I suggest going somewhere where you can pick them up, feel the weight and check whether the handles feel comfortable. Mine are stainless steel but I can't remember what brand they are and the labels have almost worn away.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I suggest going somewhere where you can pick them up, feel the weight and check whether the handles feel comfortable. Mine are stainless steel but I can't remember what brand they are and the labels have almost worn away.
Yes, I will look at reviews online first then go somewhere local to feel and buy them. There are lots of independent nurseries around here so I should hopefully be able to find something.
I got the Hori Hori knife and single edge weeder and today was the first day I have tried them. The weeder is so much quicker than hand weeding! It deals well with grass clumps as well which can be really hard to pull up by hand. The Hori Hori digs up dandelions etc easily and is sharp enough to cut string (and skin I discovered). I haven't tried sawing with it but it definitely really sharp and strong. I got a full tang version.
I can see how the hori hori will be useful for digging planting holes and I have a lot of that coming up in spring so it will get a lot of use then. It goes into the soil a lot easier than a trowel. The holster will be handy as well.
I spent less than 5 minutes testing and managed to get more weeding done than I would normally manage in half an hour! My hands got a bit achy but they do with normal weeding and digging anyway and this was so much quicker that it didn't matter.
I have looked at various reviews for spades and forks, including the Gardeners World comparison so that has been useful for getting an idea about what is available and what to consider when getting a border spade and possibly a border fork. I remembered my current bendy ones are Joseph Bentley so know to avoid those but from a look online it seems they went out of business anyway.
It looks like I would be best off with solid forged (one piece blade and socket) carbon steel for strength (I am on clay) and lighter weight. Ash wood or plastic handle for shock absorption. I will get some impact reduction gloves before doing digging. The hand physiotherapist said to wear the wrist brace at least the first time I try digging to reduce the chance of making the tendonitis reoccur. Also only do a tiny bit at a time to test if that left hand can cope with digging or not. If it can't then I am going to have to rely on my right hand using hand tools like the Hori Hori and trowels instead.
Impact reduction gloves sound interesting @Randommoose1 . Do you have a link that you could share? I had tendinitis a couple of years ago in the tendon through the wrist into the thumb on my left hand, summer 2020 when it was nigh on impossible to see a medical professional for anything relatively minor (in the grand scheme of things, it hurt like hell though) so no physio. I wore a wrist/thumb splint for several months and it healed gradually, but I'm still a bit careful with it, and the other hand which would be much more of a nuisance if it got injured.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I use stainless steel border fork on my heavy clay but I'm gentle with it and always give it a sort of circular wiggle before I lever out clay if it's compacted. I'm forever leaving them out so mine doesn't have a wooden handle. It was out since before Christmas when I used it today. No rust . No rot. I find the carbon steel tines snap off whereas if the undergardener bends the SS tines, they can be put back into shape
I could easily manage with just the following hand tools - secateurs, loppers, border spade, spring tine rake, hand trowel and a long handled hand fork (saves bending and excellent for weeding!). I try to buy the best quality tools so that they will hopefully last a good while. I rarely use a border fork and only use a hori hori knife for removing pot bound plants from their pots as the one I have doesn't have a serrated edge which I think would be a good feature.
Much depends on the plants you grow now or intend to grow in future. You may not need loppers now but as your shrubs get woody, you might! I bought a new lightweight stainless steel spring tine rake this week and can't believe how much easier it is to use for lawn care/moss removal after the heavy one I've had for many years.
As others have said, visit a stockist to try the new up to date version of tools you have now and think you don't need - you may find a lighter or better designed modern replacement will convince you that you do!
My favourite tool is a small springy hand take that r got for very little in Lidl. It's strong enough to pull small branches toward you and gentle enough to drag leaves over planting.
Impact reduction gloves sound interesting @Randommoose1 . Do you have a link that you could share? I had tendinitis a couple of years ago in the tendon through the wrist into the thumb on my left hand [...]
@JennyJ That sounds like you had the same as me then!
Thanks! I don't know what caused mine (I'd been doing quite a lot of DIY and shifting stuff about in the house that summer, as well as gardening) but the gloves might be worth the investment to help prevent a recurrence.
Edit: on closer inspection only the fingerless liners come in anything close to being small enough, and that's out of stock . I'll maybe have a hunt around now that I know that such a thing exists.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Posts
I got the Hori Hori knife and single edge weeder and today was the first day I have tried them. The weeder is so much quicker than hand weeding! It deals well with grass clumps as well which can be really hard to pull up by hand. The Hori Hori digs up dandelions etc easily and is sharp enough to cut string (and skin I discovered). I haven't tried sawing with it but it definitely really sharp and strong. I got a full tang version.
I can see how the hori hori will be useful for digging planting holes and I have a lot of that coming up in spring so it will get a lot of use then. It goes into the soil a lot easier than a trowel. The holster will be handy as well.
I spent less than 5 minutes testing and managed to get more weeding done than I would normally manage in half an hour! My hands got a bit achy but they do with normal weeding and digging anyway and this was so much quicker that it didn't matter.
It looks like I would be best off with solid forged (one piece blade and socket) carbon steel for strength (I am on clay) and lighter weight. Ash wood or plastic handle for shock absorption. I will get some impact reduction gloves before doing digging. The hand physiotherapist said to wear the wrist brace at least the first time I try digging to reduce the chance of making the tendonitis reoccur. Also only do a tiny bit at a time to test if that left hand can cope with digging or not. If it can't then I am going to have to rely on my right hand using hand tools like the Hori Hori and trowels instead.
I'm forever leaving them out so mine doesn't have a wooden handle. It was out since before Christmas when I used it today. No rust . No rot.
I find the carbon steel tines snap off whereas if the undergardener bends the SS tines, they can be put back into shape
Much depends on the plants you grow now or intend to grow in future. You may not need loppers now but as your shrubs get woody, you might! I bought a new lightweight stainless steel spring tine rake this week and can't believe how much easier it is to use for lawn care/moss removal after the heavy one I've had for many years.
As others have said, visit a stockist to try the new up to date version of tools you have now and think you don't need - you may find a lighter or better designed modern replacement will convince you that you do!
I was looking at possibilities such as these:
https://www.gardenersworld.com/reviews/gardening-kit/clip-gloves-shock-absorber-review/
https://www.orthotix.co.uk/shop/wrist-and-upper-limb/neoprene-wrist-thumb-support/
https://www.safetygloves.co.uk/impacto-501-original-fingerless-anti-vibration-glove-liners.html
That last shop has various other impact protection options as well (including the gloves from the first link)