The Best Pruning Shears
Verified by
Ryan V. Editor-in-Chief
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The Felco 2 wins because it is the pruner professionals reach for and then keep for the rest of their gardening lives. All six sources we read placed it in their top tier, and Reviewed, Bob Vila and Your Best Digs each named it their outright Best Overall. Reviewed's field botanist Meg Muckenhoupt tested it against 77 other models and praised how cleanly the hardened Swiss blade cut branches up to a full inch thick. What sets it apart is not just the cut but the fact that Felco sells every replacement part, so Bob Vila pointed out you can rebuild rather than replace it across decades. At about 76 dollars it is the expensive pick, yet spread over the years it outlasts a drawer full of throwaway pruners, which is why it has a cult following among horticulturists.
What It Won't Do
The price is the honest catch, because the Felco 2 costs three to five times what a solid budget pruner runs, and every source called that out. The full-size handle is built for medium to large hands, so Your Best Digs sent smaller-handed gardeners to the lighter Felco 6. It is also a right-handed tool, meaning left-handed gardeners need the separate Felco 9. None of that dulls the cut, but it does mean the Felco 2 is the right pruner for a committed gardener rather than an occasional one.
The Corona ClassicCUT wins on value because it borrows the part of the Felco idea that matters most, a blade you resharpen and parts you replace, and delivers it for around 23 dollars. HGTV tested 20 pairs and still crowned the forged Corona its Best Overall, while Tom's Guide made it the Best Value and Your Best Digs the Best Budget pick. The MAXFORGED steel takes a sharp edge, a sap groove keeps it from gumming up on evergreens, and the forged handles feel far sturdier than the plastic-bodied pruners at this price. You are not getting Swiss precision, but you are getting a tool you can maintain instead of discard, which is rare under 25 dollars.
What It Won't Do
The Corona saves money in the places you feel over a long session. At nearly 14 ounces it is heavier than the Felco, and Your Best Digs noted the weight on extended pruning. The forged handles suit medium to large hands and feel chunky for smaller grips, and the action is a touch stiffer out of the box than the Swiss and Japanese pruners. For most gardeners those are fair trades for a repairable pruner at this price.
Who Should Buy Which
Felco 2 Classic Bypass Pruner
The Swiss classic professional gardeners keep for decades and simply resharpen
- Serious gardeners who prune often and want one tool for life
- Anyone with medium or larger hands who values a clean, effortless cut
- People who would rather resharpen and rebuild than replace
- Professionals and horticulturists who trust proven Swiss durability
- Gardeners cutting branches up to a full inch on a regular basis
Corona ClassicCUT Forged Bypass Pruner
Repairable, resharpenable and a third of the Felco price, which is why it keeps winning value awards
- Value-minded gardeners who still want a repairable, sharpenable pruner
- Anyone who wants Felco-style longevity without the Felco price
- People pruning evergreens who appreciate the anti-sap groove
- Medium to large hands looking for a sturdy forged tool
- Buyers replacing a worn-out plastic pruner for around 23 dollars