Harbor Freight Pruning Tools That Make Branch Cutting A Breeze

Maintaining your outdoor space can be challenging, but it's even more difficult without the proper tools. If you're in this situation, it might seem like you only have two choices: pay a professional to do the job for you, or invest in expensive gadgets to prune, snip, and trim your home's greenery yourself. Neither is particularly appealing, especially if you're on a tight budget, but Harbor Freight is well-stocked with inexpensive and high-quality tools that can deliver the same results for less.

Whether you're looking for a simple pair of bypass pruners, a convenient battery-powered pruning saw, or a sturdy pair of hedge shears, this retailer is all about providing necessary tools for less. Rather than stocking recognizable, name-brand products like other hardware stores, Harbor Freight sells products from in-house brands, helping to cut costs and reduce the decision fatigue caused by shelves weighed down with dozens of different options. That said, not all Harbor Freight-owned tool brands are of the best quality, and even within individual brands, there are inevitably certain products that will be misses.

When it comes to a task as laborious as trimming the branches on your trees, bushes, and shrubs, the last thing you want to have to deal with is a tool that breaks halfway through the process. To prevent this, we've rounded up the best Harbor Freight pruning tools worth the investment, helping ensure your space looks fresh and well-maintained for months to come.

Let's start off with the big guns. If your taller trees are in need of a trim, especially if you're dealing with larger branches that wouldn't be easy to cut with a handheld tool, investing in a pole saw is one of the safest ways to get the job done. These saws are attached to a long, adjustable pole, giving you several extra feet of reach so you can more easily cut back higher branches. Wielding what's essentially just a chainsaw on the end of a stick might be intimidating, but when you compare it to the alternative of balancing on a ladder on ground that's likely uneven, the necessity for this tool becomes clear.

Thankfully, you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to save your arms and legs. This Portland 6.5 Amp, 9.5 in. Electric Pole Saw is less than $60 at Harbor Freight, and because it plugs in, you don't have to worry about buying an additional battery for power. Add on the fact that it extends up to 8 feet 10 inches and weighs under 8 pounds, and you have a winning investment.

This low-price, high-functionality, and no-battery combo has made this tool a crowd pleaser, and it's garnered a whopping 14,000 reviews on the retailer's site. Customers are pleased, too — it's managed to maintain a 4.7 star average, with 97% of customers recommending the product to others.

If you have smaller trees that need trimming, a large outdoor space with a lot of plants, or simply don't want to exhaust your hands, a pruning saw like the Bauer 20V Brushless Cordless, 5 in. Pruning Saw is an incredibly handy tool to keep around. It's exactly what it sounds like — a tiny saw meant to prune stubborn branches — and while it might look like a kid's toy compared to a full-size chainsaw, it's still able to pack quite a punch.

Coming in at just under $55, this tool won't break the bank, but it does require purchasing a Bauer-branded 20V battery and charger if you don't already have one. Even with the added cost, it's a worthy investment if you decide this is the best pruning tool for your needs. It only weighs 2½ pounds, can deliver 162 cuts per charge, and has a 4¾ inch cutting capacity. In addition to being used directly on your trees and shrubs as a pruning tool, it can also come in handy when you need to cut up already-trimmed branches and yard debris for disposal or use as firewood.

Customers agree that this product is worth buying. Across 289 reviews, it has earned an average of 4.7 stars, and many reviewers mention being impressed by its power and affordability compared to other brands.

While battery-operated and electric power tools can be a lifesaver for tough jobs, they're not always necessary. Sometimes, all you need is a little leverage. Loppers, like these One Stop Gardens Steel Handle Loppers, have extra-long handles that help to multiply the force you use to trim thicker branches. It's a simple mechanism, but a highly effective one — this tool design has been around for centuries, and with the exception of experimentation with new, sturdier materials, it hasn't changed much.

Because of this, the One Stop Gardens option available at Harbor Freight might not seem like a very impressive piece of engineering, but in reality, it checks all the boxes. These loppers have sturdy steel handles, sharp blades, and convenient grips on the ends to ensure you're able to cut easily and precisely. With proper maintenance, this tool can last for decades thanks to its steel frame, and at around $15, they're a reasonable price for such a useful gardening tool.

Being such a useful product has made them popular on Harbor Freight's website, too — they've garnered over 1,600 customer reviews and have maintained a 4.7-star average. The vast majority of reviewers — 97% — recommend this product to others, and most reviews center on the loppers' sharpness, sturdiness, and ability to complete the desired job without fuss.

If you're cleaning up smaller branches or doing more detailed pruning jobs, bypass pruning shears are the right tool for your plants. This convenient tool fits in the palm of your hand, but its clever design lets you make sharp, precise cuts where needed. Whether you're cleaning up spent blooms on your rose bushes or cutting back errant stems to keep your hedges in an attractive shape, the small but sharp, curved blades will ensure you don't trim more than you need to or damage healthy areas.

For an affordable and well-built pair of hand pruning shears, check out the One Stop Gardens 8¼ in. Bypass Hand Pruner, coming in at just under $13. It's designed for both precision and user comfort, featuring a sharp head with a carbon steel, chrome-coated blade, an ergonomic design for both left- and right-handed users, and a thumb lock for safe storage. It can tackle stems that are a maximum of 3/4 inch thick, so you won't be able to use it to fell a tree any time soon, but it can be used on most other plants in the garden.

Similar to the brand's lopper, this One Stop Gardens pruner has earned overwhelmingly positive, albeit simple, feedback. It's achieved a 4.6-star rating across 351 reviews on Harbor Freight's website, and 93% of customers say they'd recommend this item. In most reviews, the same sentiment is echoed: It's a good quality pruner that gets the job done without breaking the bank.

In an effort to provide a roundup of Harbor Freight gardening tools that are both high-quality and useful to our readers, we relied on a combination of user reviews and knowledge of the specific tasks gardeners may face when trimming. To begin, we looked for specific tools that would work for specialized jobs, from cutting back large tree branches to tidying up bushes. Additionally, we considered the power needs of these tools, if applicable, and sought to provide both corded and battery-powered options.

From there, we primarily looked at customer reviews. Each of these products has a rating above 4.5 stars and has been reviewed by at least 250 customers. We combed through the retailer's stock, eliminating options that either lacked sufficient positive feedback to form a clear picture of customers' experience or had consistently received negative or middling reviews. 

While the retailer doesn't have a massive stock of gardening tools available — its primary focus is on tools for building or DIY projects — there were still quite a few picks to choose from after eliminating options that weren't up to par. To narrow the choices further, we focused on products that offered good value for the money, hoping to ensure that customers who shopped for these items would feel satisfied with their purchase and that they got the most bang for their buck.