Anybody happen to see this article in the NY Times about [purportedly]ergonomic -- easy to use -- garden tools?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/ga...ing-pains.html

or

http://tinyurl.com/oeyopbd

My tools go back to the Pleistocene (so does my budget!) but I'm curious if NG members have used any of these & what you thought of them.

HB

On Thu, 4 Jul 2013 09:53:55 -0700 (PDT)
Higgs Boson wrote:

Anybody happen to see this article in the NY Times about [purportedly]ergonomic -- easy to use -- garden tools?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/ga...ing-pains.html

or

http://tinyurl.com/oeyopbd

My tools go back to the Pleistocene (so does my budget!) but I'm curious if NG members have used any of these & what you thought of them.

HB

I have a pair of the Fiskars 7936 PowerGear hand pruners. They feel
really nice in your hand and work smoothly. About all I've done with
them is cut prescription pills in half though. Mainly got them for my
Mom who is in her 90's. She uses them a lot nowadays (after a slow
warming up to them). I don't dare try using them for much. I'm sure I
would break them in short order. Bought them on late season clearance
for ~$20.

I routinely cut off stuff up to 2 inches in diameter with a Japanese
style hand pruner (similar to some Felco's). I keep figuring I'll bust
them someday but so far much to my surprise they have held up. Found
them along the road maybe 15 years ago. Some one's loss, my gain

I'm still pretty healthy for middle age and don't need the EXTRAS they
are touting. I will say though that I appall a D style handle on any
kind of shovel. I shovel a lot of stuff too. It just gets in my way,
slows me down...

--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI/Zone 5b
Remove no.spam for email

Leon Fisk wrote:
Higgs Boson wrote:

Anybody happen to see this article in the NY Times about [purportedly]ergonomic -- easy to use -- garden tools?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/ga...ing-pains.html

or

http://tinyurl.com/oeyopbd

My tools go back to the Pleistocene (so does my budget!) but I'm curious if NG members have used
any of these & what you thought of them.

I have a pair of the Fiskars.

Don't need to read the article or the post... Fiskars are far and away
the best gardening tools bar none.

Higgs Boson wrote:
Anybody happen to see this article in the NY Times about
[purportedly]ergonomic -- easy to use -- garden tools?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/ga...ing-pains.html

or

http://tinyurl.com/oeyopbd

My tools go back to the Pleistocene (so does my budget!) but I'm
curious if NG members have used any of these & what you thought of
them.

HB

A few thoughts. Tools have to be right for the purpose and right for you,
if it doesn't suit your hands, your strength and style, it doesn't matter
how much they claim to be 'ergonomic'. Mild steel tools, especially the
light pressed kind are often short lived, either they bend or rust. I
quite like cast aluminium hand forks and trowels as they aren't too heavy,
they are strong and will not rust. Rubber/polymer handles and grips are no
good if they are going to wear out in a year or two.

D