Fiskars Garden Tools: Product Review

Autumn's a busy time in the garden, so I have a selection of garden tools permanently trugged up and ready to go for easy carriage to wherever I need them. Most of the contents are the tools Fiskars gave me to test earlier in the year. Having given them a pretty tough time over the past few months, it's time I brought you the results.

Secateurs and loppers

I'm really impressed with the secateurs. These are the bypass type and have a rotating handle and comfortable grip. I found the handle's rotation a bit strange at first, but once I'd got used to it, I found it much easier on my hand and elbow, particularly when cutting thicker (up to 20cm) branches. The secateurs are geared too, hence their ability to cut thicker wood than usual.

I've had Fiskars secateurs before, but their lack of replacement parts previously meant I was very pleased to win some Felcos a couple of years back. I see the blade can be replaced now, which is a step in the right direction. Do I prefer them to the Felcos? Well, for me it's a dead heat so I keep the Felcos for use at home and the Fiskars are always in the boot of my car, ready for any jobs up at the allotment :)

I already have a pair of the loppers (in their previous Wilkinson Sword guise), so I'm a convert already. These are quite a bit longer than my other pair, so I've been able to get to some of the places behind our back garden fence to deal much more thoroughly with the elder tree which invades VP Gardens from time to time. I do like elder, but this particular one grows over one of our apple trees given half a chance.

The loppers have done a perfect job and they've also been a stalwart up at the allotment this year, where I've had to cut all my fruit trees back to 2 metres.

QuikFitTM Tools

I was given a selection to try. The idea is to have one handle onto which various tools can be attached for whatever job needs doing. Thus the storage space needed for garden tools is reduced, plus less materials are used in their manufacture as one handle fits all. So far, so good.

I received the 84cm long terracotta handle (can't find it online, so perhaps it's no longer available), plus the 3-function hoe and universal rake. As I already have a couple of items from Wolf-Garten's equivalent range (lawn aerator and patio weeding knife), I was also sent a universal adaptor so I could try these out too.

The adaptor works OK, which means in theory I can use my Wolf-Garten* tools alongside the Fiskars ones. However, I found the attachment system wasn't robust enough for life up at the allotment or for a rough gardening job such as lawn aeration. It's a simple slot in and click system which is meant to quickly lock the tools in place or to easily take them apart. It's very easy to do that, but I found after a few pulls and pushes on the rake or hoe, the head detached itself from the handle and I had to traipse all over my plot to retrieve it. The same thing happened when I did some lawn aerating. Most irritating - grrr :(

The locking mechanism could be improved by including a twist action to hold the handle and head in place more securely. Even better is the one I saw on Threadspider's Gardena system (which she's had for quite a while and we looked at over the summer): hers has a screw mechanism and whilst it might take a bit longer to attach or detach tools, it's much more secure than either Fiskars or Wolf-Garten.

Whilst the handle had a comfortable grip, I found it isn't quite long enough for jobs such as raking or hoeing. My allotment is divided into 10x4 ft sub-plots and I couldn't rake or hoe the whole width of a sub-plot from one spot like I can with my usual one. I see there are some longer handles in the range, so this is one drawback which can be resolved easily.

A far greater problem was the rake head. It's plastic and described as a universal rake, so it can be used for jobs on either grass or soil. It was totally useless on the clay soil of my allotment as I couldn't break down any of the large lumps into a fine tilth like I can with my trusty metal one. The teeth are quite widely set apart compared to my other rake and lumps of soil often got trapped in them. A case of jack of all trades, but master of none perhaps?

To summarise...

It's a big thumbs up for the secateurs and loppers, but the part of the QuikFitTM range I tested needs to be improved substantially before it's a viable option for a clay soil allotment.

PS As Fiskars sell their tools in many countries, they use pictograms rather than words on their packaging to tell you more about the particular tool you're looking at. If like me, you often find these hard to understand, they have a handy guide with accompanying descriptions on their website.

* = I've stopped using my Wolf-Garten tools because I found it really hard to change the tool heads over as the locking mechanism is so stiff. I was hoping the universal adaptor for the Fiskars system meant I could use these tools again, but sadly the results reported above mean I can't unless the problem with their locking mechanism is resolved.

Update: As with all of my reviews, I sent Fiskars the link to this one. They've requested I send back the QuikFitTM tools, so their R&D department can have a look at them. They didn't come across my problem when they did their product testing, so would like to see why there was one with mine. I'm very happy to do so and for me this is one of the strengths of companies letting real people review their products. I look forward to hearing how things turn out.

Comments

  1. petoskystone23 October 2011 at 13:09

    my main problem with buying garden tools is that, since i have long arms, the handles are never comfortably long enough! as rough as i am on rakes, i have yet to see a plastic that can take the beating i mete out.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Janet/Plantaliscious23 October 2011 at 19:34

    Thanks VP, that is a really useful review. I wondered about how robust the "just swap the tool heads" systems were, and you have confirmed what I had thought, although screw action (!) sounds like a good compromise. Impressive that you thought Fiskers secateurs the equal of the fabled Felco.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Victoria Summerley23 October 2011 at 23:13

    I have the Gardena system, and I think I bought it in 1987. It was so long ago, I can't be certain! It's brilliant, and I still use it all the time. However, I have just bought a plastic lawn rake for autumn leaves - I find it's better for raking leaves off gravel.
    I have the opposite problem from Petoskystone - I have short arms. And I don't like tools that are too heavy because that makes my short little arms ache! In my very limited experience, the "swap" systems tools tend to be lighter, because the shaft is not solid wood.

    ReplyDelete
  4. LINDA'S24 October 2011 at 15:56

    what a useful read about the tools you have reviewed VP as i do not have any of those makes but been thinking of buying some really useful indeed
    happy gardening from Linda

    ReplyDelete
  5. VP24 October 2011 at 16:26

    Petoskystone - I forgot to mention the plastic also bent whilst I was using it.

    Janet - they're a good idea, but it's just a matter of finding the right system

    Victoria - Thredspider's version is pretty ancient too and has stood the test of time. I see it's changed quite a bit judging by their website, but it looks like the screw mechanism is still in place

    BTW there's quite a few different lengths of handle to choose from - I just happened to be given the shortest one.

    Linda - I often feel when I'm reviewing that it's all very well, but I'm not able to compare it with other options on the market. It's been great to have the experience of other tools available this time round :)

    BTW if you're reading this via: portal.kantarmedia.de/index/index/folder_id/1027186 - welcome! NB I've sent a copy of this review to my Fiskars contact in the UK who arranged for the tools to be sent to me earlier this year. Any comment from Fiskars is welcome, particularly on the suggestion for improvement for the QuikFit tools.

    ReplyDelete

New comments are not allowed.

Your essential reads

That blue flower: A spring spotter's guide

Image
Spring is a prime time for blue flowers and my daily walks currently have several from the same plant family* lining the local footpaths. As I walked past the Donkey Field the other day, I overheard some children ask their parents** what the pictured blue flower was. It reminded me it's often mistaken for those other familial blues and this time was no different, as they said it was forget-me-not, instead of the green alkanet it actually is. As well as similar flowers, most of these plants are hairy in their nature, flower around the same time, and favour damp, shady places. Many of them are great for pollinators too, especially bees and this week's warm weather has certainly drawn them to these flowers. This makes it even more likely for these plants to be mistaken for each other and it's a great opportunity for me to put together a spotter's guide in case you find the same flowers on your outings. Staying with green alkanet, the key features which set it ...
Read more

Jack Go To Bed At Noon

Image
Last year this rather exotic looking flower appeared on mine and several other allotments for the first time. Having been stumped (again) by Mr Allotment Warden as to its identity, I rushed home to find out what it was. It's salsify, aka the marvellous Jack Go To Bed At Noon - named as such because its flowers always close by midday. Here you can see both open and closed flowers - making it seem even more exotic and alien than in the first picture. I think this must be the cultivated version because the flower in my Francis Rose Wild Flower Key looks exactly the same in form, but is bright yellow in colour and called meadow salsify . Its other common name is Goatsbeard, which must be a nod to the fantastic dandelion-like clock which forms the seed head. With 'parachutes' like those shown above, who knows how far our plotted plants came from. I rather like the photographic dissection of the seedhead found in this link . Salsify is edible: its lateral shoots and fl...
Read more

Red Nose Day - Gardening Jokes Anyone?

Image
The nation goes ever so slightly bonkers on Red Nose Day - hurrah! Previously, it's been very easy to join in - usually via a dress down day at work plus lots of people up to mad things at the station and in the office. Everyone smiling for once - it's a real feel good day and all in a good cause. This year's different - every day's a dress down day for me now - my friend L suggested yesterday that perhaps I could have a dress up day instead and whilst that's a good idea, I confess that ballgowns and tiaras don't really feature in my wardrobe: scruffy student's always been my favourite look. So my Red Nose Day contribution for this year is to compile a list of gardening related jokes. For each one (clean ones only please) you leave in the comments below, I'll make a donation of 50p to the cause. Here's a few for starters just to get you warmed up: Q Why do potatoes make good detectives? A Because they keep their eyes peeled. Q What did the grape...
Read more

Salad Days: Mastering Lettuce

Image
I've decided one of my salad challenges for this year is to grow as many lettuce varieties as I can, ready for the publication of my planned Factsheet* later on. The idea is to grow as many of the Tried and Trusted lettuce varieties last year's Salad Challengers helped compile, then provide a visual guide and as many lettuce facts as I can muster. So far I've found around half of those listed**. Then naturally whilst I was out searching - because such is the way with seeds - a number of other varieties found their way home too ;) A couple of weeks ago I sowed 22 varieties***. Just the simple act of sowing them has me intrigued. Why are some lettuce seeds black and others white****? They split into about half white to half black in my sample and as far as I can tell it's nothing to do with whether they're a type of cos, iceberg, or whatever. I sowed them indoors and popped them into a propagator on the windowsill. The soil's too cold outside for sowing ...
Read more

VPs VIPs: Derry Watkins of Special Plants

Image
Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Derry Watkins at her home, garden and nursery - the acclaimed Special Plants - just a few miles along the road from me. I first met Derry at one of her open garden days last year and was keen to find out more about her wonderful garden and running an independent nursery. She specialises in tender perennials and regularly goes on plant hunting trips to find new treasures, particularly in South Africa. As well as running Special Plants and opening her garden under the NGS scheme , Derry holds day courses at her nursery, hosts Special Tuesdays from April until September, lectures and has written a couple of books. How did you find your way from Connecticut to the UK? I'd started a biodynamic vegetable garden in Connecticut and we used to have people come along at weekends to help out. A particular young man turned up: he returned many times and at the end of the summer I married him. So it was all down to love? Isn't that the...
Read more

#mygardenrightnow: heading into summer with the Chelsea Fringe

Image
Ahhhhhh, that's better! I love walking through dewy grass in bare feet, not that there's much in the way of grass on my back lawn this weekend. My wild and woolly lawn has morphed into meadow of sorts this month, which even NAH admits looks attractive*. It's also proved a great source for my Flowers for mum project so far, yielding self-sown perennial cornflowers, lamb's ears, and lemon balm in addition to the blooms you can see. These originated from elsewhere in the garden, the ox-eye daisies must have blown in from the A350 nearby. * = he got very stroppy about the weeds aka self-sown foxgloves in the lawn one year, so he's come along a bit since then. Skimble's demanding to say hello to you too. He does enjoy the patio when it warms up. If the embedded video doesn't work try this link instead. The Nectaroscordum are a revelation. I planted the bulbs around 2 years ago, but it's only this year they've bloomed properly. The bee...
Read more

Make Use of Mildew

Image
On my garden patrol this morning I spotted some powdery mildew on a couple of my new Verbena bonariensis plants. I suppose it was almost inevitable as I prefer to grow my plants hard - this means no water for them unless they look absolutely desperate. This approach means plants root themselves more deeply and have a better chance of survival during spells of dry weather like we've had lately. However, it also means I run the risk of problems like today's, especially with any garden newbies planted late in the season. We've had a good drop of rain overnight, so this should help my plants survive. I'll mulch them later today to help lock in the moisture as it's water stress which encourages the mildew to take hold. I've also removed the infected leaves and sprayed the rest with a milky drink.* I'm also pleased to find there's a use for my infected leaves. Oliver Ellingham at Reading University has started a PhD - sponsored by the RHS - researchi...
Read more

The Resilient Garden

Image
  Part of Tom Massey's Resilient Garden at RHS Hampton Court I've been pondering VP Gardens a lot lately. Last year's drought conditions set me off initially, then our harsher than usual winter combined with this summer's flip and flop weather means the thinking continues. It's a huge topic which I freely admit I'm struggling to get my head around. Tom Massey's Resilient Garden  at Hampton Court recently  tackled this topic brilliantly and was a timely interlude which gave me much food for thought. There he encapsulated the detailed research he'd found which informed both his show garden and book of the same name. I think it's one of the most important show gardens I've ever seen. It's clear the way I garden needs to change so that I have my own resilient garden. I haven't worked out the exact details yet, but Tom's book plus a couple of others (see below), alongside the rainwater management handout from the show garden's  sponso...
Read more

Chelsea Fringe 2014: Shows of Hands - Episode I

Image
The gloves NAH used to build the raised bed . The effects are L to R, top to bottom:  Original photo, Warhol, HDR, Green tint, B&W, Posterize, Boost, Cross process and Sepia Welcome to Shows of Hands - my Chelsea Fringe project for 2014! As you can see I've been having a bit of a play around in Pic Monkey for my first contribution. You're welcome to join in between now and 8th June 2014. The idea behind this year's project is to highlight the tool most precious to a gardener: their hands. How do I take part? It's simple. All you need to do is take a photo of hand(s) in a gardening context and then share it via your blog or other social media (such as Twitter or Facebook), then make sure I know you've done so. I've set up Mr Linky below for your blog contributions. The Chelsea Fringe photo on the right sidebar links to this post, so you can easily find it again when you're ready to add your contribution. If you share your photo on Twitter, ...
Read more

Testing Times: Tomatoes

Image
  I've run a couple of tomato trials this year. The first is a revisit of the biochar trial with Oxford University I attempted some years ago (with a different organisation this time), and the second is a trial of a water gadget called Plantsurge which I was given to try at Malvern Spring Show earlier this year. Most of you have probably heard of biochar already and the claim that this inert, carbon-rich material can help soil fertility and plant health. The RHS information in the above link says results can be mixed, with reduced effects found in alkaline soils. This may help to explain the lack of difference I found in my previous trial as VP Gardens is on a lime-rich soil. Plantsurge is a different beast altogether. It's a strong magnet which is attached to a hosepipe as shown in the photo above. It's claimed that it softens water, with the result more like watering with rainwater. The higher nitrogen found in rainwater is thought to be beneficial to plants. Gardener...
Read more