Jakoti Hand Shears
*Price correct at time of publishing
Tested March 2025
The Jakoti hand shears aren’t new to me as I’ve been using them for about ten years in the gardens; I felt it was time to give them a review as they’re such a great tool.
Knowing how good they are I wondered if Jakoti produced any other tools but these shears and holster are their sole product. Now intrigued and realising I knew nothing about their history or the origins of the name I contacted the company to find out more. I was really pleased to recieve a call from the director Claire Tinker who told me the story of discovering them on a holiday in Greece many years ago, they were being produced by one family using traditional metalworking skills for sheep shearing and were widely used for that purpose. To cut a long story short – sometime later Claire's brother Jack went back to Greece with the idea of importing the shears to the UK. The name Jakoti is a combination of the names Jack and Tinker. After forty years of refining and developing the shears we have the product that I’m using today. Although I already own a few older pairs of these I was kindly sent a new pair to review. Apart from a slight change to the pin spring holding the blades together they're basically the same.
These are small shears (overall length 30cm) designed to be used with one hand; they’re more like scissors than the traditional sheep shear design. Their construction is all metal apart from a very comfortable rubberised grip which covers the handles. There’s a small part of the handles which are painted in a bright red which makes them easy to see should they be misplaced. The self-sharpening blades are made from a high-quality carbon steel; the low tension spring is nickel so its strong, durable and rust resistant. At the very end of the handles is a simple clasp to hold them closed when not in use. There are no nuts to tighten or come loose either, the blades are joined together with a pin which has a spring device to keep them at the perfect cutting tension.
These shears are my go-to ‘cutting back’ tool, just brilliant for trimming almost any soft growth, perfect for cutting down perennials, harvesting herbs, trimming topiary, lavenders, lawn edging, cutting down grasses. These aren’t hedge cutting shears or secateurs, they’re unique and have been perfected over many years, I like that the handles open just wide enough for the average hand so they don’t over-open. I love the simplicity of the design, sharp, strong, last for years and years with minimal maintenance. I’ve used a pair that are over twenty years old and yes the blades and handles are a bit rusty but they still cut like new. Jakoti recommend drying them off after use to prevent surface rust and keeping them in a dry environment. Wipe over with an oily cloth and an occasional spray with WD-40 or similar to keep them in top condition. There’s also a red leather holster available which means they can hang on a belt
Conclusion: I really like quality products that do the job and these are just that. Every gardener needs a pair; I can’t recommend them highly enough
