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Fiskars PowerGear vs SingleStep

Updated: October 2026

You are choosing between a geared Fiskars shear and the wavy SingleStep, and the orange handles do not tell you which is which. Fiskars PowerGear vs SingleStep comes down to force, a wider handle opening, and how many parts can fail. In this amazon.co.uk set the SingleStep is the HS22, and the PowerGear rows are the HS72, the PowerGear X HSX92, and a separate 23 inch PowerGear2. Prices and the full table are on the [Fiskars hedge trimmer comparison](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/fiskars-hedge-trimmer). Peter F. compared those listings on 22 October 2026. There is no lab figure for a threefold gain. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are choosing between a geared Fiskars shear and the wavy SingleStep, and the orange handles do not tell you which is which.

Our top picks

Fiskars Fiskars SingleStep HS22

Best overall

Fiskars Fiskars SingleStep HS22
8.9/10about £17.51
View offer
Fiskars Fiskars PowerGear II HS72

Alternative

Fiskars Fiskars PowerGear II HS72
7.9/10about £26.31
View offer
Fiskars Fiskars PowerGear X HSX92

Best value

Fiskars Fiskars PowerGear X HSX92
7.7/10about £17.51
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What the two names mean
  2. 2.What changes in the hand
  3. 3.The plastic joint
  4. 4.When to buy which

What the two names mean

SingleStep on the HS22 means a wavy blade on a simple pivot. There is no gear in the joint. The wave holds a stem while you close the handles. The listing is about 58 cm and about £17.51, with 4.6 from 1,674 reviews and 39 of the first 50 sample blocks marked United Kingdom. If you do not want the wave, the plain pivot is the Solid HS21, about 59 cm and 780 g at about £20.90. PowerGear means a gear at the pivot, sold as less effort. Fiskars’ up to 3x line, and Axminster’s three times the cutting power on the HS72, are marketing. Another UK retail page has said up to 30 percent. This file has no test that picks between those claims. The HS72 is model 1000596 at about £26.31. The HSX92 is the PowerGear X at about £17.51. The 23 inch PowerGear2, model 392861-1002, is also about £17.51, with almost no UK review text in the sample. If the problem is the top of the hedge, reach is a different question.

What changes in the hand

The gear changes the arc of the handles. UK reviews of the HS72, all 50 sampled blocks from the United Kingdom, call it light on sore hands. The star line is 4.6 from 492. The spec block says 630 g and the contents line says 720 g. Axminster lists 0.72 kg. Do not average those into one weight. The wide opening is also why a short reach can feel awkward. The HS22 gives you fewer parts and a wavy edge, at the same about £17.51 as the HSX92. A shear that feels easy gets asked to take a woody stem that needed a lopper. Less effort is not more capacity.
Fiskars Fiskars SingleStep HS22

Testsieger

Fiskars Fiskars SingleStep HS22
8.9/10about £17.51
View offer

The plastic joint

The HS72’s repeated UK complaint is a plastic centre joint or cog that wears or snaps, especially on thick wood. Some other reviews in the same sample report years of light use on green shoots. There is no spare gear wheel in the box. Kit 1001640 is a sharpener, not a new joint. The two-year warranty cell is materials and workmanship. Fiskars’ UK FAQ does not offer a lifetime guarantee in Europe, and misuse sits outside that cover. The PowerGear X did not, on this evidence, retire the plastic. One UK review hoped the newer gear had. Another describes a plastic cog backing that split, and a blade that snapped. The HSX92 sample is thinner: 14 of 50 reviews from the United Kingdom, 4.5 from 638. Its warranty cell says twenty-five years, which the other rows do not match and the UK FAQ does not support. Only two of the PowerGear2’s first 50 reviews are from the UK.

When to buy which

Buy the HS22 if you want a simple wavy shear for a short hedge, you can check that the tips meet, and you would rather have fewer parts. Buy the HSX92 if you want gearing without the HS72’s about £26.31 and you will stay on green growth, knowing a snapped blade and a split backing are already in the UK sample. Buy the HS72 only if you want that full UK geared sample and you accept the joint history. Nobody gets a measured threefold gain. The entry band, about £17 to £21, already holds the HS22, the HSX92 and the PowerGear2. The HS72 at about £26.31 costs more for a UK sample plus a known plastic failure, not for a proven multiple of power. The HS21 at about £20.90 remains the plain straight alternative.

Common questions

Does PowerGear really triple the cutting power?
No measurement in this set shows that. Fiskars says up to 3x, Axminster repeats three times on the HS72, and another UK page has said up to 30 percent. UK reviews describe less effort on green growth, a wider opening, and a plastic joint that snaps when the shear is forced.
Is the HS22 a PowerGear?
No. The HS22 is the SingleStep wavy shear, a simple pivot at about £17.51. PowerGear in this set is the HS72, the HSX92, and the 23 inch PowerGear2. If the listing does not say PowerGear, you are buying the wave.
Will the plastic gear break?
It has, in UK reviews of the HS72, when the shear is used on thick wood. Other reviewers report years of light use on green growth. The HSX92 sample also includes a split plastic cog backing. Soft annual shoots are the work the gear was praised for.
Did the PowerGear X fix the plastic?
Not on the evidence in this file. A UK reviewer hoped it had. Another reported a plastic backing that split, and a blade that snapped. The HSX92 is still about £17.51 if you stay on green growth. The 25-year cell does not prove a fix, and it conflicts with Fiskars’ UK FAQ.
Which is lighter?
You cannot pick a single winner from the cells. The HS22 prints 710 g and 840 g. The HS72 prints 630 g and 720 g. The HSX92 prints 960 g and 1.1 kg. The HS72 is the one reviewers call light in the hand, and the joint risk comes with it.
Why are two geared models the same price as the plain wavy one?
In this snapshot the HS22, the HSX92, and the 23 inch PowerGear2 are all about £17.51. The HS72 at about £26.31 costs more, with a full UK sample and a known plastic joint, not with a measured power gain. The PowerGear2’s star line is mostly not UK-written.

Related pages

Best Fiskars hedge shears

Fiskars hedge shears buying guide

Fiskars telescopic hedge shears

Fiskars hedge trimmer

How to trim a hedge with shears without tearing it

Sources

Public UK sources for the legal and horticultural points. Prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk listings in this category. Last checked 22 October 2026.

  1. Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, section 1 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. Management of Hedgerows (England) Regulations 2024 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. RSPB, Wildlife and Countryside Act (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. RHS, pruning hedges (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. Fiskars UK FAQ (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, section 66 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. HSE INDG480, powered trimmer vibration (retrieved 22.10.2026)