
Are you looking for the best Fiskars telescopic pruner or with fixed pole? Here you will find my reviews of the most interesting models.
Fiskars is by far one of the leading companies in the gardening sector, both for professionals and for hobbyists. And it is also one of the major producers of pruners, so much so that it has launched several models on the market, with different peculiarities. To give you a couple of concrete examples, we have a Fiskars pruner with saw included in the package, and some telescopic pruners that can reach up to 4 meters in height, such as the UPX86. But let’s go in order.
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Features of Fiskars loppers
If you want to prune tall branches without having to climb a wobbly ladder and put your safety at risk, then the company in question has several solutions for you. His telescopic pruners, in fact, they are particularly suitable for reaching the highest heights, given the presence in some models of a telescopic tube that can be extended up to 4 meters. Of course, even including the height of the bust and your arms, starting from this value you can easily reach 6 meters.
Being top of the range products, Fiskars pruners have very advanced technical features, which you will not find in the budget models, and these are the following.
1. Activation of the scissors
The closing of the scissors and the truncation of the branch take place through an activation system called “traction”. In summary, there is an internal rope connected to a central sleeve and to a knob at the bottom of the club. By bringing the sleeve down with a firm click, the rope activates the closure of the shears on the cutting head of the branch cutter. The same goes for the knob at the bottom, very useful when you push the tool very high and you do not have the possibility to use the central handle.
The traction rope, being integrated inside the stick, has a fundamental advantage in my opinion: it does not get entangled in the branches, therefore it greatly facilitates the work.
2. Cutting unit and blades
The Fiskars telescopic pruner is known for the great quality of the blades, made of solid reinforced steel and very sharp. Being really sharp, they are able to guarantee advanced cutting precision, offering a clean parting of the branch. In addition, the blades have an anti-slip coating that protects their surface from resin and other sticky substances, promoting performance and cleaning.
Where present, then, the bypass blade system allows you to make a much more precise cut, in order to avoid damaging the plant. A “broken” cut, in fact, would prevent the bark from healing.
Know that the cutting unit can be disassembled and replaced with one of the various accessories produced by the well-known Finnish company. This version of the Fiskars UP86 pruner, for example, it includes in the package a handy saw, which you can use to cut branches with a large diameter, around 20 centimeters. In fact, consider that telescopic scissor pruners cannot cut branches with diameters greater than about 3.5 centimeters well, because in that case they would lose precision.
Finally, I would also like to underline the presence of a joint on the cutting head, which gives you the possibility to tilt it and to customize its angle, up to a maximum of 230 degrees. This is a “smart” system, as it allows you to position the scissors to cut even the most difficult to reach branches. Not surprisingly, we often find it in other gardening tools with extendable sticks.
Best Fiskars loppers
1. Fiskars Universal Cutter UP86 (Double Handle)
This telescopic pruner from Fiskars is a little gem, as it condenses the best features that I have listed above. First of all, it has a double pull handle: it means that you can activate the scissors either by pulling the central sleeve, or by pulling the knob located at the base of the shaft. In summary, if you have to raise the stick a lot, the second system is absolutely vital.
- Height: 2.4 to 4 meters
- Double pull handle
- Cutting width: 3.2cm
- Head can be tilted up to 230 degrees
- Solid CrMov steel blades
Let’s talk a little about its extension, which starts from a minimum of 2.4 meters and reaches a maximum of about 4 meters. As I told you, however, this value can actually extend up to 6 meters, if you also add the length of your arms. As far as cutting is concerned, this is through the counterblade, while the maximum diameter of the drinking branches with the Fiskars UPX86 corresponds to 3.2 centimeters. You can actually cut thicker branches too, but in that case the accuracy will drop.
The blades are of excellent workmanship, in solid CrMov steel, and the cutting unit is adjustable: this means that you can bend the cutting head up to a maximum angle of 230 degrees. So you can cut off any branch and from any position, without too much effort. Also of excellent quality the coating of the scissors, in synthetic fluoropolymer, which prevents the resin from sticking, also facilitating the dry closing of the scissors.
The height adjustment of the telescopic rod is very simple, and is done by moving the washer on the rod. In addition, the internal rope cutting system not only improves the power transmitted to the scissors, but prevents the wire from bothering you when you work, preventing it from getting caught in the branches. Finally, it is not a heavy tool (about 2 kilos), and is very effective both on dry branches and for cutting young and green ones.
PRO
- It reaches up to 6 meters in height
- It has a good cutting diameter
- Adjustable head up to 230 degrees
- Solid CrMov steel blades
- Lightweight and easy to use
AGAINST
- At high altitudes it is more difficult to manage
2. Fiskars 1023634 Universal UPX86 (With or Without Saw)
Here we are with a version very similar to the previous one, only this time we are talking about a Fiskars pruner with saw. The UPX86, in fact, includes in the package a handy hacksaw that you can mount on the top of the shaft, replacing the canonical cutting unit with scissors. The advantage? Having the possibility to cut even branches with a thickness greater than 3.2 centimeters.
- Height: 2.4 to 4 meters
- Accessory hacksaw supplied
- Double pull handle
- Cutting width: 3.2cm
- Head can be tilted up to 230 degrees
- Solid CrMov steel blades
The technical characteristics are identical to the classic UP86, therefore we find a telescopic rod that can be extended up to 4 meters, starting from a minimum of 2.4 meters. The cutting width of the blades is compatible with branches with a maximum thickness of 3.2 cm, and the scissors are, as always, made of reinforced CrMov steel. In addition, this tool also has a double handle, so you can cut branches using the middle sleeve or the one at the bottom.
The head is adjustable up to 230 degrees, so as to customize the cutting angle, and the orange scissor works as a guide, to reach very high branches with greater precision, due to its bright color. It is clear that the addition of the saw makes a difference, since you can also saw large branches, but there is also a version of the Fiskars UPX86 pruner without a saw included.
If you buy the version without saw, however, know that you can then buy the latter separately, since the scissor head can be removed and replaced without problems. The performances are perfect not only for hobbyists, but also for professionals: the pruning of the branches, in fact, is very precise and always takes place in a clean way. This applies both to dry twigs, and to live and elastic ones.
PRO
- Extends up to 6 meters (including arms)
- Large cutting diameter
- There is the hacksaw supplied
- Head with angle up to 230 degrees
- CrMov solid steel scissors
- Simple to handle and light
AGAINST
- At high altitudes it is more difficult to manage
- Instructions not in Italian
3. Fiskars 115360 Universal Branch Cutter Length 1.58M
A good lopper does not necessarily have to be telescopic, and in fact we find several models of Fiskars pruner with fixed rod, therefore not extendable. This pruner in particular is suitable for cutting operations at low heights, considering that the length is equivalent to 1.58 meters. But know that, adding the extension of the arms, the club can reach up to 3.5 meters.
- Fixed height: 1.58 meters
- Non-telescopic stick
- Double pull handle
- Cutting width: 3.2cm
- Head can be tilted up to 230 degrees
- Solid CrMov steel blades
What are its technical characteristics? If we go beyond the absence of the telescopic rod and therefore the fixed structure, we find the same advantages of the other truncated branches of this Finnish brand. I am talking to you, for example, of the great quality of the materials, very robust, and of the blades made of solid steel. The performances are excellent both on dry branches and on young and difficult to cut ones.
The cutting head also has the classic Fiskars angle head, with the possibility of tilting it up to a maximum of 230 degrees. You also have the possibility to disassemble the cutting unit, and to connect it to an extension, but to be purchased separately. In this way you can transform it into a real telescopic type pruner. If you have to climb over 3.5 meters, however, I recommend that you opt for the UP86 or the UPX86.
Secondly, know that this tool also has a double scissors activation system. Consequently, you can use it either by bringing down the sleeve in the center of the stick, or alternatively by pulling the knob at the end of the shaft. If you decide to push it to the maximum height (3.5 meters), you will surely find it much more comfortable than the central handle.
PRO
- Sharp and precise blades
- With the arms it reaches 3.5 meters
- Excellent manufacturing materials
- Double traction system
- Comfortable grip
- Expandable with rod
- Adjustable head up to 230 degrees
AGAINST
- It is not telescopic but fixed
4. Fiskars UPX82 1023625 Bypass Blade Length 1.6M
I decided to close my reviews with another non-telescopic Fiskars pruner, therefore equipped with a fixed shaft, with a maximum length of 1.6 meters. This is the cheapest model of the group, but still with excellent qualities, given the great effectiveness of the bypass blade. The latter, then, has a non-stick coating that further improves performance.
- Fixed height: 1.6 meters
- Non-telescopic rod
- Double pull handle
- Cutting width: 3.2cm
- Angle up to 230 degrees
- Solid CrMov steel blades
Know that, like any other pruner of this brand, the Fiskars UPX82 can also be transformed into a telescopic tool. Just buy the compatible shaft, disassemble the blade assembly, connect the first and reassemble the second on top. However, I advise you to pay attention to compatibility, since not all Fiskars extensions can be mounted on fixed pruners.
For the rest, we do not find substantial differences with the other models. The cutting width, as always, reaches a maximum branch diameter of 3.2 centimeters, and the scissors activation system is traction. The latter then allows you to use both the central handle and the one positioned at the bottom of the shaft, when you raise it up to 3.5 meters (arms included).
There is also the head that can be tilted up to 230 degrees, and the blades are obviously made of solid reinforced steel, so they guarantee extraordinary precision in cutting any branch (dry or green). In conclusion, it is a comfortable tool to use, light and efficient, enriched by an anti-slip handle, and with the possibility of replacing the scissors with the hacksaw (not supplied).
PRO
- Reaches up to 3.5 meters (arms included)
- Expandable with Fiskars extension
- Double traction sleeve
- Excellent sharpening of the blades
- Lightweight, easy and comfortable to use
- You can orient the head (230 degrees)
- Compatible with hacksaw
AGAINST
- The stick is not telescopic