Monty Don is one of the greatest and most popular gardening enthusiasts to grace our screens.
The British born gardening expert regularly dishes out gardening advice and this includes recommendations for tools to use in the garden.
Monty Don prescribed the Tobisho SR-1 Secateurs as his favorite pruning shears and one of the best designs in the world.
Well the expert has said it and of course we believe him.
In this article, I’ll be providing more information on Monty Dons’ biography, the pros and cons of his favorite pruning shear, how to pick a good pruning shears, while also briefly discussing Fiskar pruners.
What Pruning Shears Does Monty Don Use?
Monty Don, one of the best horticulturist and gardening experts in the world has recommended the Tobisho SR-1 Secateurs by Niwaki as his regular pruning shears and one of the best in the world.
The Tobisho Secateurs’ blades are reputedly forged with high carbon steel in the Yamagata mountains of Japan.
It is a high-quality secateurs design which combines a great balance with a clean, razor-sharp cut.
Pros
- The blades are made from high quality steel which makes your pruning work faster and more efficient. The blades give a clean and sharp cut on branches as thick as 20mm and this helps to ensure your plants regenerate faster.
- It also puts less strain on the rests even after working for quite some time. The design is lighter which makes the user less fatigued at the end of the working day.
- The blade holds its edge even after continuous use and doesn’t require as much touching up as other secateur brands.
- The design is really durable and has been designed to last for a long time despite regular use.
- The secateur is easy to maintain. There are easy instructions for disassembling and touching up the different parts of the secateur.
- Cons
- The safety catch is close at hand and quite chunky. This can be closed accidentally while working and stop work mid-cut.
- It requires regular oiling from time to time during the work day as it can get squeaky.
Where Can I Buy These Shears?
The Tobisho SR-1 Secateurs can be bought in a variety of stores all around the world.
The first place to order these high quality secateurs is from the manufacturers website at http://www.niwaki.com/ where they are priced at $96.42 with an additional $26.00 for a single leather holster.
Niwaki delivers to almost every location around the world, all you just have to do is input your country and it’ll show your delivery information.
You can also get them at Amazon.com for the US and Amazon.co.uk for the UK.
In Canada, the Gardening Kit carries the product and you can get it at $150.00 with delivery also available.
These are just a few of the places where you can easily get the shears, you can also ask at local stores near you if they carry the product.
Here is an article I wrote on best secateurs with rotating handles
Who Is Monty Don?
Any gardening ardent and horticulturist who loves to learn new things would definitely know about Monty Don.
Monty Don who was born George Montagu Don is an avid horticulturist and garden writer of repute.
He is of British nationality and was awarded the O.B.E (Order of the British Empire) by the Queen in 2018.
Monty Dons’ interest in gardening was cultivated growing up as he engaged in gardening activities with his family from a very young age.
Monty Don has had a wide television and garden writing career which started in the 1990s’.
Some of the shows he has anchored and appeared on include:
- Gardeners World
- Natural World
- Around The World in 80’s Gardens
- Monty Dons’ American Gardens
- Monty Dons’ Paradise Gardens
These and many more shows and numerous books are a few of his lifetime achievements.
Monty Don is an avid organic gardener, horticultural journalist and writer.
How Do You Pick Good Pruning Shears?
Due to the differences in the type of work done by various gardeners, you have to take some factors into consideration before picking a pruning shear.
I’ll list some of the things I would consider when buying a pruning shear.
- Type of Pruning Shear
There are different types of pruning shear designs but the 2 most popular are the anvil and the bypass designs.
The anvil pruner works best when working with tough branches and dead wood.
The bypass pruners on the other hand are ideal for trimming and pruning young and living plants.
Before buying a pruning shear ask yourself ‘what will I be cutting’?
- Quality
You might want to just pick the next affordable pruning shear close to you but quality is an important factor you should consider.
If you buy a quality pruner, it will serve you for a long time.
Look at the overall design of the pruner, especially the quality of the blade. What thickness of branches can it work through without getting damaged?
These are important questions you should ask.
- Handle Design
Pick a pruner which has a comfortable handle. Some pruners have hand grips which make your work easier and reduce strain while working.
Also check if the pruner is designed for small or large handed individuals.
If you have a joint condition, then choose designs that will ease pressure on your joints.
- Ease of Maintenance
When planning to buy a pruning shear, look at the ease of its maintenance. Is it a design you can easily take apart for cleaning and sharpening purposes?
Also pick a design that you can easily get spare parts for when the current ones get worn out.
When you consider these factors before making a decision, you should definitely buy the pruning shears which are the best for you and which you would enjoy for a long time.
Are Fiskars Pruners Any Good?
Fiskar is a Finland company which was established in 1649 and which has over the years built a global brand manufacturing various products from garden and yard care to cooking.
Fiskars have a wide range of pruners which is used by thousands of customers all over the world.
Fiskar pruners are good and known all around the world for top-notch quality and versatile designs.
The BBC Gardeners’ World, one of the most reputable gardening shows in the world, rated the Fiskars Power Gear X PX92 Pruners as a great product.
It also won the Best Buy of the Year Award.
It is described as comfortable and light with most clients reporting they got value for their money.
It has quite a long warranty, cuts well and is smooth. On the cons of the product, some users reported the rotating handle was a bit uncomfortable for them.
Otherwise, the product is one of the best and you can easily read reviews and buy Fiskar products at Amazon.com.
Conclusion
When a gardening expert recommends his favorite pruning shears, we want to know all about it.
The Tobisho SR-1 Secateurs is made of great blade quality which is quite superior and which can keep you for a long time.
There are various great designs of pruning shears out there but you have to pick out which is the best for you.
Things to look out for include the handle, quality of the blades, warranty, comfortability and ease of maintenance.
