Designing the Natural Radius Grip Trowel
Bruce Baker, Radius Garden founder, discusses the design of the Natural Radius Grip trowel.
The NRG Difference
This could be the best hand weeder ever made. It is a unique tool that really means business. Great for popping out deeply rooted weeds!
* Perfect tool for removing dandelions and other tough-to-get weed roots.
* Sharp serrated blade easily slides through compacted earth.
* Curved fulcrum pops out deep, tough weeds.
* Back blade wings pull or cut roots and weed stems.
* Seed reservoir and planting channel guides herb and other small seeds exactly where you need them.
Garden More, Hurt Less.
Radius Garden Cultivator
This precision tool is ideal for working in tight spaces and scraping away weed seedlings before they are out of control.
* Unique shape angles tines into soil for deep cultivation.
* Tines ridged along the pulling edge for easy cultivation.
* Precision tool for working in small spaces.
* Made strong to pull out stubborn roots.
* Extends your reach to those hard-to-get-to places in the garden.
Garden More, Hurt Less.
Radius Ergonomic Hand Transplanter
The perfect tool for planting bulbs and bedding plants or transplanting rooted perennials.
* Extra-long blade includes markings to measure bulb hole depths.
* Great tool for transplanting deeply rooted perennials and bedding plants.
* Beveled blade easily cuts through compacted soil.
* Square end scoops soil from the bottoms of narrow holes.
* Use back-blade wings to pull roots and weed stems.
Garden More, Hurt Less.
The best all-purpose hand garden trowel ever made! Ultra light, strong, and beautiful.
* Beveled blade easily cuts through compacted soil.
* Square end scoops soil from the bottoms of narrow holes.
* Straight blade edges are great for scraping and scooping.
* Use back-blade wings to pull roots and weed stems.
Garden More, Hurt Less.
Why Curved Handles?
I’ve been an active gardener and amateur landscaper all of my life. When I was younger I never really thought much about the aches and pains that seemed to come along with vigorous work in the yard. As I approached my 50’s I noticed these aches and pains lingered for days after my weekend war with the garden. It was only on a trip to China, though, with a much younger colleague that I had a sudden inspiration. While we were on our way to Hong Kong I noticed that Colleen had a couple of pretty nasty looking blisters on her right hand. I asked what had happened and her answer led to the formation of Radius Garden, LLC. She had been gardening that weekend; using a popular brand of garden trowel to dig in a couple of flats of spring annuals. What struck me like a bolt of lightning when she said that was that the trowel itself was responsible for her injuries. More to the point, it was the design of the trowel that caused her injuries. She was using the product exactly the way it was supposed to be used and it hurt her!
For thousands of years tool handles have been made from pieces of wood. That’s why they’re straight! If you look at the palm of your hand, assuming you are a human being you will notice it is curved. Now if you relax your hand then lightly close it around a pencil while keeping your hand and wrist in the most natural position you will notice that the pencil is neither parallel to nor perpendicular to your forearm. It’s that “angle of attack” that defines the safest and most comfortable position in which to hold your hand when delivering any impact, such as punching someone or plunging a garden tool into the ground. Of course, it took me some research to discover some of this, but the basic insight hit me fast and hard: garden tools had always been designed for the convenience of the manufacturer rather than the comfort and safety of the user.
Everyone benefits from well-designed, ergonomic garden tools, but perhaps those who benefit the most are people who have less gripping strength. Because of the curvature and radius of the Natural Radius Grip these are the perfect garden tools for people with arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome. You will naturally use these tools in a way that protects your wrist from injury and does not require gripping strain. That means these are great gardening tools for older people.
Now it’s often said that a picture is worth a thousand words, which is why I’ve inserted one at the top of this post. The truth is that using Radius Hand Tools is worth a million words. We have some of the most loyal and satisfied customers I could ever hope for, and it is entirely due to the fact that our tools are made differently than conventional tools. Radius tools are made so you can garden more and hurt less!
–Bruce
About.com Reviews Radius Tools
We found a very comprehensive review of our products at About.com: Ergonomics
There is also a nice series of photos showing our tools in use at Illustrations of How to Use Radius Garden Hand Tools
The Brightest Tools in the Shed
“Not only is this gardening equipment surprisingly lightweight, but the handles are a little thicker than conventional ones and the grip is designed to follow the curve of your palm, which means less stress on hands and wrists.” — Oprah
