"pixi" wrote in message ...
No!! Definitely not. I can't see breaking shale with a hand mattock. I
had not read the description carefully enough. I realized later that it was
a hand mattock. And I sure don't need that. Don't think an Italian grape
hoe would cut the mustard....

I have one of these. It's a great tool, but heavy.

The real name is "Grading hoe." I don't know why Leonard calls it a
"grape hoe"

It is used to establish road grades or to make terraces on
hillsides--which is frequently done in vineyards, so that may be where
the "grape" comes from. It does a very good job of clearing weeds and
leveling ground, but you are correct; it isn't made for breaking up
shale.


J. Del Col