Electric Tools for the Garden: what they are and what advantages they have

As on other occasions, we have looked for new events and demonstrations on gardening and urban gardens, and this time we have ended up attending a demonstration of electric tools for the garden and machines for the garden.

Power tools for the garden and orchard

In the Category «How to cultivate the garden» we already talked about the tools necessary to cultivate, but this time I wanted to include this new post about tools also in the Category «Actualities, News and Novelties ». Why? Well, because these new tools for the garden and the urban garden have something special, new.

Today we will talk about this new type of non-polluting machines, its advantages and why power tools for the garden are beneficial for the environment and people’s well-being.

They are machines that do not have a fuel tank or a gasoline engine, but are powered by an electric motor. The motor is powered by a lithium battery that can be conveniently charged at any outlet.

Depending on the size of the machine, this battery is larger or smaller (it will not be the same, of course, the battery needed for automatic pruning shears than for a brushcutter or a chainsaw), but in any case its weight is very low: from 0.5 to 2 kg (the weight and size also depend on the autonomy or capacity of each battery).

As you can see from the pictures, there are smaller, lighter batteries that can be clipped onto an adaptable belt, and others that are built into a comfortable harness or backpack. There are even batteries to which two tools can be connected at the same time, to have available, for example, a small chainsaw in one hand and a pruning shears in the other.

Garden power tools battery

The battery life is equal to or greater than a full working day: from 8 to 15 hours (depending on the type of machine that is connected to it). And, depending on the model, it takes 5 to 9 hours for a battery to fully charge from a regular power outlet.

Power

They are very powerful gardening machines and tools (up to 2000 W of power), and they are much more efficient, faster and more comfortable.

Maintenance

Another positive aspect is that these machines require much less maintenance, since electric motors do not have parts that can wear out and they are also brushless motors.

In addition to these, there are many other advantages and benefits of using garden tools and power machines. We are going to see some related to the environment and the safety and health of the people who use them.

Advantages of power tools

Advantages for the environment

• Benefits for the Environment: reduction of noise pollution and air pollution

Conventional garden machines, such as blowers or petrol brush cutters, generate a lot of noise. Noise pollution has negative effects on our daily lives, and that is why many people in cities complain or express their dissatisfaction directly to workers when they are carrying out their garden maintenance work. We all know how uncomfortable these noises are when they are working next to our window in work meetings, at school, or just taking a walk…

Thanks to the new technology of these electric tools for the garden, the noise level is significantly reduced, making the work more comfortable for the person who uses them and also for those around them.

As we have discussed other times on the blog, air pollution in cities is a serious problem, and we should all do our bit to make the environment cleaner and less polluted. One of the ways to alleviate this problem is the installation of urban gardens, rooftop gardens, parks… that capture part of the CO2 emitted by cars, heating systems or factories. The other basic way to eliminate pollution is to reduce the use of fuel: replace cars and machines with gasoline or diesel engines for machines with electric motors, as is the case with these electric tools for the garden.

Advantages for people

• Reduction of damage to people and vehicles

The use of brush cutters with conventional heads can produce dangerous situations when they project objects located on the ground. Certain precautions must be taken since these machines can cause stones to be fired due to the high speed of rotation of the weed cutting line or the blade, which release materials at high speed and usually cause damage, especially to vehicle windows., bodies, bicycles and even pedestrians.

What we saw as new in these power tools for the garden is that the brush cutters have an anti-projection head, with 2 cutting discs that rotate in the opposite direction. This type of head completely eliminates this problem as the objects and the remains of cut vegetation are never projected.

• Greater comfort, safety and health for the workers who use these machines compared to the use of conventional machines or manual tools

The day of the demonstration of Bahco electric garden machinery that we attended in a park in Madrid, there were operators working and testing these machines. They themselves told us that power tools for the garden have many advantages for their well-being.

Some of the reasons they gave us for working with this type of machine were:

• Reduced noise level at work
• Uncontaminated air is breathed
• The level of vibrations is minimal compared to conventional machines
• The weight of the machines is much less
• They are more comfortable: it is more comfortable to carry a lithium battery in a small backpack or on a belt than to carry a heavy machine that has a built-in gasoline engine and tank
• Greater speed of work and less physical effort, so much less time is needed, especially in those jobs for which hand tools are normally used, such as pruning shears or hedge trimmers. In this case, by using a machine with an electric motor, the force needed to open and close the scissors, for example, is minimal, so tendon and muscle problems are reduced.

How to use garden tools

Almost anyone can use these garden machines. They are lighter and more comfortable than conventional ones, since the «bulk» weight is carried on the back, in a small backpack that has the machine’s battery integrated, or on the belt (in the case of small batteries). As they do not have an engine with a fuel tank, they are light and easy to handle and move.

It is true that not everyone wants or can afford to buy one of these electric machines … The price is higher than that of conventional machines with a gasoline engine and, of course, than that of manual tools; but all its benefits and the novelty of its design and functionality deserve it…

They are perfect, for example, for winegrowers who have to prune their vines or for professional gardeners. The speed of work is much higher, so many more jobs can be done in less time and the investment in machines and power tools will be amortized in the short term.

Also for garden maintenance companies or urban orchards, or for gardening services of city councils. In addition to reducing noise pollution, a major problem in large cities, work with these machines requires less physical effort, and the operators will be much more efficient in their work. In addition, as we have seen, the risk of suffering muscle problems and affections in the tendons of the hands, very common after the continued use of manual gardening tools, is reduced.

In addition, there are also small electric tools for the urban garden (Image 2), such as the electric brushcutter to remove weeds, the electric weeder or the pruning shears for vegetables or hedges in the garden.

Until here today’s post! You can give your opinion or impressions in the comment thread below if you have used this type of electric machines for the garden or if you are thinking of buying one. Also greetings!