Hello,

I broke our spade trying to dig out some roots. In the past I have
always bought a cheap fork and spade set from somewhere like B&Q. Are
all spades created equal or are the expensive ones better in some way?

I see some are carbon steel and others are stainless steel. I imagine
stainless steel is less likely to rust but in my experience, the
carbon steel ones have not rusted but perhaps that's because they
haven't lasted long enough to rust!

What about forks? I always seem to bend the tines but as with the
spade, that is user-error abusing them to when digging out roots. Are
there any with more robust tines?

One last question: border spades and digging spades. Is the border
spade just a slightly smaller version of the digging spade? Which do
you use, or do you have one of each?

Thanks,
Stephen.

In article ,
Stephen wrote:

I broke our spade trying to dig out some roots. In the past I have
always bought a cheap fork and spade set from somewhere like B&Q. Are
all spades created equal or are the expensive ones better in some way?

Some are, but the increasing dominance of marketing and a few
huge companies means that most are merely more gimmicky. If you
want a stronger spade, you should try to get to a traditional
agricultural supplies merchant. I haven't bought a tool from
one in ages, but they are more likely to be stronger and heavier
than the ones sold for domestic use.

Ditto for forks.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

I find stainless steel good in clay soil as the soil just slips off it - much less heavy to use. Mine is a border spade because it suits my strength level better. Unfortunately it doesn't work well for levering because it has a protective device in the way of a stiff flex point where spade meets handle, which means if you try to lever up something too heavy, it flexes instead of breaking.

Stephen wrote in
:

Hello,

I broke our spade trying to dig out some roots. In the past I have
always bought a cheap fork and spade set from somewhere like B&Q. Are
all spades created equal or are the expensive ones better in some way?

I see some are carbon steel and others are stainless steel. I imagine
stainless steel is less likely to rust but in my experience, the
carbon steel ones have not rusted but perhaps that's because they
haven't lasted long enough to rust!

What about forks? I always seem to bend the tines but as with the
spade, that is user-error abusing them to when digging out roots. Are
there any with more robust tines?

One last question: border spades and digging spades. Is the border
spade just a slightly smaller version of the digging spade? Which do
you use, or do you have one of each?

Thanks,
Stephen.

http://tinyurl.com/7dbdces

I have had the previous model for 4 years now, and it has been used to
dig out tree stumps. It is a one piece design and WILL NOT break, even if
you use it as a crowbar as I have. I have bounced on it to get tree roots
out.B&Q sell it but will be cheaper at the builders merchant.

Don't confuse similar ones with rivets joining the spade to the handle,
they WILL break under pressure although better than wooden handles.

I think mine will outlast me.

A border spade or fork is used where a full size tool will not fit the
area which is being dug, also possibly used by the less strong gardeners,
children or elderly for example.

There is not a fork in the world where the tines will not bend under
pressure. You can straighten a tine with the aid of a piece of steel
piping or conduit(not copper because it is not strong enough).

My personal thoughts are to buy an indestructable spade and a cheapish
fork.

Hope this helps
Baz

On 06/03/2012 11:22, Baz wrote:
wrote in
:

Hello,

I broke our spade trying to dig out some roots. In the past I have
always bought a cheap fork and spade set from somewhere like B&Q. Are
all spades created equal or are the expensive ones better in some way?

I see some are carbon steel and others are stainless steel. I imagine
stainless steel is less likely to rust but in my experience, the
carbon steel ones have not rusted but perhaps that's because they
haven't lasted long enough to rust!

What about forks? I always seem to bend the tines but as with the
spade, that is user-error abusing them to when digging out roots. Are
there any with more robust tines?

One last question: border spades and digging spades. Is the border
spade just a slightly smaller version of the digging spade? Which do
you use, or do you have one of each?

Thanks,
Stephen.

http://tinyurl.com/7dbdces

I have had the previous model for 4 years now, and it has been used to
dig out tree stumps. It is a one piece design and WILL NOT break, even if
you use it as a crowbar as I have. I have bounced on it to get tree roots
out.B&Q sell it but will be cheaper at the builders merchant.

Don't confuse similar ones with rivets joining the spade to the handle,
they WILL break under pressure although better than wooden handles.

I think mine will outlast me.

A border spade or fork is used where a full size tool will not fit the
area which is being dug, also possibly used by the less strong gardeners,
children or elderly for example.

There is not a fork in the world where the tines will not bend under
pressure. You can straighten a tine with the aid of a piece of steel
piping or conduit(not copper because it is not strong enough).

My personal thoughts are to buy an indestructable spade and a cheapish
fork.

Hope this helps
Baz

The plastic handled jobs I saw in Wilkos for £6 something looked pretty
strong. I think Screwfix do them too.

On 06/03/2012 16:38, stuart noble wrote:


The plastic handled jobs I saw in Wilkos for £6 something looked pretty
strong. I think Screwfix do them too.

I bought a pair of cheapish plastic ( fibreglass tube AFAICT) and
stainless steel jobs. The steel bits are fine. The plastic bits cannot
cope with levering out roots. Four Candles anyone ?

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:57:59 +0000, Paul Luton
wrote:

On 06/03/2012 16:38, stuart noble wrote:


The plastic handled jobs I saw in Wilkos for £6 something looked pretty
strong. I think Screwfix do them too.

I bought a pair of cheapish plastic ( fibreglass tube AFAICT) and
stainless steel jobs. The steel bits are fine. The plastic bits cannot
cope with levering out roots. Four Candles anyone ?

Get one of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Faithfull-Ch.../dp/B0001IWJ4Q

Gets roots in a jiffy as you get some really long leverage. Great for
levering out metpost spikes, lumps of concrete around fence posts,
anything heavy. Also makes mincemeat of heavy clay/stone sub-soil.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.

On 06/03/2012 16:57, Paul Luton wrote:
On 06/03/2012 16:38, stuart noble wrote:


The plastic handled jobs I saw in Wilkos for £6 something looked pretty
strong. I think Screwfix do them too.

I bought a pair of cheapish plastic ( fibreglass tube AFAICT) and
stainless steel jobs. The steel bits are fine. The plastic bits cannot
cope with levering out roots. Four Candles anyone ?

Hm. I did wonder about that. These handles seem to be solid rather than
tubular, but I couldn't swear to it.

Jake wrote in
:

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:57:59 +0000, Paul Luton
wrote:

On 06/03/2012 16:38, stuart noble wrote:


The plastic handled jobs I saw in Wilkos for £6 something looked pretty
strong. I think Screwfix do them too.

I bought a pair of cheapish plastic ( fibreglass tube AFAICT) and
stainless steel jobs. The steel bits are fine. The plastic bits cannot
cope with levering out roots. Four Candles anyone ?

Get one of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Faithfull-Ch.../dp/B0001IWJ4Q

Gets roots in a jiffy as you get some really long leverage. Great for
levering out metpost spikes, lumps of concrete around fence posts,
anything heavy. Also makes mincemeat of heavy clay/stone sub-soil.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.

Did anybody follow this link I posted?

http://tinyurl.com/7dbdces

If not then I urge you to. Best bit of kit I ever bought. Expensive I know
but will last a lifetime, and some more.

Baz

On Mar 6, 8:43*am, Stephen wrote:
Hello,

I broke our spade trying to dig out some roots. In the past I have
always bought a cheap fork and spade set from somewhere like B&Q. Are
all spades created equal or are the expensive ones better in some way?

I see some are carbon steel and others are stainless steel. I imagine
stainless steel is less likely to rust but in my experience, the
carbon steel ones have not rusted but perhaps that's because they
haven't lasted long enough to rust!

What about forks? I always seem to bend the tines but as with the
spade, that is user-error abusing them to when digging out roots. Are
there any with more robust tines?

One last question: border spades and digging spades. Is the border
spade just a slightly smaller version of the digging spade? Which do
you use, or do you have one of each?

Thanks,
Stephen.



Have a look round a car boot sale. The heavier the spade, the
stronger it will be. They made indestructable spades back then. Just
watch that the handle is OK.
Failing that, the builders merchant. Again, heavier is better. A
good one is expensive.
I had an SS one. It was crap,it broke after about two years.

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:37:39 +0000, Jake
wrote:

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:57:59 +0000, Paul Luton
wrote:

On 06/03/2012 16:38, stuart noble wrote:


The plastic handled jobs I saw in Wilkos for £6 something looked pretty
strong. I think Screwfix do them too.

I bought a pair of cheapish plastic ( fibreglass tube AFAICT) and
stainless steel jobs. The steel bits are fine. The plastic bits cannot
cope with levering out roots. Four Candles anyone ?

Get one of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Faithfull-Ch.../dp/B0001IWJ4Q

Gets roots in a jiffy as you get some really long leverage. Great for
levering out metpost spikes, lumps of concrete around fence posts,
anything heavy. Also makes mincemeat of heavy clay/stone sub-soil.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.

A reasonable facsimile can be obtained from Wickes for about £16.

Regards
JonH

On 03/06/2012 06:55 PM, Baz wrote:
Did anybody follow this link I posted?

Dead link for me, Baz, I'm afraid.

Emery Davis wrote in news:9rn739FslU1
@mid.individual.net:

On 03/06/2012 06:55 PM, Baz wrote:
Did anybody follow this link I posted?

Dead link for me, Baz, I'm afraid.

Sorry to hear that.
Go to B&Q site and search for Fiskars Power Digging Spade.
That ought to do it.

Baz

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:59:10 +0000, wrote:

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:37:39 +0000, Jake
wrote:

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:57:59 +0000, Paul Luton
wrote:

On 06/03/2012 16:38, stuart noble wrote:


The plastic handled jobs I saw in Wilkos for £6 something looked pretty
strong. I think Screwfix do them too.

I bought a pair of cheapish plastic ( fibreglass tube AFAICT) and
stainless steel jobs. The steel bits are fine. The plastic bits cannot
cope with levering out roots. Four Candles anyone ?

Get one of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Faithfull-Ch.../dp/B0001IWJ4Q

Gets roots in a jiffy as you get some really long leverage. Great for
levering out metpost spikes, lumps of concrete around fence posts,
anything heavy. Also makes mincemeat of heavy clay/stone sub-soil.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.

A reasonable facsimile can be obtained from Wickes for about £16.

Regards
JonH

Mine fell, indirectly, off the back of a fire engine (well it was a
clearout of the garage of a recently deceased fireman). The Amazon
link was the first I came across. However, make sure if you buy one
"cheap" that it is hardened and tempered carbon steel. I've seen one,
made of simple galvanised low quality steel, shatter and spring into
the air.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.

In article ,
Jake wrote:
On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:59:10 +0000, wrote:

I bought a pair of cheapish plastic ( fibreglass tube AFAICT) and
stainless steel jobs. The steel bits are fine. The plastic bits cannot
cope with levering out roots. Four Candles anyone ?

Get one of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Faithfull-Ch.../dp/B0001IWJ4Q

Gets roots in a jiffy as you get some really long leverage. Great for
levering out metpost spikes, lumps of concrete around fence posts,
anything heavy. Also makes mincemeat of heavy clay/stone sub-soil.

A reasonable facsimile can be obtained from Wickes for about £16.

Mine fell, indirectly, off the back of a fire engine (well it was a
clearout of the garage of a recently deceased fireman). The Amazon
link was the first I came across. However, make sure if you buy one
"cheap" that it is hardened and tempered carbon steel. I've seen one,
made of simple galvanised low quality steel, shatter and spring into
the air.

Mine was left in the garden when we moved in. It is slightly
bent - and, no, I did not do that :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.