For hand-operated garden shears, in particular tree-pruning shears, with a ratchet mechanism, a ratchet lever may be disposed between a hand lever and a scissor lever and the ratchet lever may engage in different latching positions according to the ratchet mechanism. A rotatable abutment surface may be provided on the hand lever and a mating bearing surface on the lever extension, or vice versa, which, at the end of an initial closing operation with the ratchet lever in a first ratchet position, may allow a continuation of the cutting operation as a direct cut without further use of the ratchet mechanism.
