Recently bought a spading fork from Home Depot. Was supposed to be
"Kodiak contractor grade² Cost me $30. Had forged tines but this was
connected to a wooden handle with a metal junction. I lent it to a friend
and he returned it bent - the junction between the fork and handle is a
soft metal that bends easily. So even though the tines are forged it is
really very easy to bend the junction out of shape. I realize this is
acting as a fuse and protecting the tines but the replacement cost and
hassle of replacing the handle is something I would rather live without.
I would like to find a fork with more robust construction.

Secondly, bought a spade similar story, wood handle breaks after mild
abuse (was being used as one of many pry bars to move a heavy root ball).

So I am looking for a source of hand tools that are indestructible and
will stand up to reasonable use and abuse. I cannot find any spades or
forks with fiberglass handles and am actually uncertain if they are
indestructible.

So if anyone knows of hand tools that will last a lifetime I would love to
hear about them.

Roland

"animaux" wrote in message
...
| On Thu, 26 Dec 2002 19:03:21 -0600, (Joe Doe)
wrote:
|
| Recently bought a spading fork from Home Depot. Was supposed to be
| "Kodiak contractor grade² Cost me $30. Had forged tines but this
was
| connected to a wooden handle with a metal junction. I lent it to a
friend
| and he returned it bent - the junction between the fork and handle
is a
| soft metal that bends easily. So even though the tines are forged
it is
| really very easy to bend the junction out of shape. I realize
this is
| acting as a fuse and protecting the tines but the replacement cost
and
| hassle of replacing the handle is something I would rather live
without.
| I would like to find a fork with more robust construction.
|
| Secondly, bought a spade similar story, wood handle breaks after
mild
| abuse (was being used as one of many pry bars to move a heavy root
ball).
|
| So I am looking for a source of hand tools that are indestructible
and
| will stand up to reasonable use and abuse. I cannot find any
spades or
| forks with fiberglass handles and am actually uncertain if they are
| indestructible.
|
| So if anyone knows of hand tools that will last a lifetime I would
love to
| hear about them.
|
| Roland
|
| Far as I know, Sears hand tools (meaning non-power) have a lifetime
warranty.
| I've returned garden forks to Home Depot which were supposed to be
this or that
| and they either gave another, or a store credit unless I had the
receipt, then
| cash was given back.

The offer on Sears Craftsman tools is still good. Not using power
tools, I've called upon Sears for replacement of edging shears after
over twenty years of use. If you have a proper handle (ash, usually)
the tool forging itself can often be replaced. I have an Ames rake
that's been in use for nearly thirty years. A Sears non-power push
reel mower has had a couple of parts replaced (always available from
Sears) during the past nearly thirty years but still runs fine. Check
out Snow & Neally for axes and other hand tools. In our family there
are some items from this outfit that are over a hundred years old.

On Thu, 26 Dec 2002 19:03:21 -0600, (Joe Doe)
wrote:

Recently bought a spading fork from Home Depot. Was supposed to be
"Kodiak contractor grade² Cost me $30.

Although this does not address your problem, Home Depot will either
replace the tools or issue a strore credit.

Elliot Richmond
Freelance Science Writer and Editor

In article , Elliot Richmond
wrote:


Although this does not address your problem, Home Depot will either
replace the tools or issue a strore credit.

Elliot Richmond
Freelance Science Writer and Editor


Thanks everybody for the input. It looks like what I want may not be easy
to find.

Just to drag this out a wee bit further I learnt some interesting stuff on
garden tools. I was at Half priced books and they had a 20% sale. Saw a
book on garden tools by Smith and Hawkins and picked it up because of the
sale. The book generally confirms what you guys say (no indestructible
stuff exists). They say wood is better than metal for the shaft because
supposedly it absorbs more of the shock of impact and thus easier on the
user. Metal is also heavier. Fiberglass is only 20-50% stronger than
wood (at least in the formulation of garden tools) and so is not really
indestructible either. According to them a good tool may bend but should
be able to be straightened without a penalty in strength. Lastly, they
seem to think replacing handles is no big deal and should be expected. I
still have a problem accepting this: For example a cheapish shovel at HD
is $12. A replacement handle is $8. So being lazy, obviously I am simply
going to buy a new shovel. Something in me militates against treating
everything as disposable. The Don Quixote in me really would like to find
one shovel that lasts a lifetime for say $50-100 rather than buy 5 shovels
for $50-100 over a lifetime. Unfortunately, it looks like I am going to
have to find some other windmill to tilt with.

Roland

Hey Joe Doe,

I agree with your aggravation! I have detected what appears to be a ruse
against the consumer by many hardware manufacturers and hardware stores.

This is what I have seen. You buy a $25. tree pruner, then about a year or
two later you go back to the same store and try to buy a replacement blade.
You buy one, bring it home and it doesn't fit, so you take your whole pole
pruner back to the store to find a blade that fits. They either do not handle
that brand any more or the new blades for that brand have the positioning
holes drilled different so the blades do not fit your older model. I think
they purposefully move the connection bolts a quarter of an inch, every
couple of years JUST to make the consumer buy a whole new pruner every year
or two.

Then I bought a little hand pruner for about $8. and went back to Home Depot
to buy a new blade and they do not have any replacement blades. It is easy
for them to say they "ran out of them", but I have long suspected that they
do not order any so they can sell the whole hand saw (pruner) for $8. instead
of the $2. blade. Or ,maybe they cannot get the blades from Fiskars for that
reason.

One of the worst, in these two instances in Fiskars, and few years ago (like
1997 or so) I went looking all over the web and 800 numbers for an address or
phone number for the Fiskars company. I was unable to find them at all. I
think that may have changed, but I am still very annoyed with them, and
Furrow's was the first case and Home Depot was the second case I mentioned.

Then there are the lawn sprinklers and hose spray nozzles that rust out
and/or disintegrate after one season of use. I get really aggravated with
this!

I can hear the manufacturers say, but if those lasted 10 years or better, we
would have to lay off a bunch of Americans, and slow production and sales go
way down. So... that could be a problem all right!

I go to estate sales and antique stores and buy bronze and aluminum ones from
years back that still work great!

I bought a BFGoodrich bronze hose end sprayer for $18. in a Smithville
antique store a few weeks back, and it is as good as the day it was first
purchased about 40-50 years ago and heavy!

I also have a "Poppy" brand yard sprinkler that I paid $20-30 for in a junk
store in Johnson City that is still in great shape. It has lost a bit of
paint, but not a spot of corrosion or rust on.

But notice that BFGoodrich or Poppy do not make yard items anymore. So...
guess that tells us something about their profits after about 5 years from
when they sold all these great yard items to everyone. :/

Joe Doe wrote:

In article , Elliot Richmond
wrote:

Although this does not address your problem, Home Depot will either
replace the tools or issue a strore credit.

Elliot Richmond
Freelance Science Writer and Editor

Thanks everybody for the input. It looks like what I want may not be easy
to find.

Just to drag this out a wee bit further I learnt some interesting stuff on
garden tools. I was at Half priced books and they had a 20% sale. Saw a
book on garden tools by Smith and Hawkins and picked it up because of the
sale. The book generally confirms what you guys say (no indestructible
stuff exists). They say wood is better than metal for the shaft because
supposedly it absorbs more of the shock of impact and thus easier on the
user. Metal is also heavier. Fiberglass is only 20-50% stronger than
wood (at least in the formulation of garden tools) and so is not really
indestructible either. According to them a good tool may bend but should
be able to be straightened without a penalty in strength. Lastly, they
seem to think replacing handles is no big deal and should be expected. I
still have a problem accepting this: For example a cheapish shovel at HD
is $12. A replacement handle is $8. So being lazy, obviously I am simply
going to buy a new shovel. Something in me militates against treating
everything as disposable. The Don Quixote in me really would like to find
one shovel that lasts a lifetime for say $50-100 rather than buy 5 shovels
for $50-100 over a lifetime. Unfortunately, it looks like I am going to
have to find some other windmill to tilt with.

Roland

On Sat, 28 Dec 2002 21:36:44 -0600, (Joe Doe)
wrote: Lastly, they
seem to think replacing handles is no big deal and should be expected. I
still have a problem accepting this: For example a cheapish shovel at HD
is $12. A replacement handle is $8. So being lazy, obviously I am simply
going to buy a new shovel. Something in me militates against treating
everything as disposable.
Roland
You have to choose: be lazy, and treat everything as disposable. Or,
be proactive, and repair even though it's easier to replace. The
attitude you describe is precisely why so many things are now
available only as cheap knock-offs. Be part of the solution or you
are the problem.

k
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