Secateurs – searching for a good pair

Over the past couple of years I have tried out several pairs of secateurs, here they are:

The first pair was so designed that when I was cutting a particularly thick stem it somehow managed to nip the space between my thumb and first finger. Very painful.

The second one had a very simple closing device with no special features. I like this one but would like one with a larger blade.

The third one had a ratchet system that fell apart within a couple of months, and the last one has a yellow closing device that is loose and when I am cutting it in a downward direction the yellow tab falls down and locks the blades. There is no way of tightening the yellow tab. So really that latest pair is totally useless, unless I unscrew the yellow tab or tape it into the open position. However, this was the only pair I could attach a coloured tape to in an attempt to avoid leaving them in the garden to rust.

I’m sorry to say none of them had all the features I wanted and I’m now looking for one that will give a good strong cut, reliable, a long life and simple to operate with a hole in one of the arms to thread through a brightly coloured tape. Do you have any suggestions?

You might also find our other website of interest www.ourfrontgarden.com