Hi reemcock, I don't know of any ergomatic tools. I use Felco pruners and find them the most comfortable.

I also suffer from a lot of joint pain and was unable to do a lot recently because of it. I went on an Anti-Inflammatory diet and a lot of my pain was reversed in a few days. I'm not sure what it is, the dairy, the eggs or some other food I eliminated, but it's almost miraculous. I would look into it if I were you. Being in constant pain is horrible.

You might want to check in to the felco's with the rotating handle.

That and start slowly and know your limits.

(Mom is 90, has arthritis and polymyalgia and loves working in her garden-just does it at a different pace)

Recently I purchased some Fiskar's pruning snips with micro-tip blades. I noticed they had an Ease-of-Use commendation from the Arthritis Foundation (www.arthritis.org). I don't have joint problems, but these snips are so much easier to use than scissors or light weight pruners. They don't handle heavy pruning, of course, but are fantastic for dead heading. There are some terrific sale prices on right now, and I got my snips at Shopco. I have the Fiskar's rotating handle pruners, and they are awful. Try the Felco's like Kippy recommended. They've got to be better than the Fiskar's. On the other hand, the Fiskar's small loppers (18 inches) with the ratcheting power gear for the blades is very easy to use, if you're up to any "lopping". They also have the Ease-of- Use commendation.There are some garden tools with foam padded handles that might be easier
to grip. I have a weeder, very inexpensive, with such a handle. I have a tool that resembles a leaf rake but is much shorter for hand use with an ergonomic grip. It was just $2.99, and is useful for gathering up garden debris. I have a skinny little trowel made by Lionheart in Canada that has wonderful grip handle, plus the way it is designed makes it the easiest trowel I've ever used. It's a quality tool available at nurseries. I hope some of these may be of help to you. I'm rooting for you. Gardening is such great therapy. Diane

What I have noticed is that most pruners are too big, clunky, and tiring to use even for a woman like me with big hands and only a touch of arthritis (so far). If a smaller and lighter tool will help you, Bahco pruners ("secateurs") are available in a small size and are the best totally functional ones I can recommend.

The Bahco "Ergo" series offers pruners in 3 sizes: small, medium, large. The small size fits my hand perfectly, is very light and compact, and can be used all day long with no strain -- every other part of my body may ache, but not my hand or wrist. I've been using them for more than 6 years now and currently have 3 (so I can always find at least one to use!) of the "PX-S2" model (the "S" stands for the size, "small" -- the medium-sized model would be PX-M2).

The other model of pruner in Bahco's "Ergo" series is one with rotating handles (PXR-S2), which I haven't tried (but agree with Diane that Fiskar's with rotating handles are really bad -- a pair my mother gave me some years ago made my hand and wrist hurt almost immediately, were incredibly heavy and awkward to use).

Bahcos are not the cheapest, but are very high-quality (made in France) and all parts are replaceable. Seems to be a number of online sources, including, of course, Amazon -- but make sure the product offered is the size wanted.

(original link below didn't work, so I've put in another one -- not quite so specific, but if you click on the "Brochure" button there, you get a PDF with every detail possible)

Here is a link that might be useful: Bahco

This post was edited by catspa on Sat, Jul 27, 13 at 12:06

The lightest tools are typically made out of aluminum, rather than steel, fiberglass, or wood.

I use Felco number 6 pruners--replacement blades are available for those who would rather replace than sharpen.

Dram makes lightweight watering tools made out of aluminum.

Many gardeners have back issues. My solution, which may not be practical for many, is to work from a squatting position, so I don't need to bend over. Many folks propagate plants in pots, so they can be placed at the proper height that minimizes back and muscle strain. You may need them to be as light as possible--I'd suggest tying them down with rope.

You might consider working with an occupational therapist to figure out the proper way accomplish gardening tasks. When I had a stroke I learned plenty from therapists at Hartford Hospital.

Catspa, thanks for the info on the Bahcos. I'm definitely going to look into a pair of their "ergo" style pruners. I also have large hands (I'm 5'10"). Do you think I need a small or medium size?
To go back on topic--I have a growing bunch of defective and dysfunctional pruners because I fall for every new and improved gadget that comes down the pruner pike (my other tools are great and I stand by my above info). Here are some pruners to avoid: the aforementioned rotating handled Fiskars--the blades don't cut on these and the rotating handle is worse than a regular type handle; Dram pruners in their stylish colors, complete with the blade screw that freezes up and has to be loosened up with an Adams wrench; another Fiskars with an exposed spring that pops out and gets lost and plastic handle that breaks; and last and worst of all the Clauss titanium blade gizmo with snap together locking handles. The Clauss piece of junk, has blades that don't cut well, a joint that loosens on its own in about 20 minutes, and the d*&^nm handles don't snap together and lock shut at all--they simply don't hold. These doozies were featured about a year ago in Fine Gardening magazine and they were given an endorsement. Obviously, FG didn't trial the Clauss pruners. Avoid the above mentioned products--at least that's my opinion. Diane

Diane, your list of defective pruners covers at least a few of the dogs my shopaholic mother has "gifted" me with over the years. :-) I've gotten the Fiskars with the popping, disappearing spring (several times and they did it every time!) and, as mentioned above, the dreaded rotating handle Fiskars; the symptoms you mention for the Clauss pruners also sound horribly familiar, though I don't remember the brand and they are gone, gone, gone.

I'm 5'8", with hands large enough that people have from time-to-time commented on their largeness. The small-sized Bahco pruners feel great to me -- it really was love-at-first-grip.

Haha, catspa, it's nice to know I'm not the only one buying junk pruners out there--though I'm sorry your Mother has bought a few. Wish I could cash them all in and buy one really good pair. I will try the Bahcos in a small size, and hope they break the pruner curse that hovers over me. Diane

I don't know how common the Gardena brand is in US, but I have a pair of very good ratchet secateurs from them. It is on the web as "Comfort Ratchet Secateurs SmartCut - Gardena" and I'm sure there are similar stuff from other makers.

I have never tried the Bosch Ciso cordless secateur, but it might be good when you need something easy on the hands. A little help from electrical power might make a difference.

My favorite is a secateur these days is a model with wooden grips by "Joseph Bentley". It fits well in my hand and I can work all day with out too much strain. It is guaranteed for 25 years, but I need to tighten the bolt now and then, and oil it a bit. It is not as care free as some, but the handle is rather good even compared to Felco models. It wasn't expensive at all. I managed to ruin the large one for some reason, it sort of hangs up when cutting, but the small lady model is great.

I suppose it's all about finding something which will fit in you hand and work with your strengths and weaknesses. Maybe a shop with a good selection will let you try out different ones.

The New York Times had a recent article on this topic, linked below.

I use the Radius hand tools. I have also found that the Bionic Rose Gloves help keep my hands from tiring when pruning. You might also want to investigate ratcheting pruners. I couldn't get the hang of the Felcos with the rotating handle, but they do have the #6, made for smaller hands. Using loppers for the thicker canes helps as well. Best wishes!

This post was edited by diane_nj on Mon, Jul 29, 13 at 9:19