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Best ratchet loppers

Updated: 22 October 2026

Best is an empty word until you name the job. You might want the lowest price for dead wood, the only bypass for a live shrub, or the lightest weight because 1.9 kg overhead is already too much. Each amazon.co.uk listing gets a condition and a reason to skip it. The rows are on the [ratchet loppers comparison](/hub/garden-tree-and-hedge-shears/ratchet-loppers). The choosing order is on the [ratchet loppers buying guide](/hub/garden-tree-and-hedge-shears/ratchet-loppers/sub/ratchet-loppers-buying-guide). There is no lab cut. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Best is an empty word until you name the job. You might want the lowest price for dead wood, the only bypass for a live shrub, or the lightest weight because 1.9 kg overhead is already too much.

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.Lowest shelf price for a stated 42 mm anvil
  2. 2.The heavy-duty anvil listings
  3. 3.The only bypass title
  4. 4.The lightest listed weight
  5. 5.What the magazine line does not prove

Lowest shelf price for a stated 42 mm anvil

The Spear & Jackson 8100RS, ASIN B0006UF6BM, is £22.86 and shows 4.6 from 6,529 reviews. The bullet and the cutting-width field both say 42 mm, at 1.58 kg. UK reviews praise the ratchet on thicker stems, and they report aluminium handles that bent when the tool was extended, a twist-lock that shortens the arm, and a ratchet bolt that snapped after about two years. The length bullet prints 800 mm and also 72 cm and 28 inches. Those figures do not agree, and the listing has no guarantee line. The maker’s page points this anvil at dead branches. Skip it for live growth you want to keep. Reach is on the telescopic ratchet loppers page.

The heavy-duty anvil listings

The 8290RS, ASIN B004N9BSQE, is £27.90 with 4.6 from 5,307 reviews and a listed weight of 1.89 kg. Handles are 400–800 mm, for thicker, harder branches. The cutting-width field says 2 inches. UK reviews like the lower effort once the pump is learned, and call it poor inside a hedge because the jaws spring wide. Skip it if you cannot lift about 1.9 kg. The 8290KEW, ASIN B00CV8IE52, is £36.95, 4.6 from 123 reviews, 1.92 kg, a stated 50 mm, and handles from 719 mm to 1,030 mm. It is the only row whose bullets name a locking catch. The blade-type field says bypass while the title says anvil, so do not buy it as the bypass.
Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 8100RS

Testsieger

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

The only bypass title

The 8090RS, ASIN B0006UF6BC, is £36.95 with 4.5 from 1,147 reviews and a listed weight of 1.62 kg. Title, style and blade type all say bypass, so it is the row for living stems you want to keep. The bullets never name live or dead wood. The 42 mm figure sits only in the cutting-width field. UK reviews include a nicked blade on thin apple wood. The maker’s page points the bypass at living branches, which the listing does not promise. Skip it for dead hard waste. The head argument is on anvil or bypass loppers.

The lightest listed weight

The Kimura Pro 301, ASIN B0DHCHRV8G, is £44.99 at 4.7 from 159 reviews. It is an anvil with 40 mm in the bullet and the cutting-width field, handles from 650 mm to 950 mm, and the lightest listed weight at 1.25 kg. UK reviews praise less effort, and they also report handles that slipped when extended. The material field says Japanese SK5 carbon steel and the blade-material field says stainless steel. “Up to 5 times” is the seller’s claim. A 4.7 from 159 reviews does not outrank 4.6 from more than 6,000 on the 8100RS. Skip it if you want the lowest price or a bypass.

What the magazine line does not prove

BBC Gardeners’ World names a Spear & Jackson Advantage telescopic ratchet anvil, handles 72–104 cm, as its best ratchet loppers. The extract does not print 8100RS or an ASIN. The maker’s 8100RS page says 480–800 mm. Do not treat that magazine tool as B0006UF6BM. The English Garden guide’s bypass, handles to 80 cm, is closer in name to the 8090RS, and it is not a cut made for this page.

Common questions

Which one is the bypass?
The 8090RS. Title, style and blade type agree. It is £36.95, with 42 mm only in the cutting-width field and no length range in the bullets. The Kew title says anvil even though its blade-type field says bypass, so that row is not the bypass pick.
Which listing states 50 mm?
The 8290KEW bullets and cutting-width field say 50 mm, with handles from 719 mm to 1,030 mm, at £36.95 and 1.92 kg. The sample is 4.6 from 123 reviews. The 8290RS cutting-width field says 2 inches, which is a different listing and a different unit.
Did Gardeners’ World test the 8100RS?
The 2025 round-up and the 2020 review describe a Spear & Jackson Advantage telescopic ratchet anvil with handles of 72–104 cm. They do not print 8100RS or the ASIN in the extract used here. The maker’s 8100RS page says 480–800 mm. Do not pin that Best Buy to B0006UF6BM.
Is the Kimura the top pick because it costs more and has 4.7 stars?
No. It has the highest star line in the set and the smallest-but-one sample, at 159 reviews, and the highest shelf price at £44.99. It is the lightest anvil here. That is the condition. It is not a reason to ignore a lock that slipped or a head that UK reviews found too large in tight growth.
What does the 8290RS award bullet on amazon mean?
The bullet says Grow Your Own Great British Growing Awards 2021 winner. The maker’s page separately claims a Best Buy for telescopic anvil loppers and prints a different length from the amazon bullet. Attribute both lines to their pages. Neither is a cutting test run for this comparison.

Related pages

How to use ratchet loppers

Ratchet loppers

Anvil or bypass loppers: heal the plant, or clear it

Ratchet loppers buying guide: head, size, then reach

Telescopic ratchet loppers: range, lock and weight

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)