Frequently Asked Questions
(Plus a few you had not thought of)
Does it get the root out?
No. It was not designed to. What it does is do is instantly remove the leaves, stems and bud crown. Every part of the weed that is visible above the surface of the ground and approximately ½” to ¾” of the uppermost portion of the tap root will be gone in less than a second.
Doesn’t the dandelion just grow back if you leave the root in ground?
Some try. I have found that only the heartiest of them will survive the shock of their first assault and try to generate new leaves and flowers. It takes between 2-4 weeks for the really tough ones to show any sign of recovery. Every plant needs 4 elements to thrive; air, water, minerals and sun light. The first three are the building blocks. The light is the power source. In an instant, we are removing the plants ability to process that sun light. If it can not process light or the light goes out, the plant dies. The dandelion now must go into survival mode and shoot up some new leaves. It has stored up some energy in its tap root for such a time as this. Kind of like a back up battery it will provide the energy needed to get those leaves out ASAP as they are absolutely vital to the plants survival. The larger the dandelion the harder it will fight to survive. But,”Fear Not”... Do not loose any sleep over it. If it is not dead yet; rest assured it is mortally wounded and fighting for its life.
Well, if some come back, aren’t I just wasting my time?
No, not at all. It took less than 1 second to remove it. You have not had to look at it for several weeks now (if at all) and it surely has not spread any seeds. Now, remember. How much time and effort did it take to remove it? Less than 1 second and a pull with your trigger finger. If it try’s to come back in a few weeks it is not the end of the world; just invest 1 more second for another hit. It will not survive a second time. It took all that stored energy and weeks with no sunlight to develop a few new leaves to soak up some of that life giving light it needs so badly. (More on this later)
What are the advantages of your tool over all the other ones out there?
The environmental advantages of mechanical weed control over chemical weed control are obvious enough so we do not need to go into that right now. And I do not want to build our tool up by tearing someone else’s down. Therefore, I will try to focus on the DLT’s attributes with out comparison to some of the other great tools out there on the market. If you’ve had any experience with other tools we shall leave the comparison to you.
1. Save Time: The DLT does what it claims to do in less than 1 second. We all have better things to do with our time than digging dandelions, thistles and other weeds out of our lawns on a beautiful Saturday morning. The DLT is fast! It reduces a daunting task to a simple little walk around the yard.
2. Ease of Use: The DLT is really easy to operate. Many people have some serious physical limitations such as back, hip, wrist and neck problems that make yard work or weeding in particular very difficult if not impossible. See our testimonials and read what some customers have said about this very topic. You have my word that these are real customers who own and use the DLT. Once the DLT is connected to your cordless drill it only takes a quick pull of your trigger finger to remove the weeds bud crown and foliage from the lawn and then all it takes is an easy push on the handle to eject the terminated foliage off of the blade. The most effort you will exert using a DLT-100 is walking to the next weed.
3. In conclusion the DLT is environmentally safe, fast, ergonomically friendly and clean.
How often do you have to use it to stay weed free?
That really depends on a lot of things. For instance if your neighbors are providing new seeds that blow over and take root in your lawn, a weekly search and destroy mission should be planned. When I first used my prototype on my lawn I went though my front and back yards in about 2 hours (and I had a lot of them). Then I did my mowing and saw a few that I had missed, so that took another walk through for about ½ hour to get those. The following week I spent, maybe, ½ hour getting some really small new ones that sprouted. Each successive week the dandelions became harder to find and although I was pleased with the progress I was making, I was almost disappointed to not find any big ones to terminate. It gets to be kind of like a sport after a while. If it were any more fun I’m sure it would be taxed. I t only takes about 5-10 minutes/week now and most of that time is spent on searching rather than destroying. I do a walk through once a week just before I get out the mower. It is February 15 as I write this and I can’t wait for spring and that first brave dandelion to pop up. Dirty Harry quotes are coming to mind, like “go ahead, make my day”.
Isn’t it going to leave a whole bunch of little holes in my yard?
Most definitely it will. It will leave exactly 1 small hole for every dandelion terminated; measuring approximately 1” wide x ½” to 1” deep. But don’t worry, we don’t charge anything extra for the aeration benefits as a result of using theDLT-100. That is just a freebee; you will not be billed by us for that service. They are most often not even noticeable and will eventually fill in. If you are really fussy you can fill them with some soil and seed.
What are my neighbors going to think when the see me drilling my yard?
They will probably think you’re crazy like my wife did when I first used the prototype. But after about 20 minutes of peering out of their windows from behind the curtains, unable to figure out just exactly what you’re up to with that insidious grin on your face as you’re going around your yard with your DLT-100 yelling “die,die,die”, they will come out and ask you. Caution, avoid wearing camouflage clothing on your first mission or be ready to explain your new found hobby to your local law enforcement. Until the neighbors are accustomed to your new weeding technique you should dress as low key as possible. Oh, and by the way, it was my wife and friends and neighbors who convinced me to patent this tool. I was just minding my own business trying to save my lawn and marriage; not necessarily in that order.
If these tools are so good, how come they’re not in stores yet?
Good question. The DLT was a long time in R&D and we are just now getting the word and the tool out. It takes a long time to get the big stores interested in a new product or concept but we are working on it. There are more than a few stores in Montana that have them on their shelves and they are selling quite well. Over a period of time they will be coming to a store near you. For now though, if you don’t live in Montana you, can order one on line from our website or down load the mail in form and pay by check or money order.
What kind of drill does it take to operate the DLT?
I highly recommend using a cordless drill with variable speed. To efficiently wrap up all the leaves and stems from the plant around the specially designed blade it is best to use a slow speed. Otherwise you may just cut them all up and they will be left on the lawn. 2 or 3 slower revolutions are all that is needed to wrap up all the foliage onto the blade and sever them off below the bud crown. One of the neat features of the DLT is that it allows you to dispose of the foliage into the trash bucket without having to even touch them. An easy push on the handle slides the ejector sleeve over the blade and knocks the weed into a bucket or where ever you decide. As far as drill size goes, you do not need a Binford 6100, 90amp, 10,000 rpm, D-handle, professional model. Which ever model is comfortable for you to carry around will do the job. The only thing to consider about size is that the smaller and cheaper drills have smaller batteries that do not last as long as the larger ones. You will have to decide for your self if you are going to buy one. You will discover that the larger batteries are considerably heavier but will probably last as long as you need. You will have to balance comfort with longevity.
What about a guarantee?
The DLT-100 Dandelion Terminator has a 30 day money back guarantee and a lifetime warrantee covering any defects in material and workmanship. Normal wear and tear is not included in the coverage, however if anything ever wears out replacement parts are available to you at our cost. The only thing you must do is use the DLT according to instructions it comes with. Avoid using it in rocky soil or gravel beds and Please! Do Not try to remove a dandelion from the cracks between concrete slabs. Believe it or not someone did. It wasn’t pretty. Damage resulting from mis use is obviously not covered.
How long will I have to wait if I order one today?
You should have your DLT within 5 working days. We ship within 24 hours of receiving your order, whether by mail or on line and we send it USPS priority 2-3 days.
Can the kids use this tool?
The DLT-100 is fun and easy to use and requires no great amount of strength, size or agility, however, I do not recommend that children be allowed to use it unsupervised. It is not a toy. It is a tool and if used improperly or without the original intention it could be a potential danger in hands of a child. To be on the safe side I would have to rate this tool PG-13. Please use good judgment.
How many DLTS have been returned to you under the 30 day guarantee?
Only 6 from the first 1,000 units sold. 3 came back because each customer said they had too many dandelions. 2 because the tool would not fit the customers extension (a problem we resolved by modifying our tolerance on the shaft end that goes into the drill) and then there’s one that tried to drill concrete. That’s less than 1%. So far, our satisfaction rate is over 99% and that is unheard of. None have come back after 1 year for any other defects.
Is there a price break for quantities ordered?
That would depend upon the quantities in question E-mail Ed Reed at ereed@dlt100.com
Are there any business opportunities with the DLT?
Yes. They are selling well at trade shows, nursery and landscape, lawn care businesses, as fund raisers, other web stores-gardening tools etc. This is a brand new tool and the opportunities are wide open. E-mail Ed Reed at ereed@dlt100.com for details or for any other questions or comments.