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Secateurs
AngieSmash
Posts: 28
I've had tendonitis since April which has probably been caused by all the bramble clearing and weeding in our new garden. I'm obviously not going to stop gardening but my Dr has suggested that I get a decent pair of secateurs and start using them appropriately ie. stop cutting things that are far too big with them.
Has anyone else had a similar experience or can just suggest a good pair of secateurs? Thanks ????
0
Posts
For bigger stuff, I use loppers. it needs both hands but puts less pressure on the hands.
Felco no 2 are good general purpose secateurs but, as Fidget says, you need proper loppers for thicker stems and branches.
I have a set of Wolf loppers which are very good for branches up to 1" but hard work on anything thicker so I also have a Wolf pruning saw head which I can attach to a short, medium or full length handle depending on the height and position of the branch or trunk. I have happily used the saw on bigger stuff but 4" or so are my limit. After that it's a job for OH.
Thanks. I do have loppers but am usually too lazy to go and get them (something I must remedy). Will check out Felco ?
Take the loppers with you when you know you're going hacking. It'll save you a lot of time and grief.
Ratchet loppers are brilliant for larger branches. My old pair recently gave up and I bought a pair without the ratchet - big mistake! Do check out the size of the non-cutting blade if you go for the anvil type. Some I've looked at are massive and wouldn't get into may of the spaces I got to with the bypass pair which has just died.
I'll look for a new pair at the Malvern Show next year.
Angie - if you need some help, I'd strongly suggest dropping Fred an email (fredshed website). He's a really helpful chap, he's disabled and tests garden tools.
If you visit his website and drop him an email he will respond with helpful ideas.
I have no affiliation to him other than I have found his recommendations spot-on every time.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I posted briefly some time ago about the difficulty of finding a suitable holster for my secatures.
There were no suitable holsters for my anvil ratchet ones anywhere. I looked online for suitable garden belts and came up with nothing that looked sturdy enough to keep the tools in place.
I have just made my own for an outlay of £1
I bought a pair of very small childs jeans from a charity shop (size 2yrs.) Cut off the legs unpicked them far enough down to create a case and hemmed and sewed up the bottoms.
I padded the inside so they hold the secatures firmly as they are quite heavy.
I then fashioned the material at the top of the leg to act as belt loop. The denim fabric is suitably tough to support it. I think it should work quite well. These were definately "Not on the High Street"
It took me a bit of time working out how to do it but once I had done one the second one was easy.
It might be useful for anyone else to try .Yes! I know the secatures should be in the other way around.
'You must have some bread with it me duck!'
Tendonitis is not the same as repetitive strain injury. The good news is, if your doctor is right, your injury is not caused by work in the garden but is probably auto-immune. Hooray! I have I had it off and on for 20 years. In the meantime. Get a pair of long-handled secateurs which you can use two-handed if necessary. They are not easy to find but are some way between a common-or-garden secateur and a lopper. Loppers are great but not easy to manipulate for fine pruning. Another tool I have found invaluable for dealing with smaller plants is a pair of Bonsai scissors. Good luck and Merry Christmas from Brazil.