2 Pruner

Why r/BuyItForLife recommends it

3 mentions from real owners

• #1Jun 4, 2025

  Best BIFL gardening tools?

  I am a big fan of Korean and Japanese gardening tools in general. As a person who does not have massive meathook hands and is not six feet tall, I find they fit me better and have been very high quality. Felco pruners are my favourites. They have replaceable blades, springs, etc and come in different sizes (and I have yet to need to replace a blade). I have small hands and have used Felco 5 for years, which is their economy model. I recently upgraded to 15s and oh, those are even nicer. Even the number 5 were a dramatic upgrade from Fiskars. The 5s cost about twice as much as the Fiskars, but have already lasted more than five times as long. For loppers, I use Corona. Much lighter than Fiskars for the same power, which makes them much less tiring. Make sure you get a pocket sharpener too. Someday I shall try Felco loppers too, someday... As a farmer and market gardener, most of my tools come from https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca (they are Canadian, but ship internationally - or you can just use their catalogue for ideas of what to look for). Their house brand garden tools are excellent for the price. More expensive that the cheapest thing at the Home Depot, yes, but pretty competitive with the more expensive shit they sell there that is mega-heavy and breaks anyhow. One tool in particular from the house line I recommend if you have any pavers and cement driveway with gaps is the crack hoe. It works stunningly better than a butter knife. Seriously. It's a shitty task and a good tool makes it a ton faster and reaches better so you don't need to do it as often. (I still want a flame weeder someday though) Another brand I like is Radius. The shovels are the best I have ever used. Nice big foot platform, great handle height, the round handle really is terrific even in the rain. Caveat, my husband did manage to break one of the fibreglass handled ones after a decade of heavy use. They have a lifetime warranty, so I sent it back to Lee Valley (if you are outside the US, they direct you to return it through the vendor) with no hassle at all. I have upgraded to the Pro version which has a stainless steel handle. The fibreglass was lighter and I miss that a bit, but the heavier one is still very well balanced. If you aren't digging trenches with it, the lighter one was just fine before I started farming! The other product of theirs I really, really love are the weeders. The long handle one is the best thing ever for long-tap roots like dock and thistles. The shorter handtool version is like the super upgrade to the cheap dandelion weeders or a butterknife that you never knew you needed. Both of them come out top in many tool tests and surveys as well. Wilcox is another company for hand tools. The All-pro trowel is fantastic and a farm staple. I will second the ho-mi suggestion. They are basically a small hand plow. My husband reaches for this over the trowels. It's extremely versatile and can be used for digging, planting, weeding. If you don't have a lot of space or budget, I would pick this one or getting a shitty set! I don't need it all the time, but when I do, I really like my Hori-hori. Really love it for doing root divisions and such. You can also use it as a trowel, but I prefer the Wilcox if I am using it that way. My favourite weeder is a San Kaku, or triangle hoe. I love it so much that I have two of them in different lengths. I wasn't a fan of normal garden hoes, but this. This my friends! Fucking love it. Slices through weeds like butter, especially if you keep it sharpened and makes perfect furrows for planting neat rows of carrots and whatnot. So good. Also you feel like a peasant warrior farmer wielding it. Speaking of bladed tools. I always must put in a scythe shout-out. I hate weedwhackers and string trimmers and they send me into a blind rage. Not a fan of lawnmowers either really, and the scythe can replace both. It is not any more dangerous than a lawnmower I promise and doesn't require a ton of strength to use. In fact, if you are having to work hard to cut the grass with a scythe, that means you need to sharpen it sooner.

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• #2Jun 4, 2025

  Best BIFL gardening tools?

  Someone mentioned Fiskars. Value for sure, but quality can be pretty low. I avoid Tonma hori hori A pair of Felco hand pruners with replacable blade (like the F2) Radius garden spade (so far)

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• #3May 10, 2025

  Top BIFL Household Items for Starting Over

  I am a sustainability educator and finding things that last are a bit part of that. I’ve done quite a bit of research on possible options. Some of these I have (*) while others have been HIGHLY recommended to me. I would still check out the brand as some people who have had their (insert brand name item that they got 15 years ago here) have said that quality has diminished in recent years and won’t last as long. Also if anyone has had bad experiences with any of these, please let me know! Kitchen: *Dualit kettle *Vitamix Stainless steel blender-this is so expensive we got it as a group wedding present but dang it’s nice for smoothies, sauces, even hot soup *OXO stainless steel bottle brush with replaceable heads *Metal cup for hot/cold liquids-Thermos, Kleen Kanteen, HydroFlask, Stanley, etc. *Metal tea strainer spoon for loose leaf *Silicone baking mat *Stainless steel, copper, or ceramic cookware - I have a baking sheet from 360 cookware and one pan from Caraway *Stainless steel mixing bowls *Metal or ceramic measuring spoons and cups -My spoons are shaped like geese and I got them for $10 at a thrift store *Wooden toaster tongs- CHANGED MY LIFE and my slightly burnt fingers *Stasher bags *Fiskar scissors *OXO metal strainer for pasta •Metal coffee makers -French press, percolator, Bialetti Moka Pot, Breville espresso machine, •Silicone or metal ice cube tray •Duralax glasses •Crockpot •Older PYREX glass food containers •Villeroy and boch plates, bowls, etc. •Dualit toaster •Pizza stone •Cast iron pan •Le creuset •Self sharpening knife block-“A dull knife is a dangerous knife” or learn how/where to sharpen -Victorinox, Cutco, Wustoff because warranties •Hardwood cutting board •Zojirushi rice maker •Kitchen aid stand Bathroom: *Wild deodorant case and refills (discount code: SUSTAINABLESIRENIAN) *Leaf safety razor *Sisal soap saver bag •Turkish or waffle weave towels- dry quicker take up less space, wears slower Office/School *Cross refillable pen *Rocket planner (they also have reusable sticky notes which is cool but I haven’t tried them) Laundry: *Dryer balls *Bags for more delicate stuff *Tip-unless it is nasty, cold water is fine, saves money, saves water, and doesn’t wear out your clothes as much *Basic Sewing kit and learn how to do basic patching or visible mending •Miele machines Clothes: *Darn tough socks •Older Levi jeans •Doc martens •Chacos •Rainbow sandals •Birkenstocks •Blundstone Outside things/wear: *Blunt umbrella *Xtra Tuff boots •Duluth Trading Co •Older things from LLBean •Older Carhartt •Gear from Osprey - “All mighty warranty” •Gear from Patagonia -“Ironclad guarantee” also they have “Worn wear” which is used gear that were great or they refurbished it •Canada goose coats and parkas •CamelBak •Maglite •Western Mountaineering Sleeping Bags •Red wing boots •White duck canvas tarp •Yeti coolers •SmartWool Misc. *Lupine Pet Collars and leashes •Goughnuts dog toys •Zippo lighters •Briggs and Riley luggage •Swiss army knife •Leatherman tool •Otterbox phone cases •Big Green Egg Grill •GoRuck •Henry the vacuum •Coop’s, Casper, Purple, or Buckwheat pillows •BOTE paddle board •Le Cord •Williams and Sonoma •Tweezerman •Craftsman tools •Saddleback leather co •fjallraven backpacks •Eley garden hose •Felco shears •Vermont Glove •Hori Hori garden knife I hope this helps

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