Electronic Pruners: A Worthwhile Investment

By Marcia Miquelon, Outreach Specialist
UW Madison Healthy Farmers, Healthy Profits Project

“I see a hand fatigue advantage,” stated Tim Power of Laws and Bailey Nursery in Hastings, MN. “The hand fatigue you get cutting thumb-sized branches is pretty dramatic, at least for me. I’ve got some arthritis and it has been acting up the last few weeks. I spent six hours using this [electronic pruner] the other day with no apparent effect at all. I’m really pleased with it.”

There is no doubt that the strong grip and force needed to operate a manual pruner can cause strain in arms, wrists, hands and fingers. An electronic pruner is more efficient than using a manual pruner, because it reduces hand fatigue and is faster. Workers who use a manual pruner hour after hour will make slower, more ragged cuts. An electronic pruner produces clean cuts hour after hour, and can reduce pruning time by 20 percent because it alleviates the strain.

“I can work several hours on that without re-charging the battery, cleaning my sap groove or anything else,” noted Power. Although an electronic pruner has a larger up-front cost ($1,000 and up, depending on make and model), this purchase could pay for itself quickly if you do a great deal of shaping, pruning or topiary work, or if you avoid even one serious hand injury.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome has been connected with the repetitive wrist strain of manual pruning. This chronic injury can cost about $10,000 in medical costs alone to fix, and can result in extended work leave. But it can be prevented by reducing manual pruning hours.

Pneumatic pruners can also reduce the strain of manual pruning and are less costly ($350 and up). However, because they have blades that close completely upon trigger contact, they can put workers at risk of serious traumatic injury, such as cutting off a finger.

The electronic pruner cuts in response to a gentle increase in finger pressure on the trigger. The trigger finger pressure also determines how far the blades close, so there’s no need to worry about pulling your finger out of harm’s way before you can stop the blade.

There are several different versions of electronic pruners on the market. Each is geared for slightly different needs, so choose one that meets your needs and situation.

The Healthy Farmers, Healthy Profits Project is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), to find and promote the adoption of more efficient, safer tools by nursery growers. For more information, please see http://bse.wisc.edu/hfhp or contact Marcia Miquelon at (608) 262-1054.

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