Keen gardeners' advice needed - best secateurs?

[accessorizechristmas]

Can any gardeners please advise on a good brand of secateurs to buy as a present? My mother would like some for christmas, but she has problems with her hands so needs something that requires less effort, if that makes sense (spring loaded?). To cut small trees & bushes largely. I had a look on crocus.co.uk but they're very expensive, can I get decent ones for under 30 pounds? Thanks!!!

felco are pretty much the best. They do lots of different ones. They can be pricey, but are really wonderful and are considered to be real gardeners secateuars. Hth

Felco are the best, and they do them in different sizes for dfferent sized hands (I've got small hands and always struggled with big man-sized ones). Failing that I've got some Wilkinson Sword ones that are pretty good too. They were about £15 from B&Q.

there are two types- by-pass secateurs and scissor-like. One is for soft stems and the other for woody stems. Can never remember which is for which type.
Hang on....

good link about all types of secateur here

Felco indeed. You never see any pro-gardener using anything else.

they are expensive.

Thanks, all, particularly the site from Gingerbear which was v.helpful. Seems as though you get what you pay for & I now know more about secateurs than I ever wanted to (not being a gardener!).