Indeed they were!
Here's another clip of the version I remember - complete with the exposed plug top.
If you weren't careful, when you operated the shorting device to stop it, the HT electrics would take the path to earth through the operator - another endearing characteristic of the psychopathic brute!
In this clip, the operator has cheated and built himself an external electric starter, which looks almost as lethal as the brute itself:
The shorting effect caused by wet greenery falling on the plug is also seen - as is the device's enthusiasm for finding a location with minimum potential energy, from which it eventually emerges with drooling fangs, taking the operator for a brisk walk. He can also be seen practising the 'Allen Scythe tug-o-war' without declutching first - invariably the brute would win and bury itself deeper in the undergrowth!
A truly diabolical device, the Allen Scythe.
Still, last night's performance of the Black Orb was up to spec.!