Opinel Hand Pruning Shears review: are these the world’s most stylish secateurs?

One thing’s for sure: the Opinel Hand Pruning Shears are among the best pruners in aesthetics. Combining modern styling with a classic secateurs design, these shears wouldn’t look out of place pruning shrubs outside the Centre Pompidou in Paris. 

An interesting combination of materials is on show here, including a beech wood top shank, polyamide grips, and brushed stainless steel blades. 

You can’t miss the bright orange position selector that operates the shears’ locking system. This critical component lets you switch between closed, partially open and fully open blade positions. Having that intermediate option will save your hand some serious effort when you have lots of slender stems to prune. 

Another user-friendly feature is the shears’ sprung mechanism. You can’t actually see the spring, as it’s secured behind a bolt for protection against dirt ingress and pinching. 

The Opinel Hand Pruning Shears sound great on paper – but I was keen to discover how they perform in the yard. At $65, you’d expect these secateurs to provide outstanding pruning performance. 

To find out whether they’re worth the price, I reviewed Opinel’s pruner by using it for a variety of pruning tasks around my yard, including deadheading roses, foxgloves, and marigolds and cutting thicker tree branches (up to the shears’ maximum cutting width of 0.78″). Read on to learn how the Opinel Hand Pruning Shears performed in my hands-on testing. 

REVIEWED BY

REVIEWED BY

Pete Wise

Pete has reviewed hundreds of gardening products for titles, including TopTenReviews, Ideal Home, and the London Evening Standard, as well as 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. 

Opinel Hand Pruning Shears: key specs

Opinel Hand Pruning Shears: At a glance

Built for pruning delicate plant stems and tree branches up to 0.78'', the Opinel Hand Pruning Shears are a classic bypass pruner with a stylish, creative aesthetic. They’re an excellent match for gardeners who need precise, careful pruning to improve plant health and appearance. 

Opinel is a shears maker with a history dating back to the 1800s. The company is best known for making wooden-handled knives, and the beech upper shank of its pruning shears is surely a nod to that heritage. Opinel continues to design tools from its historic France headquarters.

Opinel Hand Pruning Shears are available worldwide, including in the United States ($65, Amazon).

Opinel Hand Pruning Shears: Performance

During my hands-on testing, I was impressed with the Opinal Hand Pruning Shears. They had great cutting performance across branches and plant stems and proved pretty user-friendly, too.  

Before you first use the position selector to toggle between open, partially open and closed, it’s worth noting that the selector can’t be flicked forward or back. This is like more traditional secateurs. Instead, you push it up or down, so that it fits into the appropriate niche on the handle.

The fully open setting pushes the handles very far apart. It’s an excellent option when you need to cut a thicker branch or stem. However, most of the time you’ll find it easier to use the partially open position. That's especially true if you don't have very large hands. 

In my opinion, the Opinel Hand Pruning Shears' greatest strength is their cutting performance. The shears easily cut through thick foxglove stems, and even slender tree branches. 

Thanks to its strong, sharp stainless steel blades, Opinel’s pruner is very effective at deadheading smaller plants such as marigolds, even if they have high flower heads or stem density. The blades' curved profile helps you isolate the stems you want to cut.

I was equally impressed with the shears’ rose-pruning performance. The cuts looked clean and healthy. The blades' accuracy allowed me to prune the rose stems at an angle to ensure water could drain off easily.

One downside to these pruners was that their action became sticky as sap accumulated on the blades. This issue can be remedied, to a significant extent, through regular cleaning. 

Should you buy the Opinel Hand Pruning Shears?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How do the Opinel Hand Pruning Shears compare?

There’s no pruner quite like the Opinel Hand Pruning Shears – especially in terms of appearance. If you love this model’s look and are satisfied with our review, you should treat yourself to a pair. 

Another bypass pruner worth considering is the Felco No. 6. These shears are also beautiful, although the style differs from Opinel’s model. Crucially, the Felco shears also cut brilliantly and are very easy to use. 

You could save some money – but lose some quality and pizazz – by buying a budget bypass pruner such as the Fiskars Plus Smartfit Bypass Pruner P541, which performed admirably during our testing.  

How the Opinel Hand Pruning Shears were tested for this review

At Top Ten Reviews, our dedicated team conducts thorough research and extensive testing 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 five-star scoring system to rate products and provide an overall star rating. Our meticulous approach aims to help readers make informed purchasing decisions.

For the Opinel Hand Pruning Shears, our reviewer tested them extensively on various plants and tasks, ensuring a comprehensive and reliable review.

See more about how we test.