FOR: V & B Manufacturing Company

CONTACT: Frank Burgmeier "fburgme1@TWCNY.RR.COM"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

V & B ADDS NEW GREEN HANDLE SERIES
TO GROUNDBREAKERS® LANDSCAPING LINE

WALNUT RIDGE, AR -- A new series of green-handled tools featuring a bright-toned, ergonomic Soft-Grip is being added to the existing line of Groundbreakers® Landscaping and Gardening tools by V & B Manufacturing Company.

The company says the green, vinyl Soft-Grip on the tool's hickory handle is designed to increase comfort and provide firmer control while further reducing handle vibration.

In introducing the Soft-Grip handle tools, V & B says it is responding to criteria for garden hand tools from women's gardening groups. One of these, a women's garden club in Arkansas, listed as their top requirement: a comfortable, safe grip to reduce pain or strain.

The green-handled Groundbreakers® series will be available in three 16-inch models: the Mini-Tiller, Mini-Pick and Mini-Axe plus three 26-inch Handy Mattocks models with the same tiller, pick and axe configurations.

The new series joins V & B broad Groundbreakers® line of landscaping and garden tools with applications for both professional and consumer gardeners. Offered with 16, 26 and 36-inch handle lengths, the Groundbreakers® feature multi-purpose tool heads with pick ends, broad mattocks, axe heads, tines and scoops that can penetrate, dig, trench, chop, and till.

The newly introduced Green Soft-Grip models will retail for approximately $14 for the Mini-Series and $19 for the Handy Mattocks tools.

For information: V & B Manufacturing Company, P.O. Box 268, Walnut Ridge, AR, 72476, (800) 443-1987. Or visit the company web-site at www.vbmfg.com

FOR: V & B Manufacturing Company

CONTACT: Frank Burgmeier "fburgme1@TWCNY.RR.COM"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A SEAMLESS WAY TO TRENCH: UNZIP AND ZIP-UP YOUR LAWN

WALNUT RIDGE, AR -- Any householder contemplating such traumatic projects as trenching through their manicured lawn to bury wire for outside lighting or invisible fence wiring for the family dog, will welcome an almost seamless way to get these jobs done.

A recently introduced landscaping tool by V & B Manufacturing Company provides a simple way to "unzip" your lawn to make the necessary trench and then to "zip" it up again with no scars showing.

V & B's recently introduced EdgeAll® is a hefty 13 pound tool with a sharp blade that slices into the soil leaving a neat, deep, narrow channel for your installation. After the wiring or piping is installed, the parted earth is easily tamped back into place leaving no visible sign of your project.

When the tool is first inserted into the soil, a simple rocking motion is used to achieve the size and depth of the trench.

Besides being ideal for sub-surface trenching, the EdgeAll®'s sharp blade and hefty weight make short work of installing edging, sharpening up walk and driveway edges, cutting sod patches and scraping away ice and snow.

The EdgeAll® is available along with the company's full line of Groundbreakers® Landscaping Tools at lawn and garden centers nationwide.

For information: V & B Manufacturing Company, P.O. Box 268, Walnut Ridge, AR, 72476, (800) 443-1987. Or visit the company web-site at www.vbmfg.com.

FOR: V & B Manufacturing Company

CONTACT: Frank Burgmeier "fburgme1@TWCNY.RR.COM"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

V & B BEEFS UP GROUNDBREAKERS® TOOL LINE
WITH XT CONSTRUCTION LANDSCAPING SERIES

WALNUT RIDGE, AR - V & B Manufacturing is beefing up its hand tools line with the addition of its Groundbreakers XT series of more than sixty heavy duty construction and landscaping tools offering a wide spectrum of sizes, functions and pricing.

The new V & B XT Series, offering both hickory and fiberglass models, includes rugged duty sledges, picks, mattocks, splitting mauls, wedges, tampers and wrecking bars. V & B also provides short handled hand drills, cross peins and sledges in its Strikers XT Series of 18 tools, all with the option of hickory or fiberglass handles.

V & B says the new tool line augments and supports the company's well-known line of Groundbreakers® Landscaping Tools and provides the customer with a wider range of functions and pricing.

The new XT series includes 15 different models of picks and mattocks and 14 sizes of long handled sledges ranging from two to twenty pounds.

Among it its more specialized tools, V & B offers heavy duty six-foot tamper bars, pinch point bars and 42-inch dirt tampers in 14 and 16-pound sizes.

For information: V & B Manufacturing Company, P.O. Box 268, Walnut Ridge, AR, 72476, (800) 443-1987. Or visit the company web-site at www.vbmfg.com.

FOR: V & B Manufacturing Company

CONTACT: Frank Burgmeier "fburgme1@TWCNY.RR.COM"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

V & B'S NEW EDGEALL™ A NO-NONSENSE EDGER/TRENCHER

WALNUT RIDGE, AR -- V & B Manufacturing Company announces a hefty addition to its rugged line of landscaping tools - a new no-nonsense edging and trenching tool, the EdgeAll™.

Originally designed for installation of edging, the husky EdgeAll was found in field-testing to be adaptable to many other earth moving jobs. These include: installing low voltage wiring; underground fencing wire; shallow drip watering systems; plumbing lines; laying walks and stepping stones; drainage systems; deck preparation; edging drives and sidewalks; invisible fences for dogs and general foundation laying.

The burly five foot tool uses the momentum of its 13 pound weight and the sharpness of its 8-inch blade, to easily cleave through the toughest soil providing neat, narrow channels for installing edging and for sub-surface burial of wiring and piping as well as neat, squared-off trench bottoms for foundations, timbers and stones.

V & B says the EdgeAll™ is designed to go where shovels can't go, tackling the hardest soil conditions and pulverizing the ground so that a shovel can take over.

The working end of this ruggedly constructed tool is an 8-inch blade of corrosion-resistant ductile iron welded to the 53-inch tubular steel handle. The ductile blade meets the specs set by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) for shock and fatigue.

The EdgeAll™ joins V & B's full line of Groundbreakers® Landscaping Tools designed for both professional and home gardener.

For further information: V & B Manufacturing Company, P.O. Box 268, Walnut Ridge, AR, 72476. Call (800) 443-1987 or visit the company web-site at www.vbmfg.com.

NOTE TO EDITOR:
The EdgeAll™ will be exhibited at the Louisville Expo at V & B booth #879 and demonstrated at outside exhibit area #9236.

At the Hardware Show it will be on display at V & B's booth #22110

CUTTING EDGE -- V & B'S husky five foot EdgeAll™ uses momentum provided by its 13 pound weight to easily slice through the toughest soil providing sharp, narrow channels for quickly installing edging; for sub-surface burial of wiring and piping, as well as neat, squared-off trench bottoms for foundations, timbers and stone walls.

FOR: V & B Manufacturing Company

CONTACT: Frank Burgmeier "fburgme1@TWCNY.RR.COM"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LANDSCAPING TOOLS: FOR ALL REASONS, ALL USERS

WALNUT RIDGE, AR - More gardening projects with fewer tools is promised with new multi-purpose landscaping tools that also come in various sizes to fit both job and user. One tool producer, V & B Manufacturing Company is stressing the wide range of landscaping and gardening applications now possible with each of its 15 multi-purpose Groundbreakers® Landscaping tools.

The dual-headed tools, offered with 16, 26 and 36-inch handle lengths, feature multi-purpose tool heads with pick ends, broad mattocks, axe heads, tines, and scoops that can penetrate, dig, trench, chop, and till.

V & B says that its varied, multi-faceted tool line has been designed to fit every gardener from the robust to the fastidious.

The three tools in the lightweight 16-inch Mini-Groundbreakers® series were credited in recent field tests* "as all one would ever need to break ground, remove rocks, tear out weeds, plant and maintain a small area garden."

The interchangeability and adaptability of the Mini-Groundbreakers® also were cited by the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA) as "positives for wheelchair gardeners and others with mobility impairments."

V & B's Groundbreakers® can be found at home and garden centers nationwide and retail from $13 for the Mini-Groundbreakers to $35 for the heftier, full-size tools.

For further information: V & B Manufacturing Company, P.O. Box 268, Walnut Ridge, AR, 72476. Call (800) 443-1987 or visit the company web-site at www.vbmfg.com.

*By Progressive Farmer Magazine

Photo Caption:

TOOLS FOR ALL REASONS -- V & B Manufacturing now fields a line of 15 Groundbreakers® Landscaping Tools for both professional and home gardener capable of a broad spectrum of applications from carving out water gardens to fine finished garden beds. Versatility comes from a range of handle sizes - 16, 26 and 36-inches - and multi-purpose tool heads that can dig, trench, chop, edge, plant and till. Rectangular fit of the tool head prevents twisting on impact and "flying off the handle."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TOOLS TO FIT - Today's garden tools with differing handle lengths and multi-purpose tool heads, are designed to fit the user, the location and the job at hand. Differing handle lengths allow for either kneeling or standing, while multi-purpose tool heads permit doing several jobs without changing tools. V & B Manufacturing Company's Groundbreakers® provides 16, 26 and 36-inch length tools along with combination toolheads for digging, planting, tilling, chopping, trenching and edging.

Prepared by:	Frank Burgmeier Company / Public Relations 7501 Woodstream Terrace, N. Syracuse, NY 13212 (315) 458-0291 FX: (315) 452-5897 fburgme1@twcny.rr.com
For:	V & B Manufacturing Company www.vbmfg.com (A division of Vaughan & Bushnell Mfg. Co., since 1869)

FOR: V & B Manufacturing Company

CONTACT: Frank Burgmeier "fburgme1@TWCNY.RR.COM"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MINIATURE GARDENS REQUIRE SMALL SPACE GARDEN TOOLS

WALNUT RIDGE, AR - Many of the nation's gardeners are "kicking it up a notch" as they take on the challenge of adding miniature water gardens, model railroad layouts, water ponds and waterfalls to their backyard landscapes. Probably the biggest challenge these miniature gardeners face is how to maneuver in these small spaces.

Meeting this demand for small-scale "garden-scaping" tools, V & B Manufacturing Company says its Mini-Groundbreakers® Landscaping Tools, designed for small garden tasks, handily tackle the miniaturized construction jobs required by these specialty gardens.

Some of the small-scale tasks which the miniature gardener face include:

• digging drainage ditches
• scooping out ponds
• building railroad track beds
• removing rocks
• laying stones
• building walls
• plantings
• contouring the final landscape

V & B says tools of varying lengths from 16 to 26 inches and with multi-tasking toolheads can help the gardener work in various size spaces, and from different positions, without changing tools.

(Note To Editors: V & B tools mentioned above are available at most home and garden centers retailing at $13. Further information: V & B Manufacturing Company 1(800) 443-1987)

FOR INFORMATION: V & B Manufacturing Company, P.O. Box 268, Walnut Ridge, AR, 72476 (800) 443-1987.

FOR: V & B Manufacturing Company

CONTACT: Frank Burgmeier "fburgme1@TWCNY.RR.COM"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

"FEEL GOOD" TOOLS CHOICE OF PRACTICAL WOMEN GARDENERS

WALNUT RIDGE, AR -- Recognizing the clout of women, who make up 75 per cent of the gardening population, manufacturers are closely listening to female gardeners before they march new garden products to market.

V & B Manufacturing Company, which recently introduced a set of three small garden landscaping tools, says its major input before the tools were introduced, was from woman gardening clubs followed by later field tests by other woman gardeners.

Here are some of the criteria a women's garden club in Arkansas put forth for the ideal garden tool in the order of their importance:

• Feel Good: proper balance and comfortable grip
• Easy To Use: less tiring and less pain or strain with repetitive use
• Lightweight: but still tough enough to do the job
• Functional: must be designed for the work
• Versatile: able to do several tasks without changing tools
• Adaptable: for standing or kneeling, and for small, confined spaces.
• Durable: a tool that will last without breaking or bending

In later field tests* of the tools, woman gardeners cited both lightweight and versatility as top tool features they liked followed by performance, adaptability and ability to do multiple tasks. Seniors and gardeners with limited mobility have expressed similar tool choices. The American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA) has cited the "lightweight and interchangeability" of these tools as "positives for those with mobility impairments."

* By Progressive Farmer Magazine

FOR INFORMATION: V & B Manufacturing Company, P.O. Box 268, Walnut Ridge, AR, 72476 (800) 443-1987.

FOR: V & B Manufacturing Company

CONTACT: Frank Burgmeier "fburgme1@TWCNY.RR.COM"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW HAND GARDEN TOOLS "EMPOWER" SENIOR GARDENERS

WALNUT RIDGE, AR - Seniors, flocking to the garden in record numbers and representing more than sixty per cent* of the nation's gardeners, are finding a whole new breed of tools to fit their limitations while giving them more gardening clout and making their work easier.

According to one tool producer, V & B Manufacturing Company, here are some tool features stipulated by today's savvy, senior gardeners:

• lightweight but still tough enough to do the job
• well balanced with comfortable grip
• will work in small spaces
• adaptable to either standing or kneeling position
• not easily tiring or painful with repetitive use

V & B states that new tools meeting these requirements are empowering senior gardeners, allowing them to accomplish jobs that formerly required heavier tools and permitting them to garden longer in both hours and years.

The company notes that these same tool requirements also apply to the more physically challenged gardener. The American Horticultural Therapy Association has cited the lightweight and interchangeability of these tools as "positives for those with mobility impairments." As a further help to the limited gardener, V & B also cites the smaller sized landscaping tools which are designed for a hammer swing motion, permitting the tool head to do most of the work.

*Study by ANLA (American Nursery & Landscape Association)

FOR INFORMATION: V & B Manufacturing Company, P.O. Box 268, Walnut Ridge, AR, 72476 (800) 443-1987.

FOR: V & B Manufacturing Company

CONTACT: Frank Burgmeier "fburgme1@TWCNY.RR.COM"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TIPS FOR EASY MAINTENACE LANDSCAPING

WALNUT RIDGE, AR - Here are some tips for keeping your landscaping plan simple and easy to maintain from the landscaping tool experts at V & B Manufacturing, a producer of hand tools since 1869:

• Keep It Simple - plant only what you can easily maintain
• Use Raised Beds - they require less back-breaking care
• Design With Curves - not only are curved beds more attractive, they are also easier to maintain and to mow along.
• Mulch Heavily - less weeding and watering - also looks neat,
• Use Proper Tools- lightweight tools for small space gardening make it a pleasure and less tiring.
• Choose Plants For Your Locale: they'll grow faster and better with less care. Check with your local garden center.
• Fertilize and water properly - giving nature an added boost will make your job easier by providing healthy plants that will resist disease and weeds.
• Keep All Surfaces Flush - mowing and moving wheeled equipment will be easier if paved areas are kept flush with the lawn.
• Sit Back and Smell The Daisies - the final rule from the landscaping experts is to pace yourself, enjoy what you are doing and you'll find you will garden longer in both hours and years.

FOR INFORMATION: V & B Manufacturing Company, P.O. Box 268, Walnut Ridge, AR, 72476 (800) 443-1987.