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Greenkey Lawn Aerator
by Nar2
For the last few months we have been having the most wonderful hot weather where I have been out of the house, away from the computer on my days off from work and able to tackle what needs to be done in the garden. At the same time when doing the garden, my pressure washer was duly taken out to clear weeds off the cement patio, a few ... tins of paint to refresh the garden gate and above all, my very old but constantly reliable Flymo Vision mower taken out to cut the grass. It was during the cutting performance that I noticed a change of colour in my lawn and have realised it needs constant aerating where grass isn't growing properly due to the incline and general shape. My parents used to have a fantastic electric "lawnraker" by Black and Decker where this job was easily done as well as removing the top layer and allowing the grass to be cultivated and aerated at the same time, but the machine was lent out to someone and never returned - and as a result the job of aerating the lawn gradually declined the process of use in a matter of years.
The "Greenkey 30cm/300mm Rolling Lawn Aerator," is a manual push & pull aerator and looked good at the time of purchase. It isn't an electrical appliance though and requires the effort of the owner to push this rather dangerous metal spike fitted roller wheel up and down the lawn to ensure drainage holes are perforated on the whole lawn to aerate. I was impressed with the product initially having only read reviews about it from Amazon UK and chose a hard ware store in town for my purchase, with an average price costing £29-99, though this product can be priced higher due to greedy sellers with mark up price intentions. It isn't a light product though and I was initially disappointed with the weight as it took quite a lot to carry this box home with me, with a general weight of around 14kg. This is because the Greenkey is sold in "flat pack" design and thus requires a lot of assembly before it can actually be used. There is a reason to why the UK website who produce this seem to sell a lot of missing parts.
In the box, you get two pack of bolts, washers and screws, two heavy metal frames, three slot together handle poles and a green T shape handle with a pole already added to the design. You also get 6 clip together wheels that form the rollers on the design and two outer "hub caps" with more screws and bolts. Of the bolts and washers you do get, they all have two different sizes, so you really need your wits about you where the bits are concerned! The assembly instructions consist of a folded A4 single sheet with poorly drawn diagrams of how to put this product together. Unlike the "15 minutes" build time that some reviewers have highlighted, this product took me an hour to put together even though you do get a rather cheap, small and thin "Christmas cracker" metal spanner to help you initially. What the instructions don't tell you is that you will eventually require a cross head screw driver and pliers, although I would strongly recommend a battery or power operated screwdriver, as all will become clear shortly!
The first aspect is slotting the very sharp 2" spikes into each wheel from the Greenkey aerator and this involves a lengthy time of forcing the metal spikes through each wheel six times before sliding each wheel onto a thick metal square rod. Though the wheels helpfully slot together by square lock partitions raised in the centre, you are best advised to follow the colour photo on the box to ensure that spikes are set in a contra-direction rather than lined up together. Thus having to swap about each wheel is just a small faff to what comes next.
After the wheel and rod have been assembled, the next job for putting the braces together to the side of each wheel is an absolute pain in the AR*E! I don't normally swear in my reviews but I was really pushed with patience with this product and all because the side bolts don't screw on properly tightly to the sides of the aerator, giving it a rather feeble position where the washers clink against the metal insides of the bolts once screwed on. All through this process, I followed the user manual to a T!
The worst aspect of assembly is adding the side braces to the central pole and why Greenkey can't pre assemble just the body of this product to enable the owner just to construct the spike wheels is beyond me. It took me several attempts to keep the brace together against the central pole "spine" for adding the central nut bolt required inside the pole to enable both braces on either side of the roller wheel to clip and screw together to the main central spine pole. To put it bluntly, with the spikes emerging all the time at different angles, this isn't a job for a single person unless you have a metal vice where you hold the roller together just to screw the rolling wheel together. With the threat of spikes touching my hands as well as trying to ensure the central bolt feeder doesn't fall out at the bottom of the pole as well as keeping one side of the brace from the roller screwed in with a single cross head screw, you really do need a power screwdriver to hold that screw in whilst bolting the other side, only realising that you'll have to repeat the same process on the other side! Once that is completed, you then have the joy of screwing and bolting the three poles of the handle spine together before the thing can be used.
When it comes to general performance, this isn't the product where you can breeze down the aisle taking in the scent of flowers and casually dragging the Greenkey aerator behind you or in front like a trolley suitcase. Or, to use the words from another reviewer from elsewhere that aptly describes the general usage "not the product to use in one hand whilst holding a glass of Pimms in the other!" Compounded by all of 14 kg of weight in front, this is a real work out exercise roller wheel, all the time making sure you don't get stabbed on your feet by the sharp spikes on each wheel, whilst also requiring to fairly press your body weight on the handle to ensure the spikes stab the lawn. Clearly there's a reason why Greenkey suggest that this roller should be used on damp grass, because the stabbing process would be a lot softer and not as hard with dry grassland. No surprise after a day's use where my back and hands were absolutely aching with this roller wheel, did I notice one of the bolts on the back of the handle's lower poles missing. This isn't good. Infact, its really quite dangerous and I hasten to wonder if loose bolts falling off from the Greenkey aerator left all over my lawn may damage my Flymo mower in the long-term. Whilst the spikes are long though, at least cleaning is kept to a minimum with this product although the most awful PVC plastic pong comes off the plastic which seems to last a long time with the first use.
However, a month later and lawn looks a lot greener in the parts where water doesn't get a chance to flow into. Compounded by the fact that it rains for most of the year in Scotland and in our region, it makes sense to keep the Greenkey Aerator, as it does appear to allow water to seep into the drainage holes that the spikes perforate. However, there are other brands that produce the same kind of roller wheel where construction and assembly is minimal compared to this British effort and doesn't feel inclined to fall apart if there are obstacles where the spikes don't want to roll and stab into, despite my lawn being fairly bump free! As such though I am keeping this gadget to use on days where rain has fallen for an easier life, I wouldn't particularly recommend this product on the basis that it has the slightest inclination to fall apart and storing it can be difficult, making sure you either have a box for the spikes to hide into since they are dangerous when the roller is stationary.
To conclude, whilst there are other aerator roller wheel products on the market, Greenkey's product here really requires a rethink. Dangerous, heavy and not at all easy to assemble, with bits falling off and bolts not screwing on properly simply shows up this company's lack of attention here. Whilst the process of aerating a lawn does appear to work with this product, it does require a lot of muscle to push this roller wheel in the first place. Yes it is cheap at cost, but there's a lesson to be learnt there! Thanks for reading. ©Nar2 2013.
www.greenkey-garden.co.uk/
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Large Capacity Wheelbarrow
by askmeanything
Trusty Expertise:
The French company, Haemmerlin, have been around since 1867 and are one of the largest wheelbarrow companies in the world. In France, at least, they were the first to manufacture wheelbarrows. They specialise in other areas too but the barrow, now that is something special. Can you imagine how many ... gardeners they've supplied wheelbarrows too? A lot I should think. There was great-grandfather that used one and grandmother that had the same, the very same, and that was still going when it was stolen from the shed somewhere in the 1990's. I might be using that barrow now if it wasn't for thieves with a taste for premium products.
Get your barrows in lovely colours:
These days the wheelbarrows can be purchased in different sizes, materials, and in unusual colours such as lilac and pink - funky! The prices vary from around thirty pounds to one hundred which means they cater across the board for budgets. I went for the normal looking, old fashioned type wheelbarrow probably in memory of the last one. I have owned this for several years and no longer recall how much I spent but I do know that if I need a new wheelbarrow I would be happy to get another Haemmerlin.
From poo to criminals:
I've seen use of this wheelbarrow on a farm to muck out the horses. It's a smelly barrow now but it does the job. I have another friend who uses it for removing the rubble on their various projects which always get started but never seem to be finished. So Haemmerlin wheelbarrows in their various sizes have the thumbs up from the horse poo remover, the DIY guy, the ancestors, from me and the thieves.
Engineers know a thing or two:
This wheelbarrow is deliberately light weight yet sturdy and with excellent load capacity. I'm no engineer but I can tell you that whatever has been done to create the perfect weight distribution on the wheelbarrow is just right. The tyre is large and solid and goes over bumps and lumps and uneven driveways just fine. The wheelbarrow takes the bulk of the weight so that I don't feel that I am doing any lifting.
The barrow never falls over with any load, no matter how messy and unevenly the pile of garden waste is. I find it easy to tilt up. I keep my gardening gloves on so I don't have any issues with the comfort of the handle bar but those that don't use gloves might find it less comfortable to grip.
There is rust on mine. I have left it in the garden by mistake, on occasion, but I don't think the rust matters as it still does what it is designed to do. I just did two days of heavy duty gardening over the bank holiday before this new April snow made an appearance. It made a huge difference being able to wheel the barrow from the back to the front of the house where the compost bin is. If I had to carry the brambles, and tree branches, I'd have been more scratched up, more aching in the back and generally fed up from extra work that the wheelbarrow spared me. Every gardener soon realises that the tools used can make a huge difference to the ease of the work.
The cat that sat in that:
Finally, Izzy, my neighbour's cat, likes to jump in the tray, and go for a ride around the garden. She gives her seal of approval too, 'Meow' and, in translation from the feline language to English, that makes a rating of five stars!
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County Coaster Galvanised Wheelbarrow
by anwar7
With the recently improved weather I decided it was time to get out into my garden to start preparing for the spring. We have several trees in the garden and clearing the leaves is always a massive job. A little bribery ensured I enlisted to help of my boys! I don't mind raking up the leaves, but as I have a back problem, bending and ... putting them into the wheelbarrow is difficult and painful. Luckily my youngest son likes this job and was happy to dig the wheelbarrow out of hibernation from the shed!
I think good quality garden equipment is important and always buy the best I can afford. With this in mind I opted for a traditional galvanised steel wheel barrow a few years ago when our ancient wheelbarrow finally fell apart. I did consider a trendier looking polypropylene model but decided I preferred the look of traditional steel. I recently read that over 2/3 of garden wheelbarrows are chosen by women and they tend to focus on quality over price. The model I opted for is made by county and is the coaster model. I bought it from my local farm outlet shop and really can't remember how much I paid, but do remember it wasn't cheap! This model is still available fro several web sites and retails at around £60.
What you get for your money.
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I bought this wheelbarrow fully assembled, so it was ready for use! It is a sturdy beast and boasts some impressive workmanship. For example the frame is made from galvanised steel to prevent it from scratching and rusting.
The frame is seam welded as opposed to being spot welded. This makes it stronger. The legs are made from solid steel, making them less likely to fracture after rough treatment.
The single tyre has a pneumatic inner making it easier to repair any puncture. It also makes it a pleasure to wheel as it bounces along! Solid tyres make a wheelbarrow less stable and more difficult to push; I know I have owned one!
The tray has a 100 lire capacity .It measures 143 cm from the tip of the handles to the end of the tray. The handles have a green plastic grip and are easy to hold. There is also a green trim on the wheel rim and matching spacer that helps cushion the tray onto the frame. The spacer helps the tray to keep its shape.
If you prefer you can buy a kit to convert this model to a double wheel version. This would make it a lot easier to push.
My thoughts,
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I am really pleased with this wheelbarrow and think it was well worth the high price tag. It has had a lot of use and still looks relatively new and is rust free. I do keep it in a shed and obviously this helps to protect it from the great British weather!
I find it really light to push, even when it has a full load. The handle height is perfect for my 5 foot 5 frame and it is equally good for my 6 foot son! I was worried that the tyre would be prone to puncturing, but it has been fine.
It is easy to keep clean and a quick wipe is all that's needed after it has carried soil. I can honestly think of no negative points unless you included the high cost!
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