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What are Grass Shears?

Amy Hunter
Amy Hunter

Grass shears are a gardening tool that is used for trimming. Grass shears look like a large pair of scissor blades, with the handle attached to the blades at a right angle. This peculiar design makes it easy to differentiate between grass shears and pruning shears. The blades of pruning shears are in a straight line with the handle.

The reason for the placement of the blades at right angles with the handle is to make the trimming that is commonly done with this type of garden shear easier. Grass shears are often used to trim grass along a walkway or flower bed. For the gardener, this job is much easier if they can sit upright and use the handle while the blades are parallel to the ground.

For the avid gardener, a nice pair of gardening scissors can make trimming duties much simpler.
For the avid gardener, a nice pair of gardening scissors can make trimming duties much simpler.

For the avid gardener, a nice pair of gardening scissors can make trimming duties much simpler. The investment in a well constructed pair of gardening shears can last a lifetime if properly cared for. Before buying a pair of grass shears it is important to know what to look for.

A nice pair of grass shears does not have to be expensive, and just because a gardening tool is expensive does not mean that it is of a high quality. When looking at the shears, open and shut the blades several times. Do the blades open and shut easily and firmly? Do they get caught at a certain point and refuse to open or shut any further? Look at the screw where the blades join together. Is it sturdy?

How does the handle feel in your hand? Are they comfortable or do you have to stretch fingers or hand to hold and use the grass shears? Remember, while the grass shears may feel comfortable for a few minutes, if you are using them to trim the grass around your walk, moving along on your knees, the job can get more taxing.

Once you have found a comfortable and sturdy pair of grass shears, you must take care of them so that they last as long as possible. Because the blades, and possibly the handles, of your shears are metal, they will be susceptible to rust. After each use, take a soft cloth and wipe down all the areas of the shears that may have touched grass or been in contact with your skin. The moisture in the grass can lead to rust, and the combination of sweat and body oils can also be detrimental to the life of your gardening tools. Once you have cleaned the grass shears thoroughly, store them in a clean dry place, or stick them, blades first, in a bucket of clean sand.

Discussion Comments

Sporkasia

This reminds me of a story about an NFL football coach. During one of his team's games, the announcers were making a point about how detailed and precise he was. One announcer said that when the coach was a boy he would make money cutting the grass of people in his neighborhood.

He always wanted the lawns to look perfect when he finished mowing. After he went over the grass with the mower, he would take a pair of scissors and trim any grass that wasn't level with the rest of the lawn. I don't know whether he didn't know what grass shears were or if just preferred scissors.

Laotionne

Who needs grass shears when you have weed trimmers? I imagine the weed eaters are much quicker and require less manual labor to operate than a pair of grass shears. On the positive side though, the shears don't require gas or a power source, so they are much better for the environment.

Feryll

My girlfriend's parents have several old sheds on their property. The sheds are filled with old furniture and a tons of tools that have been passed down from one generation to the next. Her father also has a large number of tools and equipment he has bought over the years.

I was looking through the sheds one day and I found an old pair of rusted large scissors, which he later told me were actually grass shears. She said they worked well for trimming the grass that his mower didn't reach.

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    • For the avid gardener, a nice pair of gardening scissors can make trimming duties much simpler.
      By: il-fede
      For the avid gardener, a nice pair of gardening scissors can make trimming duties much simpler.