Anybody happen to see this article in the NY Times about [purportedly]ergonomic -- easy to use -- garden tools?
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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...
Don't need to read the article or the post... Fiskars are far and away the best gardening tools bar none.
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.
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