Pole/extendable hedge trimmer

Discussion in 'Tools And Equipment' started by Loofah, May 6, 2011.

  1. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    Don't worry Woo, I only use mine to drown out the noisy neighbours kids on their squeaky trampolines and yapping dogs :)

    Seriously, I prefer to use hand shears for little trimming jobs mainly because it's much quicker than all the faff of petrol tools (finding/putting on safety gear, finding/filling with petrol, then struggling to get the **** started!). My garden is surrounded by high hedges so I'd struggle to ever finish all of these without power even in a month of sundays :blue thumb:
     
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    • wiseowl

      wiseowl Admin Staff Member

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      Good morning JWK friend ,thank you for your support Brother,I will put you down as a possible yes vote for the next election ;)I had better make this my last post on this thread as I might just be going a little off topic:smile:
       
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      • shiney

        shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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        Vote For Woo. :yay: (Not quite sure what for :scratch: but he's the best man for the job! :heehee:)
         
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        • Kristen

          Kristen Under gardener

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          I've got just the thing for you then - well, I haven't got just the thing for you, you'll have to get your kids to buy them for you for Birthday/Xmas :) but the just-the-thing are these:

          http://www.niwaki.com/store/tobisho-shears/

          If they are a bit dear (a BIT I hear you say?!!) then you will be well-happy with their Okatsune Shears :) But the curved blades on those Tobisho ones are a work of art. Might be better suited to cutting curved topiary surfaces than a flat hedge, but I am sure you could convert your hedge into something that conveyed more "Zen movement" :heehee:

          If your kids are feeling flush they could get your some Tobisho secateurs too - the exclusive range, rather than their almost-as-nearly-exclusive range!

          http://www.niwaki.com/store/tobisho-hiryu-secateurs/

          but there again the Okatsune secateurs are a joy to use, and they are what all the professionals in Japan use ... which seems like a reasonable recommendation :)

          P.S. Whilst you are there you ought to get Jake's books on Topiary to give you some ideas for converting your hedge :heehee:
           
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          • JWK

            JWK Gardener Staff Member

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            Blimey Kristen, those are just outside my price range :hate-shocked:

            I have read Jake's book, borrowed from the library as I'm way too stingy to buy my own copy. Then I bought some secondhand Bonsai cutters off ebay for my cloud pruning project, at around a fiver, they are not of that same standard but do the job for me :dbgrtmb:
             
          • Kristen

            Kristen Under gardener

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            Only just outside? they are way outside mine!

            I am planning to buy some Okatsune secateurs though. On a par with Felcos, which I have a pair of, but I'd like to try the Okatsune ones alongside the Felcos.
             
          • shiney

            shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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            Are the Okatsune hollow ground like the Tobisho Hiryu ones. If so, you may have problems getting them sharpened properly - unless you're able to do them yourself. :blue thumb:

            I did some cloud pruning once. Actually, it wasn't cloud pruning - I just happened to chop some bits out by accident! :heehee:
             
          • Kristen

            Kristen Under gardener

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            Niwaki offer a sharpening service, I haven't checked the price, but I would prefer to sharpen my own. Having a sharpening widget (rather than a full blown wet-stone) with you whilst working, and just giving the blade a "touch" every hour or so, should be enough?

            But I could do with a lesson from a scissor-sharpening-supervisor :)
             
          • shiney

            shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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            If they're hollow ground then you won't get the best out of your secateurs if you use a widget.

            Unfortunately, you can't sharpen hollow ground items properly unless you can take them apart and use each blade on the stone separately - but I don't think the Okatsune would be hollow ground at that price.
             
          • Kristen

            Kristen Under gardener

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            Probably make sense if I told you what the widget was :) in case that makes a difference:

            http://www.niwaki.com/store/swiss-istor-standard/

            They do a PRO version, that has a coarse file as well (in case you chip the blade) but I thought that was excessive (extra cost, bigger widget, and how often would I use it, if ever?)
             
          • shiney

            shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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            The double bevelled edges it refers to may, possibly, mean hollow ground (although it wouldn't, technically, be quite correct).
             
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