Radius Garden PRO Weeder: Product Review
Sturdy, easy to handle and gets taprooted weeds out easily.
Available on Amazon
Buy It
The entire weeder stands 42”
The Radius Garden PRO Ergonomic Stainless Steel Weeder is unlike any other weeder I’ve tried. It’s not cheap – it’s about $58 from Amazon – but it’s well worth the cost if you need to deal with many perennial weeds with long tap roots.
The 12” long blade is stainless steel, and the shaft and handle are steel encased in resin, making it easier to keep hold of in wet or cold conditions.
The entire weeder stands 42”, making it small enough for even short gardeners to get a good push on, but long enough that it doesn’t kill your back if you’re tall.
The blade is thick steel, but it has a good bevel on the edge to make it go through soil with less effort.
The 12″ blade is long enough to reach the tip of most perennial weed roots.
I used this weeder for almost two months this summer/fall, and I think it’s great. Through the years, I’ve gone through countless hand weeders of all types, and even some very expensive stand-up ones. None of them got down to the tip of the roots as easily as this one.
The bottom of the blade is only 1-3/4” wide, so it tunnels through even hardpan easily. The blade widens at the top to 8-1/2” wide, with foot rests on either side of the handle. The rests are a little narrow, but they have more of a square shape than shovels do, so they didn’t cut into my feet when I have to give a good hard push down.
This thick stainless steel blade isn’t going to bend, even when pitted against perennial weed roots.
I started out using this weeder on dock plants that have laughed at me for several years now. Before, I would get the top part of the root out but some always remained in the ground. But now, I put the blade of the PRO Weeder about an inch away from the crown of the dock, and pushed down with my foot. I leaned the weeder back slightly, gave a bit of a twist, grabbed the top of the plant and pulled it as I withdrew the weeder. Voila, entire dock root – and with very little effort on my part.
I moved on to dandelions, thistle, and the dreaded burdock, and had good luck with all.
Removes entire dock roots in one piece-this one won’t be back!
I also used it to transplant some young daphne plants; the ground was very dry and hard where they were growing, and I was afraid of damaging the roots yanking on them. The PRO weeder got to the bottom of the roots and the plants came out easily, with no damage.
I’m thinking about trying it as a bulb planter; insert blade, tip back, drop in bulb. It probably won’t work for big bulbs like daffodils, but I’m fairly sure it will be great for muscari, crocus, and other small bulbs. I’m also thinking it may work on some cottonwood saplings that keep showing up at one job.
The narrow blade pushes easily into even hard pan soils.
The beauty of this tool is not just that the blade is shaped to go through the ground easier than a shovel blade. The round handle allows you to push straight down with your hands, rather than holding onto a regular vertical handle and stressing your wrists. I have carpel tunnel problems, and pushing on this tool gave me no pain. The handle also makes it easier for people with poor grip strength to use.
The circular, resin-coated handle is easy on the hands, easy to maneuver and will never splinter.
The PRO Weeder is heavier than other weeding tools, and some people may find this problematic. But at 4.5 lbs it’s not very much heavier than a conventional shovel, and the weight comes from the fact that it’s steel rather than wood, which is why Radius Garden is able to offer a life time guarantee on the weeder.
The weight is one of the two downsides I found to this tool; the other is that, while the company is American, the tool is manufactured in China.
Recommendation
I received this tool from the company free for review, but after using it, I can say that if I had only, say, borrowed one and used it, I would buy one despite the price tag. I’m getting old and need tools that make my life easier. I give this tool five shovels up.
Where to Buy
The Radius Garden PRO Weeder is available from Amazon for about $58, with free shipping, or directly from Radius Garden PRO Weeder for $59.99, with free shipping. It comes in six different colors (orange, green, bright green, blue, purple, and black) although not all colors are always available.
Last update on 2023-03-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Enjoyed This Review?
If you liked this review, please sign up for our email updates with reviews, how-to articles and gardening videos!
can it be dismanteled or folded to a small package to carry in a luggage bag of 25″ length
No, this weeder is a fixed length only.
does it have an ejector feature?
No, you just push it into the soil and then lean it back. The business end is just a solid piece of metal, no pedal and nothing for the weed to get caught in.