They are fine for the homeowner with a few bushes. Generic brands are useful, but will need more frequent sharpening, and I ve had problems with handles breaking, blades twisting apart, and the tension screws not holding. Loppers A third tool in the arsenal is the lopping shear, or loppers. This is essentially pruning shears with long handles. The handles give tremendous torque, letting you cut through the most stubborn cane, but you lose the control you get from hand pruning shears.
Cuts tend to be ragged, and pruning height and angle less accurate.
Loppers are a timesaver for anyone with a lot of bushes, and a tolerance for a little dieback, but generally not recommended for the general homeowner. The fourth tool in the arsenal is the pruning saw. A good pruning saw is preferable to loppers in handling thicker or woody canes, since the cut will be far cleaner and closer, especially when cutting dead canes away from the crown. Pruning saws come in many shapes, sizes, and cutting style. They differ from regular saws in the direction of the cutting teeth.