Think about the tasks you will be performing with your secateurs when choosing the best ones to suit you.

Bypass secateurs are more useful and give a clean cut on delicate stems. Secateurs with anvil blades are better at chopping thick, dead or robust stems. Also consider how big or small your hands are and check the length and weight of the secateurs you are going to purchase.

Both companies offer quality products and are Swiss. We decided to import Leyat tools as we wanted to offer a reasonably priced product of high quality comparable to Felco.

Get into the habit of cleaning your secateurs each time you use them. This will keep them in tip top shape and keep them in effective readiness for the next time you need to use them.

Use a cloth and some soapy water to remove any sap from blades. Then dry them thoroughly and give them a spray with lubricant spray on the blades to prevent rusting.

If they are already rusty, you can use a piece of steel wool to remove the rust.

Methylated sprits also do a great job of sterilising your secateurs so you can ensure that any cuts you make with them don’t introduce any pathogens to the plants you are cutting.