Power tools and perimenopause: the case for going electric

Since then, we've extended our collection of battery-powered tools to include a pole-saw, a full-sized chainsaw, and a line-trimmer.

I get joy and glee from tearing through invasive cherry and gorse with these machines. Some of them have genuinely become my favourite tools, saving both time, and my precious energy.

And as I use these things I just cannot help but wonder, why aren’t they being marketed to me?

Why am I not bombarded with adverts on Instagram of aging Millennial and Gen-X women tearing up their gardens with lightweight chainsaws?

Sure, I've seen the mini-saws on the informercials, but where are the big tool companies? I’m at an age where I might have an income to buy myself some new toys. I literally need tools which are lighter, which vibrate less.

I’m also generally more motivated than Richard is to go out and do the work I want done. If I can do it myself, I don’t need to wait for him!

Forget about the blokes, electric gardening tools make so many aspects of gardening accessible to women as our bodies start to mutiny with menopause.

And who knew? We like gardening, and being able to do a job when we want it done.

Fuel and maintenance

Richard is a small-motor mechanic with over 25 years of experience. I've been listening to stories about how motorised tools break for almost a decade.

On a petrol-powered machine, the most common reason your tools will need a mechanic are either stale fuel, incorrectly-mixed fuel, or carburettor issues.

None of that applies to electric. No fuel, no "2 stroke" to mix (yes, you are right when you tell your partner about that and they ignore you). No carburettor either.

The most common problems Richard sees with electric tools almost-exclusively result from pushing them beyond their limits.

I don't know if this is a 'me' thing or a 'woman' thing, but I'm a bit cautious and tend to stop at the first sign of trouble. I reassess and re-think things rather than stubbornly trying to go forward and damaging my machine.

If Richard’s observations hold true, that tendency is likely to make my tools last longer, and is the biggest tip I can offer you for using things. When you run into trouble (and you will); stop. Reassess.

That way you won't wear out the various spinning internal components that will trash your new toy beyond repair.

Hand-held electric secateurs

One tool I don't have in my collection. The reason I don't have it is because I have no problems using manual secateurs, which are (in my opinion), much faster and lighter to carry.

However, it was the first tool that I recognised the accessibility benefits of. I know that my ability to use manual secateurs is a privilege that time may eventually cost me. And which some people never had at all for a variety of reasons.

If you can hold and operate an electric drill, you can use one of these. And it may open up a whole new world of gardening possibilities for you in that case.

Mini chainsaw

My "gateway drug". I didn't use regular chainsaws because they were heavy, noisy, and felt too dangerous.

So when I needed to cut something down, I used a manual hand saw, where the energy is coming from me and my body. That's the limiting factor.

A mini hand-held chainsaw is another tool which is as easy to use as an electric drill, but it's a chainsaw. It makes larger branches and small trunks a breeze.

It's helped with everything from pruning the fruit trees to clearing paths in our bush. The battery can go for weeks—even looking after two large gardens. So my energy is no longer the limiting factor.

An incredibly helpful tool to have whether you’re pruning fruit trees, or maintaining an unruly branch before it becomes a problem.

Full-sized chainsaw

If the mini-chainsaw was my "gateway drug", then its full-sized sister is my drug of choice.

It rips trees down with ease, and it actually brings me a lot of peace. There's a good chance that one of these days our driveway could be blocked by a fairly large tree. It's always made me a bit nervous leaving after a cyclone. We have a petrol-powered chainsaw, but I've never bothered to learn the ins and outs of using it.

But this machine just needs me to set the safety, press a button, and gently guide the chainsaw to cut what needs cutting. It's simple, elegant, and effective. And the truth is I have fun using it.

It takes two batteries, making it a heavier machine, but suddenly I can cut down large trees in seconds.

It only uses power while it’s actually going, and unlike a petrol one, it doesn’t need to idle. So again, the batteries can go a remarkably long time between charges.

Anything too big for this thing to handle is probably worth hiring a professional for anyway.

Line trimmer

Neither Richard nor I particularly enjoy line trimming. As I mentioned up top, traditional machines leave me in pain. They leave him in a different kind of pain too. They're also loud and smelly.

As a result, we tend to avoid line-trimming. That left the property in a scraggly-state until Richard reluctantly pulled it out, did all the trimming, and then remembered why he hated it again.

Our electric line trimmer uses a single battery, making it lighter and easier to handle. It doesn’t vibrate at all. And it is so much quieter than any petrol model, just quietly purring behind my podcasts.

And that makes the battery the limiting factor. We get around 45 minutes out of a battery. Less if we're using it at full-power.

But you know what? 45 minutes of line trimming can get enough done for a day. And it doesn't hurt to do, so I can come back and do 45 minutes tomorrow too.

Hedge trimmer

It doesn't get as much use as everything else, but the hedge trimmer is a real help keeping our windbreaks from running wild.

It's also handy to have around when the herbs need a quick tidy up. I've been procrastinating this job for weeks. It took about two minutes when we did this little photo shoot.

Our hedges are beginning to get a bit high and I'm starting to think about one on a pole.

Unfortunately our entire collection has been discontinued as a product line. However our collection of tools and batteries should last us a good wee while regardless.

If you're wondering, Richard and I generally recommend whatever brand you already have batteries for. If the brand that makes your electric drill battery has the 'skin' you're looking for, get that.

Got a question?

Of course, these tools still need maintenance. There’s still a learning curve to use them effectively and safely, and consumables like line, and bar oil. But it’s achievable.

The truth is, the possibilities are so much wider than I ever knew before we acquired our collection of tools.

If you’re interested in exploring power tools in your garden, Richard and I are working on a new series called “Dear Richard”. Think “Dear Abby”, but for your small-motor tool questions.

It doesn’t have to be about electric tools. If you already own petrol-powered tools and you’d just like to be more empowered to use them, you’re welcome to submit a question to our online survey any time.