Troy-Bilt Saturday 6, We're Back!

You know how I know I'm not a real journalist/salesman/marketing type person? Because I've been trying to think of the right way to write this post about how I'm partnering with Troy-Bilt again for the second year in a row and it's caused a war in my head.

On one side there's the voice saying to just announce it. Be positive, sterile. Something like "I've teamed up with Troy-Bilt again! I'm so excited to be able to review their awesome products, give some away, write some articles for them because, hey! I love to write about gardening!"  On the other side there's what I really want to say about it. And the same ole question over whether I'm being too personal. If I write what I really want to, will Troy-Bilt be disappointed in me? What if my fellow bloggers call me an ass-kisser? A shill? But at the end of the day, when a blogger stops being authentic all in the name of product endorsements, it's over! Right?

Here's the truth. Last year I was so shocked (flattered) that Troy-Bilt asked me to become one of 6 bloggers in a new program they were trying that I couldn't stop questioning why they'd pick me, of all people. I know a lot of you thought the same thing, whether you said it or wrote it or not. It ended up being such a pleasant experience that I'd made up my mind when it was all over I would write an open letter to Troy-Bilt thanking them. One that would explain to all of you exactly why I loved working with them so much...after the contract expired and there was no incentive to continue writing about them. I wanted to be able to openly and honestly talk about how I'd long respected them like a lot of you because they were one of the first companies to ask garden bloggers for real, honest reviews of their products. But not that long after our contracts had expired, there they were again, asking our opinions on ideas about other programs they were considering for 2012. Then in a move that shocked the shit out of me, they asked us all back for a second year. Instead of indoctrinating a whole new set of garden bloggers, they were investing in the same 6 of us all over again.  We talked about what worked and what didn't work and here we, back for season 2.

As a member of the Troy-Bilt Saturday 6 I'll review a few products here on my blog, give a few away, and write a couple of articles for their online newsletter, The Dirt. I am particularly looking forward to trying some of the newer products now available with rechargeable battery power. I encourage all of you to check out Troy-Bilt's new Facebook page where they are sharing good gardening info.

Troy-Bilt, one day I'll write that letter so everybody will know the real deal. In the meantime, I am honored and appreciative of the opportunity to work with you again and I'm looking forward to this new gardening season.

On my end, consider this the official disclosure that I am being compensated for honest reviews of their products. If I don't like them, I'll tell you so.

Troy-Bilt Snow Thrower Giveaway

In honor of Chicago's first real stick-to-the-ground snow of 2011 and in general holiday merriment, I'm giving away a snow thrower courtesy of Troy-Bilt.  This is the Troy-Bilt Storm 2410, a two-stage snow thrower with an electric push-button start.  It will clear snow drifts up to 21 inches high at a width of 24 inches at a time.

I don't own this or any other snow thrower so I can't comment on its performance but I did find this cute video of a guy clearing his driveway using this model.  It looks like it works well.  But, now I can't get this song out of my head!



To enter the contest post your worst snow-shoveling experience and I'll pick a winner at random.  The contest is open to people living in the contiguous United States only.

This contest will close on Friday December 16th at 7:00 pm CST.  I will contact the winner directly so please make sure I have a way to reach you.  If I cannot contact you within 24 hours I will select another winner.  The snow thrower will be shipped to you directly from Troy-Bilt so you will need to share your address with them after I notify you that you have won.

Good Luck!

Update: Congrats Benjamin Vogt, winner of the Troy-Bilt Storm 2410 snow thrower!  Check out Benjamin's blog The Deep Middle.

Contest: Troy-Bilt Cordless Battery-Powered Pole Saw

Thanks to the fine folks at Troy-Bilt I'm giving away one of their cordless battery-powered pole saws.  The saw extends from 5-8 feet and comes with a lithium battery and charger.  For my information check out my review of it.  And for a good laugh, watch the video below of me actually using it.




To enter the contest, simply leave a comment telling us why you need a pole saw like this and I'll pick a winner using a random number generator Tuesday October 4th at 8:00 CST.  The product will be shipped directly to you from the manufacturer so you won't need to give me your mailing address, but you will need to give it to them.

Note: Only folks in the contiguous US may enter. (sorry, international friends) Please make sure you enter the contest using an account that is connected to an email address or leave your email address in the comment.  If I cannot contact you to inform you that you are the winner, I'll unfortunately need to pick a different winner.

Good Luck!

Review: Troy-Bilt Battery-Powered Cordless Pole Saw

Where I complain about the cost of tree trimming:
I just couldn't do it.  Pay nearly $500 for my semi-dwarf Georgia Bell Peach tree to be trimmed.  I'm sure It's worth it.  That the professionals know the proper limbs to cut back and the angle and position to cut them to stimulate more growth. To trim it so that it doesn't continue to grow into the house.  I planted it to close, I didn't know any better.  But for a lot of people, me included, spending that kind of money on a little scraggly peach tree I bought at Home Depot before I knew anything about gardening just can't be justified.  Christ!  It was never even supposed to bear fruit according to all the "gardening experts." I did get peaches last year but this year when they were able the size of walnuts something terrible happened and the leaves and peaches all dried up and fell off.  I holding out hope for peaches in 2012!

How I came to know that pole saws even existed:
As one of the Saturday 6 bloggers I visited the Troy-Bilt facility in Ohio back in April of this year. We went out to the big pavilion at the Troy Bilt lodge where there was a sea of gardening gadgets laid out for us to test.  It was like we'd all been good boys and girls and were waking up on Christmas morning to a delivery from a Gardener Santa.  I was struck by how many of us were drawn to the battery powered pole saw.  Personally, I never knew such a thing even existed or I'd have purchased it a long time ago!

My experience with the Troy-Bilt electric battery powered pole saw:
A pole saw is basically like a long stick with a mini chain saw on the end of it.  It can be used to trim the longer branches of small trees and I would imagine, shrubs you have a hard time reaching.  For example, the Hydrangea that I planted in the back of what has grown to be a lush wide perennial bed.  It's not particularly tall, it's just so damn far back that I have to walk over peonies and coneflower to get to it.

Consistent with my experience with other Troy-Bilt products, I found this easy to assemble.  The pole saw came in three pieces.  The end with the actual saw on it, the end that holds the battery, and the extension pole that goes between the other two pieces.  It took me less than 5 minutes to assemble. Each part connects by sliding one end into the next and hand tightening it.  No tools were needed.

At it's shortest the pole saw is 5 feet and with the extension pole it's 8 feet long.  One of the best things about this electric pole saw is that it uses the same battery as the Troy-Bilt electric string trimmer so if you already own one of those, you won't need to purchase the battery and charger.  Personally, I am glad to now have a backup battery and charger that I can use for both.

I found the pole saw easy to operate and very similar to operating the string trimmer in that you press a button on the battery end then squeeze the trigger to turn it on.  The position of the trigger makes it easy and comfortable to keep depressed while using the equipment.  I mention that because I know the first generation electric string trimmer had the button and trigger positioned in a way that made it awkward to hold but that has been fixed with the current generation of that string trimmer and it seems like Troy-Bilt considered that when designing this pole saw, too.

The hardest thing about using this piece of equipment was trimming the branches in a way that didn't cause the branches to be scratched up below the cut.  I have never used any type of chain saw so I have no idea if this is unique to this pole saw but I am pretty sure it was my own technical problem.  What I found is that for the longer branches I would start to cut them but because I didn't have enough control over the pole saw, the blade of the saw would hit the branch then bounce up and back down onto the branch scratching it up quite a bit.  Once I was able to figure out the best way to hold the pole saw, the best body stance and foot position to keep it stable, the cuts were pretty clean.  For a first time user, I would definitely recommend determining where you want to make your cut then cutting above it first to get a little practice.  I feel like this would also be less of an issue using the saw at the 5 foot length than it was at the 8 foot length considering it all seemed to be able pole control.  Still, it's something to consider because damage to the branches could leave them vulnerable to disease.

I am not a tree expert but I have heard that fall is a good time to trim them so now's a good time to think about doing that if you have a tree that needs it.  For my small garden, this pole saw will be a life saver.  It takes up virtually no space stored in the corner of my garage, is cordless with a rechargeable lithium battery (no gas! no oil! no emissions!) and it's easy to use.  All things I look for in tools for my small home garden.  I would certainly recommend spending the money to have a tree professionally trimmed if you are able to afford it.  But if that is not in your budget or you are a big DIY person like me, you may want to consider a small pole saw like this.

Later this week I will be giving away one of these Troy-Bilt pole saws here on my blog so be sure to check back.  The equipment will be shipped to the winner directly from the Troy-Bilt facility.

Disclosure: I was given this piece of equipment free of charge in exchange for an honest review of it here on my blog.

Troy-Bilt's Saturday6 - Count Me In!

If you've read my blog for very long you know I'm a big fan of Troy-Bilt products.  They're easy to assemble and operate and I always get the sense that Troy-Bilt is really thinking of me, the home gardener, when they build them.  Admittedly, I'm probably biased because a big part of their marketing and outreach is to regular ole garden bloggers like me. I don't write professionally so I have no connections with big fancy magazines or huge groups of important people sitting around waiting to hear what I have to say.  I'm just a gardener.  But, over the years Troy-Bilt has sponsored garden blogger meet ups, sent their products for us to review and given us the opportunity to host product giveaways, something that helps grow our blogs and gives our readers the chance to own one of these great pieces of equipment.  That has always meant a lot to me and yes, it has fostered a sense of personal loyalty to Troy-Bilt products.

This year Troy-Bilt is taking their garden blogger outreach to a new level.  They've selected six bloggers to work with through the summer with the goal of providing you with regular gardening information. We'll be passing on our favorite gardening tips via blog posts, videos *gasp* and articles in Troy-Bilt's newsletter, The Dirt.  My favorite part of this partnership is that we'll have the opportunity to visit the Troy-Bilt facility in Cleveland Ohio to learn more about the history of the company.  They've been around a long time and I'm excited to find out how they got started, what those early years were like and how they decide what product to develop next.  More zero emissions equipment, please!  And you might see one of us at your local Lowe's this summer providing gardening tips while the Troy-Bilt folks are there teaching customers about their products.  In summary, fun will be had by all!

Be sure the check out the other six bloggers who will be participating.  I thought I knew most everybody in this community so I was excitedly surprised to see four of the six bloggers are new to me. I've already started getting to know a couple of the others and they seem like really cool people.  Check out all their blogs, sign up for the Troy-Bilt newsletter if you haven't already and stay tuned here for news about product giveaways over the next couple of months.