Author: Thorne W. Alder

Thorne W. Alder is a seasoned horticultural engineer and cutting tool specialist with over 18 years of hands-on experience in garden tool innovation, blade ergonomics, and sustainable landscaping practices. Raised on a fifth-generation tree farm in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Thorne developed an early obsession with edge geometry and the biomechanics of pruning.After earning his degree in Agricultural Engineering from Oregon State University, he spent a decade consulting for leading garden tool manufacturers, helping design precision shears, loppers, and saws that balance durability with finesse. His work has influenced product lines for brands like Fiskars, Corona, and Felco.Thorne is the founder of EdgeWise Tools, a blog and testing lab dedicated to reviewing and field-testing cutting tools under real-world conditions—from dew-soaked dawn prunings to high-noon hedge battles. His reviews are known for their brutal honesty, technical depth, and poetic flair.When he’s not sharpening blades or dissecting bevel angles, Thorne lectures on tool safety and maintenance, and contributes to publications like Fine Gardening, The Tool Shed Journal, and GreenTech Digest. His motto: “A dull blade is a broken promise.”