Topic: best digging tool for rough ground

[staris]

i bought a Wilkinson sword stainless steel digging fork and i'm not impressed with the quality, after approx 30 mins of digging the handle has become loose at the base and i also managed to bend on of the prongs back.
the ground is fairly rough, raspberry and blackberry roots and the odd stone, should i just buy another fork....a better one this time or try an azada  :)

[valmarg]

If you are going to buy another, go for cheap and cheerful.

Stainless steel is not a good medium for gardening tools.  It is too brittle.

Woolworths, Wilkos, Poundland, Poundstretchers, are all likely to have bargain tools.  Just because you've paid a lot of money for a tool, doesn't mean it's going to be any better.

valmarg

[amphibian]

I seem to break every fork I ever use, so I don't feel qualified to advise anything on this matter.

I use an azaeda and a canterbury fork. I love the canterbury fork, rarely use a standard fork anymore.

Got mine from Chillington.

[staris]

the reason i bought a so called better quality fork is because the wife wouldn't lend me her garden tools as i have a habit of breaking them  :)

[Chilipepper]

i bought my spade and fork from B&Q and they are brill :)
£9.99 each

[Robert_Brenchley]

I have a solid steel fork I got for a fiver in the Rag Market years ago. It's so strong it doubles up as a crowbar, and I'd far rather have it than the standard breakable things.

[STEVEB]

MINE CAME AS A PAIR FORK AND SPADE FROM ARGOS CHEAP AND CHEERFULL ITS DONE A LOT OF MILES WITH NO PROBLEM.

[Eristic]

Just because you've paid a lot of money for a tool, doesn't mean it's going to be any better.

I disagree. Buy cheap, buy twice as they say.
Allotments are no place for Micky Mouse tools, you need the best and the knowledge as to how to use them. If money is lacking buy secondhand.

[Pesky Wabbit]

My fork is a Wilko home brand stainless steel one. Had it for a good 10 years, gets used several times a week, every week of the year, and its still as good as new.

I never leave home without it.

[hopalong]

I've been well satisfied with my Wilko stainless steel fork and spade too. They're tough, well made, rust-free and easy to clean. You obviously have to take a bit of care. Any fork will bend if you try lifting huge and obstinate rocks with it.

[artichoke]

I dug out a garden for my daughter from stony concrete-like ground with her husband's heavy pickaxe. The ground was very very hard, but the point of the pickaxe could be forced into it, then pushed around to heave up the lumps, and over time, with added manure and compost, it became reasonably good.

[daileg]

well i have two of each will say say though allways go for the one that feels light enough to work with and stong enough to do the job my spear and jackson have been going for a good 8 years old now still going strong still no rattle and roll i surpose they dont make them like they used too

[Baccy Man]

I use an old bulldog fork, the tines & handle are forged out of a single piece of steel which means it's nearly indestructible although it could be a little heavy for some people. It was for sale second hand on a market stall for £1 although I got it free because the stall holder is a friend of mine. All my best tools are second hand old ones I have picked up cheap the modern ones i've bought need to be repaired/replaced regularly.

[Melbourne12]

As Baccy man says, you need a good forged steel fork.  You can still get Bulldog tools, although they're not as good as the real old-fashioned hand-forged ones.

Spear and Jackson Neverbend is a decent brand, too.  Buy the border fork if the full sized one is too heavy.

[Barnowl]

i bought a Wilkinson sword stainless steel digging fork and i'm not impressed with the quality, after approx 30 mins of digging the handle has become loose at the base and i also managed to bend on of the prongs back.
the ground is fairly rough, raspberry and blackberry roots and the odd stone, should i just buy another fork....a better one this time or try an azada  :)

I took back a Wilkinson fork after I snapped it in half after just a few weeks. The shop assistant said it happened all the time and made me swap it for a Spear & Jackson (no additional cost), which is still surviving a year later.

[BAK]

for heavy work, eg removing strong roots, I would personally use a mattock or pick axe.

[kt.]

for heavy work, eg removing strong roots, I would personally use a mattock or pick axe.

To loosen solid or rough terrain - I agree - a mattock every time.  Never fails.  Breaks it up with little effort,  then you just need to separate the weeds.  Once the ground is cultivated after the first year then a gripe usually suffices.

[Kea]

I agree, heavy unbroken ground a mattock is the only way to go....an adzada is not heavy enough it will just bounce off, save it to use later.

[amphibian]

I use an old bulldog fork, the tines & handle are forged out of a single piece of steel which means it's nearly indestructible although it could be a little heavy for some people. It was for sale second hand on a market stall for £1 although I got it free because the stall holder is a friend of mine. All my best tools are second hand old ones I have picked up cheap the modern ones i've bought need to be repaired/replaced regularly.

I love my old tools, like my ancient hoe which despite being a head of rust is still sharper than anything else I have ever used.

[staris]

i'm going to get the fork replaced but also get a mattock, thanks  :)