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Telescopic ratchet loppers

Updated: 22 October 2026

You want the stem above the fence without a ladder, and the listing length is three numbers that do not agree. Every ratchet lopper in this set extends, so this page is range, lock and weight. Pole pruners at about 1.8 m were removed. The pump and the nest check stay on [how to use ratchet loppers](/hub/garden-tree-and-hedge-shears/ratchet-loppers/sub/ratchet-loppers-how-to-use). The table is the [ratchet loppers comparison](/hub/garden-tree-and-hedge-shears/ratchet-loppers). Where a maker page disagrees, both figures are named and neither is averaged. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You want the stem above the fence without a ladder, and the listing length is three numbers that do not agree. Every ratchet lopper in this set extends, so this page is range, lock and weight.

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 8290KEW

Alternative

Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 8290KEW
4.6/10about £36.95
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What each listing actually prints
  2. 2.Where the maker page disagrees
  3. 3.Twist, lock, then cut
  4. 4.Weight at arm’s length
  5. 5.Still not a pole pruner

What each listing actually prints

Read the bullet on the ASIN you will pay for. Kimura prints 650–950 mm, at 1.25 kg and 40 mm. The 8100RS bullet says 800 mm and also 72 cm and 28 inches. Those three do not match. The stated cut is 42 mm and the weight is 1.58 kg. The 8290RS listing says 400–800 mm, at 1.89 kg, and the cutting-width field says 2 inches. The 8090RS bullets say twist-and-lock and do not give millimetres. Its size field and item dimensions disagree. The Kew bullets are the longest range: 719–1,030 mm, 50 mm, 1.92 kg, and a locking catch the others do not name.

Where the maker page disagrees

The maker’s page for 8100RS says 480–800 mm, not the bullet that also says 72 cm and 28 inches, and not the 72–104 cm Gardeners’ World figure, which does not print 8100RS. The 8090RS maker page says 480–800 mm while the amazon bullets omit a range. The 8290RS maker page says 710–1,030 mm and the listing bullet says 400–800 mm. A live amazon.co.uk page for B004N9BSQE, seen on 20 October 2026, prints both. Do not average them. The Kew maker page says 710–1,030 mm, close to the amazon 719–1,030 mm. Buy the length on the page you are paying. Those checks are ordered on the ratchet loppers buying guide.
Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 8100RS

Testsieger

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

Twist, lock, then cut

Extend the handles, twist the lock, and pull the tubes before you lift them. Natural Resources Wales says an extendable handle should stay secure. Kimura locks slipped when extended. The 8100RS twist-lock shortens the arm if it is not firm, and aluminium handles bent on thick wood while extended. A Kew length lock slipped for one reviewer. If the lock will not hold on the ground, it will not hold overhead. Extra length is leverage only while the lock holds.

Weight at arm’s length

The English Garden guide says telescopic handles reach almost a metre and that ratchet heads suit short bursts. That is that page’s summary, not a measurement of these five ASINs. Listed weights run from 1.25 kg to 1.92 kg. UK reviews call the 8290RS and the Kew heavy off the ground. The Kimura is the lightest and is still called heavy once the handles are out. Shorten them for chest-height work. Who each listing is for stays on best ratchet loppers.

Still not a pole pruner

The longest figure here is the Kew’s 1,030 mm, about a metre, at 1.92 kg, on a listing whose title and blade-type field disagree. That is not a pole saw. Gardeners’ World’s 2025 best telescopic award in the same guide is a Wolf Garten, not a ratchet in this set. If you cannot do the cut with both feet on the ground, stop. A ladder plus a heavy lopper is how handles bend and how people fall.

Common questions

How long are these loppers, really?
Use the listing bullet. Kimura 650–950 mm. The 8100RS prints 800 mm and also 72 cm and 28 inches, which disagree. The 8290RS listing says 400–800 mm. The 8090RS bullets give no range. The Kew says 719–1,030 mm. Maker pages differ on several of those part numbers. Do not average them.
Will they replace a pole saw?
No. The longest stated reach in these listings is 1,030 mm. Pole tools around 1.8 m and above were removed from this category. A metre of handle, with a heavy head, is a short-burst garden tool. It is not a saw on a pole and it is not a substitute for staying off a ladder.
Why does the 8290RS show two length ranges?
The listing bullet used for the comparison says 400–800 mm. The maker’s page says 710–1,030 mm. A live amazon page seen on 20 October 2026 prints both. They are conflicting texts, not a range from 400 mm to 1,030 mm. Buy the figure on the page in front of you.
How do I stop the handles collapsing?
Twist the lock until a firm pull does not shorten the tube, and test that on the ground. UK reviews include Kimura locks that slipped, an 8100RS lock that shortened the arm, and a Kew length lock that slipped. If it moves in your hands at waist height, do not use it overhead.
Are they too heavy to hold up?
Listed weights run from 1.25 kg to 1.92 kg, and UK reviews still call the lighter tools heavy once they are extended. The 8290RS at 1.89 kg and the Kew at 1.92 kg draw the strongest overhead complaints. Shorten the handles for close work, and keep full extension to short bursts.
Does the 8090RS extend, and by how much on the listing?
The bullets say twist-and-lock and do not print millimetres. Dimensions and the size field disagree with each other. The maker’s page says 480–800 mm. That maker figure is not the comparison cell, because the amazon bullets do not state it.
Is a longer handle always more force?
A longer handle can add leverage while the lock holds and the stem is inside the stated diameter. It also adds weight and a tube that can slip or bend. UK reviews of the 8100RS include handles bent while extended. Extra length used past the ceiling is how those failures start.

Related pages

Anvil or bypass 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)