Updated on Sep. 24, 2024
Weeding is back-breaking and time-consuming work. Luckily, we found the best stand-up weed pullers to help make this a slightly less painful chore.
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Are you tired of having to crouch down in the dirt to pull those pesky weeds from your grass? Without the proper gardening tools, weeding can be back-breaking and time-consuming work. This is why the best stand-up weed puller is necessary to save your back from wear and tear. No more bending over to remove ground-blanketing clover, lawn-invading crabgrass or wall-clinging ivy!
We’ve all fantasized about the perfect weeder that would put an end to all labor-intensive weed man gement. Spoiler alert! It doesn’t exist. The good news is that these weeders can lessen the need to stoop, kneel, and bend over, and there are options that can help you get at those oh-so-deep roots with greater efficiency and precision than, say a shovel. To help you out, we tested a variety of options to help you find the best choice on the market (you’re welcome in advance).
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The Fiskars stand-up weeder ups the game by using four serrated steel claws to latch onto weeds. It also uses an enormous foot peg that allows your entire foot to apply pressure. A sliding weed expeller instead of a spring action plunger rounds out the uniqueness of this stand-up weeder.
This tool has only a steel shaft and claw, with the remainder being plastic construction—keeping it lightweight. The handle is sort of a walking cane shape, so the weeder can be held in one hand. The mechanism to expel the weed is easily slid on the shaft. Instructions for usage are on the shaft (should you need a reminder on technique).
The first thing I really loved about this weeder was the huge foot peg for pressing the claws into the ground. It didn’t take concentration or particularly good aim to have my foot land in place, which made moving from weed to weed a quick transition. The second thing was the weed expeller. Instead of a small plunger that presses at the center of the weed mass, it has a plate shaped like a clover that encases each claw so that weeds can’t hang on. I found myself thinking things in my head like “bada bing” and “see ya” as I watched the weeds fall from the tool.
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The Weasel WeedPopper has been around for a while and uses a step-and-turn mechanism to make stand-up weed pulling a breeze. It has an all-steel construction and a spring-action plunger for weed expulsion. The two claws are serrated and reminiscent of Wolverine’s claws.
This weeder has a t-shaped handle, similar to a pogo stick. The t-shaped handle is perfect for rotating the tool clockwise, which is required to grab the weeds. Though the foot presser is small, it’s steel and works well enough to get the sharp claws into the soil around the weed.
I put this weeder to work on a patch of crabgrass and many random, unnamed scraggly weeds. It was quite efficient at grabbing large clumps of the grass. When it came to the smaller, thin weeds with narrow roots, it didn’t work as well, but with some finessing, I could get a number of the weeds pulled without bending over. The t-shaped handle made it easy to carry to each spot.
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A lot of stand-up weeders employ plungers and various techniques for grabbing weeds, but the Landzie utilizes leverage and the flick of a lever to release weeds. It’s simply a straight pole made of solid steel with two steel serrated “claws” for grabbing weeds. A mechanical foot lever is built in and is also serrated.
The Lanzie arrives unassembled and only requires the top portion of the handle to be screwed into the base. This is handy because disassembly allows for easy transportation and storage of the weeder. To use the weeder, you stab the weed, pull the weeder toward you so the lever gets pressed into the ground, lift, and the claws release the weed!
The simplicity of this tool made it a joy to use. I was able to quickly remove a large area of crabgrass that had invaded a portion of my flower bed. I did all this without once bending over to assist the tool or having to use my hands to release weeds. The simplicity of this tool means that there is virtually nothing on it that could break. Plus, the tool came with several colorful stickers to accessorize your weeder.
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The RoamWild Multi-Digger weeder is three tools in one. It has a three-sided, toothed piercing spike for digging under the root of weeds. The foot pegs that dig into the soil can be used to weed cracks in pavement—and so can the piercing part of the tool. But wait for it; there’s also a hoe on the base of this tool!
The toothed head narrows to a tip, making it easy to reach the “heart” of the weed and squeeze into tight spaces. It has a double handle that gives you leverage to twist the tool once you’ve grabbed onto a weed. Even the built-in hoe has serrated edges.
Once again, I put this tool through some brutal tests. I bounced up and down on the handle, and the steel did not even come close to feeling like it would bend. I found the stooping required to use the hoe was not ideal but extremely handy in that I didn’t have to get another tool to remove loosely seated weeds. By far my favorite accessory on this tool was the “scrapy” edgers at the tip and on the foot pegs. They were the best scrapers I’ve ever found for removing weeds from in-between pavers.
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The Radius Garden Root Slayer Nomad not only has a rad name, but it also looks cool. It’s a bit like a customized spade. At first glance, it’s a shovel, but upon closer inspection, jagged teeth along the sides and tip of the spade reveal its power as a weed “slayer.”
The “Nomad” part of the name indicates that this weeding shovel is portable. It can be strapped onto a backpack and taken into remote areas for things like invasive species management. Additionally, it can also do wonders in your backyard and raised beds. The minimal space it takes up in your shed is an added bonus.
I put the Root Slayer to work on some embarrassingly large lemongrass volunteers that have sprouted throughout my yard. The Radius weeder allowed me to dig a smaller area than I would have needed to dig with a typical spade. It also cut through the roots with the sharp teeth, and the teeth helped me get the weeder deep into the soil. I did some seriously mean things to this weeder—wedging it under a root ball and bouncing up and down on the end of the handle with my foot and all my body weight. I was fully expecting the shovel to bend, but it did not!
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Grampa’s Weeder is another straight shaft, two-pronged stand-up weeder. In fact, it’s nearly identical to the Landzie listed above. The distinction between the two has to do with materials.
A smooth wooden handle is used for the shaft, giving this tool a look that is reminiscent of times past and apropos for the name of the weeder. Given the wooden handle, care must be taken to avoid letting the tool get exposed to too much moisture. However, the wood handle makes the tool ultra-light at just 2.3 pounds (versus 3.5 pounds for a steel weeder), so you can weed for extended periods of time.
Family Handyman Product Tester Sheri Kaz reviewed Grandpa’s Weeder and noted that it has instructions on the handle in case you lose your technique. It’s super easy to maneuver and place directly over the top of weeds. The strong prongs easily pull out even the toughest of weeds without bending or warping.
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The Walensee stand-up weeder is a three-prong weeder made of lots of plastic, keeping this tool lightweight. This weeder is not only lightweight but economical, making it a great choice for those who are looking for a low-cost stand-up weeder. As with many of the stand-up weeders, the Walensee utilizes a plunger at the handle to expel the weed from the prongs.
The three stainless steel prongs grab weeds, and a plastic foot press helps dig in. With a solid tilt of the tool and lift, the weed is extracted. The spring action plunger is designed to expel the weed from the tines’ grasp.
While testing the Walensee, I found it easy to get the tines around the weeds due to their cylindrical shape. The foot peg to press it into the ground could be bigger, but it was big enough to work. I would often tilt the tool and not quite have a good grasp of the weed. Giving the tool a slight twist did the trick, and the weed could be extracted. The plunger was effective at releasing the weed from the round prongs.
Probably the most important consideration when looking at stand-up weeders is your ability to weed, and if you have no physical encumbrances, then what is your greatest pain point? For example, you may recall spending countless hours digging up dandelions every spring and wouldn’t mind a little help. In that case, a stand-up weeder with an expeller may be just what you seek.
If you answered that digging up large, deeply rooted weeds (such as lemongrass) is one of your main challenges, then a shovel-style stand-up weeder might be just what you need. For those with plenty of mobility and a desire for efficiency, a multi-tool weeder is the ticket. Physical limitations almost always point toward needing a lightweight expeller-style weeder.
There is no doubt that you’ll also want to consider the construction of the tool. If you use the tool in a humid environment, look for powder-coated steel and maybe even more plastic parts. Weeds that require a lot of leverage to extract will require a sturdy shaft and digging/piercing parts. Check out the handle, too, to ensure that it is ergonomic and made to match the weeder’s usage (for example, tools that require twisting should have a handle that makes it easy to twist).
I strive to keep an environmentally healthy and organic approach to everything in my life, particularly in my yard and garden. During my years of landscaping, I met with many clients concerned with weed management. While there are weed control techniques such as mulching and weed barriers, I have been reminded time and time again that the only safe and sound way to remove weeds is by pulling them; manually. Heavy sigh.
I designed the criteria for the testing of the stand-up weeders in a way that measures each tool against certain tasks. No one tool can do it all, and eventually, we are going to have to bend over, stoop down, or get on our knees and pull a few weeds. So, for this review, I asked myself if these tools would be a helpful addition to my methods and if they could be helpful to others. I have presented the usage of each tool fairly so that consumers can understand the capabilities of the weeders.
We selected weeders that could meet a variety of user needs. This included being able to remove various types of weeds and accommodating the physical needs of the person doing the weeding. Therefore, a diverse selection of weeders was sourced for this review.
Once we considered the types of users and uses we wanted to cover, we selected a few of each type of weeder based on popularity, reviews and uniqueness. We ended up with three weeders that stab with prongs and have weed expellers, two that work as diggers and two straight shaft tools that use a basic leverage system to get at roots. They all made it onto this best-of list, each serving a unique purpose.
As I’ve mentioned, some of the weeders are designed to excel at removing weeds with a large centered root. Yeah, I’m talking about you, dandelions. This included the prong and expeller-style weeders and the straight shaft leverage weeders. The other weeders are designed to act almost as a shovel so that you can dig below the root of large weeds.
Weed types were specific to the tool and the test, but all of the weeders were evaluated on the following commonalities:
Stand-up weeders do, in fact, work. Are they going to work perfectly? Probably not. Are they going to work on all types of weeds? Probably not. Are they going to help in many situations? Absolutely.
Stand-up weeders may be designed to lessen stooping or to reach difficult root systems. Either way, you will be doing the work, not the weeder. The weeders simply lessen the challenges.
With a stand-up weeder, of course! Most weeds can be pulled while standing, but stooping isn’t good for anyone’s back. Alas, not all weeds can be pulled with a stand-up weeder, either, but stand-up weeders can save backs, save knees, and be of enormous assistance to those who lack the mobility to kneel and stoop.
Young thistle plants can easily be extracted with a prong/claw-type stand-up weeder. In fact, this type of stand-up weeder excels at thistle and dandelions because the root location is specific. However, once you have a full-blown thistle plant—you know that one that the tops are looking you in the eye—you might be best served by donning some gloves and using a stand-up weeder designed to get deep into the roots.
