Last week I had the opportunity to visit Rugby School to meet up with my good old friend and past work colleague, James Mead, who on the 1st of September celebrated his fifteenth-year work anniversary at the school.

It only seems like yesterday since he took up the post of estates manager at Rugby School. The purpose of my visit was twofold. Firstly to catch up with James and talk about the achievements of the grounds team since his appointment. Secondly, to take the opportunity to see at first hand the demonstration of the new automated robotic line marker that was being demonstrated by Alex Robinson and Matt Murray, the UK sales representatives of the Danish Turf Tank company.

James and I both started our working careers as parks apprentices with Birmingham City Council in 1972 and over the years have gone out of our way to keep in touch with one another. James has always been an innovator and invested in the best machinery and equipment he can afford, with the aim of improving the efficiency of his staff and quality of his playing surfaces.

James Mead (left) with members of his grounds team

James has always been a supporter of demonstrations as they help the staff try out the latest equipment and machinery and see it working first-hand. I was quite excited myself as James was keen to see it working on the school’s first team rugby pitch on the famous Close grounds.

This pitch is particularly famous as it was the pitch on which the Reverend William Webb Ellis, an English Anglican clergyman is said to have invented rugby football while a pupil at Rugby School. According to legend, Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it during a school football match in 1823, thus creating the 'rugby' style of play.

James arranged for all of his staff to attend the demonstration and see for themselves the accuracy and efficiency of this robotic line marker. A full report on this demonstration will appear in a forthcoming edition of TurfPro along with a in-depth piece on the achievement of James and his grounds team at Rugby School during the last fifteen years.

As for this week, I am pleased to announce we are publishing another machinery testing piece – this time on the EGO battery powered STX3800 Strimmer with RTX2300 Rotocut head and battery backpack.

As for other news, I’m not sure how some of the latest Covid-19 Lockdown instructions will affect our industry in the coming weeks.

From today, (14 September) it is against the law to meet people you do not live with, in a group larger than 6 (unless you are meeting as a household or support bubble). The police will have the powers to enforce these legal limits, including to issue fines (fixed penalty notice) of £100, doubling for further breaches up to a maximum of £3,200.

For the full details visit the governement’s site.

Elsewhere, I read an update from Paul Rabbits of the Parks Management Forum who had the following to say - “What the pandemic has shown us is the importance of what we do, the impact we have had on communities, people’s lives and the local authorities or sectors we work for. It has been incredibly challenging. Personally, in Watford, where I am responsible for parks, the levels of usage in them has been phenomenal during lockdown and post lock-down. Litter has been significant, increased use of BBQs, users visiting parks who in some cases, have no idea how to behave. However, they have been sanctuaries for many – places to escape and find peace and solitude.

“The Parks Management Forum has grown over the last few months. We have had positive meetings with Fields in Trust, Green Flag Award, The Landscape Institute, Lantra, the National Trust, Future Parks Accelerator and Nesta. APSE continue to support which we are thankful for.

“There are challenging times ahead and with the spending review due this September, it is very unlikely we will see any funding coming our way. The challenge will be to protect our budgets, upskill and champion the cause of parks but most of all, work together with our partners.”

Some fine words of encouragement from Paul that will only be achieved by good dialogue between all parties.

And finally, I just want to remind cricket clubs to invest in a decent end of season renovation on their squares. Even though many squares will have had very little use, it is still important to carry out a thorough renovation of your square to remove any dead fibre / thatch that has been produced during the growing season.

The key points of a decent end of season renovation centre around the following:-

• A thorough scarification of the square in several directions
• A thorough cleaning up of surface debris
• Overseeding with a viable seed mixture
• Fertilising with a pre seeding fertiliser product
• Watering during dry conditions

The weather forecast for the rest of September in the main looks sunny and dry, hopefully enabling a good window of opportunity for these works to be completed.

John Deere turf dealership The Double A Trading Company Ltd, which has its head office in Cupar, Fife and a second outlet at Kintore in Aberdeenshire, has agreed to acquire Nairn Brown (Glasgow) Ltd of Busby.

The purchase, which has been agreed by Double A owners Sandy and Aileen Armit and by Nairn Brown, will see all the existing staff and assets of the latter business transferred to Double A as of 30th September 2020.

Sandy Armit and Nairn Brown

Nairn Brown Ltd was founded in 1964 and became the first John Deere golf & turf dealership to be established in the west of Scotland in September 1996. The company has a long and successful track record of supplying machinery to golf courses, local authorities, contractors and private customers across a large area extending from Argyll to Dumfries & Galloway, containing well over 200 golf courses.

Double A dealer principal Sandy Armit and his wife Aileen started their business working from home in 1996 before joining the John Deere dealer network in October 1999. The business initially sold to customers in Fife, Tayside and Clackmannanshire before being appointed to take over the Aberdeenshire area in October 2011.

Double A currently employs 25 people across its two outlets and was awarded the title of UK Professional Turfcare Dealer of the Year in 2011 by the AEA and Service Dealer, as well as the runner-up spot in 2019. In addition to the full John Deere range of professional turf equipment, it supplies a number of other brands including Timberwolf, Campey, Tru-Turf, Gianni Ferrari, Reform and Lastec.

“We are delighted to be given this opportunity to extend our sales territory into western Scotland, and look forward to continuing to build on the very successful business established by Nairn Brown, his family and experienced staff,” said Sandy Armit.

Nairn Brown added, “Although sad for me to be leaving the industry, I have to say how lucky we have been to have held the John Deere turf dealership in the west of Scotland for 25 years. I would like to thank John Deere for their staunch support and help over this time - it has been a pleasure dealing with them.

“Most of all, I am extremely proud of all the staff that have helped to make Nairn Brown (Glasgow) the dealership it is today, and wish everyone continued success in the Double A team!”

John Deere Limited golf & turf division sales manager Brian D’Arcy said of Double A, "We are very pleased that Sandy, Aileen and their team have agreed to this expansion into the west of Scotland, and look forward to their continued business growth.”

The board of Burden Bros Agri Ltd, John Deere’s main dealer for Kent, East Sussex and parts of Surrey have decided to sell the business to neighbouring John Deere dealer P Tuckwell Ltd.

Heads of Terms have been agreed and signed by both parties and the process is now underway to complete the business sale over the coming months.

The full terms of the agreement are not being disclosed but the decision by the Burden Bros Agri board has the full support and approval of John Deere Ltd.

This proposed sale does not involve any other businesses in the BB⁴ Group of Companies.

Burden Bros say the intention is that all employees will transfer as part of the sale and the three existing branch locations at Stockbury and Ivychurch in Kent and Framfield in East Sussex will be retained.

“I, along with my three brothers are extremely proud of what we, as a team at Burden Bros Agri Ltd, have achieved since establishing the dealership with John Deere in 2007,” says joint business owner Dale Burden.

“We have built a strong agricultural and turf business throughout the south east of England and come a long way in a short period of time. In light of recent announcements from John Deere regarding their European dealer strategy and recognising some of the benefits scale can bring, we felt the time was right to consolidate the business with a fellow local dealer.

"We have a close relationship with P Tuckwell and share similar values. Whilst it will be difficult to relinquish the reins, we know the business will be in good hands. The combined dealership will be in a strong position to make the future investments required, proactively support our customers, develop our team and continue growing.”

Mark Walker, owner of Grasstek, has been widely praised for improving the pitch at Oxford United FC’s Kassam Stadium - with the club’s manager, Karl Robinson, even claiming that it has played a huge part in helping to improve the team’s style of play.

Mark took on the maintenance of the pitch at the Kassam Stadium in December 2018 and says he immediately knew that it was a project which would require his undivided attention.

“I think it is fair to say that the pitch needed a lot of work when we took it over,” he said. “Upon closer inspection, the hybrid pitch had clearly been over top-dressed so none of the artificial fibres were showing and these fibres were also laid flat creating a barrier against healthy rooting.”

Rather than shy away at the thought of the colossal project, Mark was determined to embark on the challenge.

“My background is predominantly in greenkeeping, so I got the best groundsman I know involved. His encyclopaedic knowledge, experience and connections have been invaluable. We’ve now got a great team and we are growing and starting to expand into other areas.”

With an expert team in place, Grasstek got straight to work. The previous summer’s renovations had not been highly successful so Mark knew that they would have to delve deeper.

“We had no other option but to re-expose it all,” he said. “Unfortunately, we could not use traditional pitch renovation machinery due to complications with the carpet. After much experimentation, Bury Turfcare came up with the idea of using a mini digger to remove all of the upper rootzone which had very high percentages of organic material in it. They delicately carried out the necessary repairs and then overseeded with Limagrain’s MM60 grass seed.

“I had used Limagrain seed previously in which I overseeded driving range outdoor teeing areas and target greens with MM50 so I already knew that it would be a good seed. MM60 was recommended to me by an agronomist friend and I’m pleased I took his advice.

“We saw fantastic results straight away - the germination was very quick and even and I think we carried out our first cut after just ten days,” he said.

As the season progressed, Mark still had concerns over a problematic area on the pitch, but he quickly found that MM60 had combated the issues.

“The stadium has a huge south stand and there are no translucent panels in the roof, so from September through to May no sunlight gets on the south side of the pitch. Prior to using MM60, the grass was basically non-existent on that south side - it was like a beach.

“However, since we overseeded with MM60, we now have so much more coverage on that side. I think this shows that the seed has great shade tolerance and we now have a very dense sward with no disease.”

Mark’s refurbishment work on the pitch has certainly not gone unnoticed. The club’s manager Karl Robinson recently went out of his way to claim that the pitch has helped the club to play the fast-flowing, attacking football he desires.

“The pitch at the Kassam is one of the best I’ve seen for a long time,” he said publicly. “You have to give credit where it’s due and the pitch is magnificent. It’s little things that can add to us being a better club moving forward.”

This year Allett Mowers opened up their annual Allett Creative Lawn Stripes competition internationally.

The competition attracted a global set of entries, however the winning lawn featured a tribute to our own NHS. Andrew Wain, head gardener of Euridge Manor in Chippenham who has placed high in the competition for the past three years, this time takes the top prize. 

1st - Andrew Wain, Chippenham, UK

“I first entered the competition four years ago to have some fun.” said Andrew. “Straight lines can get a little boring sometimes and that year I came second so I decided to stick with it. It’s exciting to win at last, for both me and my employer. As a wedding venue, the lawn has become a real talking point among guests.

"This year, with Covid and the NHS being so fantastic I felt that this was my opportunity of saying thank you to all those in all departments of the NHS that have put themselves in harm’s way to look after us. It is also my way of saying thank you to all those in the NHS who have cared for relatives of mine who in the last few years and indeed weeks lost their battles with cancer. So that is where I came up with the idea of the butterfly, to carry the thank you message with an NHS rainbow on each side.

"The Allett creative stripes competition has encouraged me to turn the lawn at Euridge Manor into a piece of art. I encourage anyone to have a go, as it is great fun and adds a whole new dimension of creativity to the garden. I’m over the moon with winning such a fantastic prize and thank Allett for running the competition.”

Andrew, who is a brand ambassador for Stihl, used a Stihl rotary mower and hand trimmer to create his pattern.

This year's judging was done by Edgbaston Cricket Ground's head groundsman, Gary Barwell. Allett are proud partners with Edgbaston and felt Gary's expertise was perfect for the role of this year's judge. An internal vote was done at Allett with the top 6 entries being forwarded to Gary to pick his overall winner.

2nd - Edward Aitken, Cheltenham, UK

Gary said, "The standard was truly outstanding and the time and work that was put into these was on another level it was so difficult to decide but the winner showed craft, flair, knowledge and relevance."

This year's competition saw entries come in from USA, Wales, England, Denmark, Australia, Belgium, France, Sweden, Netherlands, Scotland and Ireland. Andrew wins an Allett Liberty 43 battery powered cylinder mower alongside the Allett Complete Lawn Care System of six interchangeable cartridges. He will also get 'a day in the life of a groundsman' at Edgbaston alongside Gary and his team.

3rd - William Axmacher, USA

''The rise in international competitors in this competition is in line with the rise in demand our company has seen for our mowers from overseas lawn-fanatics” says Austin Jarrett, managing director at Allett Ltd.

The top three entries in the competition, with Gary Barlow’s comments, were: 

• 1st - Andrew Wain, Chippenham,UK- "The standard was truly outstanding and the time and work that was put into these was on another level it was so difficult to decide but the winner showed craft flair knowledge and relevance."
• 2nd - Edward Aitken, Cheltenham, UK- "Truly outstanding work time and effort needed is amazing."
• 3rd - William Axmacher, USA - "To craft something that totally works from the air is great time and effort"

On 23 September, BIGGA, in conjunction with other global greenkeeping groups, is recognising those who keep the game going and enjoyable with 'Thank a Golf Course Superintendent Day', encouraging all those who love golf to thank their course’s greenkeeping team.

In addition to BIGGA, other groups taking part in the global event include Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), the Australia Sports Turf Managers Association (ASTMA), the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association (CGSA) and the Federation of European Golf Greenkeepers Associations (FEGGA). All together the groups represent more than 31,000 golf course management professionals in 78 countries around the world.

The celebration of 23 September will include a commercial that will begin rotation on the Golf Channel in the United States and other media outlets. Social media messages will demonstrate the many ways that greenkeepers make the game more enjoyable and sustainable. Golfers and others are encouraged to join in the conversation on social media using the hashtags #ThankASuper or #ThankAGreenkeeper depending on their country’s terminology.

BIGGA CEO Jim Croxton said, “The incredible surge in popularity of golf this summer has seen people of all ages get a first look at our wonderful sport and all the health and social benefits it can bring. Golf is a tricky game to learn and you’ll never truly master it, but the fun is in the trying and thousands of people have found relief from the stresses of this year as they embarked upon their journey in the sport.

“Ever since courses reopened post-lockdown I’ve enjoyed a number of Sunday afternoon rounds with my family and I know that’s been replicated not just all over the UK, but all over the world. Those experiences have been made possible thanks to the BIGGA members and greenkeepers who continued to work throughout the UK lockdown to keep courses in a condition that meant they could quickly be returned to play when restrictions eased.

“The association and its members have also played a key role in developing and maintaining the safety protocols that allow golfers to return to the nation’s fairways in a safe manner and I’m excited that the golfing world is uniting on Wednesday 23 September to say thank you for everything they do to allow families like mine to enjoy the wonderful sport of golf.”

ROADMAP FOR RUGBY
Plan for grassroots

GEARING UP FOR WINTER WORKS
Planning should be in hand

TIME TO PLAN RENOVATIONS
Sward will be in need of some TLC

WHAT CAN WE SAY ABOUT THE WEATHER?!
Grassed areas looking stressed

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE
Opportunities and challenges aplenty

BUSY TIMES FOR TURF PROFESSIONALS
Short turnaround between seasons

BUDGET STATEMENT
The bane of the turf professional's life

NICE TO BE BUSY AGAIN
Getting out and about

CRICKET IS BACK!
Refreshing to see

LITTER LOUTS
What can be done?

INVESTING IN OUR FACILITIES
Vitally important right now

WEATHER STIMULATING PATHOGENS
Prevalence of turf diseases

TIMES ARE CHANGING
True value of parks highlighted

GREEN IS THE COLOUR
Much needed rain

SUMMER HAS ARRIVED
We're entering a new phase

A GRADUAL RECOVERY
Impressive response from our sports turf industry

FIRST STEPS TO NORMALITY
Golf courses reopen

MOVING ON TO THE NEXT PHASE
Of the pandemic

HOW ARE WE COPING?
After six weeks of lockdown

PARKS AND OPEN SPACES TO THE RESCUE
During the Covid-19 crisis

KEEPING OUR RESOLVE
During the lockdown

GETTING ON WITH THE JOB
As best and as safely as we can

TIME TO REFLECT
Our pace of life has changed dramatically

TESTING TIMES AHEAD
Grasping the effects on our industry

UNPRECEDENTED TIMES
Covid-19's impact on our sector

SWITCHED ON TRADE DAY
Makita launch 30 new products

WHO SAID WE ONLY CUT GRASS?!
It takes years to acquire all the turf professional skills

TIME MARCHES ON
New month to hopefully bring much needed sunshine and drying winds

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY
Come again another day!

THE PLIGHT OF THE BUMBLEBEE
What can we do to help?

SPRING HAS SPRUNG
Essential renovations

CELEBRATING 2020
Amenity Forum making plans

A DIVERSE & ENTERTAINING WEEK
Successful BTME 2020

TIME TO GET FIT
Our industry can help tackle the growing obesity crisis

WINTER WORKS AND SHOWS
Plenty to occupy in January

LOOKING AHEAD
What might 2020 hold in store?

View all of 2019's blogs here

View all of 2018's blogs here

A SECTOR FACING IMPORTANT TIMES
Review of the National Action Plan

PARKS MATTER
The role of public parks in the recovery: a discussion paper

A UNIQUE SPORTING VENUE
Wormsley private estate

A BTME OUTDOORS?
A good bet for the industry

PARKS NEED APPROPRIATE POLITICAL REPRESENTATION
Q&A with Philippa Reece, Parks and Foreshore Manager at Adur and Worthing Council

CRICKET LOAM
What does it mean?

A HERCULEAN EFFORT TO GET PARKS BACK TO NORMAL
Q&A with Chris Worman, Rugby Borough Council’s parks and ground manager

ON TEST
STIHL battery products

TURFGRASS STRESS MANAGEMENT
Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and antioxidants during biotic and abiotic stress in turfgrass plants

AUTUMN DISEASE MANAGEMENT
The coming months are going to prove very difficult

THE ABUSE OF PARKS . .
Is the abuse of society

WHY PARKS MATTER?
A statement from the Parks Management Forum to the Prime Minister

THE 21st CENTURY PARKS MANAGER
Innovative, creative and entrepreneurial

EAT, SLEEP, CUT, REPEAT!
Cricket under covid

TIME FOR A SINGLE SHOW?
Debate brought back into focus

A CHALLENGING TWO MONTHS
Running golf design projects from home

PRESSURE SITUATION
Cementing the reputation

A CLUB TO BE PROUD OF
10 years at the helm of Olton GC

GAME CHANGERS IN TURFCARE
The day the Lord's outfield reconstruction proved its worth

THE ESSENCE OF ESSENTIAL
Finding a sensible way forward on defining "essential maintenance"

THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS
2001

HOW TO LOOK AFTER A GOLF COURSE WITH NO GOLFERS
Fundamental to the survival of almost all courses, if not of the game itself

RAIN STOPPED PLAY WOULD BE WELCOME
. . along with ‘lunch is being taken early’

PHYSICAL CONTROL OF TURFGRASS PESTS
An urgent problem

A DIVERSE & ENTERTAINING WEEK
Successful BTME 2020

INTEGRATED PEST CONTROL
Opportunity to embrace new methods

ENVILLE ON THE UP
Major investments taking place

GREEN FLAG AWARDS 2019
A great success

U.S PROFESSIONAL EQUIPMENT SHOW EXCELS
Buoyant GIE+EXPO

LEGACY OF THE SOLHEIM CUP
At Gleneagles

A DAY OUT WITH THE LADIES
Behind the scenes at the Solheim Cup

COVENTRY UNIVERSITY'S EDIBLE GARDEN SUCCESS
2006 - present

HAIL THE GRASS MASTERS!
Boorish media comments about pitch quality are wide of the mark

CONTRACTOR SEES MULTI-DISCIPLINE SUCCESS
360 Ground Care serving professional facilities

BUSY TIMES
Judging the Green Flag Awards

TAKING AN INTEGRATED APPROACH
What does it all mean in managing turf surfaces?

UNDER PRESSURE
Dry weather conditions continue to keep turf managers focused on moisture management

EDDIE SEAWARD
Death of Wimbledon’s influential grounds manager

MAJOR NEW IRRIGATION PROJECT
At Top 100 classic Berkhamsted Golf Club

NEW HORIZONS FOR THE HATTERS
Investment paying off at Kenilworth Road

ELIZABETHAN RESTORATION
At Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens

WHAT IS BIOPHILIA?
The vital impact of parks and green spaces on health and well-being

WORM CONTROL
Without carbendazim

THE TRUE COST OF PETROL
Battery-powered outdoor power tools are now turning the heads of professionals

SANDS OF TIME
Sand-based pitches are now the norm in professional sports

WHY DO WE DO THE RIGHT THING?
We must maintain industry standards

CHASING GRASS PERFECTION?
11 things you need to know . . .

MAINTAINING STANDARDS
Q&A with BASIS ceo, Stephen Jacobs

STRI RESEARCH DAY 2018
Hosted at research trial grounds in Bingley

THE MECHANIC
Leicester City FC invest in new role

LORD'S 'GRASS-GUVNOR' TO RETIRE
Mick Hunt bows out after 49 years

HOLLOW CORING & DEEP SCARIFICATION
Is it really necessary?

As mentioned in a recent TurfPro blog, Green Is The Colour, a few weeks ago, EGO Power Plus have sent me their latest STX3800 Strimmer with RTX2300 Rotocut head and battery backpack to test.

EGO say the STX3800 is their answer to taming and maintaining rough ground. This cordless tool is equipped with a manual wind bump feed head fitted with dual nylon line which gives a 38cm cutting width. It is also supplied with a 30cm three-tooth brush cutter blade. The company claim the light, yet strong carbon fibre shaft won't bend or lose its shape over time, keeping vibration levels to a minimum.

They also gave me the use of their commercial BAX1500 backpack battery that is compatible for their whole range of power tools with the exception of mowers. The battery includes a power level gauge to help with planning the day’s activities.

Featuring the company’s 56V Arc lithium-ion technology, the new 10Ah battery is the latest addition to a range that already includes 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5AH batteries. The new battery features a standard charge time of just over three hours, or 70 minutes on rapid charge.

This battery is compatible with all EGO power tools including the new 42cm mower as well as trimmers, blowers and chainsaws.

I have now trialled this equipment several times and have become quite competent in its use, learning a lot about how to get the most out of it. I have used it on several of my customers’ gardens, cutting long grass, brambles and bracken.

I was also very keen to see how the EGO Professional -X RotoCut blade would perform.

Changing from one cutting head to another is fairly straightforward, however you require an allen key (supplied) to undo the studs that hold it in place. You also must change the protective guards, depending on which cutting head you use.

As we all know, traditional strimmer cord continually wears out and needs replacing during use, whereas the benefit from using the steel headed RotoCut blade means that you can keep cutting without having to stop.

With two sets of specially designed counter-rotating blades spinning, the technique of cutting is very different from using a typical strimmer cord machine. There is definitely a difference in weight – it is much heavier when you are using the RotoCut head.

Developed to meet the demands of the commercial market, EGO boast the new RotoCut attachment has dual sharpened blades made of high strength alloy steel and a cutting width of 23cm. Combined with an integrated guard, it is designed to cut close to the ground, quickly and safely in areas where scattering debris could be damaging.

I certainly required a different strimming technique when using the RotoCut head. Again depending what you are cutting, I tended to sweep in one direct action to move cut material to one side. It certainly made light work of brambles and heavy vegetation. However, you will need to use and set up the shoulder strap to help balance and take the weight of the strimmer off your arms.

The backpack battery system is light and comfortable to wear, giving you a long working time and it recharges in just over the hour. However, make sure you fully insert the power lead into the strimmer until it clicks to make a good contact. If you do not connect properly it may run, but soon as you put in under load, it stops. That happened to me a couple of times until I realised the problem.

As for recharging the 7.5 amp battery, it is a very easy operation. A quick release button discharges the battery from the harness and then it’s simply a case of sliding it onto the charging unit and switching on the mains power. There are five green charging indicator lights. When all are fully lit the battery is fully charged. On average it takes about 70 minutes to fully charge the battery.

It was then time to try the strimmer head. Considering you have to unscrew a few bolts with an Allen key, changing over from the RTX2300 Rotocut blade to the cord stimmer head was simple and fairly quick. You also need to make sure you have fully inserted the strimmer head onto the internal spline shaft. If you do not, it will not operate.

Perhaps on future models there might be a quick release system fitted to save having to carry around a set of allen keys. I also had to change the guard as you need more protection from the strimming head.

It was then a case of getting used to how the strimmer head performs in terms of accuracy. It took a while for me to get used to how close I could strim near the edge of the lawn without scalping it.

All in all, I was fairly impressed with the overall concept of this product. However, I did find the rotary blade a bit heavy and slower to use than the conventional strimmer cord head.

I really liked the power pack and harness system. It was easy to put on and did not weigh too heavy. A fully charged battery gave me about three hours continuous use, which would accommodate most working situations. Recharge times were good, taking just over the hour to fully recharge the battery.
Hand vibration and noise levels when in operation were minimised, which is one of the selling points of battery powered equipment.

Battery powered products are seemingly getting better by the day. Their clean efficiency and much improved performance and running times are starting to give petrol powered products a run for their money. Yes, they may be a tad more expensive at present, but prices are generally coming down and as we all know, fossil fuelled products will be phased out in the coming years.

EGO have produced the chart above to show the efficiency of battery powered products compared to petrol powered machinery.

In the professional marketplace there may be still end users who currently prefer petrol powered products, but the way battery technology is growing, I believe there soon will be a major switch to the cleaner, safer way of working.

I would like to thank EGO for giving me the opportunity to try out this equipment. It is always good to compare and try out new products. I look forward to trying some more of their products in the near future.