# Lopper recommendations



## TwistedCrank (Aug 6, 2004)

I've gone through 2 pairs of Home Depot-bought Fiskars in the past two months. Both are duller than a soap dish and don't hold a sharpen for more than an hour.

Granted, I've been chewing though some pretty dense vegetation lately. But I need something more durable and ready to do dirty work.



Got any recommendations?


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## Trail Ninja (Sep 25, 2008)

Sorry, no recommendations for another brand. I'm happy with Fiskars mostly because the mechanics hold up well compared to a lot of other loppers.

Just a suggestion, is there any chance that you are sharpening at the wrong angle? Razor sharp will dull pretty fast when on a lopper cutting brush. a more steep (sorry, forgot the right word for it) angle will hold up longer. Off the top of my head, 30 degrees sounds right. You can research that if you want.


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## fisher457xc (Dec 3, 2010)

Corona brand at lowes.. I hate lowes, but best I've found.


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## bsieb (Aug 23, 2003)

Felco Loppers are Tough to Beat


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## c0nsumer (Mar 17, 2008)

I like buying Corona-brand loppers on Amazon. Rather cheap, very nice loppers, and they almost all ship with Prime.


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## Irishbuddha (Feb 25, 2004)

*Fiskars*

Dear Mr. Twisted,

Might you be cutting off more than your Fiskar can handle?

If you put your old Fiskar under your pillow tonight, maybe the trail fairy will drop off a new pair.


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## hado_pv (May 26, 2006)

I have a pair of Gilmour anvil loppers that work wonders. Use them like a hammer to clear dead stuff of the bottoms of hemlocks, cut roots and small trees like a charm. They're heavy, but indispensable and have a lifetime warranty replacement.


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## letsgo (Apr 12, 2009)

have you thought of using machete insead?


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## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

You cannot control the cut with a machete. There is a proper way and place to cut brush, and loppers allow that precision. Machetes leave frayed branches and just are not used by serious trail workers, period.


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## letsgo (Apr 12, 2009)

Yes every tool has its place. OP "some pretty dense vegetation lately" Thought he might try machete, easier to sharpen, but as you pointed out not as precise. Granted I am not a "serious trail worker" but have used machete extensively throughout the years. Just threw it out there, period.


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## TwistedCrank (Aug 6, 2004)

BTW here are the offending instruments.

And the toenail trimmers dropped off by SantaBoodah.


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## bsieb (Aug 23, 2003)

^Are you cutting dead or live material?


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## TwistedCrank (Aug 6, 2004)

bsieb said:


> ^Are you cutting dead or live material?


Both! The dead stuff seems to put a hurt on the sharpened edge. Unfortunately the kind of bushes we have here have got a lot of dead stuff mixed in with the live stuff.


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## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

TwistedCrank said:


> Both! The dead stuff seems to put a hurt on the sharpened edge. Unfortunately the kind of bushes we have here have got a lot of dead stuff mixed in with the live stuff.


Central Coastal CA (born and raised in Idaho  ) chaparral we use loppers for live and saws for dead.


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## thefriar (Jan 23, 2008)

slocaus said:


> You cannot control the cut with a machete. There is a proper way and place to cut brush, and loppers allow that precision. Machetes leave frayed branches and just are not used by serious trail workers, period.


Works well to get through barberry and wing euanomous invasives quickly in these parts so the diggers/pry bars/flamerthrowers can move in behind. Its a useful tool for general clean up but not for finishing work. Especially if you have a hurricane come through and need to just blow out smaller limbs on downed trees for the saw guys to get in and do their job.

Believe its a pretty common tool out here on the East Coast, we do have a bit more density in our forests than the west and almost everything we encounter around the NE is new growth forest.


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## bsieb (Aug 23, 2003)

TwistedCrank said:


> Both! The dead stuff seems to put a hurt on the sharpened edge. Unfortunately the kind of bushes we have here have got a lot of dead stuff mixed in with the live stuff.


Felco (and maybe others) has loppers designed for cutting dead wood. Might be worth a try.


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## bweide (Dec 27, 2004)

Anvil prunners work best in dead stuff and will still cut live stuff well except for the really stringy, fiborous plants. Highly recommend Corona. Maybe also try a larger size lopper also .


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## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

thefriar said:


> Works well to get through barberry and wing euanomous invasives quickly in these parts so the diggers/pry bars/flamerthrowers can move in behind. Its a useful tool for general clean up but not for finishing work. Especially if you have a hurricane come through and need to just blow out smaller limbs on downed trees for the saw guys to get in and do their job.
> 
> Believe its a pretty common tool out here on the East Coast, we do have a bit more density in our forests than the west and almost everything we encounter around the NE is new growth forest.


Makes sense, thanks. Being a West Coast guy, I've never ridden East Coast, but I can see from photos where soft plants can be controlled with a machete, and your example of use make sense now. We have just seen such a mess made here with people taking a machete to brush.


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## Trail Ninja (Sep 25, 2008)

slocaus said:


> Makes sense, thanks. Being a West Coast guy, I've never ridden East Coast, but I can see from photos where soft plants can be controlled with a machete, and your example of use make sense now. We have just seen such a mess made here with people taking a machete to brush.


Slocaus, 7 months ago I would have said the same thing. Machetes are useless trail tools. After moving from Vancouver Island on the west coast to the Niagara region in Southern Ontario, ( read Upstate New York ) I can see a lot of use for a small machete here. It's really important that you realize you are making punji sticks if you cut wood and branches with one. I have a little saw-backed machete as my "quick repair while riding" tool. It replaced hand pruners and a folding saw that I used to carry on the west coast.


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## Trail Ninja (Sep 25, 2008)

Twisted: Wow! Those look like you've been using them for bolt cutters. Is there a lot of hard-to-see wire fence where you are building?

Seriously though, what plants are doing that to loppers?


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## TwistedCrank (Aug 6, 2004)

Trail Ninja said:


> Seriously though, what plants are doing that to loppers?


Sagebrush, bitterbrush, some kind tree that's got some nasty spikes on it with branches at eye level (ironwood?), lots of rose hips, and these gruesome bushes that grow in dense clusters in dry creek bottoms.

A real hodge-podge of dry/brittle and green/flexible.

And occasional poison ivy.


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## mike_d_1583 (Feb 12, 2008)

The Home Depot sells a folding saw with a wooden handle, alot better than loppers as you can fold it up and stick it in your pocket. The blades are so sharp it cut through a 4" limb in about 5 seconds. 11-1/4 in. Pruning Saw-79476966J at The Home Depot

Check it out! Worth the money!


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## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

mike_d_1583 said:


> The Home Depot sells a folding saw with a wooden handle, alot better than loppers as you can fold it up and stick it in your pocket. The blades are so sharp it cut through a 4" limb in about 5 seconds. 11-1/4 in. Pruning Saw-79476966J at The Home Depot
> 
> Check it out! Worth the money!


I carry loppers, saw, small clippers. When clearing drains, you need the appropriate tool for the location and work. Rogue hoes will cut good sized brush (2-4") at ground level too.


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## Simpleton (May 3, 2004)

I love my Fiskars bypass loppers, but large dead branches will kill them. They are built for green wood. Use anvil loppers or a saw or awesome karate skills for the dry dead stuff.

You can buy replacement blades online (don't remember where I found them) for about $10 ea.


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## kubaner (Nov 24, 2006)

I think the key to keeping your tools in good shape is only using them for what they're meant for. I start with a pair of hand pruners then a small 8" folding saw/ fiskars plastic loppers/bigger fiskars loppers/12" fixed blade saw/big corona 18" wood handle saw/gas trimmers/chainsaw. 
I only use what will do the job. None of that stuff cost more than $25 to replace or repair


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## lone ranger nh (Oct 19, 2011)

Ratcheting Action Anvil Lopper


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## Freeflow (Dec 6, 2011)

Sorry if this sounds obvious but being careful what you cut and how you do it will help. Personally I like Fiskars loppers and have owned a set for a while now. But like any loppers if you cut stuff which is covered in dirt or grit (often trapped in bark etc.) then your loppers will dull quickly. You can cut surprisingly large stuff with small loppers by cutting a bit then rotate lopper around the branch and cut again, rotate further and cut again and so on... Experiment with technique! Hope this helps.


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## ronski (Jul 28, 2009)

I like the Sandvik-Bahco loppers. $$'s but they don't break and work really well. For anything larger than what these will comfortably handle I use a chainsaw.

Sandvik Loppers


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## PinkFloyd (Nov 24, 2011)

Amazon.com: Fiskars Ratchet Drive Anvil Lopper: Patio, Lawn & Garden

The folks in the bike club call mine the "bionic loppers"  They cut up to 2" stuff and have a lifetime warranty.


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