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Pruning saw vs loppers

Updated: October 2026

You are forcing loppers through a stem and the bark is crushing, or you are about to buy a second tool. Pruning saw vs loppers is a ladder, and the published rungs do not match. This page leaves each millimetre with the guide that printed it. It does not average them. The hand saws, if you need one, are in the [pruning saw comparison](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/pruning-saw). Products Compared compared amazon.co.uk listings. This is not a cutting trial. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The cut sequence, once the saw is the right tool, is on the [how to use a pruning saw](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/pruning-saw/sub/pruning-saw-how-to-use) page.

You are forcing loppers through a stem and the bark is crushing, or you are about to buy a second tool. Pruning saw vs loppers is a ladder, and the published rungs do not match.

Our top picks

HAUTMEC HAUTMEC folding 230 mm

Best overall

HAUTMEC HAUTMEC folding 230 mm
7.9/10about £16.99
View offer
GRÜNTEK GRÜNTEK folding 180 mm cork

Rank 2

GRÜNTEK GRÜNTEK folding 180 mm cork
8.3/10about £15.98
View offer
forest Originals Fixed pull saw 240 mm

Alternative

forest Originals Fixed pull saw 240 mm
8.0/10about £32.39
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The ladder, with the numbers left intact
  2. 2.Why 25 mm, 30 mm, and 5 cm can all be true
  3. 3.Bypass, anvil, and a saw that does not crush
  4. 4.Bow saw, chainsaw, and staying on the ground

The ladder, with the numbers left intact

Secateurs take twigs. Loppers are the two-handed step after that. A pruning saw is next when the stem is too thick or too awkward. A bow saw needs room to swing a frame. The diameters stay labelled. The RHS tree-pruning guide sends branches under about 2.5 cm to secateurs or loppers. The RHS climber page says loppers for woody stems up to 3 cm, and a pruning saw after that. The English Garden says you need a pruning saw generally over 5 cm, and that folders are often useful to about 10–12.5 cm. A 2026 lopper test found claimed cutting widths from about 30 mm to about 55 mm. An orchard note, TIN015, puts a pruning saw to about 80 mm and a bow saw at about 80–150 mm.

Why 25 mm, 30 mm, and 5 cm can all be true

They describe different jobs and different loppers. The RHS 2.5 cm line is ordinary tree pruning. The climber page's 3 cm is a renovation cut on woody climbing stems. The English Garden's generally over 5 cm, and the Gardeners' World line at about 5 cm, are buying lines for when a saw becomes the tool you reach for. They are not a ban on loppers at 35 mm if your loppers are rated for it and the bark stays clean. A lopper claimed at 30 mm is finished at 30 mm. The orchard note's 80 mm is a ceiling in that system, not a promise that every 180 mm folder will take an 8 cm limb. Nobody published 40 mm.
HAUTMEC HAUTMEC folding 230 mm

Testsieger

HAUTMEC HAUTMEC folding 230 mm
7.9/10about £16.99
View offer

Bypass, anvil, and a saw that does not crush

Bypass loppers work like secateurs. Two blades pass, and on live wood that slice is the usual recommendation. Anvil loppers close a blade onto a flat plate and can crush live bark even inside the claimed cut. An anvil is more at home on dead wood. A pruning saw does not squeeze the stem between two handles. The tooth removes wood. The English Garden prefers a pruning saw to a bow saw when the cut must be clean and the space is tight. Twigs under the RHS 2.5 cm line are still a lopper's job, not a 230 mm tooth. The format, once you are past the loppers, is on the folding or fixed pruning saw page.

Bow saw, chainsaw, and staying on the ground

Use the pruning saw while you can finish from the ground, the space is tight, and the stem is past your loppers without being a log. Move to a bow saw when the wood is in the orchard note's band, about 80–150 mm, and you have room for the frame. Stop when the branch is overhead, over a path, glass, or a cable, or when you have not checked a tree preservation order or a conservation area. It is an offence to damage a wild bird's nest while it is in use or being built.

Common questions

At what thickness do you put the loppers down?
When the stem is past the cutting width of the loppers in your hand, or when the bark is crushing. The RHS tree guide uses about 2.5 cm. The climber page uses 3 cm. The English Garden and Gardeners' World talk about a saw generally over about 5 cm. Your lopper's own claim may sit from about 30 mm to about 55 mm. Use that claim, not an average.
Why do the guides disagree?
They describe different plants, different loppers, and a buying line rather than a single law. A 3 cm climber stem and a 5 cm tree branch are both woody, and they are not the same cut. The lopper test's 30–55 mm range shows that too thick for loppers depends on the tool. Quoting one number as if the others were wrong loses the useful part of each guide.
Are anvil loppers acceptable on live wood?
They will cut, and they often crush. Bypass blades pass each other and are the usual choice for live stems you want to keep. An anvil is more tolerable on dead wood. If the live bark is already bruising, switch to bypass loppers or to a saw rather than squeezing harder.
When is a bow saw the next tool?
When the wood is beyond a comfortable pruning-saw cut and you have room to swing the frame. The orchard note puts that handoff at about 80 mm, with a bow saw up to about 150 mm. In a tight fork, the English Garden still prefers a pruning saw, because a draw-cut tooth can finish where a frame saw cannot move.
Can a pruning saw replace secateurs?
No. Secateurs take the twigs. Loppers take the next woody step, inside their stated width. A saw is slow and coarse on a 1 cm shoot, and it is the right tool once the handles are crushing or the stem is simply too thick. You still own all three.
Where is the cut sequence?
On the how-to page. The short version is the RHS order: an undercut about 20 cm out, a top cut about 2.5 cm further toward the tip, then the stub just outside the branch collar. Do not paint the wound as a routine. If that sequence would happen on a ladder, do not start it.

Related pages

Pruning saw buying guide

Pruning saw

Best pruning saw UK under the published score rule

Folding or fixed pruning saw: lock or a real sheath

How to use a pruning saw: three cuts and the collar

Sources

Buying notes from the sources below, checked for this page on 22 October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are from the amazon.co.uk captures of that date.

  1. Gardeners' World: best pruning saws (11 February 2026) (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. The English Garden: the best pruning (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. RHS: how to prune a tree (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. RHS: pruning apples and pears (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK: Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK: wild birds, protection, surveys and licences (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. GOV.UK: hedgerow management, cutting and trimming (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. HSE: chainsaws at work (INDG317) (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (satisfactory quality) (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  10. amazon.co.uk listings for the ten hand pruning saws, captured 22 October 2026 (retrieved 22 October 2026)