DarlacHeavy Duty Telescopic Ratchet Loppers Garden Tree Pruner Long Reach DP974

Robust and works well.

I couldn't get this to work on anything big, it was great on things up to about 40 mm, but bigger than that it was a struggle.The seller, Garden Gear, was extremely helpful with lots of advice, and offered a full refund.I decided to keep them and use them on anything I can.I think there is a certain amount of skill involved in using them and I am still practicing.

These look like they’re going to be a seriously rugged and dependable garden tool. Unfortunately this is sadly not the case. The ratchet mechanism doesn’t engage very easily making cutting thicker branches very hard work and awkward. Secondly, the extendable handle locking mechanism doesn’t do it’s job and consequently, the handles can self adjust themselves shorter whilst you’re taking a bite at the branch in need of a trim. This can be quite dangerous when you’re at full reach for a high branch and the blade is stuck in the tree and you’re trying to free it then suddenly one or other of the handles has slipped and you get pitched sideways as a result.Best avoid these.

Really easy to use, light and sharp. We also bought a larger version but this one performs much better and so much easier to use.

Excellent heavy duty set of loppers, just what I was looking for.

My old Darlac bypass lopper had a different set up with the handle extension lock buttons, my new DP974 extension handles have a new set up and it is downright dangerous because they do not lock at a setting and when you are pushing these loppers into a thick area the handles slide in and I have gone head first into the bushes twice and if you lean on them same thing happens. I would not have given these one star on safety grounds. On a good note they do cut well but I would not recommend this product. To end this review I see the little photo appears to have the old style handles and locks, perhaps Darlac are having problems with the new design and maybe they will get in touch with me to replace my ones, I would not want my money back just an exchange.

Makes cutting through the smaller branches a breeze. Takes all the strain out of the work. A very good product which I highly recommend.

The best I have used but the maximum diameter all depends on how soft the wood is.