Guide

This nifty Finnish weed puller is a fussy gardener’s dream

9-9-2025

Translation: Katherine Martin

Camera: Davide Arizzoli

Cutter: Davide Arizzoli

I want my lawn to be a dandelion-free zone. Since I’m reluctant to use weedkiller, I use tools to keep them at bay instead. But which one eliminates the problem at the root?

Work that involves kneeling isn’t my thing. If it was, I would’ve either become a tiler or continued my stint as an altar boy. That said, I’ve made exceptions in the past for the sake of a tidy lawn – plucking clover and pulling dandelions.

Recently, I’ve been trying to tackle the dandelions in a manner more suited to my age. Or more precisely, my back. In fact, the three weed pullers I tested for this review made the work a darn sight easier.

The comparison: weed pullers from Fiskars, Siena Garden and Gardena (left to right).

To defeat your enemy, you have to know them first. So here’s a little dandelion lesson to get us started. Taraxacum (the dandelion’s scientific name) is a perennial, super-adaptable herbaceous plant. Depending on where they are, dandelions can form small or large leaves, often stretching upwards. In frequently mown areas, the plants stay flat on the ground, keeping their stalks lower than the grass around them so as not to endanger their flowers. The main thing that makes dandelions a tough opponent, however, is their roots. These reach deep into the earth. If you get rid of just part of the plant above the soil, you’ll soon have a new dandelion. You literally have to tackle the problem at the root.

Of course, you don’t actually have to get rid of dandelions. After all, the plant has a lot going for it. Considered a medicinal plant, it’s said to help with digestive issues. It strengthens the liver, helping with the removal of toxins from the body. The leaves also contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. If you want to give your smoothies an extra healthy boost, you could toss a few dandelion leaves into the blender. Plus, they’re good in salads. Ground, roasted dandelion roots can even be used to make coffee substitute.

With this in mind, weed pullers are my chosen weapon in the fight against dandelions. I got myself the Lamborghini of weed removers from Galaxus, as well as a mid-range, mass-market model and a budget-friendly bestseller.

Fiskars: expensive, good and durable

The Fiskars Smart Fit is a powerful weapon. It works by way of four serrated metal arms, which you use to lever the dandelions and their roots out of the ground. To do this, you position the weed puller in the middle of a dandelion and push it into the soil by stepping on a pedal. The arms then grab hold of the plant.

When you’re doing this, part of the root might get cut off by the blades and left in the soil. However, I managed to pull most of them out – even ones with roots grown diagonally into the soil.

I was also helped along by the fact that it had rained, making the ground slightly softer than usual. Once you’ve uprooted a dandelion, you can see the plant and its roots dangling from the gripper. During my attempts, there was often a clump of loamy soil there too, creating visible holes in the lawn. If that happens to you, you can shake off the soil from the uprooted dandelion and use it to refill the holes. I plugged the holes in my own garden with a bag of lawn repair mix.

Fiskars’ handiwork: the dandelion and some extra soil

This was partly because I had so much fun using the Fiskars tool to «shoot» the dandelions straight into the green waste bin. The Smart Fit has a sliding mechanism for that. Using it feels like loading a shotgun. And as you can see in the video above, it sounds like it too.

The fact that the Finnish weed puller is height adjustable makes it pleasant to use. With the telescopic handle extended, I easily managed to use the tool comfortably – even though I’m just over 1.90 metres tall (6 ft 2 in). You adjust the height via a screw in the D-handle. Just loosen the screw, select the height you want and tighten it again.

You get better grip with the expensive Fiskars weed puller (left) than the Siena Garden tool (right).

Garden hand tools

EUR57,90

Fiskars smart fit

Siena Garden: same mechanism, less comfort

For a lower price, Siena Garden offers a weed puller that works on the same principle as its Finnish counterpart. The difference? On Siena Garden’s tool, two of the metal prongs are fixed and there are only two gripper arms for pulling dandelions out of the ground. When I tested the two tools, I didn’t notice any major differences between them.

One downside of the Siena Garden weed puller is that it isn’t height adjustable. If you’re on the taller side, you’ll have to bend down, potentially making it more difficult to work for long periods. If you’re somewhere between 1.60 (5 ft 2 in) and 1.70 metres tall (5 ft 5 in), you’ll largely be spared these issues. Siena Garden’s also scrimped on a handle, providing just a straight, joystick-style grip. It’s rubberised and fits snugly in your hand, but it’s obviously not as comfortable as a T- or D-handle.

Garden hand tools

Siena Garden Weed protection

Gardena: budget option for occasional use

If you don’t get many dandelions on your lawn and your knees are still in decent shape, I’d recommend this inexpensive weed puller from Gardena. It did well in my hands-on weed puller comparison. And unlike the two lever-based tools, it didn’t tear any holes in my lawn. The Gardena tool is basically the minimally invasive way of doing things. As long as your lawn’s nice and soft, there isn’t much effort involved. You just dig into the soil immediately beside the dandelion on two sides, loosen the plant, then pull it out along with its roots.

Almost minimally invasive: getting to the root of a dandelion with a Gardena weed puller.

The Gardena tool’s handle fits comfortably in your hand. The part for digging into the ground is made of steel coated with a protective layer to prevent corrosion. In designing its tool, Gardena’s also considered storage options. There’s a hole in the handle so you can thread through a cord and hang it up.

Garden hand tools

Quantity discount

EUR13,84 per piece for 2 units

Gardena spud

The verdict: cheap really can be cheerful

The Fiskars Smart Fit is the most fun weed puller to work with. With this nifty Finnish tool, I quickly pulled a lot of dandelions out of my lawn using the point-push-pull technique. If you have a larger lawn with a lot of weeds, I’d recommend you go for the Fiskars tool. If you’re happy enough to sacrifice a little comfort, the cheaper Siena Garden puller will do the job as well.

The real winner when it comes to value for money, however, is the Gardena tool. This robust little weed puller may get you down on your hands and knees, but it gives you good results across the board.

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Martin Jungfer

Head of Content

Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.ch

Journalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.

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