Fiskars Xact Weed Puller Test Results [Not What I Expected]
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- čas přidán 14. 06. 2022
- It seems everyone on CZcams is raving about the Fiskars Xact Weed Puller and there are plenty of professionally edited videos complete with the smooth-talking sales pitch.
Read reviews of the Fiskars tool on Amazon here: amzn.to/3zEOoLe
This is the manual weed puller I use: amzn.to/3NZzBPQ
So I went and purchased one.
Can you guess what happened next?
It sucked.
Okay, it wasn't that bad. It pulled out most of the weeds, it's just a shame it left so many roots in the ground.
If you're looking for a quick fix, a product that requires very little effort and can remove hundreds of weeds in less than half an hour, Fiskars Xact is for you. But it won't pull out all of the taproots of dandelions and other deep-rooted pests and it will struggle in stoney lawns.
Sure, Fiskars tool is great if you have a bad back and can't kneel down to manually dig out the roots, but it's still nowhere near as effective as a manual tool.
Check out my video to see what I think of the Fiskars Xact Weed Puller.
(Disclosure: As an affiliate, I may earn from qualifying purchases made via links in this description and on my website) - Jak na to + styl
Take your foot off it. It’s essentially a pair of tongs. Leaving your foot on it when you leaver it is holding the jaws open so it does not close to grab the weed.
Like this? - czcams.com/video/gcmPLX_VdW4/video.html
I ordered one of these the other day and then saw your video and worried that I had made a mistake. It arrived today and I couldn't be happier with the product. It does exactly what it claims - pulls up weeds - roots and all - effortlessly. I've even pulled up large clumps of crab grass. Easy peasy.
Not sure why you had a such a bad experience, but your video makes it clear you did. Nevertheless it is the total opposite to my experience.
I'm also fine with the plastic and metal. If it were all metal - it would be too heavy. And while the majority of this is plastic - it seems heavy duty enough and well-made. Unless I experience longevity issues down the line, I'm giving it an A+.
Thanks for commenting. Feel free to upload a video of it pulling the roots out, after all this is CZcams, I'm sure viewers would appreciate a video. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes to film the tool with a phone. Here's my second attempt at getting the roots out - czcams.com/video/gcmPLX_VdW4/video.html&ab_channel=DIYGardening as for my lawn now, it's full of holes, each with a new weed growing in it. Maybe I have a tough lawn, who knows. I'm glad it worked for you, so much so that you've left such a glowing review here.
@@diygardeninguk I've never posted to CZcams - due largely to the fact that I don't even have a smart phone to take video's with.
There are a number of other reviews on CZcams of the same device though - and they report successful results.
The only difference I could readily see between your video and my experience - I was very careful to make sure the center of the puller was directly over the true center of the weed. Then I stepped on the device as close to the pole as possible to make sure it went as deep into the ground as possible. Then I removed my foot completely from the device and simply tilted it back using only my hand. Everything came out in one big clump - roots and all.
I also noticed that some of your weeds are very nasty - with what look like big woody-roots. Not sure what those are, but maybe they are just more brutish than what I am pulling up here in my lawn in New England.
@@diygardeninguk I would allow myself the freedom to comment that I actually had exactly the same experience as @kenb3552. I ordered it in Eastern Europe, and it was as used, so I had even more worries that it would be bad and badly used and so on. Also, we have a new real estate and as it seems our developer which sold us the house with lawn did not take appropriate care to dispose of building rubbish and stones so underneath a tiny amount of dirt there are lots of stones and even parts of building material, which made me quite angry to be honest, but that's a different topic, so only for context we have quite a lot of stones here.
But unlike the others, I think I may have found a possible issue why it doesn't work for you so good. From how I used the tool from the first few attempts which were quite unsuccessful to more successful results after some trying, I would think that you are not putting enough power to tilt the tool towards the required side. You see, the construction of the mechanism of the tool requires power to be focused on the part where your foot is firstly located when pushing inside, but then from the opposite side. As from underneath. The idea is, that once it's in the ground, pushing against the ground utilizing lever force it would be enough to press the metal parts towards each other to grab the weed roots effectively. I found out this is not always the case without support of additional force. So you have to push the tool towards the side where the foot grip is so that you make sure that the grabbers have enough pressure transmitted to them which they enforce upon the weed roots to effectively hold them while being pulled out. You have more just tried to easily utilize it easy without much pressure. I think that is also a possible issue. Of course, it will not work on those really older and nasty, big and entrenched weed roots. I will also have to buy another tool like you had shown for those cases, but for most of the smaller weed it is useful enough. Of course a combination of an easy pick tool, this tool and maybe even an electric weed burner might be most successful. But also there is one more aspect to be considered. This product costs about €30 where I live. It would be I guess expecting too much if we think it would handle all the weed roots, regardless of their entrenchment level and their thickness. I think they only made this for the small and light weed of up to a few centimetres not for crazy stuff that even I have stuff here that's 1.5 meters high, it's not going to work for that of course :D
Don't understand...I have had mine for 2days and pulled approx 80 weeds with not a problem...highly recommend and it does pull dock as well!!!
I have the Fisgars, too and it's wonderful, it works perfect, you are doing it wrong, sorry. I have used mine so often in a very soft way, you need no strong power, it does it all by itself perfectly, no kicking on the "foot pedal" Sorry, the Fisgars tool does not deserve this. It is absolutely worth the buy. Kind regards from Germany
So what do you think of this footage Chloe? - czcams.com/video/gcmPLX_VdW4/video.html You should see the state of my lawn now we have a drought - pot holes everywhere from the Fiskars tool I used a couple of months back and each hole has a little weed growing back in the middle of it. Kind Regards from the UK.
making a story but not able to use the tool correct..
Agreed he is not closing the gripper so ofcourse it won't pull out the plants ...
Yeah, without using the tool and just looking out your demonstration of how it functions, it looks like your foot is too far back so the shaft is not actually falling back and closing the teeth.
I was looking for a review before purchase and even I noticed he wasn’t using it properly. Some people should really refrain before recording themselves…
It looks like you're doing it wrong. I don't think you're supposed to keep stepping on the back part when pulling as that would open the jaws back up and release the weed.
Well, thx for your comment but I've just this minute pulled three weeds out without resting my toe on the device and I have three weeds with snapped taproots. So that's three weeds that will grow back (out of three) so that's a fail. Have a look at the photo I just took if you wish - diygardening.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/weed-puller-img-scaled.jpg Cheers Dan.
I am so happy with this weeder. I immediately saw what I do differently. Put the weeder around the weed, as deep as it goes. Tilt the weeder without lifting it. (What you do is tilt and lift at the same time. Is not going to work). After tilting it, tilt it further and let it lift. Job done! Over and over again. Plastic no problem, works fine. I use the adjustable one.
Your supposed to slide up the orange bit on the bar to open the jaws & lengthen them, the insert it over the weed, stomp on it & tilt. Then to release the weed, pull the orange sleeve on the bar again to release it.
Agree with comments saying you aren’t using the tool correctly. You shouldn’t be leaving your foot on it.
Mine worked amazingly. So I’m very upset it had broken! After 2 days of use
I find twisting the weed out as you pull with this tool works much better than the recommended way. I twist it in a full circle in one direction and it seems to get the entire weed out better.
Many guns use metal on plastic too. when my father died I found one in his shed. Thought it would be junk. Works a treat.
A great tool, I love it!!!.Just doesn't fill in the holes left behind! 🙂🙂
Thank you for sharing!
Dan, Perpendicular Mate!
Thanks for your demo!
Here's another demo. Enjoy! - czcams.com/video/gcmPLX_VdW4/video.html
I dont know why this popped up in my home page, but i have the Fiskars tool and I'm more than pleased with it. I do garden maintenance so I use it way more than the average home owner and its still as good as new. After watching your videos in slow motion its user error, not the tool. You should be pulling back on the handle against the footplate to close the claws, on your video as the claws are coming out of the ground you can see they are in the open position, where as all 4 claws should be at a point upon leaving the soil and hence bringing the weed and gripping the root with it.
The middle claws end up overlapping and getting stuck. There are defective units that do not have a base plate that limits the side-to-side mobility of the front and back claws.
Old one claw Fiskars weed puller broke. Bought this new one. Had exactly the same performance as the video. 50% success vs. 90% + full weed and roots pulled with the old design. This one is going back, bad design. Anyone know where I can get replacement parts for my old one claw puller?
Mine worked pretty good for a while but now it won't work properly. Just as the root is about to be pulled out something slips inside and it doesn't grab anymore.
You seem to not grip the weed properly. You need to take your foot off an make sure the tool is clamped on properly. I have found it excellent!
As you can see, most aren't having your experience (I'm in that camp). You may actually have a deflective unit. Remember, the company stands by their product which includes a LIFETIME WARRANTY.
Oddly it looks like the teeth were not clamping when you pulled back on the device. In each scene, the teeth were still far apart. That's probably a bit reason why it wasn't pulling. Was it defective? Were you not pulling hard enough to get the teeth to clamp? You were moving fairly slowly... maybe the slow speed wasn't enough to engage the teeth in the soil?
The weed puller works very well if the correct technique is used!
User error is the issue!
The problem appears to be pilot error, not the aircraft.
It would work properly if you had a clue on how to use it. I am sick of watching "YOU TUBE EXPERTS" bagging a tool when they are using it incorrectly!
You need to read the operating instructions, instead of guessing.
You mean like this? - czcams.com/video/gcmPLX_VdW4/video.html
😂
What’s the hand tool called pls
Looks like your soil is rather sandy. Try watering the lawn before trying to use it. The bulk of the tool is fibreglass, not plastic and is designed to be light, thereby saving the user effort. My only complaint is that the metal claws are not long enough. I've had mine for 5-6 years and have had no longevity problems.
You’re doing it wrong Einstein!
Sorry buddy you don't know how to use it
** gotta take your foot off the lever so you can push the handle down farther and lift the roots out sideway.. the spikes need to go under and lift up.. not slide straight back up out of the ground.. hope that helps.. :))
Hmm i wonder if your unit is defective? I have a 1 acre property and use this thing all the time as it works great.
Granted i could do a better job with a hand tool but the simple fact is my knees and back would boycott that after 10 minutes lol.
Also regarding the durability. I have found Fiskars to be very durable and well built despite it being plastic and metal. Thanks for the video though as it's always good to have a different point of view and experience shown.
I bought the Fiskars weed puller. It failed within a couple of days.
You can keep your foot on the "pedal" but stop pulling the lever upward, you want to pull it backward toward your hips to clamp the jaws. The pedal will stay flay, and the lever will pivot inside it to clamp the jaws.
At 1.46 you will see when he starts pulling the weed out the jars start opening up - either he's dong it wrong, or he's got a bad Fisker. My sister has one and I've used it a few times at her house and it works as it should.
This bloke has know idea
The video on amazon shoes the guys foot closer to the handle. He seems to like it.
the tool is made for , Right or Left handed
you appear to be standing behind it.
Initially I really liked this tool and had a great deal of success with it, until it broke.
As you say plastic and metal don't go together. The orange collar at the bottom snapped open and the central blade that pushes the 3 prongs falls out, so it doesnt grip.
It has a lifetime warranty
pulling back so far, then up. that will open the jaws
haha you even using it wrong lol
You need to use the tool correctly for it to pull weeds!!!
You're using it wrong. Take your foot off it when levering the weed out and it works properly.
I love mine. You are using yours wrong, perhaps on purpose to ‘dis the product?
I have same one for years now and had to drill and screw a screw in at the bottom as it started coming apart.
Yeaterday the handle started spinning when I turned the unit to spin the longer rooted weeds out.
That soil is too loose. That’s why the puller isn’t latching on. I have the same tool and it works very well if you find the sweet spot and pressure.
Completely agree with your review. I have bought 3 of these now and all 3 have broken just a your review predicts.
You should've taken it back. They come with a 25 year warranty
They don't have a 25 year warranty. It's lifetime. I'm looking for someone who has returned theirs for their experience.
Thanks, I think you are right. I’m more inclined to buy the Tildenet Haxnicks Speedweed.
He is using it incorrect. It works perfect.
Thanks Dan, that was really useful, saved me from buying it. I think I'll get a small handheld tool.
I have the Fisgars and used it very often. It is so useful, perfect and just wrong what he says, he is using it in a wrong way, too. Please reconsider buying it. It is so worth the money. Please read my upper comment, too, if you want to.
Try putting your foot on the lever properly , not just on the end
I think you are doing it wrong. Remove your foot when you start pulling or it might be broken.
push, twist and pull...You're welcome.
If you are going to review products use them correctly.
It’s true what Dan says about longevity of plastic and metal joined together. My device is only a few years old and hasn't been used much. The metal tube handle no longer grips the plastic end stopper at the bottom, making it unusable. I’m working out how to maybe drill a hole and use a short screw to hold it. Not what I expected of such an expensive tool.
God, this video is frustrating to watch. You are not pulling the tool towards your body enough, which is why it is not grabbing the weed.
you are using the incorrectly.
It's got a lifetime warranty and read the instructions. Poor non-Americans struggle so....
You do it wrong. Foot away. - but Wolf Garten is better. 👍
Balfasz
This tool costs £70. I don't understand the rage about it. Everyone seems to think it's the best weed tool they have ever used, I personally think it's the worst. It only works well on lawns. I much prefer a Hoe any day on a flower bed.
£35 from CPC Farnell. Works a treat for me.
At 01:48 is clear visible that you try to hold it open.......
Wrong use made. Just wrong use. Good luck next time with click bite !
I see why he has only 560 subscribers. He has no clue what he's doing
Sure your using it wrong so this video is a waist of time .your not closing the claw