Ridgid just launched new 18V cordless pruning shears at Home Depot, as part of their first wave of cordless outdoor power tools.
The Ridgid cordless pruner – with jaws that resemble a smiling dinosaur – can cut branches up to 1-1/4″ thick.
It features steel blades, a brushless motor, LED light, and is said to have a less than 1 second cutting cycle.
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You can buy the Ridgid pruner as a bare tool ($189) or kit with 2Ah battery and charger ($229).
Ryobi apparently quietly launched a new 18V Brushless HP cordless pruner a few months ago. It’s similar to the Ridgid, but with a 1″ cutting capacity. It also features an LED light.
The Ryobi P2505 is priced at $179 for the tool-only, and $209 with 2Ah battery and charger.
The Ryobi 18V cordless pruner was advertised as having a 1.5X faster cutting speed, which led me to discover the P2504 cordless pruner it’s compared to.
This model has a 3/4″ cutting capacity and more value-oriented design.
It’s priced at $149 for the tool-only, and $159 for the kit with 2Ah battery and charger.
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Other Cordless Pruners
The Ridgid and Ryobi pricing struck me as a bit high, so I checked out competing brands.
The Craftsman V20 cordless pruner, CMCPR320C1, is $129 for the kit with 1.5Ah battery and charger. It has a 1-1/4″ cutting capacity and can make up to 900 cuts per charge.
It also has a 1 second cutting time.
Dewalt’s 20V Max cordless pruning shears (DCPR320B) have a 1.5″ cut capacity, LED light, and its blades are finished with a non-stick coating.
The Dewalt is $129 for the tool-only.
Milwaukee also has compact M12 cordless pruning shears coming out this year (spring 2023). Its pricing has not yet been announced. I had the opportunity to test one at a media event demo station, and really enjoyed its features and ergonomics.
MM
So, let me get this straight: The Dewalt seems to be the most capable, at least according to the paper specs, and it’s also the *least* expensive, even compared to the lowest-end Ryobi?
Jared
Well now, that’s a twist. Not by a little either – and the Craftsman is also the same price but includes a battery and still boasts higher capacity that Rigid or Ryobi.
Weird to see something that looks so uncompetitively priced.
Stuart
That raised an eyebrow for me too.
Ryobi (value model and HP) and Ridgid bare tools (without battery or charger) both cost more than the Craftsman kit. The Craftsman matches the Ridgid cutting capacity and bests both Ryobi tools, at least on paper.
KokoTheTalkingApe
Yep. The DeWalt and Craftsman seem to have massively larger motors too. Am I wrong?
fred
For your Canadian readers – the Dewalt (bare tool) is $111.36 CAD after a coupon (code DWSAVE13) at Mississaugua Hardware. The promo code seems to apply to other Dewalt tools as well.
Tom
The Craftsman (branded Stanley in New Zealand) has the same mechanical parts as the Dewalt. Same part numbers. It’s a really good tool, have been running one for nearly a year.
The TTI pruners seem to be direct clones (or vice versa) of various pruners available on Ali Express.
Jared
What’s the dino’s eyeball for on the Ridgid?
Stuart
Part of the motorized drive mechanism. The moveable blade is attached at the pivot and then also through the bump/eye.
Jared
Ah! Ok. Can’t see the backside, so I couldn’t figure out it was attached to something moving the blade.
Casey Berry
Keep in mind craftsman is owned by Dewalt now. Identical tool. It’s really about what batteries of current brand you have to which one you get. Just got 2 dewalt for gifts to people becaue they have dewalt. And easier to find places to find and fix dewalt over craftsman.
fred
Exactly. I’m waiting on either the Milwaukee M12 or something from Makita should they decide to enter the mix. My prospective users (gift recipients) use those battery platforms. One having the diminutive M12 chainsaw and the other using Makita 18V hand grass shears:
https://www.amazon.com/Makita-XMU04ZX-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Trimmer/dp/B089J87426
Bonnie
They’re similar, though not identical. The DeWalt has a large cut capacity (1.5″ vs 1.25″) and seems (specs are a little hard to parse) to be a bit lighter. It’s also more expensive as the DeWalt is sold tool-only while the Craftsman is the same price with an included battery.
William E Schaeffer
Ridgid has a lifetime service agreement. Milwaukee is 3 years Ryobi will break before its broke in
JamesR
Don’t think I agree with the statement about Ryobi. I have numerous outdoor power tools from Ryobi and they have lasted years of use without issue. I only had one issue, the shoulder strap attachment on the 2 gal garden sprayer broke on me after two uses, but I was able to get a replacement with minimal effort.
TonyT
What’s the difference between a pruner and a lopper? They look pretty similar to me.
If I still had a yard with >10 trees to maintain, I’d definitely be looking at a battery powered pole lopper, if I could get one at a reasonable price.
BTW, I think Ryobi sometimes goes over board, for example, with pruners and loppers, you have:
— the pruners listed here
— a reciprocating saw designed for pruning
https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ONE-18V-Electric-Cordless-Pruning-Reciprocating-Saw-Tool-Only-P2503BTL/316880160
— a lopper with a ~3 ft body https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ONE-18V-Cordless-Battery-Lopper-Tool-Only-P4362BTL/314968231
— a pole lopper with a 8ft pole https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ONE-18V-Cordless-Pole-Lopper-with-2-0-Ah-Battery-and-Charger-P2560VNM/319021659
— not to mention pole saws (18V, 40V) and maybe some other tools I don’t know about
I do agree that Ryobi’s pruner/lopper prices are a bit high, Dewalt seems reasonable.
Stuart
It is my understanding that pruners are small one-hand shears, and loppers are larger two-handed shears.
I would add that their lopper is pretty good. https://toolguyd.com/ryobi-cordless-lopper-pruning-branches-022021/ My only complaint about the test sample is that its sheath was flimsy vinyl that ripped the first week. It also didn’t provide as much reach as I would prefer, but it seems they launched the pole lopper here since then. I passed it along for further testing and haven’t heard any negatives yet.
There’s nothing wrong with more options. Some users might prefer a pruning-focused reciprocating saw, and others shears.
fred
My wife – a trained arborist and horticulturist – would know better – but I think that Stuart has the gist of it. But if you search on “lopper” you may see both the one-hand and two-handed varieties show up.
To further confuse things – I’m told that the proper name for the one-handed manual tool is “secateurs” although they are also called hand pruners. I was also told that there are generally 2 styles one called “bypass” and the other “anvil” for the way that the blades cut. The bypass type being preferred for cutting live branches – as they are said to be less injurious to the plant. The anvil type (where the blade on one side contacts a flat “anvil” surface on the other) are usually reserved for cutting dead wood.
Bypass:
https://www.amazon.com/Felco-F-2-Classic-Manual-Pruner/dp/B00023RYS6
Anvil:
https://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-91105935J-Power-Lever-Anvil-Pruner/dp/B000NU4YL8
Adam
Pruner is held in one hand, loppers are for two.
Both are typically capable of similar cutting capacities, but loppers give you reach and leverage for eaiser cutting.
I’ll always walk around with hand pruners on me, but loppers come out when I know I’ll be doing more than a few snips.
fred
I’ve also seen compound-action and geared hand pruners and loppers advertised. I suppose that they might have some benefit for folks with limited hand strength or arthritis.
Looking at Amazon that must be dozens of brands for these tools. Based on my wife’s preferences I’d recommend ones from Felco (made in Switzerland) and ARS (made in Japan) – but Tabor (made in Taiwan) seem to get very good reviews too. For hand pruning saws – my recommendation goes to Silky (made in Japan) – although Corona saws (made in China) may be easier to find locally.
MM
Felco is very well known, but I think ARS deserves more attention. They seem to be the OEM for at least some of Stihl’s pruners and shears. The Stihl PP101 is a rebadged ARS model 180LR-2.1. Stihl’s “Precision Hedge Shear” and “Adjustable Hedge Shear” are ARS KR-1000 and K-900Z respectively.
I can’t speak to the K-900Z or their one-handed secateurs but the other two are awesome. They are both incredibly lightweight for their performance, with very good quality blades.
And of course Silky saws deserve a second recommendation whenever they are mentioned.
Drew M
Jameson saws are probably best bang/buck though I don’t love their handle.
fred
Jamesons seem to come with fiberglass extension poles and are probably safer around electrical lines than are aluminum pole Silky saws. I’m not sure if its tooth geometry and/or the choice of steel – but the Silky’s that I’ve used over the years seem to cut cleaner and faster than few other brands that I’ve tried (Corona, Fiskars, Jameson and SnapCut). In the Scouts we cleared many overgrown areas and trails with silky Katanaboys
TonyT
Thanks everyone – now I know a bit more 🙂
Steve C
TTI has been jacking up prices across the board lately. The price of a light-duty Homelite corded chainsaw has nearly tripled in the past year. M18 shop blower from $129 to $179 (an ancient tool). The Ryobi 40v HP OPE is essentially priced on par with EGO, despite lower build quality and specs.
As a DIY/homeowner on Milwaukee, I will probably start looking to DeWalt/Craftsman/MetaboHPT/Bosch moving forward if this keeps up.
Ct451
I have used both ryobi and they are too slow for my taste. The brushed-motor one is useless at 2.5 seconds. The brushless one is usable but barely. Even no-brand clones of more of expensive designs (at less than half the price with 2 batteries) are faster.
Battery pruners are useful if you have a lot of small-sized trees or bushes or vines. I only use mine once a year when I prune 40 pomegranate plants. I still need a small 8″ battery chainsaw for thicker branches. Manual loppers are more versatile because you can pull cut branches out as well.
For taller trees I moved from 12v reciprocating saws to chainsaws, both pole and handheld. They cut at weird angles easier.
Casey Berry
Dewalt is sold as a kit just from what I’ve seen is out of stock.. but someone like me. I have a ton of batteries and 60v. Bare tools are ok for me.
RpmRob
Any else but me get queasy at the thought of getting a finger caught in one of these?
Stuart
How would that be any different than using a circular saw, reciprocating saw, or drill? Know exactly where your other hand is at all times and you should be alright.
fred
Sort of conjures up Brendan Gleeson’s portrayal of self-mutilation behavior in his recent cinematic endeavor. But unless the user suffers from some unusual medical or psychological condition, it would seem to be hard to insert a finger into the cutting jaws and not be aware of the imminent danger.
Ct451
You can buy a specialty glove for your free hand or keep it in your pocket. It is definitely the scariest handheld power tool for your garden. You can make dozens of cuts in a minute and you tend to use your other hand up front to hold branches. I ended up taping pieces of steel pipe to the index and thumb of a glove and using that the first time until I got used to it.
Chip
Back when I installed fencing in wooded areas,I would have loved these options.
I had a pair of geared loppers,and the m12 hackzall.
The hackzall struggled in green vines and smaller branches..they would simply vibrate and not cut well.
The reason for geared vs regular loppers,they were not treated well and even dull would cut larger vines.
The worse thing was when landscaping company would “clear” a fence line.
They used machetes cutting down at 135 degrees and left a nightmare of sharpened implements 3 inches off the ground.
I didn’t allow a machete on my crew,since it was always used in this manner.
When the ground is ripe for tripping hazzards,you do not want to trip and be impaled.
SteveP
They all seem overpriced by 2X to me, given their limited usefulness. The jaw opening is one thing, but 1″ of willow is different than 1″ of oak. I suppose for smaller or weaker gardeners with limited grip strength, these may be very helpful. But they just seem slow and cumbersome for actual brush clearing
Ron
Forget these overpriced late-to-market cordless pruners. There are some excellent no-name options on Amazon. Kebtek recently had their small (but mighty) cordless pruner on sale for $99. Includes case, two batteries, charger. Each battery provides over 1000 cuts (Kebtek says 3000), but their base model doesn’t have a counter like their more expensive bigger siblings. The pruners weigh less than 2 pounds, are well balanced with good strong blades. I’ve had mine for 6 months and used them heavily. Despite my intitial skepticism over what a ~$100 Chinese pruner would be like, I’m super impressed. So much so I bought a second. They are not toys nor poorly made. Solid, fast and powerful (they will cut anything you put in their jaws, including fingers). Can adjust how far they open (half-way for even faster cycle times – probably 1 second or less). And the form factor is better than say of the major brands (slimmer design) so you can reach into dense bushes without getting caught by a bulky tool. Never thought I’d highly recommend a Chinese cordless tool, but the Kebtek is legit.
MandM
Thanks to Ron, I found and purchased one of the Kebtek for my wife. She’s used them a couple of times now, and loves them. Haven’t stalled on anything yet. One of the best cordless tool purchases ever.