Stihl ASA 20 cordless secateurs are designed for both professional and amateur use in the garden. How would they perform being put through there paces here on a Welsh hillside?

I have a lot of fruit trees, ornamental shrubs and other woody plants, and use secateurs for gardening jobs every week. My plans to get all of the winter pruning done before the end of 2024 were somewhat thwarted by relentless rain, so there was plenty to catch up with when the cordless secateurs arrived.

ASA 20 cordless secateurs – first impressions

The secateurs arrived complete with a battery, charger and the relevant PPE. My first thought upon opening the box was “Oh my, these look a bit large and heavy”. They are certainly quite a lot bigger than regular secateurs. Whilst the battery was charging, I familiarised myself with the various operating features, before heading out into the garden once the battery was fully charged.

There’s plenty of hazel here to cut back for pea and bean sticks, so this seemed a good place to try the secateurs out. I was surprised how easy and comfortable the Stihl ASA 20 cordless secateurs are, not heavy at all. The ease with which the blades sliced through branches up to 25mm was joyful. The tool makes a pleasing cutting sound as it operates, reminding me of the sound robots made when walking in 1970s sci-fi programmes, and simply whizzes through the work.

I have osteoarthritis in my hands (and other joints) which usually limits the amount of time that I can spend cutting with regular secateurs, before it becomes painful. The battery powered secateurs significantly increased how much I could cut. I felt almost invincible! Despite the osteoarthritis in my hands, the secateurs did not become painful or too heavy to use, a real boon when one is managing all of the gardening maintenance tasks.

PPE

Stihl recommend wearing gloves, safety googles and sturdy boots whilst operating the secateurs, and that long hair should be tied back.

Googles really are a good idea, reducing the risk of damage to eyes from branches.

Using the Stihl ASA 20 cordless secateurs

The product is extremely straightforward to use. The blade can be set to two different opening widths, which makes it quicker when cutting smaller branches. The trigger is very receptive, making it easy to make precise controlled cuts.

The 10.8 volt AS 2 battery can power the secateurs for around 2000 cuts on one charge, so you’re not forever having to stop work and putting the battery back in the charger. There’s an OLED display on the side of the tool which shows the charge level of the battery, as well as the blade width setting you have chosen and also how many cuts the secateurs has done.

I’ve been using the tool to prune trees and shrubs, cut bean and pea sticks, dead heading plants, cutting up garden waste for the compost heap, cutting branches up to make wildlife habitats, cutting brassica stems when clearing the veg beds, and cutting back the brambles which are on a take-over bid in parts of the garden.

Time saving

As well as being much speedier at cutting through branches than regular secateurs, the ASA 20 cordless secateurs save time because they cut through 25mm branches, so you are not having to keep swapping tools over to cut different thicknesses.

The battery lasts a long time between charges, enough for around 2000 cuts. This is so much that I have not yet run out of battery whilst using the tool.

The battery takes around 70 minutes to full charge.

Enabling gardener to garden for longer

The extra power makes tasks almost effortless,  much quicker and easier. The tool really does enable you to keep pruning and cutting for longer. I was very impressed with how much I can now accomplish in half an hour or so of pruning.

My neighbour who has MS tried the tool and was so delighted with how easy it is to use, she ordered one that very day. This will enable her to accomplish gardening jobs which her mobility issues had made difficult to achieve.

The secateurs are such fun to use my children (all adults) and other visitors to the garden are delighted to be given the opportunity to prune shrubs or cut back branches. It’s a bit like having a robot hand!

Maintenance and storage

The secateurs come with a plastic guard to protect the blade. After each pruning session, and after removing the battery, wipe the blades clean before storing. Store in a clean, dry area.

There’s a maintenance tool stored within the battery compartment for adjusting the blades and opening the service flap.

As with all sharp tools, keep out of reach of children.

Any disadvantages?

The main disadvantage is that it is really difficult to stop pruning once you get going, because the secateurs are so enjoyable to use. I think my shrubs and trees are starting to look a bit apprehensive whenever I am out in the garden with them!

Are the ASA 20 cordless secateurs good value?

These are not a cheap tool. Before trying them out I would have been apprehensive about spending so much on a pair of secateurs.

Now that I have been using them here for around two months, they have become valued gardening friends. They enable me to get so much more done in the garden, saving a huge amount of time.

As well as enabling people with mobility issues to garden much more easily, the secateurs are ideal for anyone who wants a bit more power when pruning and clearing, and who wants to be able to accomplish more in the garden.

The battery and charger are part of the Stihl AS system.   It can compatible with a wide range of products, including the RCA 20 Cordless Handheld Pressure Washer.

ASA 20 cordless secateurs price and other info

The ASA 20 cordless secateurs are around £169 for just the tool. It’s £209 with the battery and charger, at current prices. As with everything, it is always worth looking for special deals.

There is more info about the secateurs including FAQ and a video on the Stihl website here.

Full disclosure

Stihl gifted me the product with the PPE for a review. I have not been paid to write it, and am not affiliated with the brand. I am under no obligation to write nice things about the secateurs.

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