Thursday, January 24, 2008

Sécateur électrique

The weather has turned surprisingly mild (for a Burgundian mid-January) so I am taking the opportunity to do a bit of pruning. I can hardly believe this is already the 5th year I have pruned certain of my vineyards!

The first 3 winters I struggled through with the old fashioned tools of the trade…
... and I have huge respect for anyone who continues to prune with these hand tools, because I found it very tough on the tendons (both wrist and elbows). So I suppose it is no surprise that most vignerons (myself included) now prefer these very impressive battery powered sécateur
They are not cheap, but then they are a pretty serious piece of engineering. The blade position is perfectly proportional to the trigger, so even very precise control of the blade quickly becomes second nature. Perhaps more impressive is the cutting power: the standard salesman’s demo is to slice a broom handle into discs in a matter of seconds! Energy is provided by a 0.9kg lithium-ion battery worn on the back which lasts for at least 3 days between chargings.

And, best of all, no more tendonitis!