can crush green growth. The catalogue weight of about 1.3 kg and the listing weight of 798 g are both real, and they are not one figure.
Will the SmartCut crush a living stem?
It can. An anvil brings a blade down onto a block, which pinches living tissue instead of slicing it. Gardena does not list the SmartCut for fresh green wood. A tidy-looking close can still bruise the stem, and the plant can die back past the cut. If the stem is alive, use the EasyCut or a TeleCut. The ratchet does not change the shape of that cut.
Does the ratchet make the anvil safe for green wood?
No. The four stages reduce the effort of each squeeze on hard wood. UK reviews praise that, and two say the ratchet can stop engaging. Effort is not a slicing cut. Green wood still wants a bypass. The shared 45 mm on the EasyCut and the SmartCut is a diameter, not evidence that the heads are interchangeable.
Is SlimCut an anvil because it has gears?
No. The SlimCut is a bypass with a narrow head, a fixed 117 cm handle and gears of 1:12 and 1:6. Its cutting-width field says 28 mm, and the listing does not say green or dry. The gears change the effort inside 28 mm. They do not make an anvil, and they do not replace the SmartCut. Keep it for thinning inside a bush.
What if I only buy one tool?
Buy one only if the wood is mostly one type. Mostly living shrubs within reach: the EasyCut L. Mostly living shrubs you cannot reach: a TeleCut, still a bypass. Mostly dead or hard wood: the SmartCut, knowing the ratchet complaints and the £72.99 price. A garden that is half green growth and half dry stubs will fight a single head.

Related pages

Gardena telescopic loppers

Gardena loppers

Best Gardena loppers for shrubs, reach, or dead wood

Gardena loppers buying guide: wood first, then size

How to prune with loppers: check, close, then stop

Sources

Manufacturer and public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are amazon.co.uk captures for these five ASINs, not a live re-check on 20 October 2026.

  1. Gardena UK — loppers, bypass versus anvil (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  2. Gardena UK — EasyCut L, 45 mm and 10-year line (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  3. Gardena — TeleCut Pro L, 900 mm versus 900 cm (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  4. Gardena — SmartCut anvil, 45 mm and 1.3 kg catalogue figure (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  5. Gardena — SlimCut, 28 mm and gears 1:12 and 1:6 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  6. Gardena UK — warranty, blades excluded as wear (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  7. GOV.UK — tree preservation orders (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  8. GOV.UK — wild birds: protection, surveys and licences (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  9. Gardena UK — product registration and warranty (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  10. GOV.UK — Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 20.10.2026)