I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay# ...... (Black & Decker Alligator Electric Lopper)

Member Name: soundsexciting

Product:	Black & Decker Alligator Electric Lopper
Date:	02/06/06 (3824 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Able to cut branches up to 100 cm thick . Light weight . Easy to use

Disadvantages: Power Cable is not long enough

Oh I love this gadget........

Those Black and Decker boffins have done it again.
First they came up with the Scorpion which despite its design flaws was a pretty cool, time saving gadget and now they've come up with this animal - The Alligator and this is no toy. This literally has teeth.

I have a garden that is above average in size. It has a few trees in it with branches beginning to reach the ground and it also has some weird not-quite-tree things that look more like branches growing out of the ground with leaves on them. For the last 7 years I've been watching these guys grow and grow and slowly take over my garden. Each year I've made a half-hearted attempt to cut them back but without the right tools it's practically impossible. You need more than a pair of pruning scissors and it was with great delight I saw the Alligator in a recent visit to my local B&Q. As soon as I saw it I knew I'd end up buying it and that's precisely what I did last weekend.

It would normally cost £99.99 but B&Q usually have a deal going on during bank holidays so I waited until last weekend and as expected I managed to buy it with a 20% discount.

So what exactly is the Alligator?

Well think of a pair of garden shears but with a 600W electric motor attached to it. Think also of a chainsaw. Combine the two and you have the Alligator.

It is basically a chainsaw with a couple of guards around the chain to make it safer to use than a standard chainsaw. With two handles to hold, the action you would use is not dissimilar to a pair of shears but obviously with a chainsaw going round it makes short work of most branches.

Top operate it you hold the machine with both hands with one hand on each handle. Each handle also has a power button and the Alligator will only come alive when both are pressed. During operation if any one of the power buttons are let go then the machine will come to an instant stop. With this safety feature and the guards around the chainsaw it will be very difficult to lose a limb using this machine. It also means that anyone can operate it. I've tried hiring a proper chainsaw from a tool hire shop and the guys behind the counter aren't satisfied with a drivers licence as proof of age. They also want a written statement from a psychiatrist confirming that you are of sound mind before they let you out of the shop. Even then they look at you oddly. The Alligator however gives you chainsaw power and functionality in the comfort of your garden and you don't need any training to use it.

There's no indication on any specs as to the weight of this machine but it seems to me to be about the same weight as my Flymo Strimmer: - about 3kg. Using it is a doodle. You simply pick a likely branch, make sure you're holding the Alligator the right way (i.e. the chain above the branch) and slowly pull the handles together like you would with a pair of shears. The cutting action of the chainsaw combined with the gentle pressure applied by the jaws mean that within ½ a second the branch has been cut neatly through. The alligator can cut through branches up to 10 cm (4 inches) thick. Using it also very good fun. It's very easy to start cutting branches that don't need cutting :)

Once on the ground, you can easily cut the branches into smaller manageable sections which you can then chuck on the BBQ or your real wood fire or throw them away in your green bin. You can also use the Alligator for lopping branches.

For the first few hours of use you have to keep the machine well oiled and Black and Decker thoughtfully provide you with a bottle of oil and also an 'oiling point' into which you squirt the oil. Apart from that the only other maintenance you need to perform is to check whether the tension on the chain is okay. If it isn't there are a couple of nuts that you can loosen with the supplied spanner and once loosened, the section holding the chain can be moved forwards or backwards as required.

My only gripe with it is the ridiculously small power cable. The Alligator is designed to replace petrol powered chainsaws. It is designed to cut branches of trees and the trees are hardly likely to be within 15 feet of your house let alone the nearest power socket yet this is how long the cable is. I've got a funny feeling that somewhere on the Black and Decker drawing board for this gadget is a specification that states the cable required is 15 meters and I reckon someone mistook that and read it as 15 feet.
I've got a 150ft long garden and for that this gadget is useless without an extension lead. Luckily I made one years ago so I'm okay.

The machine comes with a 2 year guarantee which is very useful. After my experience with the Scorpion that's the least I would want.

All in all this is a great tool for people who love chopping bits of wood up.

Summary: a great tool for people who love chopping bits of wood up