WOLF-Garten Power Cut Telescoping Bypass Lopper RR900T

I have to say I was initially put off by two things I saw in the reviews when I was first looking at these loppers. One was the price, but as we all know, especially these days, you do get what you pay for. If you want a pair of ultra-sharp, German-made, well-designed telescoping loppers, you can’t expect to pay Chinese knock-off prices.The second was the photos of the chipped blades. But I know a thing or two about blade steel, and in the end I elected to go with the reputation of German cutting steel over anonymous photos of blades damaged who-knows-how. The fact of the matter is that what makes and keeps a blade sharp is the hardness of the steel. The unavoidable trade-off to hardness can be a brittleness in certain situations. For example, if you try to cut too thick a branch, or a thick, fully-dried-out one - and then halfway through the cut you wrench or twist the lopper off-axis, you stand a good chance of damaging the blade, no matter how well-made it is. As with anything, high quality does not mean infallibility or indestructibility, and operator error is not the fault of the manufacturer.Having said all that, I really like these Wolf-Garten loppers. They are extremely well-made, light and very sharp, and give a very clean, minimal-effort cut up to about an inch and a quarter. After than you need to work a little and I’d switch to a saw after 1 1/2”. The telescoping handles work really well, you can adjust the length easily with one hand - which is very useful for starting a cut with the handles retracted, so you don’t need to spread them as wide (which can be tricky if you’re in a tight spot or up in a tree) - and then extending the handles for leverage to finish the cut. Used wisely and taken care of, I expect to have these loppers a long time. After realizing how much better they were than what I used to have, I threw out my two old ones, a long-handled Corona and a no-name short one. No regrets. Plus you can take the cutting blade off the Wolf-Garten for sharpening with a whetstone if you are so inclined - there is no blade in creation that isn’t going to need to be sharpened eventually.

I have no technical knowledge or experience, but these loppers impress me as being made of first-rate materials, and having first-rate design and construction--as one would expect from a successful German manufacturer. They are as heavy-duty as loppers for everyday use might reasonably be, which of course means they weigh more than many other loppers. Their weight, in turn, naturally limits how long they can be, fully extended, while still being usable. For me they are a perfect match in weight and extendable length. I needed an extendable bypass lopper for two major purposes--(1) trimming bushes and lower tree branches, and (2) cutting ivy back at the bottom of fences and on the ground without having to lean over or get on my knees. When I first got them, I was impressed with how easily they extended to reach far into a large oleander and cut off sagging lower branches at the stem. They cut like a hot knife through butter, and are a pleasure to use. If you need a longer lopper, then (unless you are, say, 6'2" and 225 pounds) you probably need a lighter lopper. In general, they are probably too heavy for anyone on the smaller side, or anyone who has relevant physical limitations. Unlike the other extendable loppers I looked at, they do not telescope with a rotating motion. Instead, when you extend them, they click into place with a pin-and-hole mechanism, which does not slip. I might add that if you want to impress your neighbors, they are quite snazzy looking.

Well-engineered and quality set of loppers. Cuts easily and extension makes it easier to cut down low or up high. One thing I like is the handles do not have a channel cut into the inside edge to enable extending, like most of the other models seem to have. Instead the handle surface is solid all the way around with only a few small holes cut into them for locking the handles to different lengths. This makes the handles more rigid and strong. I had some trouble deciding between bypass and anvil style loppers since I didn't want to buy both, but followed someone's recommendation to buy the anvil loppers if only buying one set, and so far I'm very happy with these as they work well with both live and dead branches. Also like that these loppers are made in Germany, but you do pay a higher price. Only drawback is they are a bit heavy so if you work for long periods you might get tired so keep that in mind.

I was disappointed to find the blade on this cutter were damaged after just a couple of use. By damage I mean the edge of the blade was notched. I had used the cutter only to remove branches from a fallen pear tree. That wood isn't hard enough to cause the kind of damage I now have to the blade edge, and the tree had only been down for a few hours, thus it was green and free from dirt. The tool was used only to trim off branches, and none were larger than the size limit specified by the manufacturer.As far as using the tool it is easy to use and the extendable handles are a nice feature, allowing me to reach areas that would have otherwise required a ladder. It cut well, even with the blade damage, and the extended handles provided all the leverage needed to cut the larger branches. The tool is fairly light in weight and is easily maneuvered with the handles fully retracted. With the handles extended it becomes a bit unbalanced when reaching but not excessively so.I understand the blade on this tool is replaceable, but I have a problem with buying a replacement blade for a tool that is almost brand new and has very little use. The photos I've attached clearly show the blade damage and also show how little of the blade coating is worn off, indicating little use.Other than the blade durability issue I like the tool. SInce the blade isn't durable and considering the tool was only used for an hour or two before the blade showed damage I'd have to rate this tool as "NOT Recommended"

I've had several pairs of loppers over the years, and bent several handles. So far, this is a sturdy creature that cuts well and has good extension. It *is* slightly heavier, but that's what you get with steel handles rather than cheaper alloy handles. Recommended if you are routinely nasty to your loppers.