Electric Patio Weeders
Electric Patio Weeders: Winning the Weed Battle
“Life finds a way” according to the memorable quote from Dr Ian Malcom in everyones favourite 90s dinosaur blockbuster, and although he wasn’t talking about weeds specifically, there’s no denying the fact that these much-maligned plants are able to thrive in some seemingly inhospitable places. This includes patios and driveways which have been completely covered over with concrete or other hard surfaces like flagstones or cobblestones, and its usually only a matter of time before they seem to start sprouting up everywhere.
Pulling and scraping these weeds out by hand can get pretty tiresome – for example if you have a large area to maintain or suffer from back problems, and for this reason many will turn to liquid weedkilling solutions for treating the entire area with a pressure sprayer or similar tool. This can certainly be effective at dealing with the problem, but the idea of regularly spraying herbicide around your living space is not one that appeals to everyone.
However there is an alternative solution on the market which is designed to take the hard work out of this task but without having to use any chemicals or sprays. Recently, a number of electric patio weeders have started appearing on the market, and these typically utilise a spinning brush (or brushes) which, combined with a high rotation speed, can be worked into every crack and crevice to effortlessly dislodge any weeds in their path, uprooting and ejecting them so you just have to sweep up the debris when you’ve finished and its job done.
These tools typically have a form factor which is very similar to a grass trimmer and are designed to be used from a comfortable standing position. And like many grass trimmers on the market today, they are more often than not battery powered devices – giving you the freedom to use them all over your property without all the common frustrations of tangled extension leads and trailing cables (just as long as you remember to charge the battery first).
At Tooled-Up we currently stock two of these electric patio weeders: the Einhell GC-CC 18 Li and the Karcher WRE 18-55. The Einhell GC-CC 18 Li runs on any Power X-Change battery while the WRE 18-55 is part of the Karcher 18v Battery Power system.
Einhell GC-CC 18 Li Cordless Electric Patio Weeder
The Einhell Power X-Change battery platform consists of a huge range of cordless DIY and Garden power tools, all of which run on the same interchangeable lithium ion batteries. This makes the GC-CC 18 Li 18v cordless patio brush an ideal choice if you already own other Einhell Power X-Change cordless tools – or, if you own any Ozito Power X-Change tools, which use the same battery.
The GC-CC 18 Li comes with a choice of two brushes – a steel wire brush and a nylon bristle brush, which can be swapped over depending on the application. The steel wire brush has a more aggressive action which is suitable for hard surfaces and will help to dislodge even the most stubborn weeds, while the gentler and less abrasive nylon brush can be put to use on surfaces that you don’t want to get scratched or damaged. Both brushes are user-replaceable parts that can be easily swapped out when they reach the end of their usable life span.
A comfortable working posture is assured by an adjustable telescopic shaft and a guide wheel which means the tool is simply rolled over the work area. This enables the user to cover a wide area with minimal physical exertion, and Einhell make some large capacity Power X-Change batteries (up to 6ah) for maximum runtime when required.
Karcher WRE 18-55 Cordless Electric Patio Weeder
Karcher’s design is slightly different as it uses a larger, horizontally mounted nylon brush head with a diameter of 180mm, although this is also a part that is designed to be replaced when it wears out. The tool has a telescopic shaft and a loop handle which can be gripped in various ways, making it easy to angle the bristles into the work area.
Additionally, the head can be fixed in multiple positions which enables it to be used in awkward spaces – such as underneath garden furniture.
The WRE 18-55 is part of the Karcher 18V Battery Power platform and currently it can be used with a choice of either a 2.5ah or 5.0ah battery. Karcher introduced this range fairly recently so it is still expanding, but at the time of writing includes several cordless garden tools as well as a handful of professional grade cleaning tools.
Other Options
It’s safe to assume that over time we’ll see more products coming out that do the same job, as well as other tools which fulfil a similar role – for example the Einhell Picobella which is available now and is also part of the Power X-Change battery platform. This cordless scrubber is primarily a floor cleaner for outdoor surfaces but will also remove lichen, moss and light weeds too.
There are of course plenty of other solutions available if you don’t want to splash out on a brand new power tool – if you’re more than happy to do a bit of scrubbing and scraping by hand then people have relied on patio brushes, patio brooms and patio knives to get the job done for years, and these can be picked up pretty cheaply too.
If you’d rather treat the area with weed killer, a pressure sprayer is probably going to be the most effective delivery method, and note that you don’t necessarily have to use bottles of noxious chemicals emblazoned with alarming safety warnings, as plenty of people have success with their own home-made solutions (common ingredients include laundry detergent, vinegar and salt for example).
Alternatively, you can kill the weeds with heat – for example with this Hozelock Thermal Weeder, which also doubles as a barbecue lighter.
Good luck!
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