The best electric secateurs and pruners in 2024

Pruning is one the gardener's most common tasks and for the odd bit of trimming and cutting, traditional manual secateurs are great, with loppers taking the strain for more demanding jobs. But, if you've got an orchard of fruit trees or a garden full of roses, or you lack strength, suffer from RSI or arthritis, repetitive pruning can be an exhausting chore. Thankfully, electric secateurs, also called electric or battery-powered pruners, are a helpful alternative and an ideal choice for gardeners who are less able or have a lot of pruning to do.

Powered by a lithium-ion battery and activated by a trigger that opens and closes the blades, they're designed for cutting branches up to 30mm thick quickly and efficiently. They can even take the place of loppers, making your pruning tasks even more efficient as there’s no time wasted swapping from tool to tool. Many are also part of a wider cordless system with their battery and charger fitting all the tools in the range – so once you’ve invested in a tool and battery set, you’ll save money when you buy further bare tools in the future.

They do cut very fast so many also have safety features such as a two-trigger start, auto close or a blade cover to help the user stay safe. Compared to traditional secateurs, they’re also, expensive, so are they worth the extra cost? To see whether the performance they offer outweighs their extra weight and cost we put battery powered pruners to the test. They ranged from budget to premium models, and all had bypass blades.