A bit of research. Garden tools

Hi guys. Im new here. Im looking for a bit of help. I am a researcher at the University of Glamorgan in Wales. There is a bit of an important project in development concerning garden tools. Dont spose any of you people are interested in helping by just posting you opinions on some of the following issues?:

What garden tools do you feel are badly designed?

Are there any particular tool you are unable to use properly due to a health complaint of any kind? (e.g, bad back, athritis)

Are there any tasks that are difficult to carry out due to lack of specialized equipment for said tasks?


Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I will be sticking round these forums for a while, so dont be shy to post.
Cheers for your time guys.
Christian

I would also like to note that no part of this discussion is to be published or used in any way. It is one of many stages of research I have adopted in order to establish directions.
Thanx again

trowels are extremely bad designed. There are new ergonomic ones that fix the problem that I'd love to buy but haven't been able to find in stores.

Also, for tall folks (like me) most tools are poorly designed in that I have to bend over too much to use them. Even my lawnmower at the highest setting I gotta bendover to reach the handle.

I have arthritis in my hands and cannot use the standard garden forks if they are shaped like a claw. The one that is easy for me to use is the fork which is straight. I can easily grab it and jab it to dig or aerate the ground and it does not cause me pain.

Also, I am short so I use a short-handled shovel which I can also push with my foot. The long handles do not work well for me. I used to jump on the shovel with both feet to dig deeper, but after doing this one day in dry, hard soil, I broke a piece of bone off my shin and it caused a lot of pain. If I had watered the area the previous day it would have been much easier to dig in.

Rose White, author
"Easy Gardens A to Z"
:)