I've had the same problem - wooden shafts on expensive spades snapping when I put too much pressure on. Just bought a couple of metal shafted spades from Toolstation for £7.99 each with free delivery. They're easily doing the job for me just as well and if they do eventually break then they're cheap to replace.
We're on heavy clay with a generous helping of big rocks. Most of our digging involves a mattock (or even a pickaxe for the very bad bits). For digging over big areas I use mattock to break it up and then fork or spade to turn into something manageable. My mattock is quite a small one (I'm a wimp) but made from very heavy-duty material so it gets through anything. I've once broken the shaft, but that is really easy to replace.
After ten years of adding compost and leafmould, though, I now have quite a few bits of garden with lovely soil that is easy-peasy to use fork and spade on.
I'd say get a really good mattock from a country stores (countrywide are good, or mole valley), the sort that you can get replacement handles for!
I'm under 5ft tall and used to garden for a living.
I agree absolutely about a mattock; even if you're not very strong you can learn the technique for wielding it accurately, and it's great for breaking up hard ground or removing roots, digging up stumps etc.
The other tool I found really useful was a tree spit or trenching spade - mine bought 2nd hand from a junk shop for very little. They are exceptionally strong but have a narrow, curved blade good for getting in among shrubs etc - and excellent for digging holes for fence posts.
I bent a few digging forks in my time, before I realised it was better to use the right tools for the job... Agree in principle that forks are better than spades for many tasks though.
Best spade: my dad's ancient one, worn very sharp. Never lend it to anyone!
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Just to dig up this old thread, I'm having the same problem Victoria and it's nothing to do with the user abusing these tools. I'm 6ft 3" and strong as an Ox, but a Spear and Jackson stainless steel trowel snapped on me today while planting tulip bulbs. Likewise a stainless steel fork complete with ash handle lasted a full hour before snapping where the wood meets steel on the handle.
At the same time I have an all metal digging shovel I've had for years that can deal with anything I care to throw at it. 'A bad workman blaming his tools' cannot always be applied when tools are manufactured to substandard.
I don't know if these count as cheap, I assume mid-range...
I have bent the bulldog trowel but it is useable for soft stuff. The Wolf Garten is my trowel of choice, it's fab The Fiskars is fine but it is weird. I'd forgotten about the Spear and Jackson and just went to retrieve it out the border. It's fine but not my favourite.
I also splashed out on an all-steel fork with no regrets. It's heavy but you can move all sorts. I moved an apple tree of 5-6', levered up slabs and no end of stuff.
I think garden tools should be built to cope with things you might find in a garden. I don't know if I mentioned this already in the thread but I bent a tine (?) on a previous fork digging up a lupin. It happened to hit a piece of brick. Some gardens are full of debris, even now my garden is completely planted I will occasionally hit a buried chunk of concrete/abandoned diy mess.
The best tools I have are those inherited or bought from the flea market (think they call it vintage these days ). Things just don't seem to be made to last anymore.
My Achilles heel seems to be garden forks, I end up buying a new one every year as I can't seem to use them without bending the tines out of shape .
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Thanks Joe.
I've had the same problem - wooden shafts on expensive spades snapping when I put too much pressure on. Just bought a couple of metal shafted spades from Toolstation for £7.99 each with free delivery. They're easily doing the job for me just as well and if they do eventually break then they're cheap to replace.
Just had a strimmer serviced, £80.
i think it's time to accept that products made in China should be dumped and treated as a disposable item.
New can be bought for £80.
Couldnt agree more, but it is what it is, would love to pay someone but that aint gonna happen!
We're on heavy clay with a generous helping of big rocks. Most of our digging involves a mattock (or even a pickaxe for the very bad bits). For digging over big areas I use mattock to break it up and then fork or spade to turn into something manageable. My mattock is quite a small one (I'm a wimp) but made from very heavy-duty material so it gets through anything. I've once broken the shaft, but that is really easy to replace.
After ten years of adding compost and leafmould, though, I now have quite a few bits of garden with lovely soil that is easy-peasy to use fork and spade on.
I'd say get a really good mattock from a country stores (countrywide are good, or mole valley), the sort that you can get replacement handles for!
I'm under 5ft tall and used to garden for a living.
I agree absolutely about a mattock; even if you're not very strong you can learn the technique for wielding it accurately, and it's great for breaking up hard ground or removing roots, digging up stumps etc.
The other tool I found really useful was a tree spit or trenching spade - mine bought 2nd hand from a junk shop for very little. They are exceptionally strong but have a narrow, curved blade good for getting in among shrubs etc - and excellent for digging holes for fence posts.
I bent a few digging forks in my time, before I realised it was better to use the right tools for the job... Agree in principle that forks are better than spades for many tasks though.
Best spade: my dad's ancient one, worn very sharp. Never lend it to anyone!
The right tool for the job is always the best
Just to dig up this old thread, I'm having the same problem Victoria and it's nothing to do with the user abusing these tools. I'm 6ft 3" and strong as an Ox, but a Spear and Jackson stainless steel trowel snapped on me today while planting tulip bulbs. Likewise a stainless steel fork complete with ash handle lasted a full hour before snapping where the wood meets steel on the handle.
At the same time I have an all metal digging shovel I've had for years that can deal with anything I care to throw at it. 'A bad workman blaming his tools' cannot always be applied when tools are manufactured to substandard.
Hi Fishy
After this thread I bought the following:
I don't know if these count as cheap, I assume mid-range...
I have bent the bulldog trowel but it is useable for soft stuff. The Wolf Garten is my trowel of choice, it's fab
The Fiskars is fine but it is weird. I'd forgotten about the Spear and Jackson and just went to retrieve it out the border. It's fine but not my favourite.
I also splashed out on an all-steel fork with no regrets. It's heavy but you can move all sorts. I moved an apple tree of 5-6', levered up slabs and no end of stuff.
I think garden tools should be built to cope with things you might find in a garden. I don't know if I mentioned this already in the thread but I bent a tine (?) on a previous fork digging up a lupin. It happened to hit a piece of brick. Some gardens are full of debris, even now my garden is completely planted I will occasionally hit a buried chunk of concrete/abandoned diy mess.
The best tools I have are those inherited or bought from the flea market (think they call it vintage these days
). Things just don't seem to be made to last anymore.
My Achilles heel seems to be garden forks, I end up buying a new one every year as I can't seem to use them without bending the tines out of shape
.