Christiansouth wrote:

Hi guys. Im new here. Im looking for a bit of help. I am a researcher at
the University of Glamorgan in Wales. There is a bit of an important
project in development concerning garden tools. Dont spose any of you
people are interested in helping by just posting you opinions on some
of the following issues?:

What garden tools do you feel are badly designed?

Felco hand pruners are designed to be easily repaired and have many
easily used spare parts. However, other manufacturers such as Florian
and Fiskars give you a free new pruner if theirs fail.

Another bad design are the pruners that won't cut a woody branch. The
branch scoots out when you try to cut it. Many Chinese knockoffs of
good tools do this.

Are there any particular tool you are unable to use properly due to a
health complaint of any kind? (e.g, bad back, athritis)

For hand pruners, few are designed for small hands or arthritic hands.
One particularly good pair for small hands or arthritic hands is the
Fiskars PowerGear Bypass Pruner.

I like ratcheting tools. They are more compact, more powerful and very
easy to use. In particular I like the Florian hand pruners and lopping
shears.

Are there any tasks that are difficult to carry out due to lack of
specialized equipment for said tasks?

I found very few pole saws that are easy to use. Most will get stuck.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I will be sticking round
these forums for a while, so dont be shy to post.
Cheers for your time guys.
Christian
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