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" Plants differ from other living things in one important respect: You can improve a plant&amp;#039;s vigor by removing healthy parts of it. This is what pruning is all about. You carefully remove parts of the plant - even healthy parts - to make it healthier still or more attractive, or to improve other qualities, such as its fruit-bearing ability.It&amp;#039;s important to point out that the emphasis here is on improvement, not removal. While tools like chain saws can be effective pruning devices, they are principally designed for large-scale removal. This article examines shearlike pruning tools meant for improving your plants. Some more specifics are in order here. Anvil Versus Bypass The two pages that follow show a selection of 11 pruning tools. The tools pictured on the left are known as anvil types, and those on the right are known as bypass types. Anvil pruners and loppers have a blade that closes against an anvil on the lower jaw. The anvil is a softer metal than the blade. Bypass pruners and loppers have a blade that sweeps past the lower jaw. There&amp;#039;s an important difference between the two.  Anvil loppers and pruners tend to crush the material that is being cut and are used where cleanliness of cut is not as important as removal. This occurs when cutting dead material or making preparatory cuts - those cuts that occur before the final cut is made. For example, in some cases you shorten a branch before removing it. The preparatory cuts are those that reduce the branch&amp;#039;s length before making the final cut. At other times, naturally fallen or pruned branches will need to be cut into fireplace lengths or shortened for disposal. Use anvil pruners and loppers to make all these cuts, as well as for thinning brush. A bypass pruner or lopper is reserved for cuts that affect the health of the plant. It should be kept razor sharp - again, save the grunt work for anvil pruners and loppers. Finally, pruning tools that are used in one hand are known as pruners (or hand shears) while large tools that require you to use both hands are known as loppers.  1. Ratcheting Pole Pruner This tool has both a ratcheting bypass lopper blade and an aggressive curved saw blade mounted on the end of a telescoping fiberglass handle. The bypass loping blade can cut 1 1/2-in.-dia. limbs, the manufacturer says. The drive mechanism is a double pulley and lever with a nylon cord and wood handle. The pole extends to 12 ft. To use the lopper, you hook its jaw around a limb and pull on the handle until the lopper blade stops cutting. Then you release pressure and allow the spring-return ratchet mechanism to click forward one notch. You repeat the process until you have cut through the branch. It costs about $70 at home centers, hardware stores and garden centers. Contact Union Tools, 500 Dublin Ave., P.O. Box 1930, Columbus, OH 43216.  2. Ratcheting Anvil Lopper To get a more powerful pruning tool, you would have to use one that is hydraulically or pneumatically driven. The manufacturer of this ratcheting anvil lopper claims it will cut a 2-in.-dia. branch with ease, and that its cutting force is seven times what you apply. To use it, you hook the lower jaw around the branch, keep the handle with the red grip stationary and pump the green handle up and down. When the blade sinks into the branch, release pressure on the green handle, and back it off until the ratchet clicks into position. Then repeat this until you drive the blade through the branch. The ruggedly built tool is made out of high-carbon steel, and it has ash handles. It costs $149 postpaid. Contact American Standard, 157 Water St., Southington, CT 06489; 800-275-3618. 3. Compound-Action Telescoping Lopper Aside from a ratchet action, there are two other ways to increase a lopper&amp;#039;s cutting force. One is a compound-action hinge, and the other is increasing handle length. This anvil lopper has both features. To extend or retract its handles, you turn them to the unlock position and then push them in or out, and lock them in position again. It&amp;#039;s also helpful to be able to extend the handle length from 18 to 31 in. for increased reach to high branches or when making cuts well inside thickly branched shrubs. The tool has an adjustable and replaceable anvil, and its blade is Teflon-coated to reduce the tendency of tree sap to stick to it. It costs about $42 at hardware stores, home centers and garden centers. Contact Ames Lawn and Garden Tools, P.O. Box 1774, Parkersburg, WV 26102; 800-624-2654.  4. Anvil Lopper There&amp;#039;s something to be said for a tool that&amp;#039;s simple and direct, as in the case of this inexpensive anvil lopper. It&amp;#039;s rated for 1 1/2-in.-dia. branches, and its blade is beveled on both sides to decrease cutting resistance. Note that its large anvil is adjustable. This allows you to position it for a clean cut as the blades wear and are resharpened. It costs about $42 at hardware stores and home centers. Contact Ames Lawn and Garden Tools, P.O. Box 1774, Parkersburg, WV 26102; 800-624-2654. 5. Gear-Drive Anvil Lopper This 15-in.-long lopper weighs only 13 ounces, but it&amp;#039;s surprisingly powerful due to the geared cutting head and handle. Its blade is stainless steel, and the body and jaw are glass fiber-reinforced plastic. It&amp;#039;s rated to cut a 1 1/2-in.-dia. branch. It costs about $30 at hardware stores and home centers. Contact Fiskars, Lawn &amp;amp;amp; Garden Division, 780 Carolina St., Sauk City, WI 53583; 800-500-4849. 6. Serrated Anvil Pruner This anvil pruner has serrations on its anvil to hold a flower stem or branch firmly as the blade closes on it. In the case of flower stems, the serrations also roughen the stem slightly to allow increased water penetration, and the stem crusher on the inside of the handle further improves the cut stem&amp;#039;s water pickup. Note that the tool has a blunt tip so that you can slide it into a pocket or into a work apron. To make it comfortable to use, its top handle is covered with rubber. Regardless of whether you are right- or left-handed, the tool should work for you because its blade latch is accessible from both sides of the handle. It costs about $20 at hardware stores and home centers. Contact Union Tools, 500 Dublin Ave., P.O. Box 1930, Columbus, OH 43216. 7. Ratchet Anvil Pruner This small, lightweight pruner is a study in mechanical efficiency. Made by the same manufacturer as the ratcheting lopper, it&amp;#039;s designed to have a cutting force seven times that which you apply to the handle. Despite its light weight and almost delicate looks, the manufacturer says the 3 1/2-ounce tool will cut a 3/4-in.-dia. branch. The reason is the blade. In a process called austempering, the high-carbon steel blade is treated to make it very tough and chip resistant, yet able to be resharpened. The tool&amp;#039;s body is glass fiber-reinforced nylon. It costs $34.95 postpaid from American Standard, 157 Water St., Southington, CT 06489; 800-275-3618.  8. Long-Handled Bypass Lopper This tool takes a basic approach to providing maximum cutting power and performance. First, its ash handles are about 2 ft. long. Suedelike rubber grips on the handles&amp;#039; ends help you get a good grasp of the tool. When you close the handles together, the branch is trapped by the hook-shaped lower jaw as the scimitar-shaped blade makes a shearing cut through it. The blade has a nonstick coating to keep sap from accumulating on it, and this not only reduces the drag on the blade, but it makes the blade easier to keep clean, which ensures that cuts heal properly. To reduce the jolt you feel when the branch is cut through, the lopper is equipped with a heavy rubber bumper at the base of the cutting head. It costs about $43 at hardware stores and home centers. Contact Ames Lawn and Garden Tools, P.O. Box 1774, Parkersburg, WV 26102; 800-624-2654.  9. Compound-Action Bypass Lopper A thoroughly modern and very powerful lopper, this compact tool uses a compound hinge to multiply cutting force. The result, its manufacturer says, is that it will shear through a 2-in.-dia. branch. To reduce the blade&amp;#039;s tendency to twist under load, a pair of hinged straps connect the blade and lower  jaw. Likewise, the handles are less likely to twist because they are oval-shaped aluminum, with their long axis in the same plane as the shears. A pair of finned rubber grips and rubber bumpers are designed to absorb cutting shock and make the tool comfortable to use. Its bright yellow color will make it easy to find in a pile of brush. It costs about $45 at hardware stores and home centers. Contact Union Tools, 500 Dublin Ave., P.O. Box 1930, Columbus, OH 43216. 10. Heavy-Duty Bypass Pruner This is the latest version of a professional-quality bypass pruner introduced 30 years ago. The Swiss-made tool has relatively straight, forged aluminum handles that are rubber-dipped for a nonslip comfortable grip. It comes right out of the package with a razor-sharp blade. The lower jaw has a sap groove - this space allows the sticky material to drain away so that it doesn&amp;#039;t stick the blade and jaw together. Another professional-quality feature is the small notch in the lower jaw that allows the tool to cut the thin, comparatively soft wire that is used in plant packaging. The entire tool can be disassembled for cleaning, sharpening and repair. It costs $45.95 postpaid from Lee Valley Tools, P.O. Box 1780, Ogdensburg, NY 13669; 800-871-8158.  11. Slide-Action Pole Pruner This 52-in.-long aluminum pole pruner is designed to provide a combination of long reach and high cutting power. It has a cutting head that pivots through 240 degrees and a chain-drive slide mechanism that increases its cutting force to the extent that it can cut 1 1/4-in.-dia. branches. To use it, hook the stainless steel lower jaw over the branch and pull either the orange midhandle or the orange knob on the end of the tool. The chain drive pulls the tool&amp;#039;s steel blade through the branch. The blade has a low-friction coating to reduce the cutting force required, and to make it easier to keep clean. It costs about $65 at hardware stores and home centers. Contact Fiskars, Lawn &amp;amp;amp; Garden Division, 780 Carolina St., Sauk City, WI 53583; 800-500-4849. 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