Spear & Jackson 4854WP Mechanical Weed Pulle
Spear & Jackson 4854WP Mechanical Weed Pulle
| Dimensions: | 100 x 32.5 x 7 cm; 1.29 Grams |
| Model: | 4854WP |
| Part: | 4854WP |
| Manufacture: | Spear & Jackson |
| Dimensions: | 100 x 32.5 x 7 cm; 1.29 Grams |
Spear & Jackson 4854WP Mechanical Weed Pulle
| Dimensions: | 100 x 32.5 x 7 cm; 1.29 Grams |
| Model: | 4854WP |
| Part: | 4854WP |
| Manufacture: | Spear & Jackson |
| Dimensions: | 100 x 32.5 x 7 cm; 1.29 Grams |
This is the best tool I have ever bought for the garden!! It does exactly what it says! I have had dandelions growing for years in my lawn and not wanting to use chemicals have had to put up with them. So quickly gone now!! A great tool cannot speak more highly of it. Not heavy and not too much pulling to remove weed from ground. My best friend now!
Solid build, smooth operating. Easily pulled out loads of dandelions which ran amok this year … Never doing “no now May again”. Very happy with this work horse.
It kind of doubles up on aeration of the lawn too as you pull out a small cylinder of soil with the root.
I bought this to replace a similar brand that had failed as a result of plastic fatigue. Looking at the build quality it looks more robust than my previous one. I have only used this new one for a couple of hours but it is brilliant at pulling dandelions & thistles from my lawn. The 4 prong “grabber” gets a firm grip on the plant & brings up the whole plant with the whole root with very little effort on my part. I take a bucket of soil with me to infill the small hole left in the lawn. Overall very pleased.
This is so good at removing weeds from the lawn, my wife removed 6 buckets full from our 1/2 acre garden in one session! It’s so satisfying to see the dandilion just pull out whole (in most cases). Almost addictive it so good, fully recommended!!!
This is a sturdy tool and certainly one you need that gives you strong support to pull out stubborn weeds, the bane of all those who love their gardens. Came fully assembled which was much appreciated, so no fiddling about with screws and figuring what goes where. Probably a little more expensive than some others but worth it, because the long handle which prevents the need to bend and is a back saver is metal, as are all the composite parts which is what makes this tool reliable. Tried a different cheaper brand previously and had to return it because the wooden handle would not attach to the plastic weed grabber fork and the fork kept falling off! About much use as an ashtray on a motorbike! So this tool is worth the money you are asked to pay. A good purchase.
Mixed feelings on this weed puller. For small weeds and soft soil it’s good, as long as you get the weed first time. Heavy clay soil creates a problem for it, and I have some big ol’ weeds in my garden. Also, if you have a perfect lawn (which I don’t), you won’t want the big divots it creates. I put the clod of earth back in the hole after pulling the weed but the grass takes some time to recover. Overall I’m pleased I have it, because it’s difficult to pull thistles out with one’s hands, and I get plenty of use out of it. Good price too.
This tool is excellent quality, and gets the deep tap-root out very well. So easy to use, I love searching for big thug weeds to pull out. Makes weeding fun.
Have had some rain recently to soften the soil and used the weeder for the first time. It works splendidly in removing the weeds. Some reviewers had said it was too weakly built – I disagree. It seem plenty strong enough for the INTENDED use.
The weeds come out with a lump of soil attached so I have put the lumps in a bucket of water and, in a day or two, I will try agitating contents of the bucket and then try to pull the weeds out before returning the soil to the garden.
Cannot rate this highly enough. Takes all the back ache out of weeding and actually makes it a fun task!
Such a clever tool that works on leverage and pulls the weed out roots and everything.
Really wonderful and thoroughly recommended!
This may not solve all your weeding problems but it is definitely helpful. It works best when the ground is not too hard and there is a knack to getting the weeds up, but once you have mastered that, it works well.
Pulls out all types of weeds roots and all brilliantly. Robust and easy to use, just needs gentle pressure easing backwards. Expensive and leaves a hole behind but satisfying. Pleased.
Had three fisker equivalents all broke and when reading the life time guarantee they had.. the small print on the T&Cs always won. So thought I would try this as it looks to be stonger. The trick with these devices is not to use your foot on them to leaver the weeds out. So far very happy with this one. It leaves a slightly larger hole than the fisker but them this one hasn’t broken yet which is always helpfull. Wash it down after use with a hose or under the garden tap as soil does seem to get into the ejector mechanism is not cleaned for long periods.
Honestly this thing has one job and it does it incredibly well. Having moved into a new build the “garden” got a bit out of control with weeds.
I was a bit sceptical at first at how well it would actually work as we had some pretty big weeds along with small ones but it handles everything so so well.
The picture of the wheelbarrow was all the weeds pulled in 2hrs. I probably would have got 1/4 the amount done if doing by hand and you can be sure my back would have been in bits, not to mention how satisfying it is seeing these huge roots being pulled up.
If the handle to release ever gets stuck it just means that the blue part you stand on is not straight, simply straightening it out by hand will free up the handle to release. Ensure you stand on the metal part when pushing into the ground and not the blue part.
One of the best gardening purchases I’ve made, couldn’t recommend it enough!
Very pleased. I hate gardening but this is a great invention to make it easier.
Does exactly what it says and so easy to use, a great buy
Ideal product for removing dandelions sturdy well made and easy to use looks like a product that will last !
This is robust and generally works well on the big weeds. The mechanism can get clogged if the soil is very wet and the foot bar needs to be returned to the horizontal for the push mechanism to expel the weed. This is easily done with the foot. Well worth the extra cost compared with other flimsy makes. Dandelions your time is up.
Was recommended by a colleague. I bought one and was not disappointed. A lot easier than going around on uour hands and knees with a knife/trowel.
Never has a garden tool given me so much satisfaction, this has been a game changer, it makes removing dandelions effortless. This is such a good thing to use I actually look forward to seeing a dandelion so I can use it 🙂 . It’s feels very well made and sturdy, it’s definitely worth getting one.
It’s so unusual to buy a product that just works, so many promise the earth but don’t deliver this does.
It’s so easy to use and effortless, I hate gardening but this is a joy to use.
Absolutely brilliant product. So easy to use. Makes an 5 hour job done within an hour and no back breaking from bending. Highly recommend
Removes weeds very effectively, but does leave very big holes which need plugging and re-seeding.
As I was weeding the lawn at the end of the season, I abandoned using it and just put weedol down – the weeds just wither and disappear, then with a good scarification they’re gone. Followed by an overseeing and feed.
This product is better for mid-summer weed pulling when you aren’t about to scarify and dethatch. But beware the holes it leaves behind.
Did 4 tubs of huge weeds with it today. Was quite simply easy to use and gets the job done. Used to have a Fiskars one in the past which was also good but gave it away when move house a few times. This one is just as good and has a nicer grip handle, so no blisters in palm after a heavy weeding session. Great product and value in my opinion.
The tool could do with going deeper into the ground, as it has a tendency to break deep roots off leaving them in the ground. But it is well made and easy to use.
As has been said in more detail and better by others, the key is to “centre” the puller before attempting extraction. Get that right and it is spot on. It will leave a hole to fill but much better and more effective than being on your knees.
My lawn was infested with creeping thistles and this weed puller made light work of getting rid of them. Other reviews mentioned that the handle could bend and break so I was careful to pull in a straight line and treat the tool gently. No problems at all, although I did manage to break off some of the roots through not centring the tool properly. Did leave some holes which I filled with compost. Very pleased and impressed with the ease of use and efficiency of this puller and recommend it.
Ordered one of these, which allow quick and easy de-weeding without spending hours bent over.
On first use it cleared 20 plants in 5 minutes. A few considerations when using it:
1. De-weed on a damp lawn; it’ll make removing weeds completely easier
2. There is a learning curve to ensure you get the tap root every time
3. Have lawn seed to hand. This leaves a 5cm wide hole in the lawn – quickly and easily filled with said seed
4. Removing mud and dirt from this can take some time.
It’s still working a summer later; i’ve seen other reviews state that theirs have broken. I’m not that rough with it but there are some obvious potential failure points. Like other tools, if you abuse it then it will break sooner.
I decided upon the S&J as the other 2 were weighing in at 8 to 12 more and the Tacklife was going to have to come from China so had a delivery time of up to a month. Ordinarily I would have chosen the Tacklife if the delivery was good and the price point was the same because I have to admit a certain admiration for their products having bought my daughter a cordless drill from them that out performed my Makita. I digress;
So the decision was the S&J purely as I’ve never used one of these things before and although 28 ain’t to be sneezed at to spend your money on a lemon I did want to at least cross them out of my book before going back to a screwdriver on my hands and knees.
Before we go into a review I’m going to try to explain the photos because I don’t know what order you’ll see them in when the review uploads.
There’s a photo of my ‘victims’ all lined up, thistle, dandelion and several plantains. Sadly the dandys and thistle were the first to fall a few days ago before I had the idea of posting a review. I had to ferret in the garden waste bin to bring them out.
2 more photo’s of the holes left in the lawn. The larger hole is from the thistle, the smaller from a plantain just taken out. 2 photo’s of the device’s head and bracket mechanism, another was a screw up as I wanted to show the impacted dirt on the tool, but instead it came out on the weed root. More about that later. 2 more photo’s showing the head with the ‘flappy bit’ footrest in the open and closed position.
So, OK Let’s start.
The product appears to be well made with good quality materials. It appears there are three materials, Plastic, Steel and what appears to be an Aluminium alloy or or maybe just ally. The shaft seems to be of hollow oval steel construction powder coated. The ‘pointy bits’ of the oval are in the plane of the direction of force you’ll be pulling. Good engineering practice. Think of an egg, try pushing as hard as you can from point to point in your palms and those of you who’ve never watched Magpie or How? will be surprised at the strength it’ll take in compression. Squash it from the side, game over, so don’t waggle the shaft sideways once it’s in the ground or it will fold up faster than an origami master and you’ll only have yourself to blame.
Moving down, the shaft into the business end, the material changes to a plastic moulding, which to my old eyes seems to be a HDPE type of material. I might be wrong, but it’s pretty hard anyways. Hard plastics generally tend to be more brittle but make for excellent precise mouldings and are quite tough. The 2 photo’s show the plastic gubbins which unite the steel shaft and the ally? casting. Nice engineering principles again, insulating dissimilar metals and reducing the effect of galvanic corrosion. Note the hinged ‘foot plate’ not quite sure I understand this, but I guess it’s for reducing the stowing of the device. Anyway, it feels quality when you snap it up into position and the thumb mechanism underneath releases it into stowaway mode.
The aluminium alloy casting along with the unfolded plastic bit becomes the main point of entry to the unwanted plant. It’s this that you push on with your foot to get to the root.
OK, so in another photo you’ll see the last part of the device – the gripping mechanism itself. It’s made of steel. Kind of like a a pair of pliers..with attitude. Length is around 75mm (3″ in old money). There are 2 ‘fingers’ both made out of 3mm (don’t ask in imperial please) thick steel which press against an anvil sort of thing with a profile of an apple corer also steel but thickness seems about 1.5-2mm, nevertheless still sturdy.
Now the bit (if anyone’s read this far or is still awake) you’ve been waiting for.
Ultimately the idea is you drive the ‘corer’ over the root by looking down the barrel of the shaft, and pressing with your foot down on the plate then draw the shaft towards you. The footplate acts as a fulcrum, while the drawing action grips the plate.
OK so a lot of people with the reviews I’ve seen seem to have trouble with this, I’ve seen comments like ‘only used this once or twice and it’s broke’, or missed the weed and took out a hole in the lawn itself. Not just on this product but on all I’ve read. I’m going to have to say it’s worked good for me.
If you go about any of these devices in the way they’re meant to be used I reckon they’d all be OK.
I’ve got fairly clayey soil but it’s working on these weeds. Simply, you have to be gentle. Aim the device over the weed – make sure you got the ‘apple corer’ over what you think is the root. It’s not the device’s fault if you get this wrong, it’s not a “Magic Weed AWAY-O-Ray”, it’s a simple mechanical device. If you can’t get the prongs in because of stones, dig the stones out or just dig the weed out. Don’t get frustrated and try to stamp it into intransigent material with force, there will only be one winner. It may take a bit of practise or it may take none at all. But the method is simplicity. If you miss, there’s a hole in your lawn but you get it next time. There’ll still be a hole but this time you have it. When you grab the weed, don’t jerk with impatience – again only one winner. Pull it back toward you like an Aikido master – that is, take all the time in the world. Like pulling – no drawing – a pint, or leaning on a bar – nice and easy.
And – I’ve had 100% success with this tool, I like it loads. It’s a sturdy as I want. But, you want to tread on it, push on it with your toes, into the soil, not stamp. Pull it back gently and if you miss, try it again.
My soil is clayey but not extra so. I’ll explain the photo with the plantain root now. You will clearly see the soil compacted in the ‘apple corer’ shape. Now I’m kind of saying that this usually sticks to the tool not the root. After 5 or 6 pulls it’s compacted onto the ‘anvil’ so much that the tool becomes ineffective. Again, folks say this on some reviews but that’s physics and nature. I found that a little finger, or a knife from the cutlery drawer (let’s face it what use are blunt knives anyway except to look civilised while you’re eating your dinner) clears it .
Now holes in the lawn. Photo’s show what looks like a big hole. Yeah, those patches are about 100mm across for the thistle, 2″ for the plantain. This is due to the dead grass due to the spread of the leaves. The actual size of the intrusive hole from this kit is about 25 – 35mm (1″ to1-1/4″). As I said earlier, it’s a mechanical device. So bring a handy bag of compost with you to fill the holes. You are taking out a core at the end of the day, and some collateral. As long as you understand this you’re fine.
Summing up – glad I bought this. Materials are designed to withstand normal use – (I don’t mean treating it with kid gloves). I can imagine it would fail if stomped on and jerked about much as anything that is abused outside it’s design limits may fail. But the tool does the job and is sturdy enough.
4 stars for sturdiness – purely because you can’t design for all kinds of folks, for – that it would have to be a JCB and even then it would be marked down for no air conditioning in the cab or the wrong kind of yellow paint, and I’m going to say 4 stars also for weight because some older folks may get tired with carrying it around. For me – 5 stars all around, I’m happy so far.
Last thing – the thistles and dandelions were pulled up on the day I recieved it, when we’d had no rain for months and the soil was dried out. When I wrote this review we had the rains, and I pulled the plantains up with aplomb. In either case the tool – for me worked well. I’ll keep you informed, but so far very happy with it.
You will see I have broken 3 different weed pullers including this product. Despite what the photos depict these are all robust products – the damage caused was due to my inanely rough handling of the products e.g. jumping on the tool to drive it into stony dry clay.
I have since realised the error of my ways and decided to give the smart fit a go as it was longer for my 6’4″ frame.
Having used all 4 tools – I would say the Spear & Jackson is possibly the most robust, but at the cost of being that bit heavier. Also it’s ejection mechanism is spring assisted, but I in my use I found that that clay would tend to accumulate in the concave rear blade ( broken in photo)
So IMO it is a good enough tool for the job unless you are going to be weeding for extended periods in which case I would go for one of the lighter Fiskar products.