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Fred-in-the-shed's TOP 10
Practical Presents for Gardeners
Click here for Top
10 DIY Presents
Updated
28th November 2011
I have been testing and reviewing products as a job for over 15 years now
and this page has some of the
best and most practical products that I am sure will make great gifts,
that people will really cherish and use.
If in doubt, read the reviews via the links, and feel free to ask me questions.
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Best Quality Secateurs
If you want to give a gardener a really special present
then a pair of Felco secateurs must be the first choice.
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 open the packet. At about £35 and up they are quite an investment but can be serviced and
repaired to last your lifetime. (Please contact Burton Mcall who have
been the main service agent for decades)
Many professionals that 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.
Felco Secateurs are made in Switzerland

A Cheaper alternative present
These Bulldog Alan Titchmarsh bypass secateurs are incredible
value for money and give a great cut due to the blade made from the high
grade Japanese steel. I use these a lot as I find them to be more
comfortable than my more expensive Felco secateurs. After 2 years of
hard use by myself and my gardening team they are still functioning well
with no more than a quick occasional sharpen and a spray of GT85.

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My Classic no 2 's
buy Felco
secatuers online from a discount supplier
The GT85 lubricant is superb - and is Lavender scented!
Use link in box above - (may not work with Firefox browser)
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Ratchet Secateurs for Easier Cutting of Thick
Stems
(Ideal for older gardeners or people with reduced
strength)
In my work former work for the NHS as a Horticultural therapist I
recommended ratchet secateurs to hundreds of patients with arthritis
or who had a weak hand grip.
This enabled many people to carryon gardening when they would
otherwise have given up. However anyone can benefit from using ratchet
pruners as you will be able to cut larger stems more easily.
The ratchet action will enable you to cut woody stems up to 25mm
with 30% less effort and reduce the chance of damage to arthritic
knuckle and finger joints.
The downside to ratchet pruners is that they only come with Anvil
blades, not bypass and the pumping action required takes slightly more
time (were talking nanoseconds). However the improvement
you get with cutting thick stems is lost if you want to cut thin or
soft stems so please remember that ratchet pruners are specialized
tool and not the best secateurs for general work. My preference is
to have two secateurs , one bypass type for soft or thin living
stems , and an anvil type for use on the thick or dead stuff.
There are many versions of ratchet secateurs available but these new ones from Bulldog
Alan Titchmarsh range are as good as any and are made from Aluminium.
They also have a finger guard built onto the lower handle which
quite often saves you from a prickle if you don't wear gloves.
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Diamond Sharpeners for Secateurs and Knives

Another tip-
Clean and dry your Secateur blade before using this sharpener - don't
clog the diamonds with crud!
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Red is fine whilst black is a coarser grade for blunter edges and larger
blades
If you have both then use the black one first and finish off with the
red one for the sharpest edge!
Fredshed tip - clean your Secateur blade with metholated
spirits to prevent disease spreading to other plants.
To keep your
secateurs sharp just lightly rub the diamond sharpener across the
cutting edge 3 or 4 times, taking care to keep the same angle as the
edge of the blade. This is made easier with a flat sharpener as you can
adjust the angle to suit.
Remember that bypass secateurs have one flat side and one angled whilst anvil secateurs have 2 angles sides
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Fred's Favourite Telescopic Loppers
In my experience many telescopic loppers either snap or the twisting
mechanism gets jammed after extensive use.
These Wolf Garten telescopic loppers are the ones that I
recommend for serious work based on 8 years of hard work with them. They
genuinely cut a 40mm branch with ease and have an easy adjustment method.
The difference between these and other telescopic loppers is that the
handles are oval in section and are stronger than round section handles.
Also these handles lock in position with a sliding catch with a locating
pin. Inferior telescopic handles twist to lock - most of the time!
Wolf RS650T Anvil telescopic Lopper, RRP £59 (often discounted to around £40 inc postage)
Use my links opposite for discounted prices from my recommended
suppliers. If you want a cheaper option that includes a ratchet mechanism
then the Bulldog made loppers endorsed by Alan Titchmarsh are great value
and good quality too.
A Cheaper Alternative
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My assistant Vern uses the Wolf Telescopic Loppers
whilst wearing his Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Click to see prices of Wolf Loppers from Fredshed's recommended supplier
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Some recommended books
These are 3 books that think are worth their weight in gold. Any book
, CD, DVD or product bought via my links to Amazon will help support my work
independently testing and reviewing products |
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The Warmest Thermal Socks in the World!
The Best Socks For wearing with Wellingtons

As I am a paraplegic and cant feel my feet I have poor
circulation and can easily get hyperthermia. So keeping my extremities warm is
so important to me that I go the extreme lengths to keep warm when gardening
in the winter. My battery powered heated socks and hand knitted willy
warmer were not a great success and some people say I was the inspiration for
Wallace from Wallace and Grommet
One of my greatest new product
discoveries are the Heat Holder Thermal socks. These brilliant new socks use
the latest fleece flocking technology to produce the highest tog rating of
any sock so far. 2.3 tog. They are available in many colours and sizes and
are so soft and comfortable that I even wear them in bed!
Heat Holders Thermal socks are a must for Gardeners and
anyone who works outdoors. I also think they are the best bed sock too!
Buy the Extra Long Ones if you use Wellingtons!
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Men's and Women's Normal Length
Men's and Women's Extra long for Wellies!
AVAILABLE IN 9 COLOURS
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My Favourite Fork and Trowel

Whilst my readers know that I am not a fan of stainless steel for full
size forks and spades I am more enthusiastic about its use in small hand
tools.
As stainless steel is not as strong as normal carbon steel it is more suited to
the smaller tools that suffer less strain.
At about £8 each these tools are very good value and
will probably outlast wooden handled tools as the plastic and rubber is
good quality and seems not to be affected by hot or cold weather.
These Spear & Jackson E series tools are a joy to use as they are well
made and have comfortable soft grip handles.
If you are using handtools a lot then you will really appreciate these
handles. I have left these tools out in the garden to see how durable
they are and they are doing well. Wooden handled tools would have
started coming apart by now as the changes in temperature and moisture
shrink and crack wood.
I also like the hole in the handle for a hanging strap. |
If you prefer traditional wooden handles the Draper
range are a good price for the quality supplied |
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Traditional Dutch Garden Hand Tools
Which are best - Sneeboer or Dewit?
Not many tools are made in Europe now but 2 family
businesses in Holland are thriving and now export to the UK.
Sneeboer and Dewit tools have been around for generations but have
only recently found there way to these shores as quality garden tools get
harder to find. I know both of these manufactures personally and am happy to
recommend their products. DeWit tools are made from high grade carbon steel
whilst Sneeboer make similar tools but from stainless steel. In terms of
strength and price Dewit come top but if you want a shiny finish and don't
mind paying a premium then Sneeboer are for you.
The fork and trowel shown right are hand crafted from a
special type of stainless steel and have seasoned Ash handles. I will also
be testing many other Sneeboer tools including Mattocks and large digging
tools.
Using hand crafted quality garden tools is a revelation
and helps make your whole gardening experience more enjoyable. The tines of
the fork are extra strong and the flat profile helps lift more soil.
The Ultimate trowel is longer and thinner than normal and
just what you need to dig small planting holes with ease and less bending.
Below are the Dewit Onion hoes that come in left and right
handed version. The range of Dewit tools is enormous and they are especially
strong on small hand tools and cultivating tools.

Click to See the Dewit range of Garden Toolsg(74608)a(1114853))
See the Award winning Dewit long handled corkscrew weeder |

see the Sneeboer Ultimate Flowerbed Trowel
see the Sneeboer Stainless Steel hand fork

Click to See the Dewit range of Garden Toolsg(74608)a(1114853))
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Traditional British Made Fork and Spade This
tool has been in production for decades and is now available with the
old fashioned block type wooden handle.

National Trust Version in brown with Ash, Victorian style
handles.
These are the smaller width "border version" tools
For the large digging size fork and spade see the Alan Titchmarsh tools
opposite
Use My Links opposite for D handled Alan
Titchmarch Versions |
The Bulldog Solid Forged Fork and Spade This
tool has been in production for decades and is now available with the
old fashioned block type wooden handle.
They are available in 2 versions
1 In the Titchmarsh range - with brown metal parts, and D handle - use link below
2 In the National Trust range with brown metal parts and old
fashioned block handles.
use links on left side of pages
Classic
English Garden Tools Made in Wigan - used by Fred
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Traditional
Metal Watering Cans
Still Available - Still British
Made!

Whilst plastic watering cans have the
advantage on weight they don't have the durability of metal watering cans
and this is proven by the amount of old fashioned galvanised steels can that
are still being used today after being passed down from a generation or two
of gardeners. A good quality plastic can may last a very long time but the
majority of plastic cans sold today are cheap and nasty.
The traditional British metal watering was
galvanised to stop it rusting, grey in colour, with a
copper rose. Being round, and bulky these cans caused a fair few bruises on
my legs when I lugged one around as a youngster - many moons ago. This style
of can is still available but the coating is now titanium coloured galva-gaurd, which
looks similar.
Modern British made metal watering cans
come in a range of sizes and now you can get the slimmer profile ones that
are easier on your legs and back.
All of the Haws watering cans are available in a range of colours
and 2 sizes.
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Modern Haws Watering Cans

These are my 2 modern Haws watering cans that I use in my garden in
Oxford. The silver one is metal and has a slimline
profile that is easy to carry. It is galvanised steel so it wont
rust and looks totally natural in a garden. The
green one is made from top quality plastic so it is very light to
carry. It has 2 little spigots that are used to keep the rose and
another small spout safe and always at hand when you need it.
click here for traditional metal watering cans
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If you found my advice helpful you can support my work
by returning to this page and using my links when purchasing your
secateurs. Also any products bought from Amazon using the links below will
produce a small commission that helps cover my hosting costs. thanks, Fred
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