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Anvil or bypass secateurs

Updated: 22 October 2026

You are about to buy a ratchet because a dead rose cane is too much for one squeeze, and the amazon.co.uk titles do not agree on the wound. Anvil or bypass secateurs decides whether living growth is sliced or crushed. The ratchet only changes how hard you squeeze. Peter F. used BBC Gardeners' World, the RHS pruning guide, and the five listings in the [ratchet scissors comparison](/hub/garden-tree-and-hedge-shears/ratchet-scissors), read on amazon.co.uk on 20 October 2026. There was no cutting trial. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. If the wood is already dead, the [ratchet secateurs buying guide](/hub/garden-tree-and-hedge-shears/ratchet-scissors/sub/ratchet-scissors-buying-guide) lists the checks in order.

You are about to buy a ratchet because a dead rose cane is too much for one squeeze, and the amazon.co.uk titles do not agree on the wound. Anvil or bypass secateurs decides whether living growth is sliced or crushed.

Our top picks

Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 6358RS

Best overall

Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 6358RS
8.3/10about £9.65
View offer
The Gardener's Friend The Gardener's Friend 3130-3

Alternative

The Gardener's Friend The Gardener's Friend 3130-3
7.1/10about £29.99
View offer
GRÜNTEK GRÜNTEK Kakadu

Alternative

GRÜNTEK GRÜNTEK Kakadu
5.7/10about £14.80
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Two cuts, and a mechanism that is not a third cut
  2. 2.When the anvil is the right jaw
  3. 3.What these listings actually say
  4. 4.When neither pocket secateur is enough

Two cuts, and a mechanism that is not a third cut

Bypass blades pass each other and slice, which suits live green stems, soft growth and deadheading. Anvil blades close onto a flat plate and chop. BBC Gardeners' World points the anvil at thicker woody stems and dead wood, and says a blunt anvil can crush. Ideal Home makes the same split. A ratchet is not a third blade. It holds the edge so you close, ease only to the click, and close again. Gardeners' World says that mechanism can sit on either action. This set does not clearly offer a bypass ratchet. On one bush the flower wants bypass and the dry cane wants an anvil. The click, once you own the tool, is on how to use ratchet secateurs.

When the anvil is the right jaw

Choose the anvil when the wood is dead, dry or older and you are removing it. The 6358RS maker page says older or dead wood, and the bullets say anvil, four steps and 20 mm. The Gardener's Friend says anvil, with a 25 mm highlight and up to 1 inch depending on the wood and your strength. Choose bypass for a green stem, deadheading, or a rose spur you mean to keep. Gardeners' World treats sharp bypass blades as suitable up to about finger thickness. A weak grip does not move living tissue onto the anvil. The RHS treats branches under about 25 mm as secateur or lopper work. The 6358RS stops at 20 mm. Stored reviews describe thin stems that stick.
Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 6358RS

Testsieger

Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 6358RS
8.3/10about £9.65
View offer

What these listings actually say

On 20 October 2026 the 6358RS was £9.65, with 4.4 from 2,840 reviews, anvil in the bullets and the specification. The Gardener's Friend was £29.99, with 4.3 from 5,342 reviews, a three-stage anvil. The £9.65 anvil is the top pick and the best value here for dead or woody stems around 20 mm. The GRÜNTEK Kakadu was £14.80, with 4.0 from 6,407 reviews. The title says bypass and the specification says anvil. One stored review calls it anvil. Do not buy it as a rose pruner on the title. The Zrebcley at £9.99 prints 20 mm and does not name the blade. The MIGIFTDY at £8.99 has no review line and no blade type. Live stems want bypass, which none of these five pages states cleanly. Buy both only when the garden has both jobs.

When neither pocket secateur is enough

Past about 25 mm the RHS sends you to a saw, with an undercut so the bark does not tear. Forcing that limb into a pocket ratchet twists the blade, anvil or bypass. Loppers are the step when the wood is still a hand-tool size and the secateur cannot close. A blunt anvil crushes more and a blunt bypass tears. Another click repairs neither. HSE guidance keeps ladder jobs short, with no over-reaching and not from the top rungs. Call someone in when the branch is over a path or a cable.

Common questions

Will an anvil ratchet damage a living stem?
It can crush it. The blade closes onto a flat plate, and soft green wood flattens before it parts. Gardeners' World and Ideal Home both describe that, especially with a blunt edge. A ratchet only breaks the squeeze into steps. Use the anvil on dead or dry wood, and keep bypass blades for growth you want to keep. A blunt bypass can tear, so that pair still needs a sharp edge.
Can a ratchet be bypass as well as anvil?
Yes. Gardeners' World says the staged mechanism can sit on either blade. The ratchet advances the handles. The blade is still bypass or anvil. Ideal Home is more cautious about ratchet tools on live green stems, which matches this set. On 20 October 2026 the amazon.co.uk pages whose bullets and specification agreed were anvils. None of the five is a clearly stated bypass ratchet.
What should I use on roses and soft growth?
Use bypass secateurs. Passing blades suit live green stems and deadheading, where you want a slice rather than a chop against a plate. The 6358RS and The Gardener's Friend are anvil ratchets, so both are the wrong jaw even if a staged squeeze would spare your hand. If either would be your only pair, you still need a bypass for the roses. Keep the ratchet for the dead cane.
Is the GRÜNTEK Kakadu bypass because the title says so?
No. The amazon.co.uk title says bypass and the specification says anvil. The bullets give 24 mm and a switchable ratchet without naming the blade. One stored UK review calls the tool anvil, so the lines do not agree. Do not treat the title as the specification. At £14.80 with 4.0 from 6,407 reviews on 20 October 2026, the record is long and the cut type is still unsettled.
Why do thin green shoots stick in an anvil ratchet?
Stored UK reviews of the 6358RS describe thin stems that stick. The shoot flattens on the plate and packs the groove. That is the wrong jaw for soft growth, not only a blunt edge. Forcing the next click crushes it further. Open the handles fully, pull the stem out, and clear the fibres, then switch to bypass or to wood the anvil was sold for.
Do I need both a bypass pair and a ratchet anvil?
Only if the garden has both jobs. Bypass covers live green stems and deadheading. An anvil ratchet covers dead or thicker woody stems at or under the printed millimetres, if the stem will sit in the jaw. One tool for both is how green shoots get crushed. If dead wood is rare, the ratchet is optional. If dead canes are the weekly job, use the anvil there and keep bypass for new growth.

Related pages

Best ratchet secateurs

Anvil secateurs

Ratchet scissors

Best ratchet secateurs UK: job, size, then the lock

How to use ratchet secateurs without the full reset

Ratchet secateurs for arthritis: when the lock fails

Sources

Public UK sources for the 25 mm hand-tool limit, sharpening, grip, product safety and the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved on 20 October 2026.

  1. RHS — how to prune a tree (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  2. RHS — sharpening hand tools (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  3. Arthritis UK — gardening (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  4. Spear & Jackson 6358RS (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  5. GOV.UK — reporting product safety issues (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  6. Pembrokeshire County Council — Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  7. BBC Gardeners' World — best secateurs (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  8. HSE — ladders (retrieved 20.10.2026)