What is the recommended, strongest hand trowel?
I have been through many but, until now all have deformed at the
"neck" when subject to strong, but not abnormal, leverage.
Once bent there, they are permanently weakened.
I need a super-tough variety.
Any recommendations here ?

Rob says...
What is the recommended, strongest hand trowel?
I have been through many but, until now all have deformed at the
"neck" when subject to strong, but not abnormal, leverage.
Once bent there, they are permanently weakened.
I need a super-tough variety.
Any recommendations here ?


Ours is really solid and had a number of years heavy use.
It is made by Wilkinson Sword and is stainless steel with a
wooden handle. The Mrs says she thinks we bought it from
Homebase approx 5 years ago.

In the past we've had the cheap all metal ones which bend
at the neck or all plastic ones which just snap. You get
what you pay for.
--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted.

In article ,
David in Normandy writes:
| Rob says...
| What is the recommended, strongest hand trowel?
| I have been through many but, until now all have deformed at the
| "neck" when subject to strong, but not abnormal, leverage.
| Once bent there, they are permanently weakened.
| I need a super-tough variety.
| Any recommendations here ?
|
| Ours is really solid and had a number of years heavy use.
| It is made by Wilkinson Sword and is stainless steel with a
| wooden handle. The Mrs says she thinks we bought it from
| Homebase approx 5 years ago.
|
| In the past we've had the cheap all metal ones which bend
| at the neck or all plastic ones which just snap. You get
| what you pay for.

No, you don't. I have been looking for a similar one with a
(c. 1') long handle for a long time, and everything expensive I
have seen has been gimmicky.

The one I have nearly worn out I bought in Woolworths in the
1960s :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren says...

| In the past we've had the cheap all metal ones which bend
| at the neck or all plastic ones which just snap. You get
| what you pay for.

No, you don't. I have been looking for a similar one with a
(c. 1') long handle for a long time, and everything expensive I
have seen has been gimmicky.

The one I have nearly worn out I bought in Woolworths in the
1960s :-)


Well I'd recommend mine anyway, it is good and solid, and
it wasn't cheap. Can't remember how much but probably about
5 times the price of the basic pressed steel ones. While
there is no guarantee that an expensive one is good, I
think it is accurate to say that cheap ones are invariably
poor quality. Perhaps it depends how much leverage you
think it should be reasonable to apply and for the tool to
withstand? I've broken or bent every cheap hand trowel I've
ever owned.

There does seem to be a lot of gimmicky garden tools for
sale nowadays e.g. the various ranges with detachable
shafts. They are expensive but look a tad flimsy to me.
Frankly I can't see the benefit of sharing a shaft between
several tools.

Speaking of flimsy and bad design. Last year I bought a
small mains powered electric rotovator to hoe between the
vegetable rows and for the Mrs to use in the flower beds.
It was ok but jammed when it hit any rocks about an inch in
size. It has had no more than about 2 hours total use.
The machine is now just out of guarantee and the damn thing
has packed up - the blades don't spin any more.

I took it to bits expecting to find a drive belt had come
off. However I discovered that it did not use such tried
and trusted technology. Instead the electric motor drove a
metal screw cog against a nylon cog. Teeth completely
shredded off the nylon cog. I could not believe such a poor
design had got beyond the drawing board. Anyone with half a
brain could predict the machine would fail. Just hit a few
rocks (every garden has a few rocks!) and the nylon teeth
get stripped.

Anyone thinking of buying one of these things be warned!
They are crap!
--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
David in Normandy writes:
| Rob says...
| What is the recommended, strongest hand trowel?
| I have been through many but, until now all have deformed at the
| "neck" when subject to strong, but not abnormal, leverage.
| Once bent there, they are permanently weakened.
| I need a super-tough variety.
| Any recommendations here ?
|
| Ours is really solid and had a number of years heavy use.
| It is made by Wilkinson Sword and is stainless steel with a
| wooden handle. The Mrs says she thinks we bought it from
| Homebase approx 5 years ago.
|
| In the past we've had the cheap all metal ones which bend
| at the neck or all plastic ones which just snap. You get
| what you pay for.

No, you don't. I have been looking for a similar one with a
(c. 1') long handle for a long time, and everything expensive I
have seen has been gimmicky.

The one I have nearly worn out I bought in Woolworths in the
1960s :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

I got a traditional long handled trowel & weeder off my Wife for
christmas,they were from a garden centre and even though they havent had
much use so far i would recommend them at £13 & £ 7 .They have a good feel &
seem strong. Even though alot of tools i own get damaged due to improper use
!
Keith
Nottingham

In article ,
"keith kent" writes:
|
| I got a traditional long handled trowel & weeder off my Wife for
| christmas,they were from a garden centre and even though they havent had
| much use so far i would recommend them at £13 & £ 7 .They have a good feel &
| seem strong. Even though alot of tools i own get damaged due to improper use
| !

Can you give me your wife's details? :-)

More seriously, what make are they?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Rob" wrote...
What is the recommended, strongest hand trowel?
I have been through many but, until now all have deformed at the
"neck" when subject to strong, but not abnormal, leverage.
Once bent there, they are permanently weakened.
I need a super-tough variety.
Any recommendations here ?

I use a number of hand trowels, my preference is for a narrow bladed trowel
as I grow my plants in "Rootrainers" so I need a deep thin hole to plant
them in.

The Wolf thin bladed trowel seems rather good, only had it for a year or
two, stainless with a pleasant to grip plastic handle and well made, another
I've had for years is welded and enamel coated but no name that I remember,
yet another ordinary shaped trowel was given away at a local GC and is also
welded and enamelled and seems very strong such that I have been using it
today to dig up old bricks and help lay a new block paving path, it's as
solid as a rock. Rings when I hit a stone/brick.
I'll have a look in the back of the Defender tomorrow and see if I can see a
name on either. :-)

Those pressed sheet steel things I see littering the GCs are not worth house
room.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

Rob wrote:
What is the recommended, strongest hand trowel?
I have been through many but, until now all have deformed at the
"neck" when subject to strong, but not abnormal, leverage.
Once bent there, they are permanently weakened.
I need a super-tough variety.
Any recommendations here ?

The only thing I would say is to get a trowel with a thick solid round metal
section connecting the handle to the trowel blade. Anything else, IMHO,
will deform and break after a while.

Of course, you never abuse a trowel by using it to lever up paving stones,
do you? ;-)

--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)

On 19 feb, 11:01, "Jeff Layman" wrote:
Rob wrote:
What is the recommended, strongest hand trowel?
I have been through many but, until now all have deformed at the
"neck" when subject to strong, but not abnormal, leverage.
Once bent there, they are permanently weakened.
I need a super-tough variety.
Any recommendations here ?

The only thing I would say is to get a trowel with a thick solid round metal
section connecting the handle to the trowel blade. *Anything else, IMHO,
will deform and break after a while.

Of course, you never abuse a trowel by using it to lever up paving stones,
do you? ;-)

--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)

Thanks for all these replies.
Jef's comment above seems very relevant: what I have called the neck
being of quality.
I would add having as short a neck as possible to reduce the bending
moment(?).
I am going to look for a S&J Neverbend - or am I being seduced by
brand name and marketing ?

On 21 Feb, 09:57, Rob wrote:
On 19 feb, 11:01, "Jeff Layman" wrote:





Rob wrote:
What is the recommended, strongest hand trowel?
I have been through many but, until now all have deformed at the
"neck" when subject to strong, but not abnormal, leverage.
Once bent there, they are permanently weakened.
I need a super-tough variety.
Any recommendations here ?

The only thing I would say is to get a trowel with a thick solid round metal
section connecting the handle to the trowel blade. *Anything else, IMHO,
will deform and break after a while.

Of course, you never abuse a trowel by using it to lever up paving stones,
do you? ;-)

--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)

Thanks for all these replies.
Jef's comment above seems very relevant: what I have called the neck
being of quality.
I would add having as short a neck as possible to reduce the bending
moment(?).
I am going to look for a S&J Neverbend - or am I being seduced by
brand name and marketing ?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I always try to bend the trowel in the store before buying, if it
seems as if I can bend it then I don't buy.
I do have a pressed trowel that cost 45p 5 years ago, and it's still
like new.
Why?
Because it's crap. it would bend if you tried to dig sand with it, so
it's never been used.
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

My sister bought a Hand Trowel for my father. I remember that Hand Trowel is very small and lightweight. Small like: Uxsight: Compact Folding Hand Shovel Portable Trowel Garden Tool : Rakes, Shovels & Hoes this one. It can be folding or open. I don't know if it's strong, I've only know that my father used for a long time.