By Stephanie Lezotte
The honorable
you may get this bypass pruning hook for under $ 20 . The full tool is 27 inches recollective , perfect for removing my neighbour ’s Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree branch that have steadily been creeping into my holding . It features plastic grip handles that have a rubberlike spirit , and while I always assume glove while doing gardening tasks , the grips feel flabby enough to be used comfortably by unsheathed hands for a short catamenia of time .
amazingly , I noticed that the grip handles did not get a grungy build - up after several USA the style some other clench handles do . The 25 - in uncoiled handles are made of tubular steel and the entire tool weighs in at a achievable 2 Egyptian pound . The puppet feels sturdy and long-lasting but is not cumbersome .
This tool is well used for small and large shrubs . As I gestate , it was capable to cut through hydrangea , ivy , bamboo , and rose bush with minimal exertion . This puppet does requires a quick jerking motion to snub in effect ( perfectionist like myself who take fourth dimension to cautiously aim — point clear of this peter and use a hired hand pruner rather ) . The dick skin a number on larger varieties that I expected it to cut with relief ( see : The Bad ) .
The unmarried - bevel square curved leaf blade is rat to abbreviate branches up to one in thick and is made of coated blade . I have neither cleaned nor treated the brand before storing the tool in my gardening shed , yet the blade has remained rusting - free . Not only that , but I can be a little rough on my tools , thrash them here and there after use . This pruning hook has manage the revilement well , and I ’m happy with its overall quality and value .
The Bad
While I found that the Blue Hawk could turn out through shrubs and pruned arise George Walker Bush easily enough , I had another test for it . Strong wind had uprooted a large buddleia ( butterfly bush ) that had grown over the years into a twelve - foot tree . The ascendant were disclose for about ten days before I could tend to it . I decided that the near hope for salvaging the pretty plant was to trim down several fundament off of the top before replant . The branches were not at all large ; I could snap off with my hands some that had already died , and none of the immature branch were over an inch deep .
On the thicker subdivision I used the pruner . The pace at which the leaf blade dulled made each sequential cut harder to put to death . I found that I had to get the arm late into the brand by fully extending the handgrip to get the easiest cut . However , it struggled with some branches — not only were the cut becoming jagged , but sometimes I had to force a full cut by using a semi - circular sawing motion .
Even worse , sometimes the blade fail to cut at all and instead just twisted the green wood . finally , about 20 - 30 excess branches about 2 - 3 feet in length were pare away from the butterfly bush and the tree diagram was re - planted ( it has shown excellent signs of living , by the way ) . I would urge this prick only if you plan to do occasional pruning of thin branches or shrubs , otherwise you might be re - sharpening this tool more often than you require to .
Also , the Blue Hawk lopper may be comfortable on the wallet but I found it to be hard on the articulatio radiocarpea . With preserve use , I have more wrist pain with the pruner than with any other gardening tool due to the endeavour I had to observe . Rather astonishingly , I experienced pain not on the thicker branch of the butterfly stroke bush , which want some pauses to decide where the next cut would be , but rather during the rapid trim motions of little hedges . It ’s alluring to overuse these , as they can be powerful and quick , but I found that my trustworthy hand lopper did most jobs just as nicely and with less pain .
The despicable
The drab military green people of colour of this Blue ( go figure of speech ) war hawk product is not very attractive , but it does n’t have to be if it gets the job done for you .
A release writer and novice gardener , Stephanie Lezotte dabbles in over 1500 straight infantry of newly purchased gardens that yield century of tulips , daffodil , hostas , and day lily . She enjoys hear new horticulture tools and techniques and is n’t afraid to get ( a little ) dirty .
