# Felco Loppers



## TN Cattleman (Nov 9, 2018)

Been thinking about replacing some heavy duty loppers. How do the Felco 22 and 220 compare in use and longevity?


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## Conquistador3 (Nov 9, 2018)

In my opinion ARS are better than Felco when it comes to sheer cutting power. 
However... you cannot wear out a Swiss-made Felco product. The Korean-made saws are another matter, but the secateurs, loppers, bolt cutters etc will outlast you. 
I still have my grandfather's Felcos, which were bought sometime during the 70's and use the secateurs several times a week. The only thing I did to them was changing the blades because after 40+ years of sharpening there wasn't a whole lot left. Blades are still easily available and not terribly expensive either. These things will likely outlast me as well. 

Regarding the 22 and 220... the difference between the two is simple: the 22 is made for really thick branches, up to 2" thick. The 220 is made for branches up to 1" and ½.


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## TN Cattleman (Nov 9, 2018)

The major difference is the 220 uses a cam action and the 22 does not use a cam action. There is some videos online comparing the two, the cam action does look to make cutting quite a bit easier, however one must wonder how well cam action will hold up over time. The 22 is rated to cut 45mm diameter limbs while the 220 is rated to cut 40mm diameter. Also noticed a lifetime warranty on the 22 per Felco website.


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## CacaoBoy (Nov 9, 2018)

I like Felco. While I have not used either of those loppers, the 22 looks much more durable. But both are rather expensive. For value, consider a Fiskars racheting lopper at a cost less than 1/4 that of the Felco 22. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Fiskars-24-in-Titanium-Anvil-Ratchet-Lopper-66806966J/202256821 I have had one 2+ years and can cut branches about 2-1/2" with it. My 68 year old wife regularly uses it on 2" branches and often reminds me how much she likes it.


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## TN Cattleman (Nov 10, 2018)

CacaoBoy said:


> I like Felco. While I have not used either of those loppers, the 22 looks much more durable. But both are rather expensive. For value, consider a Fiskars racheting lopper at a cost less than 1/4 that of the Felco 22. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Fiskars-24-in-Titanium-Anvil-Ratchet-Lopper-66806966J/202256821 I have had one 2+ years and can cut branches about 2-1/2" with it. My 68 year old wife regularly uses it on 2" branches and often reminds me how much she likes it.



I also think the 22 will be the better loppers for my use, figured out you have to spread handles further apart with the cam action loppers for the same diameter limb. I will also agree that the price will sting a bit. We mostly use loppers to cut saplings growing on pasture land that is too steep to bush hog. The last value loppers we used were Ames 30"+ loppers many years ago, none of them lasted a whole day of cutting. The hardware store replaced them, same thing happened again, so we just tossed them.


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## Conquistador3 (Nov 12, 2018)

Be sure to check out Ars as well: https://www.arscorporation.jp/product/list.html?id=15
Here they are sold by the same company that sells Echo and Shindaiwa so you find them in the same dealerships. Felco are great and is what I use, but I've been thinking about getting an Ars pruner just to see if it will hold up to the hype. 
I already have a Kanzawa folding saw for when the loppers aren't enough and i don't want/cannot dig out the top handle saw and so far I am very impressed with quality and durability of these Japanese pruning tools.


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## TN Cattleman (Nov 12, 2018)

The large ARS loppers are expensive in the USA, even more expensive than similar Felco tools and readily available parts are scarce. With that being said, they do look good. The Lowe loppers look very good but they are very hard to find here, with readily available parts even harder to find.


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## CR888 (Nov 12, 2018)

Of the choices mentioned in this thread Tue Felco 22 is what I'd choose without question. I use loppers a fair bit, am not a fan of the compound designs, sure they work and really assist in delivering torque but their slow and have too many moving parts to be reliable long term, decent option though for homeowner style use. Good handles are very important, hollow tubes with pins/rivets fastening them to the blades are a no no. You need solid handles that are fastened with bolts to the blade. The high end fiskars will last me about a year if I'm lucky, the best I've ever seen & used are made in NZ by Timbersaws™. But those Felco 22 have a lot going for them, I have 4 pairs of Felco seccuteers, the pro grade Felco are quality with good parts supply with ease of access. Get the 22's.


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## Miles86 (Dec 1, 2018)

Hi I have a Felco 20 it's a smaller one but the quality is impressive, and they are tough. You will like it.


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