Weeding - Reinvented with Fiskars Weed Puller
Grampa's Weeder on steroids
Review by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Weeding is essential to keeping your lawn tidy and beautiful but it can be hard work to do it the ‘organic’ way without using chemicals.
Fiskars Weed Puller makes the task quick and fun: step-pull-and eject and the weed is extracted from the lawn by the root, while the gardener remains comfortably standing up. These innovative tools keep your hands and knees clean, and save your back from unnecessary strain whilst weeding with a ‘green’ conscience.
The Fiskars Weed Puller will be starring in a high profile TV advertising campaign – the first for a UK garden hand tools company. Running over the core gardening season from Easter until summer, the advertising campaign will reach 10 million consumers highlighting both innovation and the green aspects of the Weed Puller.
Andrew Smith, Managing Director of Fiskars UK Ltd, says: “Gardening is the UK’s number one hobby and we’ll be capitalising on this by undertaking an industry first with our TV campaign. As well as supporting retailers with increased brand awareness and improved merchandising, we continue to bring innovative and durable products to the market, making Fiskars the first name in garden hand tools.”
‘Green weeding’ - made easy
The Fiskars Weed Puller is a great invention for removing weeds, such as dandelions, from the garden. The tool is comfortable and easy to use: no digging or bending down is required and no chemicals are needed.
The Weed Puller is designed with a foot rest at the base of the shaft, allowing the tool to be easily driven into the ground by stepping on the ‘pedal’. Pulling the shaft towards you makes the deep-reaching stainless steel claws grab around the weed’s root from multiple directions, after which the tool is extracted from the ground. As such, unwanted plants are removed by the root and will not re-surface later. The special sliding mechanism ensures the weed to be safely ejected from the tool, eliminating the need to bend down and remove it manually.
I would not use the pedal as a stepping spur, as this would be unnecessary also, as the tool goes in easy enough with out this. But this is just a preference of mine and also, I assume, the long-handled version – the W82 – that I reviewed can be pushed into the ground easily.
The spur, or pedal, is the action which makes the Weed Puller work, in the same way as the good old Grandpa's Weeder – from the United States – with its wooden handle.
The difference to the old world tool of Grampa's Weeder Fiskars Weed Puller is basically the old tool on steroids and especially the ejector makes it faster to use.
The sleek design and high-functioning mechanisms of Fiskars Weed Puller enable users to easily tend a thoroughly “green” garden as no chemical or toxic weed-killers are required.
Personally I would not necessarily target dandelions though. Instead I harvest them as lettuce – no kidding – and dandelion is simply delicious and so versatile.
I have use the Fiskars Weed Puller W82 on some seriously large and deep rooted weeds in my garden and they came up a treat. Being that easy to use the Weed Puller would also be a great addition to the armory of any local authority gardener for caring for bowling greens and other formal lawns, without the need to go for toxic substances. Something that is very important in today's world, as with climate change, pollution, and dwindling oil supplies.
Fiskars Weed Puller W52: key characteristics
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Deep-reaching stainless steel claws grab the root from multiple directions
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Aluminium composite keeps the tool lightweight, yet sturdy
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Ejection system easily releases weed from tool when extracted from the ground
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Weight: 917 gr.
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Length: 99 cm
The innovative Fiskars Weed Puller has been awarded the Red Dot design award. The Fiskars Weed puller has an RRP of £39.99 including VAT and will be available in stores from early April at B&Q Focus, Homebase, independent garden centres and online at Amazon and Tesco.
The Weed Puller under test, however, was the W82, the one with the extendable handle, making it easier still on your back than the original model. I do not have a price for this one at the present moment and I suggest that readers might like to check the Fiskars website for their country as to availability and pricing of and for this product.
Garden Tools. Reinvented
Fiskars have always driven innovation of tools that reduce the effort, fatigue and strains often associated with gardening. Ergonomic, high performance cutting and landscaping tools are designed to do the hard work for the consumer, increasing the pleasure obtained from the gardening experinece. Fiskars Gardening Tools are designed with reinvention in mind-based around the power to make gardening easier.
With a long tradition and heritage for design, Fiskars is strongly committed to new product development and optimised manufacturing processes. Fiskars intends to reinvent the gardening experience, making it simple and pleasurable through tools that act like an extension of the body, boost power, improve control and reduce strain.
Please note that the the telescopic version of the product, the W82, is available exclusively at Homebase at RRP £55.00.
© 2011
The past few years have seen a Renaissance for wood burning fires and stoves. With rising costs of gas, electricity and oil – plus the glorious warmth of a wood burning fire or stove – many people have returned to the tradition of collecting, chopping and burning wood. 
