There’s a lot of hype around Japanese gardening tools, but the price tag on some of the products from leading brands always used to put me off a little. A few months ago, I bit the bullet and finally tried out my first pair of Japanese secateurs – and now I’m obsessed.
Niwaki’s Sentei Secateurs are £39 at Amazon, so they’re a lot less expensive than some of the other secateurs in the brand’s range – and they turned out to be some of the best secateurs I’ve ever tried. In fact, snipping away at my plants has literally never been more satisfying – and I couldn’t wait to get back out in the garden and start pruning again.
Here’s everything I loved about the Niwaki Sentei Secateurs – and why I can’t wait to start padding out my shed with even more Japanese gardening tools.
Niwaki describes the Sentei Secateurs as ‘an excellent introduction into the world of Japanese secateurs,’ and that’s exactly what they were for me. The 55mm blades, which are made of KA-70 carbon-forged steel, arrive super-sharp and ready to go – and they trim through green stems like butter, with the most satisfying snip I’ve ever felt pruning. As sad as it may sound, pruning my jasmine plant was an absolute blast.
Now, before I carry on raving about them, it’s important to note that the Niwaki Sentei Secateurs are designed for light pruning tasks. According to Niwaki, they’re designed to cut through stems no thicker than 7mm in diameter, and they indeed performed a lot better on stems that were less than 10mm thick. For heavy-duty or all-day tasks, Niwaki says it’s better to go for something like the GR Pro Secateurs.
But if, like me, you have plants like lavender bushes to prune, with plenty of green stems, the Niwaki Sentei Secateurs are absolutely ideal. They’re so comfortable to hold, and they make light pruning tasks feel effortless. There’s a lock catch mechanism at the end of the secateur handles that you can flick open and closed with your finger (although it takes a little getting used to!). The spring action is soft and easy to control, too, which makes pruning even easier.
Amazon reviewers agree that the Sentei secateurs are worth the purchase – one reviewer says they’re ‘the secateurs that everyone should own,’ with another describing them as ‘seriously good and fit for purpose’. There’s a lot of agreement that the secateurs are really sharp, and a high-quality product all-round.
They look premium, too. The handles have a sleek, black wood effect, and they’re really comfortable to hold. The only downside there is that you might lose track of them if you put them down on dark soil (that’s one of the only gripes Amazon reviewers had, actually).
Of course, even though carbon steel holds its edge well, at some point you’ll need to learn how to sharpen your secateurs properly. Niwaki has a range of brilliant sharpening and tool care products to expand your Japanese garden tool collection with. It recommends the £9 Niwaki Clean Mate for removing rust and sap, the Niwaki #1000 Grit Stone, available for £15 at Amazon, for sharpening, and the Niwaki Camellia Oil, which you can also buy from Amazon for £7.50, for blade protection.
Even the packaging is a treat! My Sentei secateurs came in a delicate little box inside a canvas bag, so they’d make a lovely gift (and a few Amazon reviewers said the same thing). If you order the Sentei Secateurs from Niwaki’s website, you can even add a canvas or leather holster to your order for an extra £12 or £24, respectively. The secateurs come with a spare spring, too.
More brilliant Japanese gardening tools
Niwaki
Niwaki Garden Snips
Another Niwaki product I swear by. They’re so comfortable to use!
Kimura
Kimura® 8″ Pro Bypass Garden Secateurs
Another pair of my favourite secateurs! They’re brilliant for light to medium pruning tasks.
For heavier-duty jobs, these Niwaki secateurs start at £84 for a right-handed pair.
If you feel like treating yourself to a premium Japanese gardening tool, the Niwaki Sentei Secateurs are a brilliant place to start.
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