Best Quality Secateurs

These classic Secateurs have been copied by all and sundry. Felco is the choice of the professionals and you can literarily SMELL the quality when you buy new ones.

At about £35 they are quite an investment but can be serviced and repaired to last your lifetime. (Please contact Burton Mcall)

Many professionals I know and most of the gardening celebrities on TV tend to use Felco secateurs.

There is a large range to suit your  hand size and pruning requirements. Unless you lose them these secateurs really will last your lifetime. Model no 2 are the original ones. Felco also pioneered the use of rotating handles to reduce RSI and skin chaffing. See models no 7, 12 and 10 for left handed use.

The only small criticism I can make of Felco secateurs is that the small metal safety catches can be hard to access by people with arthritis or large cold fingers.

Made in Switzerland -

buy Felco secatuers online from a discount supplier

check prices with another Fredshed partner

Best "all-round" secateurs

New Ergonomic handle and easy to use Safety catch

These German made pruners were designed with comfort and ergonomics in mind and result in the most comfortable and easiest to use tool.

The downward curve of the blades puts your wrist in the best position and reduces the risk of repetitive strain injury (RSI).

The large yellow safety catch is easily visible on the top of the tool and can be used by left6 or right handed people and those with reduced dexterity from conditions like arthritis.

These Wolf Comfort secateurs are aptly named and come in 3 sizes in both anvil and bypass blade types.

Click below for small size

Click below for medium sizes

Click below for large sizes

The Best of British - Solid Forged Forks and Spades

Bulldog Tools- Made in Wigan

The Bulldog Premier forks and spades are hand forged in Wigan using the best steel worked by skilled craftsmen. These tried and trusted tools are the favourite of contractors and enthusiasts across the world.

Priced between £25- £42 these tools seem relatively expensive  but will outlast cheap tools several times. In the long term you save money - and help the environment.

To buy any other Bulldog Tools in the UK  e-mail fred@fredshed.com  I can get you ANY tool from the Bulldog range, direct from the factory at great prices.

This is a Mattock Fork (also known as an Azada Fork)

It is not a good idea to use your garden tools for really tough jobs like clearing weed infested land or digging trenches in heavy soil or for building work. Most garden tools sold in the shops are designed for use in well cultivated soil.. Much better to use a more ancient tool that goes back to the iron age.

These tools are described by various names such as "mattocks", "picks" , and in Spain the "Azada". They are very common in developing countries and are far less likely to break than a fork or spade when used in stony ground.

If you have good arm strength and co-ordination the fork style tool may cause you less back pain when digging than the typical tools we insist on using in Britain.

For more info on alternative digging tools  e-mail fred@fredshed.com

click for more alternative digging tools

Tools for clearing Brambles, Thistles and Scrubby Growths

If you suffer with Brambles or scrubby growths then you need to get mean and buy yourself a slashing tool to chop them down.

There are a wide variety of hand tools available and they make an eco friendly alternative to using a petrol trimmer - and will last a lot longer with no need for maintenance or spare parts.

For lighter vegetation use a sickle (swaphook) or its longer handled brother the scythe - as used by my mate the grim reaper.

For heavier vegetation including woody stems use a slasher dunse or brushhook. They are more like a long handled meat cleaver and very effective.

Good makes are Bulldog and Spear & Jackson

I can order you any Bulldog Agricultural Tool direct from the Wigan factory and also offer discounts for bulk orders.

Practice your Golf Swing and clear the weeds at the same time!

 click for slashers, scythes, sickles swaphooks and brushhooks

Long Handled Cut and Hold Pruner

This long handled cut and hold pruner is one of my favorite tools and one that I have used for over 10 years. That's why it won the first ever Golden Shed Award.

It comes in different sizes from the 650mm version shown here right up to the  telescopic one that extends to 3m!

This tool is ideal for light pruning up to16mm thick, and for deadheading roses etc. Whilst working as an NHS horticultural therapist I recommended this tool to hundreds of patients with back pain. I received many letters of thanks and never had a tool returned faulty.

 650 mm version shown left-  but the best version is longer at 1m and is superb for reaching climbing roses or into the back of deep prickly borders.

The "snapper" can be used one or two handed and has a lot of handle adjustment. It is also very well made and I am still using one that I have had for over 10 years.

click here for prices on both versions

Heavy Duty Pole Pruner  - Fiskars Long Reach Universal Cutter.

I have used this tool for about 8 years now and still marvel at its incredible cutting power and ease of use.

It is easier to use than traditional tree pruners as the cord is on the inside and does not get tangled up in the branches.

Also the multi-angle head contains a brilliant  mechanism with a belt and chain that enables the tool to effortlessly slice through branches up to 32mm.

There are 3 ways of activating the cut, pull the sliding handle, pull the side cord or for extra reach pull the ball at the bottom of the handle. Superb design!

The Fiskars Geared Universal Cutter won a 2002 Golden Shed Award and has recently won other prestigious design awards. In 2008 it was re-engineered using newly available materials and is now lighter and cuts with an anvil blade which is less likely to jam on a hard stem..

The standard version is 1.6m long and weighs only 1.1kg

buy the longer  telescopic version

Dutch Made Gardening Tools

There are 2 family firms in Holland making top quality hand crafted gardening tools.

DeWit tools use hi boron carbon steel for strength and flexibility. As this metal ages it goes black and develops an "antique patina".

Sneeboer tools use Stainless Steel which is more expensive and some say looks nicer.

Sneeboer have just bought out this new long handled flowerbed trowel that is so nice  to use.

see the Sneeboer Ultimate Flowerbed Trowel

see the Sneeboer Stainless Steel hand fork

special offer!

get £5 off any 3 Sneeboer tools when you quote Fredshed at the checkout when using the links above. Use the links below to see more DeWit garden hand tools

DeWit make the largest range of small garden handtools available including 3 shapes of trowel and dozens of hoes, including the Stealth Weeder - invented by me!

see stainless steel Dutch tools from Sneeboer

DeWit Carbon Steel tools with longer handles

Best Garden Kneeler Seat

This sturdy little seat can be used for kneeling or sitting and has the added advantage that it can be folded flat for easy carrying and storage.

These seats have been around for many years and I often recommended them to people during my work as an NHS Horticultural Therapist at the Mary Marlborough Centre in oxford. (now known as Oxford Centre for Enablement)

Some of the plastic garden kneelers and seats are very slippery to grip or unstable to sit on.

This seat is manufactured by Draper Tools and is the best I have found.

If you want a similar seat that is a little higher for taller people there is one made by Town and Country.

Also if you don't need a seat but kneel a lot then save your knees from bruising with a foam pad.

Are we sitting comfortably?

Also folds flat for better storage and transportation.

Timber Raised Beds

Growing plants in raised planters have many advantages and has been growing in popularity in recent years.

Easy access,  not walking on the soil and good drainage all help to make raised bed gardening an enjoyable and productive experience.

I have tried many systems over the years including these wooden slot together systems and some of the more modern plastic ones.

Click here to see the latest range of raised beds designed for allotment use

Long handled round point spades are also known as Irish Spades, Celtic spades and even Cornish spades. It could also be known as a Irish Shovel and Cornish shovel as it fulfils the purpose of a shovel and a spade.

Most spades can work like shovels but shovels don't usually work like spades - complicated isn't it!

The pointed end makes digging into stony ground easier and this is also my favourite tool for digging up and dividing perennials. This particular tool is a bit short at 4'2" but a longer and larger version is also available.

E-mail me at fred@fredshed.com for details of how to order a long handled round point spade. (Celtic Spade, Irish shovel, Cornish pasty.....)

Best Gloves for Gardening ?

You would have thought that leather were the best gloves for gardening but I find them too restrictive and they also have a tendency to go hard if they get wet.

My favourite gloves for gardening (and DIY) are made from a rubbery plastic material developed for the medical profession.

These superb gloves are machine washable, flexible but super strong. I also use them to push my wheelchair so they have had plenty of testing over the last 3 years.

The gloves come in different thicknesses depending on your needs.

buy the best Garden and DIY gloves

The Wolf multichange System has been around the longest and is superb quality. The range includes the amazing soil miller cultivating tool, a hollow tine lawn aerator and  tree pruning attachments.

click here for best prices on Wolf Multichange tools

click here to buy wolf Multichange handles online

Brooms, brushes and even fruit picking attachments make this the widest range of tools available from any one company. This system has been around many years and will be available for many more.

The Wolf multichange system is made in Germany to the highest standards.

My personal favourite loppers are these telescopic ones from Wolf of Germany.

There are the most durable telescopic loppers I have found and are a joy to use due to their strength, and lightweight which is very important when used at arms length

Click to see prices of Wolf Loppers from Fredshed's recommended supplier

or buy the larger version from my affiliate partner

 Wilkinson sword geared bypass loppers

Fantastic New Geared Shears and Loppers

I have been using geared loppers and shears for a few years now and many of my readers have bought them on my recommendations and provided positive feedback.

This first geared loppers were from Fiskars of Finland (shown opposite) and they have now been improved further with the use of lighter stronger handles..

These loppers have the all important gearing mechanism that provides extra cutting power but now the tool is 80% hi tech plastic which makes them ultra light - but still very strong.

Available in 3 sizes!

  Best Garden Loppers?

Carbon fibre handles & Swiss Engineering

My favourite loppers for many years have been my Wolf telescopic ones. Now Felco of Switzerland have bought out these state of the art, carbon fibre handled, bypass loppers and I am very impressed.

The blades are made from  precision ground, top quality steel and this tool has the sort of engineering usually seen in Formula One cars.

The carbon fibre handles make these medium size (24 inches long) loppers extremely light but very strong.

At around £90 you would expect superb cutting performance and this is what you get, plus a design statement too. If you can afford it and enjoy having the best then you wont be disappointed. Or if you want to buy a special gift for a a special gardener then these loppers have to be the ultimate gardening gift!

click to buy from a Fredshed recommended retailer

To test hedge shears I took 5 of the best  I could find and used them over a 10 year period. During this time other shears were occasionally introduced to the trial and all of the tools were loaned to my test team for further feedback.

During this ongoing trial over 25 shears have been used but most abandoned to concentrate on the best.

I tested many makes and types of Garden shear from the ridiculous  £2.20 Tesco specials to the £50 Golden Ceka classic shear.

Best Telescopic Hedge Shears

My favourite are these German made shears that cost around £35, shown far right on the group of five. The handles are oval for extra strength and adjusted by durable sliders rather than the unreliable twisting mechanisms found on inferior models.

Click here for best price on the Wolf Telescopic Hedge shear

* tip -avoid telescopic tools like shears or loppers with round tubular handles, they usually jam, go for oval tubing, it's stronger. Even cheap Chinese made hedge shears have now copied this design as it is stronger. However take care when buying unbranded cheap Chinese tools as many use poor quality metal or do not harden and temper it properly to reduce costs.

Think about it, how can a pair pf metal shears weighing 2kg be made and transported from China and be sold in Tesco for £2.20 and a profit be made?

In retail a 50% margin on shop sales is usual, so do Tesco buy these tools for £1.10p?

Best Quality Standard Hedge Shear

My favourite are these German made shears Golden Ceka shears with a wavy blade that have been around many years and have the best cutting ability but are a tad heavy.

The most commonly used shears amongst professional gardeners are from Bahco of Sweden who make a huge range of no frill hedge and garden shears like these P51 models shown (orange handles).

Bahco are literally at the cutting edge of blade technology and also provide simpler budget priced tools with the same quality blades for domestic use.

Bahco P51

Professional hedge shear

This has notches for cutting thick stems

An alternative product is the Golden Ceka from CK tools of Germany. This is heavier but has the wavy blade that many gardeners prefer.

 buy CK Golden Ceka shears

Don't forget why you need these tools!

find any flower seed online

click to buy any vegetable seed online

click to see large selection of Tomato seeds

 Click here to find, plants, trees and shrubs to buy online

click on the shed to return to the homepage

© Fred Walden 2009