When it comes time to cut firewood for that Christmas fire or do a clean up after a major tropical storm came through nothing comes in more handy than a chainsaw. When it comes time to choose a saw you are faced with two choices, gas powered or electric. Before you start thinking something like “What a chainsaw with a cord – come on now! I need something that breathes fire!” you might think again, alot has changed in the last 15 years when electric chain saws were somewhat underpowered. Now days most electric saws have adequate cutting speed and power to handle most light and even medium duty jobs.

There really are quite a few major advantages that an electric chainsaw can offer. Some of them are smaller more compact designs and lightness. Electric saws are considerably lighter than gas powered saws. And if you have a lot of cutting to do, especially over head cutting you’ll really come to appreciated the difference in weight.

Maintenance is another issue. electric chainsaws are much easier to maintain. Just plug them in and you’re good to go. Basically, gas powered chainsaws have a more complex design – therefore there are more parts on them. The more parts you have the more parts there are to break. And let’s not forget the issues with guessing the chainsaw’s temperature and adjusting the choke  on them.

Convenience is another major advantage. No storage issues with gas and oil and no mixing. No gasoline means you don’t have to worry about spilling it all over your saw. Not to mention the difficulties of not only purchasing gas and oil but storing it as well. And then there are the problems associated with mistakes mixing the gas and oil mixture. If you don’t get the gas oil ratio right, the saw might not start.

Remington makes good little saws ideal for pruning and cleaning up the yard. Remington electric chainsaws aren’t terribly powerful but if all you need to do is some light cutting then they work pretty well and they’re quite affordable. Some are as inexpensive as 80 to 90 dollars.)

But if you’re looking to do heavy cutting, than a smart move is to step up to a Makita electric chainsaw. You’ll pay more for this saw – easily twice but they last much longer have more power and are more reliable. There is a pretty good reason why you see them on so many work trucks. The brand name of Makita is associated with rock solid reliabiltiy and high quality.

Buying an electric chainsaw is a great investment when you add up all the advantages that lighter cheaper saws offer.

Brrrr, it’s winter, it’s cold and I don’t want to go outside if I don’t have to. Instead I’ve been browsing online and scanning through the gardening magazines I like. I’ve been looking for the garden tools that I should be getting now before planting season starts and I still don’t have them.

I started out looking for a chainsaw, we thought we would maybe buy an electric chainsaw so we can stay as green as we can without having to use a hand saw. But then I started seeing things that we need more than a chainsaw, heck Geoff next door has offered the use of his chainsaw if we need so I think I can put that one on the back burner for now and see what else we need that will make gardening even more fun and less hard work, like a good wheelbarrow would do.

So here is a list, a wish list of garden tools that would come in handy.

I usually just guess when it come to measuring but when it’s all said and done my guessing isn’t very good so when I saw this first garden tool I kinda laughed and told myself I needed this.

My first little garden patch was far from square when I was done digging it up and had to do some fixin’ before my wife got home from work and laughed at me.

Smart Stik

Now my garden rows will be straighter for a change, which makes for better pictures once the veggies start growing.

The guess work is taken out of seed spacing when you use this ingenious garden ruler as your guide.

It’s a 4-foot rule, marked in 1/4″ increments and has planting instructions for 21 different types of vegetables. It makes a great gift for a new vegetable gardener!

The smart stik makes planting rows fast, accurate and easy Includes guide to planting 21 types of vegetables.

Make your planting just that much easier and faster with the Smart Stik

gardener’s Supply Cart, Red

We have been looking at a gardeners cart or wheelbarrow for some time and the only type that we really like are those that are well balanced with big wheels. It really sucks when you hit a divet in the lawn or garden and dump your load.

These garden carts were designed specifically to meet the needs of gardeners young and old.

The big wheels with pneumatic tires roll easily over rough terrain. High sides prevent loose loads like mulch and compost from bouncing out. The axle is positioned to distribute the weight and balance the load. The long handle lets you push or pull with equal ease and has a comfortable neoprene grip.

The Medium Gardener’s Supply Cart carries 400 pounds which would take me a long time to haul by hand not to mention how my back would feel after that.

Have you ever used one of those hedge trimmers that look like they should be connected to the back of a tractor. They look extremely dangerous and I don’t think I would let them into the hands of my wife or my son, even though he’s in his 20s.

When I saw the Garden Groom on the left I knew it was the hedge trimmer for us. It even collects that trimming so I don’t have such a mess to clean up after I thought I was done.

Easily Cut & Collect Hedge Clippings

The Garden Groom’s unique onboard collection container makes trimming all your hedges easier than ever before with no leftover waste. That saves you time and effort! I need to keep as much of my effort as I can for other things that need doing in a normal backyard and garden area.

Ultra-fine Shredding Action and Concealed Blade Design

• Trims and shreds so fine it reduces waste volume by 10:1
• Thorny or spiky clipping disposal is quick and easy
• Shredded clippings are ideal for composting!
• Garden Groom is the world’s only collecting hedge trimmer that has a completed sealed blade

The Garden Groom makes yard work easier, much easier and that works for me.

The other main factor in getting your own Garden Groom is the price, it’s actually affordable and can even be made over three small payments.

Looking at the image to the left you can see two branches have been broke right off during high winds.

The trees are right between the sidewalk and street. There are 4 of them. We are extremely happy that they didn’t hit anyone or anything.

That is just one of the trees and shrubs that need tending. It doesn’t take long before one or two things becomes a dozen. Time for that chainsaw.

Our neighbour Geoff, he’s a fireman, handy to have around, offer the use of his chainsaw but still I think it’s time we had one, maybe all we need is an electric chainsaw.

We already have an electric lawn mower and an extention cord that reaches around our entire property so an electric chainsaw would be great, plus we wouldn’t have to be buying smelly and polluting fuel for a gas burning chainsaw.

Our yard has a lot of cutting back to do and using a hand saw is getting very old and so are my arms and back, it’s time for a little more power but we do want to stay as green as possible and that’s going to rule out those chainsaws that take fossil fuels.

We have trees and shrubs that have been here long before we ever bought this place and they need to be trimmed and some even need to be cut down and the stumps removed as they are dropping branches when it gets windy.

You might think again, unlike in the past when electric chainsaws were a bit underpowered those days are gone. Now days electric saws have more than enough power to handle the bulk of everyday pruning and cutting.

There really are quite a few major advantages that an electric chainsaw can offer. Some of them are lightness. Electric chainsaws are a great deal lighter than their fire breathing cousins the gas powered chainsaws. And if you have a lot of cutting to do, especially over head cutting you’ll really come to appreciated the difference in weight.

Maintenance is another issue. electric chainsaws are much easier to maintain. Just plug in your chainsaw and you’re pretty much ready to start cutting. With gas saws they’re just more complex and so there are more parts on them. The more parts you have the more parts there are to break. And let’s not forget the issues with guessing the chainsaw’s temperature and adjusting the choke on them.

Convenience is another major advantage. No storage issues with gas and oil and no mixing. No gasoline means you don’t have to worry about spilling it all over your saw. Not to mention the difficulties of not only purchasing gas and oil but storing it as well. And you shouldn’t overlook the headaches that come from making a mistake mixing the gas and oil mixture. If you don’t get the gas oil ratio right, the saw might not start.

Remington makes fairly good smaller saws that are ideal for light duty jobs like pruning smaller limbs. Remington chainsaws don’t have that much power, however if all you really need it for is pruning smaller limbs, then they are not only adequate but affordable as well. Some are as inexpensive as 80 to 90 dollars.)

But if you’re looking to do heavy cutting, than a smart move is to step up to a Makita electric chainsaw. As you might expect, this saw costs more – nearly twice, but not only is it more reliable but it will last a lot longer too. There is a pretty good reason why you see them on so many work trucks. The brand name of Makita is associated with rock solid reliabiltiy and high quality.

Buying an electric chainsaw is a great investment when you add up all the advantages that lighter cheaper saws offer.

I’ve mentioned in a previous post or two that I am converting an area of our basement into a little nursery so I can grow plants from seed during the winter months so that I can be ready by planting season.

I am also doing this to save money as the last couple of years we had to buy most of your plants instead of starting from seed.

By spring planting we should have all the flowers and vegetable we desire which will save up hundreds of dollars before we actually put anything into the vegetable garden and our flower beds.

The Veseys Seeds Catalog is perfect. There are so many flowers and vegetables that I don’t know the name of or that there were so many varieties and this catalog gives me pictures and details that will help me decide what we will purchase.

There are things that we won’t buy from the catalog if we can buy them at reasonable prices locally. It’s always a goal of ours to buy locally when possible.

An example: We are looking to buy a wheelbarrow to save trips from the garden shed and for moving compost and top soil around. I will see what Veseys has and then compare it to local shops. If I can get the same price or better we will buy here. We also take into consideration the cost of shipping.

I feel like a kid in a candy store with their catalog, so many cool things that we could use to make our hobby easier and even more enjoyable.