Best Loppers and Hedge Shears for 2026
By The DIYPicks Team · Updated July 2026
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When a hand pruner is too small, you step up to two-handed long-handled tools. Loppers use leverage to cut thick branches; hedge shears sweep through many soft stems to shape a hedge. These two picks cover both jobs.
A geared bypass lopper that turns 2 in branches into an easy squeeze. The best pick when a hand pruner is too small but the branch is still live and under 2 in.
- Thick branches
- Tree trimming
- High reach
- Leverage
Pros
- PowerGear2 cam-and-gear mechanism multiplies leverage, cutting up to ~3x easier than a single-pivot lopper
- 32 in shafts give real reach and leverage for overhead and deep-in-the-shrub branches
- Coated bypass blade makes clean cuts on live wood and resists sap gumming and rust
Cons
- At ~3.9 lb it is heavier than basic loppers, and the geared head adds bulk overhead
- Bypass design is meant for live wood; dense dry deadwood can jam the blade past the counter-arm
- Pushing past the 2 in rating risks springing the blade out of alignment - use a saw on bigger limbs
An affordable manual hedge shear whose wavy blades keep soft stems from slipping. Ideal for shaping boxwood and shrubs - reach for a lopper the moment you hit real wood.
- Hedges
- Shrubs
- Shaping
- Boxwood
Pros
- Wavy blade edge grips and holds springy stems so they get cut instead of sliding out of the jaws
- Adjustable pivot-tension knob lets you dial the cutting action and take up wear over time
- Long 8 in blades shear a wide swath, so flat hedge faces and shrub tops come out even
Cons
- For stems only - anything woodier than a pencil should go to a lopper or pruner, not the shears
- Manual shearing is tiring on big hedges; there is no gearing or power assist here
- 22 in shears have limited reach, so tall hedges need a step stool or an extendable-handle model
Still deciding? Compare them
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the difference between loppers and hedge shears?
- Loppers have short cutting jaws on long handles for slicing individual branches up to about 2 in thick. Hedge shears have long blades and shorter handles for shearing many soft stems at once to shape a hedge. Never use hedge shears on woody branches - that is the lopper's job.
- How thick a branch can loppers cut?
- Most bypass loppers, including the Fiskars PowerGear2, are rated to about 2 in on live wood. Geared mechanisms make that far easier than single-pivot loppers. Above 2 in, or on dense deadwood, use a pruning saw.