Harbour Housewares Full Size Azada Garden Digging Hoe with Wooden Handle – 110cm
Traditional Draw Hoe Design
Built on over 2000 years of experience
Forged Steel Blade
Sharpened leading edge for easy cutting and drawing
Balanced Weight Distribution
Ensures a smooth, powerful swing every time
Width | 3cm | 60cm |
---|---|---|
Blade Length | 14cm | 21cm |
Total Length | 43cm | 110cm |
Dimensions: | 6 x 122 x 18.5 cm; 2.27 Kilograms |
Part: | DH120 |
Manufacture: | Harbour Housewares |
Dimensions: | 6 x 122 x 18.5 cm; 2.27 Kilograms |
Reference: | DH120 |
Be aware it is rather heavy, but at the same time, that can be useful, lovely and sharp and cut through undergrowth
Superbly, wish I’d discovered it before, makes light work of a tedious task. I am a 65 yr old woman, so I wouldn’t think the weight would be a problem for someone fitter and younge
I saw one of these being used on a youtube program so i thought ill get one, best buy ive done in years, so easy to use and make light work of turning over the soil in my veg patch, no more back ache .
Update–: I am impressed with the customer service they have sent a replacement which much better quality and received the replacement on next day. thanks
broke on first use only even first hit on the garden soil , such a worst product and waste of money , Please do not buy otherwise end up in disappointment and long calls with amazon customer service
I recently purchased this item for use on my allotment.
I have used the hoe over the last 7 – 10 days and so far I am very pleased with its use.
The hoe has been the main tool that I have used to dig over and break up clay soil.
This tool was excellent to use down my allotment!
Broke through the soil very easily, and I covered a large area in no time!
Make sure you attach the head firmly otherwise it does move around.
Unfortunately I did do myself a mischief, and hurt a muscle in the back of my shoulder, however I think that was due to my enthusiasm so be careful! Very easy to get carried away!
There was a problem with the handle – I contacted Rinkit Ltd via Amazon and a replacement arrived the following day. My husband is very pleased with the product and I would like to thank Rinkit for their excellent customer service.
It is lightweight and easy to use, well worth the money
I’m impressed with this tool, as it helped me to do my job well. The head can get lose from the handle and time to time you may need to tighten it, that was a pain, but it’s a strong and sharp tool which was very helpful in my landscaping work.
We used this sturdy tool to clear out our new allotment. We used a weed trimmer first and then this to remove roots and dig up the soil.
It did a very good job and had been durable through rough soil and rocks.
We recommend it!
Love this product, my garden was quite overgrown with weeds, cleared in no time, a bit heavy to use, just need to stop the blade slipping up the handle. Maybe a nail will do the trick.
Wood stick could be more strong but I think I go to hard for the job I used it. I think aswell if I add asenbled the to peaces better would break in very sort time but is a very good tool for the price I like i
This digging hoe is amazing for shifting compacted earth. I normally use a spade or fork that will often hit a stone and then be back breaking as I try to haul the earth out of the ground. This uses a completely different method that involves throwing the hoe at the earth and the pulling towards you. You then can move the earth in smaller loads using a shovel or rake the earth into the area, it is also much quicker to use. I was concerned about the tool head moving on the handle but the construction instructions recommending a hammer have solved this. I highly recommend, why have I not used one of these before?
Very sturdy, easy to use. Works well on clumps of couch grass, digs them out and cuts with minimal effort. Purchases on Amazon have always been a bit like buying a pig in a poke but I am very pleased with this one.
Great tool
Very fast shipping thank you
Ordered Monday 3 day delivery came next day
Use this product to break up soil and prepare trenches for planting vegetables etc
Saved us a lot of effort compared to spade
Ideal garden helper so much easier than a Hoe or a spade! Highly recommended
This is so far my best gardening tool buy. I am trying to clear out my sadly neglected veg plot and it got the job done in half the time and a quarter of the effort it takes with a traditional spade. It has a naturally ergonomic action and for a lazy gardener like me it is the best tool to have around to prepare the ground
I like that it slices through roots of permanent weeds and can turn the lump of clod soil in one easy movement, The handle is fairly light weight, but the business end has the right amount of weight to cut through the soil using only modest effort on my part. I dont know why this tool is not more widely known in UK, but it is an ancient tool and deserves to be more easily available
Really happy with this item, best thing I’ve used to clear my garden. Really easy to use and handle.
Would recommend to anyone who’s garden is over grown and needs work.
Slightly disappointed if honest. Head keeps coming loose and shaft could be longe
Excellent to dig a whole or to turn the land
A well made product sturdy in costruction,value for money and should last for many years
Excellent for clearing surface weeds and for me as a mountain biker , it’s great for trail building
Great quality product, used it to remove some very thick roots with thorns.
Only thing is that the head keeps coming off but I didn’t really try that hard to put it on correctly.
Was very handy to remove old grass and put new loans
Unless they are substantial roots, tool makes light work of the ground. Saved lots of time and effort digging it out.
Could not find one in my local Garden Centres. Great for deeper hoeing and trenching in the veg plot.
It is easier to dig with one of these but you don’t dig so deep as with a traditional spade. Removing weeds is easier too.
We have an allotment which was so overgrown. This garden tool was a godsend. Strong handle and the steel will last forever.
Really easy to use and gets the job done. I recommend.
Very easy to use e en for me at 81 years
My wife likes that very much as the weight is light when compare to other hoes. It is better to use hammer to fix the hoe with the wooden handle.
Why are we still using a spade when this is so simple and not back straining, why the bigger part of the Eastern world use them is because they are easy to use. Well worth the money highly recommended.
Looks Nice Fantastic for my Gardening light weight easy to use. My wife she like it much more than me LoL
Very strong piece of equipment. Make digging easier and able to dig and scoop away at the same time.
Really impressed with this tool. I have worked with it every weekend for the last couple of months and has given me amazing results
This is an alternative way to dig soil in a flower bed or veg patch. It is also very useful for scooping soil out if you are trying to dig deep or move soil form one place to another. As it uses different muscles and involves a different movement to a garden spade or fork it is a good way to vary the work.
Cuts through turf like a hot knife through butter. Faster and easier way to dig up a lawn to plant tatties than using a spade. Can understand why this is the tool of choice for farmers all over the word.
It’s a good item handle was a bit big though I was looking for a medium sized handle
Noticed most Spanish farmers and gardeners use these so thought I’d try one. Love it, although shaft has warped slightly.
I bought it, thinking it was a lightweight hoe for gentle weeding. It is a tough tool some way between a spade and a pickaxe.
In the event, it is wonderful for clearing and digging. An excellent buy!
Very effective for hoeing harder ground. If it doesn’t scrape off, thwack it with the sharp end.
Like most others I couldn’t get the head to the end of the shank, and it does come loose.
Surprised they couldn’t supply one which fits and some wedges to secure it.
Heavy enough to do the job and saves a lot of bending.
Might try a blowlamp to expand the hole and oil on the shank, probably won’t be enough.
Despite the lack of users manual supplied with the device and the scarcity of instruction materiel that can be found online it was surprising how quickly one learns to use this. It only took a couple of minutes to distinguish one end from the other.
However, I found a serious H&S issue, when left unattended, it lurks in high grass, and has the tendecy to leap and wag you on the head, especially when stepped on. It happend to me more than once…
It works perfectly cutting through thick grass and weeds but as it’s man power you might need to eat well but it surely did work for me
Product arrived today, on time, well packaged and in perfect condition. Some home assembly required, takes about ten seconds. No instructions necessary as it is so self explanatory. You will notice it is very sharp, either before or after you cut yourself. That should give you fair warning to be careful when swinging it around in the intended work area. The shaft is a decent thickness to enable a good enough grip to maintain control during use. The head of the tool also appears to be made out of good materials and well made. when assembled I believe it is going to prove to be a very effective tool for grubbing up the earth, my only concern is whether the blade will stand up to stone strikes. It might put dents in the blade but I don’t think it will crack unless you seriously smack something solid with it. Time will tell.
Great tool. Used for turning very hard soil, on our allotment before rotovating. You can get a good swing, but best using gloves. The bladed part tends to get loose, but you can either soak in water overnight or drive it back in using a hammer at the edges. Very sturdy and solid for the price, will last a long time.
This gardening hoe is magnificent! I needed a tool which could easily penetrate the ground and pull out sections of grass, along with any weeds; this hoe proved ideal.
The gardening hoe is well balanced, solid and weighty and the steel blade is sharp and fixes to the wooden handle with ease.
I have used the hoe multiple times and it has never failed me. It even cuts through clay soil with little effort.
Cleaning the blade is easy too – just use a water gun connected to a hose.
Overall, I highly recommend this hoe for gardening and landscaping enthusiasts.
This is a brilliant tool. My husband laughed when he saw the hoe saying it was too heavy for me. Me being on the stubborn side and digging to do I found that this was terrific and much easier than using a shovel. Literally cuts digging time down. Now its hubby’s favourite tool
Everything is good and happy with the hoe. But unfortunately the wooden handle bar is not at all good. It just broke with one use … the seller was very professional that they immediately replaced the handle. I am not sure if the new handle is good enough to serve the purpose, as I am yet to try it.
This product feels heavy duty and that it should last a long time, I’ve actually used it to chop tree roots out and it did it with no problem.
he best tool I have ever owned for digging and root grubbing.. it’s not heavy and it’s sharp so getting out ivy and shrub roots is mega easy. the timber handle does flex under load so you could break it but if you back of taking a few more swings and watch the roots pop out. now wonder the rest of the world use this for all tasks..if this sone broke I would replace it in a heartbeat…saves the back saves the effort and great for digging boarder, roots, holes getting out small stumps and for weed wacking
Best Hoe I’ve used for de-weeding and breaking through weednroots. The shaft is smooth, long, and very light weight. The wood is quite flexible too which helps reduce rebound effects on your hands.
Lifting up and letting the head drop by gravity it easily breaks through clay soil. Even sun dried clay soil. I’ve got a mattock which obviously isn’t the same tool but that one is very heavy. Only use it for tough weed roots.
Unfortunately after owning for so long and using it every other week for nearly a year, it has finally snapped in half when trying to cut through a tough weed root.
The first one delivered the handle broke after two strikes. there was no problem getting it replaced although the handle was slightly bent it hasn’t broke as yet, Great tool to use
High quality product. Sturdy and strong hoe for the garden. First received the item with a cracked wooden handle. Send the photo of the cracked handle to the seller. Becky from the seller responded to my email immediately and received the replacement item within 2 days. Very heavy duty tool and very good value item.
It’s exactly the right length for me at 5ft 2ins. Easy to put together, but you do need to whack it hard with a hammer quite often to keep it in place. I may add a screw in the handle to stop it moving, we will see. I looked at lots of these before buying this one. I recommend it as I have just done 2.5hours with it & my back is fine.
The item I received was actually made by Amtech, and not Harbour Housewares, that being said I am still incredibly pleased with it.
I’m a commercial landscaper so move soil by the tonne (literally…) and this is brilliant, it’s almost the width of a shovel so it’s wide and heavy enough to really shift a lot of soil with each pull, and you can spread it evenly enough that a quick tickle with a rake is all that’s needed after. I’d say I use this for 90% of the jobs you’d use a shovel for, but with half the effort.
That said, it is quite heavy, so is perfect for what I need, but perhaps overkill for the average gardener.
The only downside is it’s a round socket and round handle so I had to drill a hole through the socket (no mean feat! This is really good quality steel) and bolt it to the handle to stop it spinning round. Once you have that cracked though, it’s rock solid.
Perfect item for the job required at the allotment. For something that weighs about the same as a spade or a fork, it packs a punch. It eats through soil better than any handheld tool I’ve ever used.
I can, however, see how people have managed to snap the handle quite easily. I’m using mine on soil dug and cultivated this year, but if you’re planning to use on hard or dry, compacted soil you might want to invest in another handle, or another tool altogether. The handle is full of knots and isn’t the best quality, so won’t hold up to an enormous amount of strain. It’s also too big for the blade, making it impossible to put hammer wedges in the end to secure it without first sawing off 2 or 3 inches (this was after I bashed it on with a hammer).
The blade did only come off once over the course of a few hours. I found this is the case if you use the tool to push soil away from you, as well as pulling it as you dig. The back and fourth motion seems to loosen it from the handle and it will come loose. But if you’re careful not to use it in such a way, the blade stays secure and does not spin/come loose.
Nice product – very sharp and cuts throw grass scraw and soil with ease. Handle failed after a few hours of work however and split in two – I’ve seen this as an issue on a number of reviews. Easily fixed by getting a new handle from local hardware shop – but for the price it shouldn’t fail given it’s a known production issue.
For the price I paid I wasn’t expecting it to be so heavy duty.
The reason I bought this style of hoe is that I find with my heavy clay soil I struggle to get a spade into the ground even standing on it and I also have a large raised border so I wondered if the way you use this style of hoe would be much easier and it really is!
I think next year I will order the smaller hand one as well.
Love this digging hoe. After only finding these useless dutch hoe in our area we finally have something strong enough to do the job. It is heavy, steady and can remove weeds quickly.
If you want to make the head of the hoe to really stick to the wooden stick (I read some complains from other users) just do the following: use a heavy rock, hammer or something to push the hoe end as much as you can. Then take it and sink it to a bucket of water overnight This will expand the wood and really make it stick.
Will come back for a re-review few months later. But for now it is just amazing
If you have ground filled with rubble or its hard like rock or grassed over in fact any land u wanna clear or turn over then this is the tool u want. Only down side is it does not have the 3 pronged fork as a double on other side. Goes thru ground like butter far better than forking over makes it so much easie
Good item but just a bit overpriced. Sturdiness isn’t that good as the metal part kept coming out off the the wooden bar. I had to pin 2 nails from each side to keep it in place. Success!
Overall it is a good product.
I bought this for use on my allotment after seeing Tamara ” the swiss plot ” using a similar item and thought thats quicker than digging . Now I wish I had bought a one last Oct when I got my very first over grown weed infested plot the reason being once you get the knack of it, it saves you from a lot of back pain and you cover the same amount of ground in half the time . A plot neighbour 2 plots up from me ask for a go and was well impressed . Only thing you have to remember is you dig forwards not backwards which also means your levelling off as you go let the weight of the Azada do the work . Try it for yourself.
Overall a good product! I was worried that the handle might not be sturdy as some had reported. For me it worked out fine. I think it might break if I try to do heavy digging with it, it isn’t meant for that kind of use.
The blade is sharp and does a good job of cutting through even last years dried up roots.
I find the handle a bit too long to get a good angle. Maybe I will cut it to around 80 cm, would make it easier to use.
what a great tool this is – lightweight and works so much better than a spade – we had some initial issues where there was a flaw in the wood of the handle causing it to just break- but having contacted the sellers it was replaced rapidly – really excellent customer service
This finally arrived after being lost. This is an “Adze”. I was taught to use such a tool standing legs apart and striking the ground in an arc between my legs to cut into the soil. MIND YOUR ANKLES It seems to be depicted more like a hoe (as typically used in India). Anyway, this is a solid (heavy) and sharp tool. The shaft is too long for the way I taught to use it, though.
I have owned this product for a couple of months now. It is really meaty and does the job on my heavy clay allotment really well. The blade is almost the size of a spade blade whilst the handle is sturdy. With care, it can be used to break the smaller lumps up too. It has been particularly useful in clearing off a very overgrown part of my plot. As an allotment holder for over 20 years I will state that this is the best digging tool I have purchased. Excellent
I now have arms like popeye.
They only problem I have is hammering the spade end down the bulbus bit at the end..No matter how I try to get the metal digger to the end I have failed!! Otherwise it seems a decent bit of kit to work on the allotment ..Any advice would be welcome…Since i wrote this the bulbus part of the shaft broke and now i have just received the new one I’ve bought so hope for better luck with the new one..I did look at getting a new shaft but it was nearly as dear as buying as the complete spade..
Well, after acquiring an allotment recently, I fancied going for the full on ‘Saxon peasant’ experience, so getting a mattock was the best option for hours of back breaking toil.
To my surprise, with this rather effective tool, the effort of clearing years of accumulated weeds was actually a joy and not as labour intensive as I first feared it would be. Obviously, Saxon peasants had it quite good, unless you were suffering from consumption or Norman’s, that is!
I highly recommend this tool. Now, to the handle issue. If you wave it around in a berserk rage, whilst hacking at implacable boulders, it’s going to break. The trick is to let the tool do the work, as it doesn’t require full strength swipes at the soil to get the job done….you are tilling the land, not beheading marauding vikings! If we have a zombie apocalypse, then this is the wrong tool for that, although, if the handle does break, you could stab them in the eye with it.
All in all, I’m very satisfied with my purchase.
This things a beast at digging holes!
I planted a large shrub from a pot (size of a large bucket) into the ground & dug a hole with this tool in under 2 minutes!
As you chop into the ground the loose soil can easily be removed using the wide blade and piled up around the hole.
The handle seems to be solid wood and quite long, although a more sculptured handle may be welcome if using for long periods of time, but fine for occasional use.
I’d imagine this tool would be great for chopping roots or removing well established shrubs.
I’d definitely recommend adding this to your garden tool collection & look forward to using mine in the better weather!
Easy to assemble as it comes in two parts and you just slide the hoe metal bit into the stick as far as you can until it can’t go any further.
First time use, very sharp and dangled out- will definitely need to fit something else to secure the metal bit or it may fly off.
Quite heavy but does the job perfectly. So far so good.
I bought this product specifically to help break the ground and prepare the soil in my back garden for seeding and I am glad I did. It made easy work of the whole job and I am not sure how I would have managed without it. The only minor issue was that the head was a bit loose on the handle and had to be knocked tight every so often but that’s just a small point. I probably should have soaked the handle overnight in water after fitting the head so no big deal. The grass is now growing fast and my garden is starting to look fabulous.
I really don’t know why azadas haven’t caught on more in the UK. Perhaps we’re not as bright as we think. They require much less effort than a spade, and are far more efficient at digging hard ground and through roots near conifers, rhododendrons etc (though for tougher jobs get the azada’s even more vicious mate, a mattock). I really can’t think of many jobs a spade does better. I have a dodgy back, and would now almost always choose the azada over a spade. Since buying this azada, I’ve converted a number of people to its merits. The only downside is keeping the head tightly in place (you have to slide it on to the handle). Once you slide the head into place, give it a few gentle taps with something heavy, like a sledge hammer, brick… Then soak it overnight in a bucket of water to swell the wood. You may have to repeat this occasionally.
4 stars as I like the tool and although I found the head wasn’t the best fit on the handle I will forgive it and find something to secure it better. That said when removing tree stumps this used as a soil remover/weak root cutter combined with a Roughneck Mattock to break the biggest roots and provide a more aggressive remover, will pay you back in “spades” in speed and less muscle fatigue! As a ground digger/turf clearer or just general soil remover then this tool is the one to have. My spade hasn’t seen daylight since getting this tool! Don’t think I could of done the job with a spade as my back/muscles wouldn’t be able to take the workout but these tools actually make me enjoy landscaping again. Main disappointment is the amount of blood, sweat and tears I’ve spent gardening without this type of tool!
I have used various Azadas whilst living in rural Spain and I rate this one as good as any. To prevent the head coming loose just tap it into place and leave to soak the night before you use it. Then for the following days just leave it in the ground to stop it from drying out. A great tool if you have never used one, try it. I thought it would be a cheap one but am delighted with the quality. It weighs just over two pounds so ideal for garden/allotment use.
For what it is I’ve given it five, the blade is a little wider than I thought it would be but I’m very happy with it. I have read in some of the reviews that the handle is weak and have snapped, well I used mine on stoney but loose ground and it has done the job I needed it to do, I also read that the head slips and ff the end so for this I purchased wedges to tighten it up but so far haven’t used them I also soaked the heavy end in water to swell the wood slightly but I think the varnished handle prevented it from taking in water in able to swell the end, but like I said so far it’s ok and that’s why I’ve given it five stars.
It doesn’t often happen that a great product at a great price is backed up by great customer service but that has been my experience with this item.
We recently took over a large neglected and heavily overgrown allotment offering waist high grass, numerous bushes and scrub plants and an enormous bramble bush. Being non gardeners the first task was to source some suitable tools. The Azada came up in an Amazon search for ‘digging tools’ and although having no experience of using one it stood out as something we ought to try. The price was almost half that of similar products, so the decision was an easy one. Delivery was swift and the implement was/is every bit as good as described.
We put it to use immediately and to our surprise it is a delight to use. It can do anything a regular spade can do – and much more – with much less effort. Over and above it’s digging and hoeing capabilities it’s been great at digging out stubborn roots and breaking really hard ground. We’ve used it for digging, trenching, taking up turf, digging out roots and removing rocks and stones – all with great success. In fact, we used it so much that, inevitably, the handle cracked. We contacted the supplier who immediately replaced it without quibble – outstanding service!
If you have hard digging to do – or find digging hard work, then this is the tool for you.
Just received this today. Speedy delivery.
I wanted this to use this as an adze rather than a garden grubber. It arrived with both the the inner and outer edge ground with small bevels (as you would expect). After about half an hour in the workshop on my bench grinder and angle grinder I ground the outer bevel off the back of the blade to blend nicely up to the edge, I further ground the bevel on the the inner edge to get a nice cutting angle (about 20 degrees), I then removed the resulting burr on the back with an oil stone.
This is a 2 1/2lb head and some may find it a little light for heavier work, I bought it to shape new wood to look like old beams that would have been shaped by…guess what.. an adze.
Never used one before, but I am really pleased with how it works. I had to cut a little bit of the shaft off beyond the blade to allow a shallow cut.
The shaft feels lovely and is laquered too.
Bought this to prevent sore back and knees, also in the hope of completing garden jobs faster. This arrived in 2 days, in two pieces connect by sliding the blade over the shaft, to ensure that it is secure use a hammer and tap it in place..This seems like a well made piece of equipment, the soil in my front garden is hard, but we have weeds that grow like anything. The shaft is thick and easy to hold and blade well made hope this will do the job for me, keep blade lubricated with oil of your choice after use. This tool will dig weed and rake taking no time at all, no more garden forks or spades to me. Thanks amazon.
Update
I finally got too give this tool a good testing today, yes it true makes light work of digging over the soil and removing weeds or unwanted plants etc, my only problem is the handle, it needs to be thicker at the base to secure the blade will come undone or loose if your working on remove stubborn plants, will recommend this type of hoe to anyone saved back pain that’s a certainty, but I will probably buy different make, either way its definitely a tool gardeners should have.
Never used one of these before, so bought it based on the reviews. One reviewer pointed out that he noticed people in the developing world use these, and not forks or spades, and I suddenly realised he was right, though I’d never thought about it previously. My garden is very overgrown (including brambles) so thought I’d give it a go in desperation. The handle was not as long as I’d expected, it’s much longer than a spade, but not as long as a pitchfork or rake. It does work very well, though fairly heavy (I’m 8.5 stone, getting on a bit, and not strong either), though I still found it manageable. The only reason it’s heavy is because it’s a good sturdy item. The blade is very substantial, as is the sturdy handle. I dropped the blade down the handle, and used my hammer to bang it on even more firmly. It has stayed put so far, and has tackled some rather rough territory. Only downside, pointed out to me by a digging friend, is that it will cut the weed roots underground, so although clearing the top few inches, you’ll still need to deal with the deeper roots. It’s a very satisfying beast to use, and I really like it. Update, used for 3 hours yesterday and two hours today on old and deep rooted nettles, and back still ok. Am not fit at all, so very impressed, fork would have caused real backache!
Azada / Digging Hoe
This tool has already proved its worth in my garden. It earthed-up the potatoes much quicker than I could have carried out the task with a spade and with half the effort. I have also cleared a neglected area of the garden that was overgrown with rushes and brambles. The sharp blade cut through the rush roots just below the surface. It is also good for digging and skimming of weeds or a grass/turf sod.
A word of warning: wear protective footwear as this tool is sharp and as you swing it there is a risk it might bounce towards your foot. The handle is the right length for me (I’m six foot tall) and it will fit tightly in the blade. I would not use the Azada as a lever to pull out roots as the shaft is not as thick as a pickaxe handle and is made of a lighter wood than ash. It also has quite a few knots which I believe could cause weak spots.
I would recommend this tool. It was delivered quickly and at a good price
There is no doubt this is the best hand tool I have ever bought, in fact it’s in the top 10 best things I have ever bought full stop.
I’ve spent weeks digging an allotment, blessed with very compacted, heavy clay. Back breaking, slow work with spade and fork. One night watching the news, another piece on farmers in Africa, I realised that all around the world you always see these tools being used in reports, they look a bit medieval but what I noticed was that you don’t bend very much, you don’t have to lift with the back and knees. I thought “I wonder if you can get these in the UK?”, of course you can.
So I tracked it down and bought this very nicely made tool and fell in love as soon as I used it. It puts a bit more strain on the arms and shoulders (saving on the gym membership), but it eats through the ground, easily slicing off the turf, it great chunks, chop, pull/lever and repeat. It’s brilliant, doing the job off breaking up rough ground at least 2x quicker. You can clear, hoe and cultivate easily.
The very next day, two other plot holders told me they had purchased one after watching me. My father in law is also getting one to take the pressure off his knees and back. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
I have always wanted one of these for the ease of turning over the top soil and weed removal. I think if you still want to traditionally dig or double dig then stick to a conventional spade. If you want a less dig approach then I think you have to experiment with one of these.
The blade is forged from thick metal and is better than I expected. The handle looks to be OK and will hopefully hold up to its future work load. The box it arrived in was a little flimsy and was open at one end, but as there are only two parts to this product, the blade and the handle, nothing was lost.
So far so good, but spring will be the rreal tes
Got one of these couple of months ago when I started on my allotment. The plot of land was in pretty bad shape having been left vacant for a few years but this made turning it over so much easier than just using a spade and a fork. I have had my share of back problems in the past and was a little worried about starting on an allotment but going steadily through June I managed to turn the whole plot over with no problems whatsoever. It chopped the hardened soil up nicely and in the last few weeks I have already pulled up my first harvest of chunky beets and gorgeous carrots.
Only minor niggle I found is that the handle is made on the cheap and the varnish chips off pretty quickly but tbf at this price I’m hardly complaining, still five stars overall.
This so,so,so almost got a 5 star rating but there was a SMALL split in the shaft which more superficial than structural was annoying. for the price however, you will not be disappointed. I read a previous review saying that the head needed to be secured by a screw but I can safely say this is not the case as I have put this through it’s paces in the last couple of weeks and the head ain’t moving and didn’t need to be secured with a screw.
This has rapidly become my favourite tool on the allotment. It is heavy enough to be used for digging and ridging up potatoes, but light enough to use for simple hoeing.
I have a large patch of brambles to dig out. This has been impossible with a spade or fork and a pick-axe is too narrow. This azada/mattock makes short work of getting through the roots and levering them up.
The head is sturdy and reasonably sharp. After some hard use, on stony ground and cutting through roots, it has remained reasonable sharp. A light dressing with the stone I use to sharpen my spade and Dutch hoe is all that is needed to maintain the edge.
Overall, a great buy and a really useful tool. Highly recommended (and it arrived in double quick time too).
It is not clear from the description that this does not come complete. You are provided with the shaft and blade separately. I guess you could just slide the blade on and allow it to jam on the thickened end of the shaft. My concern was that it might loosen so I heated it in the oven before sliding it on and it tightened on contraction. I also used a metal wedge to expand the end of the shaft. Once assembled it does its job well especially digging a trench for potatoes and saves the backache from using a spade.