GARDENA 8857-81 2-step Adjustable Bypass Pruners review: these all-purpose bypass pruning shears cost under $1 a year

If you’re looking for the best pruners on a budget, the Gardena SuperCut All Purpose Secateurs 8857-28 could be well worth considering. 

This pruner is backed by a 25-year guarantee (subject to terms), so you can bank on pruning with it for a long time. If the tool lasts for its full guarantee period, the cost per year will be less than $1 or £1, depending on your location. 

Whereas many bypass pruners have two stainless steel blades, this model has a top blade made of carbon steel, a harder alloy. This design is key to the pruner’s stated ‘all-purpose’ cutting capabilities: it should make it easier to prune trees and tough vines, delicate plant stems, and flowers. Another benefit of carbon steel is superior edge retention, which means the blade should stay sharp longer. 

One downside of carbon steel is that it can rust more easily than stainless steel. The carbon steel blade on this pruner has a non-stick coating, which should limit rust by reducing sap buildup. However, it will be particularly important to clean the blades after every use to keep them rust-free. 

Interestingly, Gardena has equipped the 8857-28 pruner with a wire cutter, which is basically a small, sharp notch at the pinch of the blades. Many gardeners ruin their pruners by using them to cut wire and other manmade materials in the garden. This tool lets you cut these items conveniently without disfiguring the pruner blades.

On paper, this pruner sounds too good to be true. So, I took a review unit into my yard for some hands-on testing to determine whether you can get a great, all-purpose pruner for under $1 per year.

REVIEWED BY

REVIEWED BY

Pete Wise

Pete has reviewed hundreds of gardening products for titles, including TopTenReviews, Ideal Home, and the London Evening Standard, and written articles on diverse topics for other publications, such as The Guardian and BBC Good Food. A long-term contributor to the blog of leading scissors maker Ernest Wright, Pete has an in-depth understanding of the qualities and design features that go into a really good pair of shears. 

GARDENA 8857-81 2-step adjustable Bypass Pruners: key specs

GARDENA 8857-81 2-step adjustable Bypass Pruners: At a glance

Gardena offers a wide range of reasonably priced gardening equipment and yard care products. Many of these, including cutting tools such as pruning shears, are made in Germany. 

The 8857-28 pruner has a few specs that could make it a great choice for users who require low-effort pruning—perhaps because they have lots of pruning to do or because they need to be gentle on their hands. 

Weighing just 0.68 oz, the tool is remarkably light, which is partly thanks to Gardena’s choice of carbon fiber to reinforce its shanks. (Metal, wood, or hard plastics are more commonly used.) It features a two-position opening, which means you can adjust the blades' cutting width. 

The Gardena 8857-28 pruner is available worldwide, including in the United States ($19.99, Amazon).

GARDENA 8857-81 2-step adjustable Bypass Pruners: Performance

The Gardena 8857-28 shears perform very well in cutting power. During my hands-on testing, they easily severed the stems of branches on various trees, including a pear tree and a cherry tree. The pruner’s carbon steel blade proves itself when used on hard material.

In terms of cut quality, the shears made their way through most stems and branches relatively cleanly but a little more raggedly than more specialized models. If ultra-clean pruning is your priority, you should be shopping for a more premium pruner, but if you’re happy with a good value-for-money option that prunes fairly cleanly, look no further. 

The narrower of the two available cutting widths is more than wide enough for slender tree branches or any plant stem. As my wife noted when she tried out the shears, there’s less resistance when pruning on this setting – so users with smaller hands might find it particularly helpful to use that narrower option. If you want to use the wire cutter at the pinch of the blades, you'll need to open them fully to expose the wire-cutting notch. 

This pruner comes into its own when used to prune trees. It cuts through hard branches very effectively compared to many other bypass pruners I've tested, with a cleaner and easier cut than most. It is a solid all-rounder with superb performance relative to its price.

However, Gardena’s pruner struggles a little when used to cut juicy stems. For example, while I used it to prune some Hostas, it sometimes took a few squeezes to cut through the stem, which is a pruning mistake that is not ideal for the plant's health. Performance was better when cutting narrower or drier plant stems or dead-heading flowers. 

After pruning, the 8857-28’s blades were easy to wipe clean—first with a wet kitchen towel and then with a dry kitchen towel to prevent moisture from accumulating and causing rust.

Would I buy the GARDENA 8857-81 2-step Adjustable Bypass Pruners?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How do the GARDENA 8857-81 2-step Adjustable Bypass Pruners compare?

While Gardena’s pruner certainly isn’t as beautiful as competing models such as the Opinel Hand Pruning Shears or Felco No. 6, it still looks appealing in Gardena’s distinctive shade of turquoise. Understandably, it’s not quite as effective as these premium alternatives. 

But that said, the 8857-28 feels great in the hand. Its soft, textured finish and ergonomic molding will suit many users with small or medium-sized hands. It’s one of the very best budget pruners I’ve tested.

An alternative model from the Gardena range is the 8905-20 (now $32.20, Amazon), which also prunes with a bypass action but has larger handles and a greater cutting width. 

How I tested the GARDENA 8857-81 2-step Adjustable Bypass Pruners

Our dedicated team conducts thorough research and extensive testing at Top Ten Reviews to provide accurate and trustworthy product reviews. Our experienced reviewers evaluate products based on various criteria, including price, design, and performance. We follow comprehensive testing protocols, using in-depth methods to ensure our reviews reflect real-life usage.

Our testing covers unboxing, assembly, sound tests, performance analysis, and maintenance assessments. We use a new ten-star scoring system to rate products and provide an overall star rating. Our meticulous approach aims to help readers make informed purchasing decisions.

To assess the Gardena SuperCut All Purpose Secateurs 8857-28, I tested them extensively on various plants and tasks, ensuring a comprehensive and reliable review.

See more about how we test.