photo from reddit
Felco Secateurs
by Felco
10 endorsements on r/BuyItForLife first recommended in Feb 2025
Bypass pruning shears (secateurs) from Felco, used for gardening and light landscaping work.
Added Jul 5, 2026, Updated Jul 6, 2026
Why it's buy-it-for-life
Felco offers a flat-fee refurbishment service that replaces worn parts and sharpens the blades, reportedly reviving even secateurs found rusted shut in a compost heap after a winter outdoors. Owners also report the blade can be resharpened at home (even with a basic electric blade sharpener) for years before it needs replacing, and full replacement parts are sold separately so a well-worn pair rarely has to be thrown out.
What owners say
Owners report Felco secateurs can be resharpened at home, even with a basic electric blade sharpener, for a long time before the blade itself needs replacing. Several note official spare parts (blade alone or a full kit) are sold separately, though full spares can price close to a new pair. Long-term users describe running Felco (and comparable Löwe) shears for decades, with one owner replacing just the blade twice in about twenty years on a Felco 17. On a separate gardening-tools thread, several commenters preferred Felco over Fiskars outright, with one longtime Felco 5 user (later upgraded to a 15) saying it cost about twice as much as a comparable Fiskars but lasted more than five times as long.
What redditors say
Recommended on reddit as recently as July 2025
Show 4 more mentions
- 2r/BuyItForLife comment
If that's abused, I'd hate to think of what you would call mine. They are definitely BIFL!
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
Felco pruning tools
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
I use Felco secateurs for work, I agree they last nearly forever. Do require new blades every so often.
- 1r/BuyItForLife comment
Felco secateurs. In the UK (and other countries) you can send them away and for a fee they'll refurbish them, replace worn out parts and sharpen the blades.
Abused Felco 2, still working. I sharpened it with an electric Philips blade sharpener: not great but more than enough for pruning.
Felco pruners are much nicer than fiskar in my experience.
A pair of Felco hand pruners with replacable blade (like the F2)
The only part I think you'd ever need to replace is the blade, but it's able to be sharpened for a while before it needs replaced.
My wife uses a Felco 17 with rolling grip for about twenty years now... I exchanged the blades twice, when sharpening wasn't useful anymore.
Even the number 5 were a dramatic upgrade from Fiskars. The 5s cost about twice as much as the Fiskars, but have already lasted more than five times as long.