With high-quality rose scissors, you can cut rose bushes particularly gently. There are different types and many significant properties. In our guide you can find out exactly what you need to pay attention to when buying in order to find the best pruning shears for your needs. We also present three models that are particularly popular with Amazon reviewers.
Rose scissors must be sharp and clean
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Garden Primus rose scissors, RosenKavalier small, black, 63 x 9 x 3.1 cm, 01415
32.31 EUR To the product| Type | bypass |
|---|---|
| material | carbon steel/aluminium |
| non-stick coating | Yes |
| hold function | Yes |
| Weight | 460g |
The "Rosenkavalier" by Garten Primus is not only creatively implemented in terms of name, but also functionally. It literally acts as an extended arm when cutting rose bushes. The extension between the ergonomic one-handed handle and the bypass blade allows you to cut your roses without risk of injury. The model cuts through clippings with a thickness of up to one centimetre. Almost all Amazon reviewers are convinced of the rose scissors. They describe them as "well made, decently sharp and very nice to handle".
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Original LÖWE 14 bypass rose scissors 14.104 with sharp steel blades made of carbon - robust secateurs with non-stick coating for right-handed people for cutting roses, twigs, branches, cut flowers
31.73 EUR To the product| Type | bypass |
|---|---|
| material | carbon steel/plastic |
| non-stick coating | Yes |
| hold function | unknown |
| Weight | 180g |
The high quality of the material and workmanship of the Original LÖWE rose scissors is also impressive. In addition, the model is surprisingly light-weight. However, this version is only suitable for right-handers. Almost without exception, the reviewers on Amazon are enthusiastic about the cutting performance.
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GRÜNTEK rose plant scissors COLIBRI 170 mm stainless steel blades with zinc alloy flower scissors with soft-touch ergo handle, garden scissors rose scissors trimmer scissors bypass
8.98 EUR To the product| Type | bypass |
|---|---|
| material | stainless steel/plastic |
| non-stick coating | Yes |
| hold function | unknown |
| Weight | 192g |
The rose scissors from GRÜNTEK is our price-performance winner. Despite its extremely low price, it is considered to be top-quality and powerful. If more than 90 percent of the users give four or five stars with well over 1000 reviews on Amazon (as of October 2022), then you can be pretty sure of yourself.
Purchase Criteria
drive
Most rose shears are operated manually. However, there are also motorized models with electric drive via power cable or rechargeable battery. The electric variants make work easier, but are more expensive both to purchase and in terms of follow-up costs.
Note: We focus on manual rose shears in this post.
Type
For the rose cut, you should preferably use bypass scissors. Since their blades slide past each other when cutting, they do not squeeze the tissue - this is extremely important for the sensitive rose bushes.
Exception: If you are dealing with an old, massive, strong rose bush, you can use anvil shears if necessary to deal with very strong branches and cut the old roses back to the old wood.
For fresh, healthy shoots, however, anvil scissors are NOT an option!
fitness
So that you are well equipped in the long term, the rose scissors should easily cut through shoots with a diameter of one centimeter. Of course, more is always good. The centimeter is the minimum to be able to clean out faded flowers, shorten overly long shoots and continuously cut fresh roses for your vases.
The type of rose also plays a role in determining which rose scissors are really best suited. We summarize the most important aspects for you:
- small pruning shears are sufficient for groundcover and smaller bed roses
- for climbing roses you need large, robust and powerful scissors
- for very prickly climbers, scissors with telescopic handles are recommended (to prevent bloody scratches on your arms)
material
The blades should be made of hardened steel and very sharp. As you probably know, all manufacturers describe their scissors as sharp. Deal with the reports of other users and try to get a somewhat more objective picture in this way. But in the end it usually comes down to your own practical test, because the opinions and feelings of different gardeners can also differ greatly.
tips
Make sure the blades are easy to resharpen. This is the only way to ensure a longer service life, because even the best pruning shears will gradually become blunt, so that sooner or later they will need a new fine-tuning. If you can remove the blades or the entire cutting head, you have a relatively easy time. Incidentally, this is also a criterion for the highest quality with rose shears.
non-stick coating
A non-stick coated blade has the advantage that the rose scissors do not stick together despite the plant sap escaping when cutting fresh shoots. Otherwise, this would make cutting more tedious and slow down the work. The coating prevents the sticky plant sap from sticking to the blade.
tips
As an alternative or in addition to the non-stick coating, some rose scissors also have a so-called juice groove in the counter blade. This allows the plant sap to drain off and ultimately has the same effect as the coating.
feather
Before you buy your pruning shears, try to find out if your preferred model has a high-quality spring that can be replaced if necessary. The best way to do this is to read reviews from other customers and honest test reports, if available.
Handle
An ergonomically shaped handle is essential in order to prevent unpleasant symptoms of fatigue or even worse consequences (tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome) even during long garden work with the pruning shears. Here are some features of ergonomic rose shears at a glance:
- Slightly downward-sloping cutting blades help to compensate for twisting of the wrist when cutting
- Wave-shaped, rounded handle ensures optimal pressure distribution in the palm of the hand
Good grip ergonomics ensure excellent power transmission. This relieves the cutting hand and minimizes any discomfort or prevents it entirely.
tips
If you are left-handed, when choosing your pruning shears you need to look for a model that is (also) geared towards it. This can sometimes be a difficult task, since most manufacturers design their scissors for right-handed people - due to their dominance in the population. Some pruning shears are at least made for two-handed use. Rarely do you come across specimens that only left-handers can use.
hold function
When pruning roses that are very prickly and/or overhead, do yourself a great favor with a pair of rose shears with a holding function. A small clamping piece on the blade ensures that the shoot is held in place when the scissors are squeezed, as long as you do not loosen the grip. This way the clippings end up where you want them.
stalk
If you are cultivating thorny climbing roses at lofty heights, you should buy rose shears with telescopic handles. Some designs are over two meters long, so you might even be able to work without a ladder.
our recommendation
Garden Primus rose scissors, RosenKavalier telescopic, black / orange, 137.5 x 9 x 3.1 cm, 01410
48.21 EUR To the productfrequently asked Questions
What are rose scissors?
Roses need regular annual pruning to keep them flowering. Due to their structure, rose scissors are the ideal tool for this care measure. You can use it to cut your rose bushes precisely and gently.
What is the difference between pruning shears and pruning shears?
The terms are often used more or less synonymously. However, there is definitely a difference between conventional pruning shears and specific rose scissors: the latter is basically nothing more than pruning shears - i.e. a tool from viticulture.
You can recognize this type by a small, inconspicuous feature: the scissors have a semi-circular recess at the origin of the blade, i.e. where the greatest leverage acts. This is intended to cut the wires on which the shoots of the vines are suspended. With the roses, the thorns are the wires, so to speak. The term rose scissors has prevailed. You can ultimately use the tool to cut various prickly plants.
Which brands offer good rose shears?
Popular brands for high-quality rose scissors include Gardena, Fiskars, Felco, WOLF-Garten and Garten Primus.
Where is the best place to buy rose scissors?
Rose scissors are available in hardware stores - such as OBI, toom, Hellweg, hagebaumarkt, Bauhaus or Hornbach - as well as on Amazon. Depending on the season, useful models are also available in discounters (Aldi, Lidl), for example from Lidl's own brand Florabest.
How can I sharpen my pruning shears?
To keep it functional, you will need to sharpen the blades of your pruning shears from time to time.
You can see exactly how sharpening works here:
youtubeequipment
whetstone
You can sharpen the blades of your pruning shears with a sharpening stone.
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