Stiga SC 100e Kit Cordless Pruning Shears

Tested July 2024

Stiga SC 100e Kit Cordless Pruning Shears

I’d never tried using any form of powered pruner before so couldn’t wait to give these a go; their usage fits somewhere between secateurs and loppers with power.

The kit comes with everything you need, all packaged in a plastic carry case: the pruning unit; a battery (20v epower); charger; blade cover and a tool to remove the blade if it needs replacing.

Like all Stiga products these pruners feel well built and designed. The body is made of a smooth, hard plastic and the handle is rubberised for a comfy grip; there’s also a safety catch which must be pushed forward to allow the trigger to be pulled.

The blades are carbon steel so extremely sharp and strong, they also open and close quickly with only a slight noise from the motor.

To operate there’s a panel on the battery holder with a press switch to turn on and off, which also activates and shows the blades' three settings (15mm, 20mm and 30mm), allowing for them to open more or less depending on the diameter of stem or branch being pruned. The maximum cutting diameter is 28mm.

Stiga state 2000 cuts or 90 minutes of use from one battery charge, which is impressive, the battery takes 70 minutes to fully charge so a spare isn’t essential but would allow for continuous pruning if needed.

I have used them to prune some summer flowering shrubs and they performed well, not always easy to get in amongst crowded branches because of the size but very good for all types of woody growth. I think they’ll work well for thinning out tree branches in the winter, in combination with loppers and a pruning saw for thicker branches.

These pruners would definitely suit users who maybe struggle with hand strength because they do the work for you. There’s no squeezing of handles, as with secateurs and they are extremely powerful going through all branches and stems with ease (do not put your fingers anywhere near the blades!) and they’d be great for repetitive pruning such as hard pruning an overgrown hedge.

They’re quite heavy at roughly 1.2kg with battery, so I wouldn’t compare them to standard manual secateurs, so I’d use them for specific pruning tasks, rather than carrying around all day for general pruning.

Conclusion: I like the power pruners very much and think that for home use they’d be a handy tool to have but I don’t think I’ll be using them much at Barnsdale Gardens for the following reasons:

• I like the simplicity of having standard secateurs in my pocket or on my belt with no battery or charging to think about.
• I think the power pruners are a bit ‘overkill’ for most daily gardening needs.
• I also like that standard secateurs are more controllable and precise; power pruners cut as soon as the trigger is pulled - there’s no going back; if I accidentally nip my finger with secateurs (not often but it can happen) I instantly feel the pain and stop squeezing - power pruners won’t stop....