It isn’t often I have a product to test in my garden where I actually say “Holy crap, this is awesome!” when no one else is around. Really. Products that good are really hard to come by because I’m fairly picky. A few weeks ago I was sent two items from Fiskars to try out. For disclaimer purposes I was not paid to try these tools out but was sent the tools to keep and use. The two tools Fiskars sent me were the Hatchet and the Billhook.
**Some affiliate links have been used in this post.**
2024 Update is at the bottom of this post, do I still use either of these tools?
The Hatchet from Fiskars
I cannot tell a lie, was pretty excited to try out the hatchet. After all it’s an ax and what isn’t cool about that? I went around the garden eliminating weedy saplings at the root crown everywhere. It easily took out hackberry, Bradford pear seedlings, tulip poplar seedlings, and anything else I ran across. I tried it out on a couple larger branches and it seemed to do a good job of slicing into the smaller trunks. It’s sturdy, lightweight, and sharp. The Fiskars Hatchet is certainly something that could be useful in any gardener’s arsenal.
Billhook Tool from Fiskars
While I liked the Hatchet, I loved the Billhook! It took me a little time to figure out how to best use it. By grasping the top of a clump of grass I could pull backwards on the Billhook and slice through a clump of grass. The backside of the Billhook has a serrated saw tooth edge which can take out tougher clumps of grass with a sawing motion or small branches. I also used it on other saplings that had sprung up (we get a lot of them!) by holding the trunk of the sapling and pulling the billhook towards me. It sliced right through.
Find the Billhook on Amazon: Billhook aff.
That wasn’t the best part though. The best part was when I brought it into my vegetable garden where Bermuda grass was beginning to take over. I scratched through the Bermuda grass with the hook of the billhook and pulled up large strings of rhizomes! That was my “holy crap” moment! Finally there was a tool that could make headway against the invasive Bermuda grass!
It was an exciting moment for me. I’m sure if you have ever dealt with Bermuda grass you probably can empathize. Both Fiskars tools have sheathes to cover the blades with that attach to your belt so you really could arm yourself against all potential invasives!
In the late winter or early spring when I cut back the ornamental grasses I’ll be bringing the billhook along. I highly recommend the Fiskars Billhook for your garden and lately I’ve been bringing it out with me every time I go weeding in the garden.
Hatchet and Billhook Update from 2024!
I sometimes use the hatchet but the billhook has absolutely been awesome for the garden. I use it for everything from chopping small weedy saplings to weeding out plants by cutting them just under the soil surface. It also gives me extra reach when I’m trying to grab weeds and branches. I don’t use the saw portion hardly at all but the rest of the billhook is simply perfect. It’s one of my most used tools today!
Find the Billhook on Amazon: Billhook aff.
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