With summer time coming to an end I decided to tidy up around the edges of the garden which consists mainly of very old silver birch trees and large conifers. After a general tidy up around the borders of the grass and finally into the borders I had managed to clear a path sufficiently so that I could get at the low and overhanging branches.



Some issues where that the branches where growing such that they where protruding into the fence and in places had caused damaged to the panels, 3 of which needed replacing. In order to avoid further damage, not to mention give the garden a sense of shape, harmony and general neatness I decided I would chop away at the main brace of the branches.

After considering the purchase of a chainsaw I decided against it, mainly because of the all round general fear factor from using one! Plus I ascertained there was the extra cost of personal protective equipment such as kevlar trousers, jacket, hat and eye protection. I already had the safety footwear so that wasn't an issue.

Inspection of the branches gave an average branch diameter of around 4cm and while that isn't too thick, there were lots of branches to cut, and I mean lots - probably in the region of two hundred or so. For those of you who have ever taken a bow saw to a couple of hundred branches then I guess you understand my apprehension with this method!

So a trip to my local hardward / DIY store meant I stumbled across the Black and Decker Alligator Lopper, a fine looking garden tool if there ever was one. The best way to describe it would be a cross between a garden lopper and a power chainsaw, an alligator and a bird of prey, well I hope you get the idea.

The safety aspect comes in because the chain is enclosed on the outer edges, leaving a much safer bar of 10cm in length having a pitch of 1/4. It isn't the quietest of tools out there but considering it's usage then I wouldn't really have expected anything different, when using all power tools it is advised to use ear protection and this was no different. Weight is acceptable although I did find myself taking a small breather every twenty branches or so.

Maintenance is easy, a simple unscrew to add the chain oil, which I did have to do around ten or so times during the duration of the days work, not too bad considering the volume of work.

In summary, at just under $250.00 I have had my fair use out of the Alligator Loppers already and while it's not something I would use every day in the garden I can certainly see it will quickly become a tool which I depend upon, never again will I have to dig around in the shed for that rusty old bow saw and begin the arduous task of manually lopping branches.

It certainly gets the thumbs up from me!