We Tested 8 Weird Gardening Tools: Our Surprising Results
We all have tried, true, and tested tools we love to use. Though it’s good to stick with what works, it’s nice to test out new tech! Epic Gardening founder Kevin Espiritu and the Garden Hermit Jacques Lyakov tried these 8 weird tools so you don’t have to. Let’s see their results!
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I tend to buy tools that will last me a lifetime because gardening is a rugged activity! Dirt, water, and regular wear and tear quickly break your tools down. Rather than buying cheap ones every year, it’s best to find durable pieces that last many years.
Nowadays, funky new inventions have led to a whole new array of tools! From power planters to dirt snatchers, these unique objects may turn a tough activity into a quick chore. Though a few are incredibly useful, the others make fun gag gifts for your fellow gardeners.
Kevin and Jacques used a thumbs-up, midway, or down rating system. We’ll cover how they rated the tools, why they did so, and possible alternatives you can use instead. Without further ado, here are eight weird gardening tools we tested in the Epic Garden!
Grandpa’s Weeder
Grandpa’s weeder is a classic tool that gardeners and farmers have used throughout the decades! It looks like a fork and hoe on a stick. You stab the tool into the ground around a deep weed, press down on the pedal, and lift the weed out of the soil.
In the Epic Garden, Kevin and Jacques pit Grandpa’s weeder against a simple CobraHead cultivator. Though Jacques beat Kevin in the weeding challenge, he had to bend down and place his knee on the dirt to use the CobraHead.
Grandpa’s weeder works well for occasional weeding when you’d like to avoid dirty knees. The Epic duo gave this tool a midway thumb, meaning it’s on par with most other weed-pulling tools.
Alternative
Try using the CobraHead weeder and cultivator for daily weeding. You have to get dirty to use it, though isn’t that what gardening is all about? Simply stab it in the ground, wrench it around the roots, and pull.
Power Planter
Potato planters, listen up—the power planter is the tool for you! Simply attach the drill auger bit to a hand drill. Activate the drill and press downwards into the soil. The dirt will fly away, leaving a perfect planting hole behind.
During the competition, Jacques used a power planter while Kevin tried the classic hand trowel. Though Kevin almost beat Jacques in time, he had to use a lot of energy to dig the holes by hand. The power planter may be a good tool if you frequently dig in the garden.
Alternative
The hand trowel is an ideal alternative to the power planter. It requires manual digging to work but it can last for many years. Clean yours of rust and dirt each fall and dust it with a preserving oil for the winter.
Digger Claw Gloves
One of the weirdest gardening objects that we tested, the digger claw gloves are a fun novelty gift that will make your green thumb friends laugh. They’re gloves with plastic claws on the tips that look like mole hands! Simply put them on and dig away.
Though cool, these gloves may break apart quickly after frequent usage. They liked their uniqueness, but Jacques and Kevin agreed these were impractical diggers. Give them away as gag gifts, or try them yourself to dig like moles, voles, and gophers!
Alternative
A hand rake is the best replacement for digger claw gloves. It pulls wet, moist, or dry dirt back so you can plant seeds, tubers, or bulbs. It’s also a great weeder for plants with soft, fibrous root systems. Find a metal one—it’ll last longer than a plastic or wooden one.
Electric Pruner
Rather than hurt your wrists pruning, why not get an Alpen Wilhorn 32? This fancy tool is an electric pruner that works hard, so you don’t have to. Though incredibly useful, it’s also dangerous! A pull of the trigger causes the blades to close, no matter what’s between them. I used to work with a farmer who cut the tip of his finger with them—they’re no joke!
An electric pruner is best for repetitive pruning in orchards, tree farms, and plant nurseries. The tool is a rare need for the home garden, though some gardeners with many trees may find it useful. Use caution when pruning with them, and wear protective gloves to be safe.
Alternative
Hand pruners work well for most pruning needs. Loppers come in handy for larger branches, saplings, and sticks. Use whichever you feel most comfortable with, as pruning can be tough on the wrists.
Dirt Snatcher
What’s a dirt snatcher, you ask? It’s a funny name for a cool tool that looks like a crane claw. You pull the trigger and it closes the claws, grabbing dirt, seedlings, or weeds.
Both Epic Gardeners found this tool surprisingly useful. You dig a hole quickly with one hand and hold the soil in the tool. Then, after putting a seedling in the hole, you let go of the trigger and let the soil fall back into the hole. If you’re planting multiple seedlings, the dirt snatcher may prove indispensable in your transplanting arsenal.
Alternative
A standard trowel is the perfect dirt snatcher substitute. It’s a mini shovel with a handle that works well for planting seedlings, weeding deep-rooted weeds, and creating rows or furrows. Like the hand rake, metal trowels last longer than plastic or wooden ones. Plastic breaks down after many seasons under the sun, and wood rots when moisture is present.
Knee Seat
The knee seat is the famous tool from one of Epic Gardening’s most-viewed videos! Kevin tried it himself and found it surprisingly useful. This time it went head-to-head with the kneeling pad.
Though the knee seat works well, it’s a bit clunky compared to the kneeling pad. You need two to sit properly, and then you’ll stumble around when you walk with the two contraptions on your legs! It might create a tripping hazard when walking fast on rough or uneven ground.
Alternative
Kneeling pads are more comfortable than knee seats and cheaper. Simply lay them on the ground and kneel on them. The soft foam protects your knees from pebbles and twigs, allowing you to weed, plant, or cultivate in hard-to-reach areas.
Mini Chainsaw
A mini chainsaw looks just like it sounds, like a mini chainsaw! It’s similar to the electric pruner, except it has a small saw instead of blades. Jacques and Kevin gave it a midway thumb, indicating it may have some use cases depending on what you’re growing in your garden.
Gardeners with forests, orchards, or woody shrubs may consider using a mini chainsaw instead of a handsaw. Handsaws are safer, though they take longer and require manual labor. The chainsaw works with the pull of a trigger!
As with the electric pruner, be cautious when handling the small chainsaw. Wear protective gloves and eye protection to keep your extremities safe!
Alternative
Traditional handsaws are cheaper than mini chainsaws and safer to use. They take longer to use and require you to pull back and forth. The saw’s teeth cut into the wood during each pull, pruning large branches that hand pruners struggle to cut.
Hummingbird Mask
What better way to watch birds than to feed them with your face? All jokes aside, the hummingbird mask is an odd-looking contraption that lets you get up close and personal with hummers. It has a protective shield for your face and three bright red feeders coming off of it. The birds fly up, drink sugary sweetness, and fly away!
This gag gift is one you may want yourself. It looks funny, but it’s a lovely tool that lets you learn more about your local hummingbirds. Jacques helped Kevin camouflage himself with branches and leaves. Try to do the same, since the more you look like a bush, the more birds will feed from your head!
Alternative
Hummingbird feeders work well for bird watchers who don’t have time to sit for hours! Simply hang them up by a window outside your home and watch them appear throughout the day.
Try making a sugary solution yourself rather than using the bright red one from stores; it’s harmful for hummers. Instead, use a recipe of four parts water to one part white granulated sugar. Stir vigorously until all sugar dissolves, then fill your feeders with the nectar. Replace the feeders every two days during hot weather and twice weekly in cool weather.
