This is not the most powerful cordless chainsaw available but it certainly is the most well designed and efficient one.

It has all the features found on petrol chainsaws but it is much easier and safer to handle.

For more details see link below or your nearest Stihl dealer as these tools are not sold online.

Cordless Chainsaws - Tested and Reviewed

Click here to see my special page dedicated to cordless chainsaws

 

	New Range of Bosch Pressure Washers This is the new Bosch AQT35-12 pressure washer.  I was not a big fan of domestic pressure washers in general as I have found most to be unreliable, difficult to use and a pain to store. The new Bosch models are much smaller and lighter than previous models and with its on board tool storage and quick release fitting it is fun to use. The folding handle also makes storage easier. There 2 models have different power outputs but both have folding handles for easy storage and are available with just the 3 way gun or with the full range of accessories.    Kärcher K4 Full Control Pressure Washer  Kärcher K4 Full Control Home Pressure Washer  Fredshed TEST Update My Bosch AQT35-12 pressure washer has had over a year of heavy use and is performing very well. It is a vast improvement on the previous model and I am happy to recommend it to Fredshed readers. The optional patio washing hood does prevent your feet getting a bit wet but makes accurate cleaning work harder. My advice is too buy the pressure washer but invest in some good Wellingtons instead of the patio washing gadget.
	Lightweight Trolleys and Tubtrugs My Mum with her Trug and Truck The Fredshed recommended and approved Tubtrugs have been a boon to many gardeners and now their use can be enhanced by this superb little truck to enable you to easily move material and turn your Tubtrug into a lightweight alternative to a wheelbarrow. I gave this sample to my Mum for testing and never got it back so we know this one is a winner!   Trug Trolley - Exclusive to Home & Garden Extras. This lightweight frame with sturdy wheels makes moving garden trugs, rubber buckets, etc, around the garden easy (Blue)  Tubtrugs 42L Large Flexible 2-Handled Recycled Tub, Pistachio  Tubtrugs 26L Medium Flexible 2-Handled Recycled Tub, Pistachio  Tubtrug Flexible Micro: Red
	ELHO GROW TABLE - BEST RAISED BED PLANTER   This well made plastic planter is ideal for slug free growing as it is available with a ventilated propagator cover. This will protect your seedlings from the cold as well and can be taken off when your plants are larger. The planter is around £30 and comes in 4 colours. The lid is around £16 and is sturdy and UV stabilized, it is not the brittle plastic that you get on small propagators    elho XX-Large Green Basics Grow Table - Living Black  elho 2X-Large Green Basics Grow House - Transparent
	NEW - Fiskars Quikdrill - Spiral Auger For Making Holes For Planting and Fenceposts Under Testing - watch this space    Fiskars 2320541 Size Small "QuikDrill" Gimlet - Black/Orange/Grey  Fiskars Medium QuikDrill Garden Drill

	The Most Powerful Cordless Mower ? - (user propelled) I am currently testing the EGO Power+ 56V cordless mower. This impressive mower is new for 2015 and gives a 49cm  (20inch) wide cut. It is powerful enough to replace a petrol mower for many domestic lawns. The patented 56v, 4 amp hour , Li-ion battery uses a new design that keeps it cool and performing to the max.  On an average lawn the battery should give 45minutes of cutting and cover up to 800sqm. The quality of the body is exceptional and I love the easy height adjustment, easy battery removal and the LED headlights. The EGO power+ lawnmower has the best folding handle mechanism I have seen and this will help you store this beast of a mower in a relatively small space. The superb battery can power other garden tools and there is also a lighter weight, 2 amp hour battery available. watch this space or e-mail me for further details. Click here for details of the EGO 56v Cordless mower
	Clipper Box - Lawn Edge Clippings Collector This simple gadget clips to the side of your edging shears and collects the grass clippings. If you have a big lawn this can save hours of clear up work over the season Makes a neater cleaner job for all you OCD types  ClipperBox - Attaches to existing garden shears to collect clippings
	New 3 Way Tap Connector The Hozelock Flow Max has 2 connectors for hosepipes and a separate outlet on the side so that you can fill a can. This is particularly useful if you are using water timers and don't want to disturb the outlets. Also the water can outlet part can be moved to either side of the unit to suit your needs.  Hozelock 3 Way Flow Max Connector

MORE NEW PRODUCTS TESTED BY FRED

 

	NEW STYLE COMPOSTER, WITH SUPER INSULATION Latest news!- I have superb new compost bin! The hotbox,  compost bin is a new design that speeds up composting by concentrating the heat from the decomposing food and plant material . It is constructed of thick black Polystyrene that absorbs the suns energy and superheats the material inside.  There is a thermometer built into the lid to allow you to monitor the heat levels. I am currently testing the Hotbox composter and am amazed at hot quickly the material rots down to allow you to add more and more. I keep the bin full to the top and have inserted a mixture of food waste, hedge and lawn trimmings, weeds and other plant material. Over the last 11 years of running Fredshed I have tested many weird and wonderful compost bin and so far this is the best performer. As I like to undertake long term testing and take into account the durability of products I will be updating the feature annually to show you my results. Setting up my Hotbin After 6 months use I am impressed with the performance of the Hotbin. It has taken mountains of mixed material If you mix some lawn clippings in now and again it helps to keep it hot. The resulting compost is very good and easy to get at. Check price of the Hotbin composter with another Fredshed partner site Click to see other more traditional composting bins
	Fiskars Best Selling Hi Tech Weed Puller is it any good? I tested the Fiskars lawn weed puller on soil and lawns It is great for the larger, deep rooted weeds, no use on small weeds. It can be fun and a bit addictive to use in the right conditions. LIGHTWEIGHT VERSION - USE LINK BELOW  Fiskars Light Weed Puller - Black If you watch TV then you probably will have seen the advertisement for this "new wonder tool" to make weeding easier than ever. As part of my work I have been testing weeding gadgets over the last 20 years and have tried most of them. The important thing to realise about weed pulling gadgets is that there are many different types and sizes of weeds and none of the gadgets can cope with them all. Another reason for this is that weeds will be located in different soil types or even lawns. Compared to most of the ones I have tested I can say the Fiskars weed puller is pretty good at pulling out the larger weeds. It is made from very tough but light fibrecomp material. You will need to have reasonable eyesight and hand eye co-ordination so that you can locate the jaws of the tool around the weed. Once located you press down with your foot and lever the handle backwards to remove the weed. The tool is described as a lawn weed puller but I found it to equally useful on soil. Wherever you use it remember that a large weed will leave a large hole so have some soil ready to fill in if it is your lawn.  Fiskars Weed Puller
	Wheelbarrow Booster  (as seen on Dragons Den)   Under testing in the Fredshed garden Boost capacity This simple and cheap product is so useful and can save you lots of effort if you are moving large amounts of material by wheelbarrow. It is made from strong polypropelyne with stretch elastic along the bottom that is designed to fit different sizes of wheelbarrow. It is easy to fit and very effective for lighter bulky material. It can be taken off and stored separately when not required. At around £12-£13 this clever British invention is a must have for every wheelbarrow owner!  click here to buy from a Fredshed partner site
	The Apple Wizard - Apple Collecting Tool        New Lightweight tool for picking up apples without bending! If you have fallen apples and want a fast and easy way to collect them then this UK made tool is ideal. It works like magic and I just love using it. The flexible stainless steel cage just gently opens and the apples roll in. Makes a superb present for anyone with apple trees and will pay for itself if you can eat or store your apples faster. This is a top quality product and the UK manufacturer offers a repair service should you need it. Digging without bending - new accessory under testing This gadget clamps to virtually any fork or spade in seconds   I am currently testing the UK made Kikka Digga This product fits onto your existing spade or fork and then enables you to flick the soil over rather than bending and lifting. The resulting job can look a bit of a mess but then you can easily rake the soil level , having avoided any lifting or bending. I will be reporting more findings as members of my team use the tool Kikka Digga is currently available on the UK Ebay site NOW UNDER TESTING  ROOT ASSASSIN! I hear from many readers who break their forks and spades whilst digging out plants. This is usually caused by having to use excess force because a root has been left and even the strongest tools will break or bend if levered hard enough. The Root Assasin has downward facing sharp teeth to cut those roots and the long thin shape of the head gives easier access to those roots. If you have large shrubs or a lot to remove I still recommend using a prybar as well as the Root Assassin because it is essentially a digging and cutting tool and not a levering tool.      Root Assassin Shovel - Award Winning Shovel - Best of All Garden Tools - Best of All Garden Shovels

 Bosch Indego Robot Lawnmower

Over the last 16 years I have tested various Robomows and the Mowbot and the British made Husqvarna Robot Mower.

The Bosch Indego is the latest and most advanced robot mower and I went to see it launched at the Chelsea flower show.

The best feature of this model is that it cuts in straight lines instead of the random pattern that most other robot mowers use. This increases battery duration and reduces wear marks on your lawn.

Previously robot mowers suffered from unreliable supplies of parts and service.

Hopefully Bosch will not have this issue and I am 100% sure that parts will be available for a long time, especially as the Inego is made in the UK!   My experience with Bosch shredders is that they supply parts long after the statutory 10 year  rule that many other manufacturers simply ignore or cannot honour.

click for more details on the Bosch Indego Robot Mower

MS1000 Robomow

Rain sensor and anti-theft device built in

This is the latest and the most advanced Robotic Mower that I have tried. My test lawn is fairly small so it had no problem mowing it as the powerful Lithium-ion battery can cut an area 1000m2.

Setup was fast and easy using the tried and tested Robomow ruler and excellent instructions. The base station and perimeter wire are powered by a mains adapter.

Programming is easy due to the easy to access LCD screen and simple button choice. Setting the cutting height is the best I have seen and is done by lifting the top flap and turning a knob. The simple blades are razor sharp and a special tool is supplied for changing them safely.

The MS1000 gives a 56cm cut and is the only Robotic mower that cuts wider than its wheels so does not leave an uncut edge around your lawn.

The Robomow MS1000 is incredibly quiet and gives a superb cut. the build quality is high and I cant see any issue with this or the base station surviving outside in the UK. (it should be taken inside for the winter months)

The smartphone app is excellent and can be used for remote programming

The RM1000 is powered by a 26v 4.6  amp hour battery

More test info coming soon, e-mail me for details if you are UK based

 click here for my page on cordless and robotic mowers

or use link below to see more about the Bosch Indego

click for more details on the Bosch Indego Robot Mower

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                  © Fred Walden 2017