Pruning is essential to keep your indoor herbs in the best of health. Pruning can promote massive growth as discussed in this article, increase herb lifespan, and removes blossoms that can sap energy from your leaves affecting their taste. However, trimming indoor herbs can be a fiddly exercise. So a great pair of pruning shears are essential to make this work easier, faster, prevent injury, and obtain the maximum from this operation.
So, what are the best pruning shears in the market? My favorite pruning shears for indoor herbs are the Gardenite Ultra Snip 6.7 inch Pruning Shears. You can check their current price here on Amazon.
Surely pruning shears are all basically the same? What is it about these pruning shears that are worth writing about? Read on to find out why the Gardenite Ultra Snip shears are worth your specific attention.
Gardenite Ultra Snip 6.7: Why Should You Buy Them?
Far from the average pruning shears, the Gardenite Ultra Snip shears are designed to make the job of pruning small indoor plants easy. There are two key elements that, in my experience, make them a ‘stand out’ product.
| Firstly, the quality of the blades is exceptional. Both the upper and the lower blades are made from superior grade stainless steel that makes them very sharp. |
The blades are also very narrow with small tips. The combination of size and sharpness allows me to cut herb stems very precisely, minimizing damage to the plant and creating cleaner cuttings. Indeed, as explained in this detailed propagation guide, clear-cutting is essential to maximize the success of propagation, crucial for more challenging herbs.
| The Gardenite Ultra Snip shears use high-quality steel that is resistant to rust. I have the bad habit of leaving my shears to air dry after cleaning or forgetting them outside. Even with this lack of care on my part, I have not noticed any rust on these shears. |
Secondly, I have found these shears very comfortable to use. The grip extends close to the pivot point, which means you can get more leverage and a much smoother cut. The grip is also solid, preventing slippage when there is dew or water on the plants. The weight is balanced nicely on the shears, and I have found that the screw and spring settings are just right to make cutting very easy. Indeed, a friend with a light arthritis problem has used these shears with no issues at all.
After using these shears for several years, it is no surprise for me to notice that more than 600 gardeners who do purchase them rate them either a 4 or 5 out of 5 stars for quality and performance.
Drawbacks You Need To Know
As always, in my reviews, I do like to be honest with my readers. Indeed, nothing is perfect, and if someone tells you so, well, probably they are hiding lying or hiding something. Even these great shears have a few (hopefully minor) issues.
They are quite sharp, so it is easy to get holes in your pockets if you have the (bad) habits to place them there. Indeed, such shears do not come with a holster (the little leather/plastic cover of the blades). However, for safety reasons, you should never carry shears or any cutting tool in your pocket. To avoid the problem, just get a holster (very inexpensive) in a gardening shop to clip them onto your belt or pocket, for both safety and convenience.
To be super picky, I also experienced some pinches in my palm from the handles and the locking mechanism. However, the solution to this problem was easy again. It was sufficient to grip the shears a bit further back where the handles get wider and moving the locking mechanism out of the way when cutting.
VIVOSUN 6.5-inch Gardening Hand Pruner: A Low-Cost Alternative
The Gardenite Ultra Snip Pruning Shears are top quality in their field, justifying their price above average. However, if you are out of budget, here my best quality/price option. I am talking about the VIVOSUN 6.5-inch Gardening Hand Pruner for around half the price (you can check it here on Amazon).
And yes, in my experience, the VIVOSUN shears do work pretty well. However, they do not employ top-notch material. Indeed, although it did not cause any problem to me, a few other gardeners (that use them pretty intensively), have found they went dull and, after a while, might rust (after a while) if not dried properly after use. However, if you are not using them daily, they might be good enough for you!
The other thing I noticed was the difference in size. The VIVOSUN is 0.2 of an inch (5mm) smaller than the Gardenite. This might make the grip uncomfortable for people with larger hands. If this is your case, I will avoid them.
Compared to the Gardenite, I found the spring of the VIVOSUN slightly stiffer, which required more effort to squeeze. However, this is not a problem for the majority, which still finds them very easy to use.
So the VIVOSUN Gardening Hand Pruner is a viable, low-cost alternative, from my experience. They are definitely a good buy, especially for small projects, short-term or single projects. However, if you want a pair of shears as a long-lasting gardening companion, the Gardenite Ultra Snip shears are the way to go. The quality you get for the small price difference (just a few dollars more) makes them the best buy.
On the last note, the locking mechanism also sometimes slid up, preventing the blades from closing entirely. However, this is a very occasional issue, that should not be a problem if you do not use the shears on a daily basis.
Final Thoughts
Pruning your herbs might sound an easy activity that can be performed with any tool around (from knife to scissors). However, the only way to make such practice really productive and safe is to use a good pair of pruning shears.
This unexpensive tool will save you time (especially for more hardy herbs like rosemary) and make the process extremely easy, also increasing the changes in propagation success.
Here, you have seen two choices: my best pick, the Gardenite Ultra Snip shears, top-notch quality in the market. They are a pair of sharp, durable, and comfortable shears. Also, if you are more on a budget, the best quality/price compromise is given by the VIVOSUN Gardening Hand Pruner. Given the limited price difference, a dozen dollars at most, I would choose the Gardenite Ultra Snip shears, a durable item in your gardening tools.