Re: Responding to a Poor Product Review

**K* M* <k*@iol.ie>**

I'm interested in your experience Margaret. I tried the Cobrahead  
first in the light soil at Sonairte where, predictably, it performed  
all functions from dealing with emergent weeds to taking out the  
rhizomes of scutch and cutting through burdock roots well. I put the  
burdock root effectiveness down to sharp newness but it is still  
tackling docks six months later without sharpening. I thought it  
wouldn't do nearly so well at home on my mix of stone and heavy clay  
but it is still doing well - pulls out the smaller stones a bit more  
often than I would wish but gets through the clay very well. Doesn't  
pull out the scutch and bindweed roots as it does at Sonairte but  
cuts them easily so used regularly performs good control.
I still don't like it as much as my beloved Swoe but when one has  
fallen in love with a tool as a child anything else has to work very  
hard to come up it fifty years on.
Like Sandy, I rarely go out without it - I'm running it side by side  
with the Ibis as a hand tool and  haven't decided which has the edge.  
Each does a couple of things better than the other

Kathryn

On 14 Jul 2008, at 16:30, margaret lauterbach wrote:

> Sandie, I disagree that the people trialing the Cobra were not real
> gardeners.  They may have been gardeners.  I am, and I did not find
> the Cobra very useful for the following reasons: 1. I prefer to weed
> with a scraping tool when weed seedlings are tiny.  The Cobra does
> not cover a very large area when used in that manner.  2. One must
> have very strong hands to use it on more mature weeds. 3. My hands
> are not strong enough to use it against taprooted weeds such as  
> mallow.
>
> OTOH, I loaned it to friends who have more alluvial soil than mine,
> and they liked it.  They are, however, younger and stronger.  I did
> not review the tool in my column. Margaret L
>
>> Noel,
>>
>> I love your CobraHead tool. I use it for everything...weeding,  
>> digging
>> holes, getting out small rocks, making rows for seeds...whatever.  
>> It is
>> always in my bucket with my "go to" tools. You have also supplied  
>> a couple
>> for my master gardener trips and the feedback I got back was  
>> positive.
>>
>> My guess is the three people that trialed the tool were not "real"
>> gardeners. If they are the type that just plant some annuals every  
>> spring,
>> they might not find a use for it. Or, there seem to many that have  
>> their
>> favorite tools and just don't try anything new. Gardeners that are
>> constantly in the garden digging, weeding, planting,  
>> fussing...something
>> everyday, should definitely find many uses for it.
>>
>> You have testimonials on your website, including some writers and
>> horticulturists...so you can either let it go (some publicity is  
>> better than
>> none?)...or have more of the garden writers test your product and  
>> include it
>> in their articles.
>>
>> Sandie Parrott
>> Freelance Garden, Travel & Features, Writer/Photographer
>> Contributor to...
>> Michigan Gardener Magazine
>> The Herbarist, Herb Society of America
>> GO Magazine (AirTran in-flight magazine)
>> FREE NYC - The Ultimate Free Fun Guide to the Big Apple
>> FREE OC - The Ultimate Free Fun Guide to the California Riviera
>> The Oakland Press
>> The Flint Journal
>> Member, Garden Writer's Association (GWA)
>> Master Gardener Society of Oakland County MI - Trips & Tours
>> Phone: 248.394.1532
>> Email: info@SandieParrott.com
>> Website: www.SandieParrott.com
>
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