Secateurs recommendations

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I've had a look through some online but I need some small secateurs .
I've got long handled extendable loppers for bigger branches .
I want some small, easy to use , sharp bladed ones , I struggle with the ones I have now .
Maybe too big for my hands, DH finds them OK .

I can see the garden calling me to cut things back ........

TIA

Felco are expensive but a dream to use. Lifetime investment.

I think the Felco F7 is a small one. My hands are tiny and it's the model I chose.

Felco every time. I also have Niwakis which are great for small hands, being Japanese, but they have a design flaw whereby the fleshy webbing by your thumb gets caught causing blood blisters.
But, yes, Felco....

Felco here too.

I like Darlac secateurs and they do a variety of different shapes & styles. Reasonably priced too. Bypass secateurs are better than anvil ones.

Felco of course.
No. 2 for general use, or no. 7.

Another vote for Felco. Mine are so nice I would save them from a fire 😳

Niwaki fan here (but I do have small hands and mine have never bitten back). I also have a few pairs from Lidl that I use for jobs when pruning isn't the main reason for being in the garden, but I don't like to go out without something in my pocket just in case. That way I can do the odd bit of deadheading etc when I notice it needs doing, and not have to worry about leaving them outside somewhere because I got distracted.

If you do go for a quality pair I recommend trying a few out in your hand first, size, grip strength, ease of use etc are all very personal.

Thank you for the responses - I've ordered some of the Felco small , they look quite ergonomically well designed so I shouldn't get cramps or blisters - my current pair have awkward straight handles so I'll give then to DH

And ....they aren't green so I won't lose them !

I've got Felco 2. Perhaps a bit big for me but with gloves they are fine. They are so good and mine take a hammering.

A bit paranoid about losing them though because they cost so much, they have their own spot in my potting shed and I give out look a likes to helpers 🤣

Niwaki here and love the little sharpener and rubber thing for getting the rust off and also oil...

Niwaki 🥳

I can't believe you are all paying so much for secateurs! I regularly lose mine. I just get the crap garden centre type ones and change them frequently......

It would be so much easier to find a comfortable pair of secateurs if they didn't sell them in those stupid blister packs or hold them on cards with cable ties so you can't actually test them out.
I have the perfect pair (similar to Felcos but a bit chunkier ). They were £2.99 from Tesco Express about 15 years ago and I am dreading the day they give up.

When you keep buying crap secateurs, that probably adds up to the same price as a decent pair.

A really good pair is worth the money, especially if you look after them.

I find I use my Felco 310 snips more than my secateurs as they are lighter and easier to hold.

Get a sheath you can attach to your belt or hang from a caribina from somewhere about your person...touch wood I've not lost a pair since I got one. I need to get some decent new secateurs so will probably get the small Felcos.

Balances up the hori hori slung the other side.

I probably would buy an expensive pair if I could guarantee it’d be with me for 40years. But I like to have multiple pairs, at the very least one in my gardening trug (along with pruning saw, weed grubber, knife, string, trowel) and one floating around the greenhouse.

i really don’t want to have to get specially dressed and put on a belt festooned with karabiners. Pruning is something I can do in my best clothes

When you keep buying crap secateurs, that probably adds up to the same price as a decent pair. … but if you buy a “decent” pair every year and lose them …

Small Niwaki with bright yellow handles so you can spot where you put them down.

i really don’t want to have to get specially dressed and put on a belt festooned with karabiners. Pruning is something I can do in my best clothes

I seem to always get muddy or caught on thorns unless it's the sort of light deadheading/pruning that doesn't require the secateurs or snips to be put down...I don't always don full battle gear.

Yes, I have these too; they're very useful!

When you keep buying crap secateurs, that probably adds up to the same price as a decent pair. … but if you buy a “decent” pair every year and lose them …

That was my point, thank you. I am one of those gardeners that loses secateurs and hand forks every year. I suspect I leave them in my trugs, toss the pruning in the recycling bin, and the secateurs and forks go with them.

I also occasionally find them in beds, when I cut back everything at this time of year. So far, no luck, but I have found several tennis balls!!

This site describes the felco 7 as for medium/large hands.
The ones described as for small hands mostly have a somewhat smaller cutting diameter but probably big enough (I've got good loppers for larger stuff).

Really need to try them...I can't remember if I like rotating handles or not, haven't had any with those for a long time.

www.fargrohomeandgarden.co.uk/advice-and-inspiration/which-felco-secateurs-should-i-buy

I guess it depends on how often you lose things 🤭 I have a little gardening apron so they are in there between tasks, I very rarely just put them down somewhere.

Mine were £42 which I thought was ok , they do cut nicely and they're small enough to be manageable .
This weekend I will be out there , cutting things 1

I can lose them even if I haven’t taken them out if the greenhouse