Today we will discuss the inevitable question that every new gardener is bound to ask himself at some point. The most common difference you will notice when buying gardening cutting tools is "anvil" and "bypass". You're bound to come across both terms when visiting any garden supply store or browsing gardening tools online. Understanding the difference will save you time, money, and effort. But most importantly, using the right tools can allow you to achieve the best gardening results and help keep your plants healthy. So, what's the difference between an anvil and a bypass pruner? How do I know when I should use an anvil pruner and when I'm better off using a bypass pruner?
First, the most obvious difference between the two is the positioning of the blade and the movement generated during use. Anvil pruners, while looking similar to bypass pruners, feature sharp blades and flat metal that resembles a cutting board. While bypass pruners, on the other hand, have a slightly scissor-like appearance and feature sharp blades and reverse blades. When in use, the two blades bypass each other to create a clean cut.
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The term "anvil" refers to a flat metal (and sometimes plastic) surface into which a sharp blade is inserted. It reflects how a kitchen knife works when slicing onions, carrots, or garlic on a cutting board. This is a powerful cutting mechanism that crushes or pinches any material placed between the blade and the anvil. Its unique design ensures that the blade never twists or allows for drag. And the word "bypass" is usually used to describe the process of going around something. The cutting mechanism of the bypass pruner is consistent with this concept of avoidance. It consists of two blades, with the top blade moving down to bypass the counter blade, creating a scissor-like motion.
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So far, we know that the anvil pruner produces a better squeeze than traditional scissoring. Understandably, this eliminates the anvil pruner as the preferred choice for precision cutting. It also makes them unsuitable for most living plants because their cutting mechanism can damage small tissues on stems, petals, and branches, interfering with their health regeneration. On the other hand, however, the powerful cutting motion most similar to chopping makes anvil shears ideal for trimming hardy branches and dead wood. As mentioned earlier, the up-and-down movement does not allow for any resistance or clearance, thus making the anvil pruner an excellent choice for hard work.
Bypass pruners are a gardener's everyday tool of choice, and just like scissors, they provide simple yet precise cuts and reliable results. However, due to the interaction between the blades, bypass pruners are not suitable for pruning hardy or dry wood. They are also difficult to use on larger pieces of wood because the bypass movement can sometimes twist the blades and create gaps, rendering them ineffective. Similar to those scissors that cut cloth, when you use them on different materials, you will find that they are not suitable for cutting paper. Bypass pruners are excellent tools for pruning rose bushes, collecting fresh herbs, and picking up flower arrangements. The gentle cutting mechanism does not damage the soft tissue of the plant and leaves a clean incision - creating an ideal environment for your plants and herbs to grow healthy and strong again.
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The next time you're browsing through a plethora of different gardening tools, consider what you're trying to achieve by cutting and pruning your plants. Keep in mind that bypass pruners are excellent for any living plant and green wood, while anvil pruners are ideal for rough branches, dry stems, and dead wood. For best results, we recommend purchasing a set of pruners of different sizes for cutting and pruning stems and shoots of different sizes.