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

Anvil or bypass loppers

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have a live apple spur you want next year’s fruit on, and dead ivy you only want gone. Anvil or bypass loppers are two ways of meeting the stem, not a quality ladder. If the plant has to heal, these sources point at a bypass. For dead or hard wood, the makers of this set describe an anvil. Who should skip each model stays on [best ratchet loppers](/hub/garden-tree-and-hedge-shears/ratchet-loppers/sub/ratchet-loppers-best). The rows are on the [ratchet loppers comparison](/hub/garden-tree-and-hedge-shears/ratchet-loppers). There is no lab cut. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a live apple spur you want next year’s fruit on, and dead ivy you only want gone. Anvil or bypass loppers are two ways of meeting the stem, not a quality ladder.

Our top picks

Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 8100RS

Best overall

Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 8100RS
8.3/10about £22.86
View offer
Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 8290RS

Rank 2

Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 8290RS
8.4/10about £27.90
View offer
Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 8090RS

Alternative

Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 8090RS
6.2/10about £36.95
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What each head does to the stem
  2. 2.When the bypass 8090RS is the row
  3. 3.When an anvil ratchet is the row
  4. 4.The Kew field that says bypass
  5. 5.One head is not a whole pruning kit

What each head does to the stem

A bypass passes a curved blade past a counter blade. The cut is a slice. Burgon & Ball chooses bypass if the plant is alive and health matters. An anvil drives one blade onto a flat bar. It can crush live tissue, and it holds dead wood that would twist a bypass blade. Wonkee Donkee says a bypass can bend or jam in dead wood. Gardeners’ World says an anvil suits dense dead wood. That round-up’s best ratchet pick happens to be an anvil, which is a job result, not proof that an anvil is the better head. A ratchet changes the force, not the wound.

When the bypass 8090RS is the row

The Spear & Jackson 8090RS, ASIN B0006UF6BC, is the only bypass title. Title, style and blade type all say bypass. It is £36.95, 1.62 kg, with 4.5 from 1,147 reviews. The cutting-width field says 42 mm. The bullets do not print that diameter or whether the wood should be live or dead. The maker’s page points the bypass at living branches and prints 480–800 mm. Keep that separate from the listing. UK reviews include cleaner cuts around 3–4 cm and a blade nicked on thin apple wood. Stay inside the 42 mm field. The pump is on how to use ratchet loppers.
Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 8100RS

Testsieger

Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 8100RS
8.3/10about £22.86
View offer

When an anvil ratchet is the row

Dead ivy and hard old wood are the anvil job. Kimura states an anvil and 40 mm, at £44.99 and 1.25 kg. The 8100RS states an anvil and 42 mm, at £22.86. The maker’s page says that anvil suits dead branches. The amazon bullets only say thick branches, so the dead-wood line is the maker’s. The 8290RS is an anvil on the title and the blade type, at £27.90, aimed at thicker, harder branches, with a cutting-width field of 2 inches. A rough anvil cut on dead wood is fine. The same crush on a living stem leaves a bruised stub.

The Kew field that says bypass

The Spear & Jackson 8290KEW, ASIN B00CV8IE52, disagrees with itself. The title describes a ratchet anvil for older, woodier growth, 50 mm, handles 719–1,030 mm, at £36.95 and 1.92 kg. The blade-type field says bypass. The maker’s page describes an anvil for tougher dead wood. Do not buy it as the bypass because one field says so. It shows 4.6 from 123 reviews. A locking catch does not settle the head. If the fields must agree, choose the 8090RS or an anvil whose blade-type field matches the title.

One head is not a whole pruning kit

Burgon & Ball suggests a rough anvil cut on dead brush, then a bypass or a saw where the plant has to look finished. One head leaves either a nick on live apple wood or a crush on growth you wanted to keep. Snap a twig if you are unsure. Green and flexible points at the 8090RS. Dry and brittle points at an anvil. If the limb is hung up or near a line, neither head is the right tool. The buying order is on the ratchet loppers buying guide.

Common questions

Which head for a live apple spur?
Use the bypass, which in this set is the 8090RS, and stay within the 42 mm cutting-width field. The maker’s page points that bypass at living branches. The amazon bullets do not say so. UK reviews include a nicked blade and torn bark on thin apple wood, so a ragged cut may still need a tidy with secateurs.
Which head for dead ivy and dry branches?
Use an anvil: Kimura, the 8100RS or the 8290RS, where the title and the blade-type field agree. The 8100RS maker page says dead branches. The 8290RS listing says thicker, harder branches. The Kew title says the same kind of wood, with a blade-type field that says bypass.
Will an anvil harm a shrub I want to keep?
It can crush living tissue. Gardeners’ World and Wonkee Donkee both say that. The ratchet only splits the force into steps. It does not change the wound. If the shrub has to heal, do not use the anvil as the finishing cut.
Can I use the bypass on hard dead wood?
You can try, and the blade may bend or jam. Wonkee Donkee names that failure, and UK reviews of the 8090RS include a nick and a slight bend on thin apple wood, which is not even the hardest dead waste. Dead hard wood is the anvil job in this set.
Which ASIN in this set is the bypass?
B0006UF6BC, the 8090RS. It is the only row whose title, style and blade type all say bypass. It is £36.95. The other titles are anvil, except the Kew conflict, where the title says anvil and the blade-type field says bypass.
Why does the Kew listing disagree with itself?
The title and the included line say anvil. The blade-type field says bypass. Both are on ASIN B00CV8IE52. The maker’s page describes an anvil for tougher dead wood. Treat the conflict as unset until you have read both lines, and do not use the field alone as a bypass purchase.
Does a ratchet change the head advice?
No. A ratchet is several bites with a pawl. The head still slices or crushes. Several bites on an anvil still crush, and several bites on a bypass still slice. Gear and compound loppers, which finish in one close, are a different category and do not alter this choice.

Related pages

Telescopic ratchet loppers

Ratchet loppers

Best ratchet loppers: one job and one skip for each

Ratchet loppers buying guide: head, size, then reach

How to use ratchet loppers: click, lock, then stop

Sources

Public UK sources for nests, hedgerows, carrying and sharpening, plus Spear & Jackson pages where a listing and the maker page disagree. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved on 21 October 2026.

  1. RHS — sharpening tools (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. RHS — pruning hedges (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. GOV.UK — wild birds (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. GOV.UK — hedgerow cutting rules (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. Natural Resources Wales — tool use card (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. Spear & Jackson 8290RS (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. Spear & Jackson 8100RS anvil (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. Spear & Jackson 8090RS bypass (retrieved 22.10.2026)