The downside to Twitter is don’t get context, you don’t get explanations, you don’t get the meaningful conversations that can only happen in a blog (YMMV)! So I thought I’d follow this series of tweets with a bit more background and discussion.

11:30 AM May 18th from Twitterrific

11:41 AM May 18th from Twitterrific

about 23 hours ago from txt
The thing about all gas powered tools is the inherent safety of a pull-start. At the best of times I can barely start my lawn trimmer after 18 pulls – there’s no way my 2-year old daughter (or any neighbour’s kid) is accidentally going to start it and chop their fingers off. The same goes for my lawn mower and all the other gas powered tools I’d like (chain saw, hedge trimmer, and generator)
I’m all for the environment and clean water and fresh air and stuff.
But I guess my moment of epiphany on gas vs. electric (especially battery, because power cords and rapidly chopping blades were always a bad combination in my opinion) came at a local big-box hardware store. I was shopping for a lawn trimmer and looking at the different models they had. As I took them off the shelf tried them for weight and balance and over-all feel I’d just naturally hit the trigger to see how that felt.
One particular model I picked up was FULLY CHARGED and ready to go!!! You can imagine my surprise – and that of the shoppers around me – when a potentially deadly tool whirred to life!!!
I gently set down the homicidal lawn trimmer, pointed out to a sales clerk in no uncertain terms how bonedheadly dangerous it was to have operational model on display, and then moved on to the gas powered models…
Cross-posted on Cameron-Schultz at There’s nothing like the smell of a 2-stroke in the morning!
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