Bypass loppers work like scissors, but have only one moving blade. The fixed blade is typically unsharpened, while the moving blade has a sharp edge.
The sharpened blade pushes branches down onto the unsharpened blade, which provides resistance, pressing the branch up against the blade to make slicing through the wood fibres easier.
The blades of bypass loppers may be hooked or curved, to prevent branches and twigs from slipping out of their grip during use.
Anvil loppers
Instead of two blades, anvil loppers have one sharpened upper blade, and a flat anvil-like surface in place of the bottom blade.
The anvil may be made of a softer metal than the blades, providing a ‘sacrificial’ surface for the blade to press down against during lopping tasks.
The sharpened blade presses branches down onto the anvil, which provides resistance, allowing the blade to cut more easily through the wood fibres.
Pole lopper
Instead of having two handles, the pole lopper features a single long ‘pole’ handle, with the jaws fitted at the top; the jaws incorporate a pulley system which is used to open and close the jaws.
A cord is pulled to operate the pulley system and lower a lever in order to close the jaws. The lever and the pulley system together provide a mechanical advantage, which means the pressure applied by the user pulling the cord is multiplied several times at the point of cutting.
Pole loppers are used to cut branches at the very tops of trees and tall shrubs, which ordinary two-handled loppers simply can’t reach.
