Fiskars and Mantis are among the leading brand names of gardening tools while Smith and Hawken provided upscale brand names at their brick and mortar locations.
But is buying brand name gardening tool necessary to have a good gardening experience?

Until now, we have had a household of kids who have left tools scattered around and our garage has been a busy place where tools have been in and out of the occasional southern California rains.

Don’t spend a great deal of money on tools simply because they have a brand name. Instead, choose ones that have value and make sure you have a way to protect them.

If a tool has no moving parts to it, such as a trowel, then don’t choose the brand name unless you can tell the difference in craftsmanship between the brand and another tool.

The angle of the trowel, the weight of the handle and whether or not it has a padded grip may enter in to the craftsmanship. An item like a vinyl compost container that acts like a box to contain the compost can be bought safely for the cheapest price. However, if possible, check the thickness of the plastic to make certain it can handle large amounts of weight when full with yard and kitchen waste.

If the gardening is a simple window box hobby then it’s possible to use less expensive equipment.

But here’s another reason to consider brand name tools: ease of use and comfort especially for gardeners who may have stiff joints.

Fiskar clippers and manual pruning shears to me are well engineered and the gears work quite well. The use of them makes for a satisfying gardening experience and it doesn’t seem to take much muscle or hand strength to squeeze them into action.

This where the engineering of a tool is a benefit to homeowners and others who have arthritic conditions or other factors which may limit their ability to use a gardening tool.

But before spending much money on gardening tools here are some ideas for budget-conscious shoppers:

• Scan Web sites like Craigslist for freebies or join the Freecycle community.
• Shop at yard sales or even ask people you know.
• OSH (Orchard Supply Hardware) often has “no sales tax” weekend sales or check Home Depot and Lowes for scheduled sales as well.
• Ask local hardware stores if they have extra inventory they’re wanting to sell and offer to buy several items at once.

Like many things, a little bit of extra planning may help you get the gardening tools you need for the best price and value possible.