Landscaping Product Reviews
Cordless Chainsaw: Oregon PowerNow Battery-Powered Saw
In this review of Oregon's PowerNow saw, I explain the pros and cons of the tool from a homeowner's perspective. It is a battery-powered chainsaw, so I discuss issues such as how long the battery holds its charge. This tool could be a pleasant surprise, as long as you understand its limitations.
Leaf Hog Leaf Blowers
The assembly of Leaf Hog leaf blowers (BV4000) is fairly straightforward, an important feature for the "gadget-challenged" in landscaping work. I also give these leaf blowers a good rating in terms of power. I do have one complaint about this leaf-removal product, though; find out what it is in my review.
An Adjustable Garden Trellis For Your Vines
The Cascade Gardens adjustable height garden trellis could offer the right design for you, if you are growing vines in a tight space. This adjustable height garden trellis is uniform in color (black) and can offer a stylish design, if you can hang it straight. Alas, there's the rub.
Pump-Free Garden Sprayers
When you need to spray something in your landscaping (with herbicide or whatever), you wish to get the task over with as quickly as possible, right? So Black & Decker came up with the idea of a rechargeable sprayer that you do not have to pump. Good time-saver, on paper; but they dropped the ball on the execution.
Craftsman 4-Cycle Gas Leaf Blowers
This Craftsman gas leaf blower has a 4-cycle engine. That means reduced emissions (compared to those with 2-cycles), which in turn could mean wreaking less havoc on the environment. This product features the added benefit of easy start-up. But read my review to see why I rate it as only fair overall.
Electric Hedge Trimmers
Why would you pick an electric hedger over a gas-powered type? Well, cost and weight are factors in the favor of electric models. And for some of us, the ease of starting them up is practically a clincher. But as I contrast the two in this landscaping product review, I conclude that gas hedge trimmers have their selling points, too -- so I would not exactly call electric a no-brainer.
Troy-Bilt Wood Chippers
Troy-Bilt wood chippers come in different models, with some being more powerful than others. Do you really want to chance not having enough power with a wood chipper, considering the kind of work this landscaping product is asked to do? I don't think so -- the choice here's pretty obvious. Read my review to find out more about this wood chipper.
Black and Decker Electric Leaf Blowers, Vacuums, Mulchers
What do you want from the Black & Decker Leaf Hog blower BV2500? Do you want to use it to break up organic debris, rendering it suitable for mulch or compost? Or do you wish to blow leaves with it? Maybe, conversely, you want to vacuum up the leaves with this landscaping product? Well, at the push of a button, convert from blower to vacuum.
Leaf Shredders / Wood Chippers / Vacs: Trying to Do it All
You've discovered that fall yard cleanup is facilitated by leaf blowers. You'll never trade your leaf blower in for a rake. But you wonder if there's a gadget even better than leaf blowers? Some companies tout their combo gadgets as being better. But my consumer product review on these leaf shredders / wood chippers / vacs disputes their value....
Cutting Tools to Make Yard Work Easier
Cutting plants in one form or other -- from damaged tree limbs to weed intruders -- is a big part of landscaping. Don't do it the hard way! Get tools that will allow you to cut as efficiently as possible. Here are a few.
Leaf-Cleanup Supplies
Arm yourself now for fall leaf cleanup. Learn more about some landscaping products out there that could make yard work in autumn a breeze. Your decision will depend, in part, on how you like to work. I'm a rake man, myself, because I like the "quiet time" outdoors that raking affords me. But other people have more of a taste for gadgets.
Consumer Product Review: Ratchet Pruner for Easy Landscaping
What do people mean when they refer to "ratchet" pruners? Well, think of what the verb "to ratchet" means. When you "ratchet something up," you are moving it up by degrees. Ratchet pruners have a mechanism that moves by degrees, affording you increased cutting power. They are especially valued by those with hand ailments.
Cordless Hedge Trimmers
In this landscaping product review I evaluate Black & Decker's cordless hedge trimmers. Battery-powered hedgers have many of the features of corded electric hedgers, but without the annoying cord. Battery technology for outdoor equipment is getting better and better. That is welcome news for me, as I am too much of a klutz to work with cords.
Folding Garden Carts
I don't know about you, but I'm the type who can never have too much space. I like my elbow room most everywhere I go -- and that goes double for my storage shed! Traditional wheelbarrows are sturdy, but they take up an awful lot of room. In this landscaping product review, I discuss the pros and cons of folding garden carts.
Pole Pruners, Other Pruning Tools for Trees and Tall Shrubs
Even the tallest of us could use a little extra "reach" sometimes. No, I'm not talking basketball, I'm talking landscaping chores -- specifically, trimming tall plants. Do you need to prune up into the canopy of a tree? Or maybe you need to shear a tall privacy hedge? The products reviewed here could aid you.
Tree Care Product Reviews: Tree-Trimming Equipment
Here I continue my evaluation of tools that will assist you in keeping tall plants in check. I assess more than just tree pruners here. I also argue the case for electric chain saws and introduce a strange hybrid between a lopper and a chain saw. Also on my review agenda: wood chippers.