Don't let its size fool you. The Burgon & Ball RHS Pocket Pruner delivers full-sized cutting performance in a genuinely pint-sized package — a compact, lightweight, beautifully made little pruner that slips into a pocket and proves, every time you use it, that good things really do come in small packages. Finished in an elegant racing green, it's as smart as it is handy.

At just 17cm long and weighing only 140g, it's one of the lightest pruners in the RHS-endorsed range, and that's rather the point. It's perfectly suited to gardeners with smaller hands, to anyone who finds standard secateurs a little bulky or tiring, and to long sessions where a heavier tool starts to make itself felt. It's the pruner you reach for when you want something nimble, light, and easy to control — without giving up the clean, proper cut of a full-size tool.

It comes from Burgon & Ball, the Sheffield toolmaker who've been making garden tools since 1730, and carries the official Royal Horticultural Society endorsement. Supplied to us through our partners at AllotMate, who curate proper, well-made tools for gardeners and allotmenteers who'd rather buy once.

Small, but a proper pruner

This is no toy. It uses the same bypass cutting method as larger secateurs — two blades passing like scissors — which gives the clean, precise cut that's gentle on living stems, exactly what you want for live wood and delicate pruning. The details are properly considered:

• Compact 17cm frame, just 140g — light, nimble, and easy to control, ideal for smaller hands and long sessions
• Bypass cut — clean, precise cuts that don't crush the stem, kind to living plants
• Hardened, tempered high-carbon steel blade — takes and holds a sharp edge for long-lasting performance
• Sap groove in the cutting block — helps stop the blade sticking during use
• Robust alloy handles with a cushioned grip — comfortable and secure, even during repetitive work
• Cuts stems up to 1.5cm — plenty for shrubs, herbaceous borders and container plants
• Racing green finish — smart, classic, and easy to spot

What you'll use it for

• Deadheading — the light, nimble action is perfect for the steady summer task of snipping spent blooms
• Precision pruning and shaping — getting into tight spots among dense planting where a bigger tool is clumsy
• Container and patio plants — tidy work on a smaller scale
• Herbs and soft stems — clean cuts that keep plants productive
• Everyday carry — small and light enough to keep in a pocket or trug for whenever a quick cut is needed

For heavier, woodier work you'll still want a full-size pair — our Burgon & Ball bypass secateurs handle thicker stems and bigger pruning jobs — but for the light, frequent, fiddly cutting that fills a gardening session, this little pruner is a genuine pleasure to use.

Specifications

• Length: 17cm (compact)
• Weight: 140g — one of the lightest in the RHS-endorsed range
• Cutting capacity: Up to 1.5cm stem diameter
• Mechanism: Bypass — clean cuts for live stems
• Blade: Hardened, tempered high-carbon steel, with a sap groove
• Handles: Robust alloy with a soft cushioned grip
• Colour: Racing green
• Endorsement: Royal Horticultural Society approved
• Maintenance: Replacement spring sets available
• Made by: Burgon & Ball, Sheffield (since 1730)
• Supplied through: AllotMate

As a gift

A lovely, thoughtful gift — smart, useful, RHS-endorsed, and a sensible price. Particularly good for:

• Gardeners with smaller hands — for whom standard secateurs can feel oversized and tiring
• Anyone who values a light, easy tool — including older gardeners and those who garden little and often
• A new gardener — a quality, manageable first pruner
• The deadheading devotee — anyone who's forever pottering with a pair of snips in hand
• Mother's Day, Father's Day, Christmas — or pair it with a pair of gloves or a packet of seeds for a complete gift

Looking after it

• Wipe the blade clean after each use, particularly after sappy growth
• A drop of light oil on the pivot keeps the action smooth
• Sharpen the cutting blade only (not the bypass plate) as needed — high-carbon steel takes a stone well
• Replace the spring with a replacement set when needed, to keep the action crisp season after season
• Store dry rather than left out in the weather

About Burgon & Ball

Burgon & Ball have been making garden tools in Sheffield since 1730, drawing on the city's centuries-old expertise in steel. They hold the official Royal Horticultural Society endorsement — a designation given to tools that meet exacting standards for performance, durability and design. We're proud to stock their range; British-made tools at this quality are increasingly rare.

A small thought: not every cut needs a big tool. A great deal of gardening is light, frequent, fiddly work — a snip here, a deadhead there — and for that, a small, light, genuinely sharp pruner you can keep in a pocket is worth more than the heaviest secateurs in the shed. The right tool isn't the biggest one; it's the one you'll actually reach for.