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Gardena bypass or anvil secateurs

Updated: 22 October 2026

You are about to shorten a rose you want alive next June, and you also have brown twigs from last winter. Bypass blades pass each other, like scissors. An anvil blade meets a flat block and can bruise the stem it closes on. This page chooses the principle. The model, the hand and the price sit on the [Gardena secateurs buying guide](/hub/garden-tree-and-hedge-shears/gardena-secateurs/sub/gardena-secateurs-buying-guide). The five listings and their GBP prices stay on the [Gardena secateurs](/hub/garden-tree-and-hedge-shears/gardena-secateurs) comparison. Peter F. used those amazon.co.uk files and Gardena’s UK magazine page. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are about to shorten a rose you want alive next June, and you also have brown twigs from last winter. Bypass blades pass each other, like scissors.

Our top picks

Gardena PremiumCut Flex bypass

Best overall

Gardena PremiumCut Flex bypass
9.2/10about £13.58
View offer
Gardena PremiumCut Pro Flex bypass

Rank 2

Gardena PremiumCut Pro Flex bypass
9.2/10about £24.99
View offer
Gardena PremiumCut Pro Dry Wood

Alternative

Gardena PremiumCut Pro Dry Wood
9.2/10about £19.15
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Two actions
  2. 2.Live wood and dead wood
  3. 3.Which listing matches
  4. 4.The title that disagrees

Two actions

A bypass blade slides past a hooked counter-blade. An anvil blade comes down on a flat face. The squeeze can be easier on hard material, and the block spreads force through the stem. Gardena’s UK magazine page says that spread bruises living tissue, so the anvil action is for dead wood. The English Garden and Burgon & Ball make the same split. There is no ratchet Gardena in this folder. A ratchet is a different shop, not a setting on Flex or Pro Flex. Close a dry-wood pair on a green rose and the bark can tear.

Live wood and dead wood

Use bypass on wood you want to keep: roses, live shrubs and any stem with a green layer under the bark, inside the stated diameter. The Arboricultural Association notes the same crush on small live wood, and says not to paint the wound. Place the flat side of the cutting blade toward the bud you are keeping. Forcing a 30 mm cane through a 24 mm notch twists the pivot. Loppers or a saw are the next tool. Use anvil on brown twigs that snap rather than bend. Dead wood can tolerate a crushed end. Green wood cannot. One UK review on the dry-wood file says the cut can tear the stem. That is a single report, not a rate.
Gardena PremiumCut Flex bypass

Testsieger

Gardena PremiumCut Flex bypass
9.2/10about £13.58
View offer

Which listing matches

Flex, £13.58, is bypass and 24 mm, with a two-step opening. Pro Flex, £24.99, is bypass and 24 mm, with a stepless grip and a wrist buffer. The Alu pair, £30.42, says bypass, though the cutting-width field says 25 cm and the handle field says wood. Neither bypass row is the dead-wood tool. The anvil title is Pro Dry Wood, model 12250-20, at £19.15. Gardena’s UK page says anvil, 24 mm and hard dry wood. The blade-type field says Side Cuts, so look at the blade before you trust the basket. A 20 mm anvil, 12240-20, has no amazon price here. That job is on the Gardena secateurs for dry wood page.

The title that disagrees

Fresh Wood, £7.49, model 12241-20, has Anvil Cut in the amazon title and Bypass in the blade field. Gardena’s UK page says bypass and 22 mm, and the review texts are the Flex file, so this row does not decide the principle. Section 11 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies if the goods do not match the description. If one blade curves past another, treat it as bypass up to 22 mm. If a blade meets a block, the listing did not describe that anvil. Side Cuts is not a third principle in Gardena’s magazine article. The how to use Gardena secateurs page covers which way a bypass blade faces.

Common questions

Do I need both?
You need both if you cut live shrubs and also clear dead wood in the same season. A bypass pair such as Flex or Pro Flex covers the green wood. Pro Dry Wood is the anvil title for the brown pile, after you confirm the blade. If you only prune living roses, one agreeing bypass pair is enough. Owning both does not mean using the anvil on the rose because it feels firmer in the hand.
Will an anvil secateur harm a rose?
It can. Gardena’s UK magazine page says an anvil blade bruises living tissue, and the Arboricultural Association notes the same crush on small live wood. A pencil-thick rose stem is exactly the cut a bypass blade is for. An anvil close on that stem can leave a tear instead of a clean face above the bud. Use the anvil on brown, dead wood, and keep the rose on a bypass pair that is sharp.
Why did my stem tear?
A tear usually means the blade was blunt, the flat face of a bypass blade was sharpened, the stem was thicker than the stated millimetres, or an anvil face met green wood. One UK review on the dry-wood file reports a tear on the stem and a handle that felt less comfortable. That single review does not prove every anvil cut tears, and it is the outcome Gardena warns about on living tissue. Check which blade you closed, then check the diameter, before you blame the brand.
Is Fresh Wood the anvil pair?
The title says anvil. The blade field says bypass, and Gardena’s UK page for 12241-20 says bypass and 22 mm. It is not the anvil pair in this folder. The anvil title is Pro Dry Wood, 12250-20. Fresh Wood’s 1,233 reviews are copied from Flex, so they do not settle the blade either. Look at the tool. A bypass blade stays on green wood up to 22 mm.
What does the Side Cuts field mean on the dry-wood row?
The amazon blade-type field on Pro Dry Wood prints Side Cuts. The title prints anvil, dry wood and 24 mm. Gardena’s UK page for 12250-20 says anvil and 24 mm. Side Cuts is not explained as a separate Gardena action on the magazine page, and this page does not declare the field a definite scrape error. Use both lines, then look at the blade. A block and a single blade is the anvil. Two passing blades is bypass.

Related pages

Best Gardena secateurs

Gardena secateurs

Gardena secateurs buying guide: match wood and hand

Gardena secateurs for dry wood: confirm the anvil blade

How to use Gardena secateurs: cut, clean, then stop

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Prices, stars, weights, and field conflicts are from the five amazon.co.uk product files. We did not run a lab test.

  1. Gardena UK — secateurs range (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. Gardena UK — bypass versus anvil secateurs (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. Gardena UK — warranty (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. Gardena UK — product registration (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. Gardena UK media note — two-step opening (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. GOV.UK — Tree Preservation Orders (retrieved 22.10.2026)