I don't know if Sneerboer are worth the extra money - but quite a few 'celebrity' gardeners seem to be big fans. That doesn't make them good though.
The wooden handle on my cheap-as-chips 40 year old border fork has just split (heavy clay soil v roots of a large shrub) and the tines are now a bit bent too. I looked at the Sneerboers as a replacement but they're just too big and heavy for me. I'm only 5' tall and the majority of digging garden tools (even those intended for women) are just too long for me to use comfortably.
I believe there is no better way to buy tools than to see and feel them in person (not straightforward just now). The right length, balance and weight combination is an incredibly personal thing. I have some very cheap tools (Ars snips - £10 - light, precise and razor sharp - my favourite pruning & dead-heading tool) and also some rather more expensive ones (eg Niwaki shears - light, sharp, perfectly balanced - but closer to £100...).
It's definitely more about what feels right than the brand for me.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
Me too. We need to buy a second fork as a combination of retirement and lockdown has made my golfing OH much busier in the garden and I find myself waiting to use the fork. However, the only ones I've seen here so far are too big headed, with fat tines and a simple wooden handle with no T at the top so only good for very soft, well worked soil which we don't have here - yet.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
My neighbour who worked as a road digger donated me one of his old done spades. Worn out, no name visible on it. I love that spade, it has not let me down. I sometimes wonder if there are different grades for construction work and gardening. If this one ever passes away I'll certainly do some research but am hoping this one lives for another 30 years or so
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https://www.gardenandwood.co.uk/
The wooden handle on my cheap-as-chips 40 year old border fork has just split (heavy clay soil v roots of a large shrub) and the tines are now a bit bent too. I looked at the Sneerboers as a replacement but they're just too big and heavy for me. I'm only 5' tall and the majority of digging garden tools (even those intended for women) are just too long for me to use comfortably.
I believe there is no better way to buy tools than to see and feel them in person (not straightforward just now). The right length, balance and weight combination is an incredibly personal thing. I have some very cheap tools (Ars snips - £10 - light, precise and razor sharp - my favourite pruning & dead-heading tool) and also some rather more expensive ones (eg Niwaki shears - light, sharp, perfectly balanced - but closer to £100...).
It's definitely more about what feels right than the brand for me.
https://www.tooled-up.com/contractors-shovels/cat/10001605/