Chris wrote:
What are the absolute best gardening tools?

A really good old-fashioned carbon steel spade is very tricky to find,
but the Stainless spear&jackson ones are good. Their "traditional"
carbon steel hand trowel should last a while, but it doesn't have a
wrought iron tang like they made in the 1920s..... Good stuff, though.
I have a friend who swears by the Joseph Bentley range of forks and
spades, but don't own any myself.

I have seen some very good tools in the agricultural merchants. You
can't get away with selling junk to farmers. I would, however, always
buy wheelbarrows from builder's merchants. Get one with a large
pneumatic tyre and roller bearings if you can.

I have a sandvik "laplander" folding pruning saw with a teflon coating.
I think they call themselves Bacho now. Totally brilliant, always
sharp, good folding mechanism.

For pocket knives, you cannot beat sheffield made:
http://www.premiercutlery.co.uk/ind_...sub_cat=wooden
remember to keep the pin oiled, mind: they are not yer moden
neglectable items. The slim pruner is just what my Grandad used to
use: I have a lambsfoot for cutting string and things, You can buy
them in good garden/farm shops or gun shops. For a good, plain, knife
with a locking blade you can't beat Opinel. Nice wooden handle, bright
locking ring. They make them with stainless and carbon blades - the
carbon bladed ones will take and keep a sharper edge, but do rust quite
easily if neglected. http://www.opinel.com/FR/index.htm . You can get
them almost anywhere, and they will last for years.

If you want the very best axe you can get, try this lot:
http://www.gransfors.com/htm_eng/index.html. Look on thier products
page at the splitting Maul - I have one of those and it is imortal. I
suspect they used to make hammers for Thor.

Inside the potting shed, the most important tool is the kettle. If an
electric one, get one that will take some bashing and won't mind
freezing solid - that probly means a straight-sided jug kettle, plastic
bodied. Ignore gimicks like sight glasses and the like - more places
to leak. The proper kettle for gardeners, though, is a gas one that
sits on a gas ring or paraffin stove.
http://www.heritage-gifts.co.uk/horw...0l-p-6264.html is
the sort of thing to aim for.

On the subject of parrafin heaters... No, that's enough for now