How to use secateurs
Updated: 22 October 2026
You have the blades open and a shrub, a rose, or a thin branch in front of you. How to use secateurs is mostly where the cut sits, which face of the blade touches the wood you keep, and when you stop. Peter F. wrote this from Royal Horticultural Society guidance and from the review notes on the twelve amazon.co.uk listings in the [secateurs comparison](/hub/garden-tree-and-hedge-shears/secateurs), dated 21 October 2026. We did not prune a garden for this page, and the steps below are the published horticultural method, not a test we ran. Prices and rankings stay on the comparison. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You have the blades open and a shrub, a rose, or a thin branch in front of you. How to use secateurs is mostly where the cut sits, which face of the blade touches the wood you keep, and when you stop. Peter F.
You have the blades open and a shrub, a rose, or a thin branch in front of you. How to use secateurs is mostly where the cut sits, which face of the blade touches the wood you keep, and when you stop. Peter F. wrote this from Royal Horticultural Society guidance and from the review notes on the twelve amazon.co.uk listings in the secateurs comparison, dated 21 October 2026. We did not prune a garden for this page, and the steps below are the published horticultural method, not a test we ran. Prices and rankings stay on the comparison. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Claimed cut | Lock | Spare spring | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Kynup Kynup V-11 | 25 mm; 1 inch | Slide lock claimed | Yes | 9.0 | about £9.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  WORKPRO WORKPRO 200 mm | 19 mm | Safety lock claimed | n/a | 8.6 | about £7.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 7159BS | 12 mm | Locking catch claimed | n/a | 7.7 | about £12.11 | View offer |
On this page
Where the cut goes
On a rose, the Royal Horticultural Society wants the cut within 5 mm of a bud, sloping away from that bud, on an outward-facing bud, and down to white pith when you are taking out older wood. On a tree, the same society puts the cut about 0.5 cm above a bud. Those are not the same distance. A rose cut that sits a centimetre above the bud leaves a stub that dies back. A tree cut that kisses the bud can damage the bud you meant to keep. Choose a bud that points the way you want the new shoot to grow, usually outwards so the centre stays open. Set the blades so the cut slopes away from the bud, which sheds water off the bud rather than into it. If the wood is diseased, disinfect the blade between cuts. The tree guide also says you should not remove more than about one fifth of the canopy in one go. A crushed or torn end is a sign you were on the wrong jaw or past the tool’s width. Anvil secateurs close onto a block and mash green tissue. Bypass blades pass each other and can leave a cleaner face on live wood, if they are sharp and if you do not twist. The full split is on bypass versus anvil secateurs.
How you hold the tool
Hold the secateurs so the thin cutting blade sits against the wood you are keeping. The thicker hook, or the anvil if that is the tool you have, takes the side you are removing. If you reverse that, the kept stub is the side that bruises. Place the stem well into the jaws, not in the tips, and close in one steady squeeze. Twisting to finish a cut that will not go through tears the bark and bends the pivot. If the stem will not finish, open the blades and change tool. Keep your other hand clear of the close. The WORKPRO two-piece set includes 160 mm shears whose spring, in one UK review, can nip the hand. A lock that is only half off will catch mid-cut. On the green WORKPRO 220 mm, one review says the knob locks during the cut. Open the lock fully, cut, then lock the blades before the pair goes back into a pocket or a trug. Gloves change the fit. A catch you can flick bare-handed may not move in a winter glove. Which? treats a left-hand blade as a different pair, and ambidextrous on these listings means either hand can hold the handles, not a mirrored edge. The checks for hand and lock, before you buy, are on the secateurs buying guide.
Clean, then sharpen the bevel
Sap is why blades stick and why disease moves from one shrub to the next. After a rose, wipe the blade. The Royal Horticultural Society’s cleaning guidance is a scourer for dried sap, then a dry blade before you put the tool away. UK reviews on the Spear & Jackson set say the blades rust if you leave them wet. A PTFE or Teflon line on a listing does not cancel that. DECERK’s bypass prints 60 HRC and a 5,000-cut claim beside a titanium attribute. Those are listing strings. Sharpen the bevel, the angled face, and leave the flat face alone. The society’s sharpening page is that rule, then a paper test: the edge should slice paper rather than fold it. Do not force a riveted pivot that was not built to be undone. If you sharpen the flat, the two faces stop meeting and the cut crushes. On the 7159BS, several UK reviews say the blades or the catch stick shut and the spring needs a flick. On VOTREK VT-X850, several say the blades stay shut after a snip or the closure clip loosens. Clear sap, oil the pivot, and make sure the lock is fully off before you decide the spring is broken. A spare spring is in the box only when the components line says so. Kynup includes one. The WORKPRO singles do not. If a weak grip cannot pull stuck blades open, that fault is its own problem on secateurs for weak hands.
When to stop
Stop when the stem is thicker than the smaller cut printed on your pair, and stop again when it is past about 2.5 cm. The Royal Horticultural Society treats that thickness as saw territory on trees, with loppers as the in-between tool. The 7159BS table stops at 12 mm. A Kynup bullet says 25 mm and the table says 1 inch. Forcing the larger of two numbers, or forcing 2.5 cm through a 12 mm bypass, twists the stem and springs the pivot. Change to loppers or a pruning saw. Do not stand on a ladder and reach into a canopy with one-handed secateurs. A cut you cannot see, on a branch that can swing, is how people fall. If the job needs a saw from a ladder, it is no longer a secateur job. Stop and ask for help when you cannot name the tree, when the pain in your hands is medical rather than a stiff spring, or when a tree preservation order might apply. A preservation order is a matter for the local council, not a guess from a listing. If the pith is brown when you expected white, cut back to healthy wood in small steps. Put the pair away dry, locked, and off the floor of a damp shed.
Common questions
How far above a bud do I cut?
On roses, the Royal Horticultural Society says within 5 mm of a bud, sloping away from it. On trees, the same society says about 0.5 cm above a bud. Use the figure that matches the plant. A longer stub dies back. A cut that takes the bud off wastes the shoot you were trying to keep. Slope the cut so water runs away from the bud, and choose an outward-facing bud when you want an open centre.
Which way should the blade face?
The thin cutting blade faces the wood you keep. The hook, or the anvil, faces the side you are removing. Seat the stem deep in the jaws and close once, without twisting. If you reverse the blade, the bruise lands on the stub that has to heal. If the stem will not finish, open up and fetch a lopper or a saw rather than rocking the handles.
How do I sharpen secateurs?
Sharpen the bevel only, not the flat face that the blade closes against. The Royal Horticultural Society then suggests a paper test: the edge should cut paper cleanly. Oil the pivot afterwards. Do not dismantle a riveted pair that will not come apart. A few careful strokes are enough. A PTFE claim on the listing does not mean the bevel never needs a stone.
Why do the blades stay shut?
Often because sap has dried in the pivot, the lock is not fully off, or the spring is weak. UK reviews on the Spear & Jackson 7159BS and the VOTREK VT-X850 describe blades that stick after a snip. Wipe the sap, oil the joint, and check the catch before you assume the tool is broken. A spare spring helps only if one was actually in the box. Pulling stuck blades open is harder if your grip is already tired.
Should I disinfect between cuts?
Yes when the wood is diseased, and it is a sound habit between different plants. The Royal Horticultural Society’s tree guidance says disinfectant between diseased cuts so you do not spread the problem. Wipe sap as you go, and dry the blade before storage. A coating named on an amazon.co.uk page does not do that job for you. Brown pith is a reason to cut back to clean wood, not a reason to keep the same dirty edge.
When is a stem too thick?
When it is thicker than the smaller diameter printed on your secateurs, and in any case when it is past about 2.5 cm on a tree. That 2.5 cm line is the Royal Horticultural Society’s point for changing to a saw, with loppers for the sizes in between. A 12 mm bypass cannot be argued up to 25 mm because another brand prints a larger bullet. If the cut stalls, stop squeezing.
Can I prune from a ladder with these?
No. One-handed secateurs are for wood you can reach with both feet on the ground and the other hand clear of the blades. A saw cut from a ladder, or any cut you cannot see properly, is the point where a professional or a proper platform takes over. Falling is a worse outcome than a stub left until you can reach it safely. Lock the blades before you carry them, including on the way down.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources for cut size, rose cuts, sharpening, grip, and consumer-goods rules. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved for this comparison.
- RHS — how to prune a tree (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- RHS — rose pruning (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- RHS — sharpening tools (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Arthritis UK — gardening (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- GOV.UK — General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- BBC Gardeners' World — best secateurs (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Burgon & Ball — bypass, anvil or scissor (retrieved 22.10.2026)