These are for meaty pruning jobs, and also come in handy for reaching overhead growth without balancing on steps or a ladder.

Single pole pruners for tackling trees are available with a choice of handle lengths or a telescopic handle.

Two-handled loppers are fine for low level pruning. The long handles let you exert a great deal of leverage on the blades for successful pruning of thick branches. But the longer the handle, the greater the space required to open out the handles, and the blades too. For versatility, consider the type fitted with telescopic handles, so you can extend the handles to suit the job.

And if you find conventional loppers a struggle to use, try a ratchet version.