Tool Box: The drain for my resources

MY WATER is metered, so anything that promises to reduce bills merits investigation. According to the blurb, Sandvik's WD-120 Pulsator uses only four litres an hour.

The Pulsator, priced at pounds 39.99, seeps tapwater into as many as six small plastic units. Each has a silicone membrane that inflates under gentle pressure and, when full, opens a seal and squirts a fine spray over a distance of about four metres. Other accessories, which include 30 metres of small-diameter pipe, enable a maximum of 50 sprinklers to operate simultaneously from one tap.

So much for the theory. In practice, I was soon wishing I could have a quiet word with whoever wrote the 'very simple to install' claim on the instruction leaflet. Patience and dexterity were essential qualities. Or was I being even more stupid than usual? Worried by this possibility, I said nothing about my sentiments while handing the Pulsator to a professional gardener. His verdict: 'Too much trouble to assemble', as was another gardener's. We were also concerned about the jets getting blocked.

Sandvik products generally get a favourable reception at Tool Box Towers. This was an exception.

Sandvik Saws and Tools UK, Manor Way, Halesowen, West Midlands B62 8QZ (021-550 4700).