Topic: Choosing a garden knife

[sweet-pea]

I'm getting a gardening knife for xmas and wondered if anyone could recommend any good makes.  I've seen a nice one with a rosewood handle, but I'm not sure if I like it simply because it looks like a goodold fashioned knife :-)  Any advice would be very welcome.

SP x

[saddad]

I just use a swiss army style... never short of a bottle opener either!
 ;D

[cambourne7]

I bought mine knife for £3 in a garden centre it had a wilkinson blade and foulded inside itself.

Its very sharpe and does the job, handle is less important as the blade.

[Barnowl]

This site gives an idea of the variety available - I have a stainless steel Bahco pruning knife I'm very fond of.

Tooled up knife search

[artichoke]

I have some old "rusty" dinner knives, honed to razor sharpness, and they are among my most used tools. I suppose folding would be nice, but mine live in a bucket with other small tools (including a folding pruning knife - very useful) and I don't need them to fold.

[cambourne7]

mine is like this one

http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=112741

looks like i got a bargin!!

[Barnowl]

That's a brilliant price - well spotted!

[mellor]

i picked up an opinel knife whilst in the lakes was only £4 but is very light and just about the right size

only thing is its a carbon steel blade so needs to be kept fairly clean once done for the day but does keep a good edge and is easy to sharpen

[moonbells]

I have one that I'm not sure you can get in the UK any more. It's a three-bladed Swiss Army gardening knife, with two sharp blades and one budding blade which is blunt and copper/brass.  I love it to bits, so much so I was worried I'd lose it and bought a second one while I was in Germany the other year.

oooh I take it back - it's back on sale over here!  :D
http://www.swissknifeshop.co.uk/victorinox_pruning_knives.html#cutting

(Needless to say I didn't pay anything like that much!! Think it worked out at £12)

moonbells

[kenkew]

I have a few but use my 'Safari' made by Inox, Solingen, Germany The most. It's got a good grip handle, decent weight blade and it locks in position...I feel the blade locking feature is a must....With a bit of practice it's possible to open it one handed...very handy...also comes with a belt sheath.

[Barnowl]

Defo thumbs up for locking blade  :)

[gordonsveg]

Still using my french fishermans knife from when i was trawling in the 70s, the blade locks for safety.

[powerspade]

I bought a razor sharp Spear & Jackson Knife in Asdas for £2.40 a couple of weeks ago

[moonbells]

Be careful about carrying locking blades. They are now illegal to carry in public regardless of their length. Please be aware that this includes Stanley knives, so if you're taking one to the lottie to cut up some carpet, make sure the blade is 'away' and that you can prove why you have it!

Penknives with blades >3" in length are also out unless you can argue that they are 'tools of the trade' ie you're in catering or carpentry etc.  Most gardening knives are fortunately not that long, usually about 2.5".

If you're clearing a really overgrown plot and have a machete, well... !

moonbells

[kenkew]

If I ever get stopped on my way to peoples gardens I'd be locked up for life! One of my handiest tools is a 10" long heavy bladed knife which I use for cutting wavy lawn edges. Let's face it, any garden tool could be classed as a weapon, it's where you have it that counts. Walking round Woollies with a garden hand fork might raise an eye brow or two but inside a tool bag on your way to a job can't be an offence can it.
My 'tools of the trade' are exactly that. It might be illegal to carry some of the tools I do but I'm not changing my habits because of a handful nutters who don't get what they deserve when they're caught red-handed with a weapon on the streets.