Topic: Fork and spade advice

[hellohelenhere]

I have yet to get a fork and spade for my new garden. I'm torn between getting something very cheap, for now; or investing in a really decent set. In Focus, our nearby DIY store, the cheapo ones are about a fiver each; on the other hand, they have ones with nice wooden handles and shiny steel blades for about 25 quid each, so 50 quid for the pair. Range seems similar elsewhere.

Monty Don disdains plastic handles, and says they give you blisters; but then, I *always* wear gloves when gardening. The posh wooden ones are *much* lighter - which is more significant, and look as though they would cut much more efficiently. And then there is just the fact that they are much nicer to look at and handle, and you do spend a lot of time in their company, so that counts too... :D

Advice?

[OllieC]

The 2 main problems with cheap ones are that they don't slide very well and they bend easily. You want a good stainless one, the right height for you.

I don't think the handle is as important as the quality of the steel, personally... try bending a fork in the shop - put one of the prongs of a fork on the corner of the shelf at ground level & stand on it. The cheap ones will bend!

[Hyacinth]

try bending a fork in the shop - put one of the prongs of a fork on the corner of the shelf at ground level & stand on it. The cheap ones will bend!

 ;D Love to be there when you try it ;) Ol's right tho. Cheap for now is throwaway money and the 'now' might be the first time you use it? Go for the best steel and the right height and weight for you. Sorry I can't really recommend a make - mine are Wilkinson Sword bought bout 25yrs ago (and the border fork has a thick plastic-y handle, too :D)

[Tee Gee]

My vote is buy the best you can get it pays in the long run.

I have only bought two spades in the last forty years, in fact my daughter uses my first one as a border spade because it has worn down so much.

I now have a stainless steel one with a wooden split 'D' wooden handle.

My suggestion would be buy a spade @ £25  and go for a cheap fork for now, so in this case you will save £20 and have a spade that will last you many years.

In my case I only use my fork when I am muck spreading, which is just a case of once a year moving about ten tonne of cow muck, so I don't see a point of having an expensive one!

But in the end the choice is yours.

[kt.]

Argos are selling Spear & Jackson fork and spade with carbon steel handles for £15 each.  B&Q sell Wilkinson Sword forks and spades with wooden handles for about £25 each.

[hellohelenhere]

Good points. I must say, the wooden ones appeal:
http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=20001&partNumber=959660&Trail=searchtext%3ESPADE&c_1=1|cat_10308128|Garden+tools|10607393
(slightly cheaper at Focus). Light, and smaller than normal I thought, which is good, as I'm only 5'2".

and then, there's the Ebay route - anybody used these Draper spades?
http://tinyurl.com/6qobqm

Problem with buying online is I'd really need to see them first. They never give the weight!

[OllieC]

try bending a fork in the shop - put one of the prongs of a fork on the corner of the shelf at ground level & stand on it. The cheap ones will bend!

 ;D Love to be there when you try it ;) Ol's right tho. Cheap for now is throwaway money and the 'now' might be the first time you use it? Go for the best steel and the right height and weight for you. Sorry I can't really recommend a make - mine are Wilkinson Sword bought bout 25yrs ago (and the border fork has a thick plastic-y handle, too :D)

Now you know me... it's not a fork if it bends that easily... not fit for purpose. Trades descriptions act.

I've just saved them a refund. And yes, I have done it but never had the argument!

[chelsea dagger]

i have got a wilkinson sword  fork and spade, i use these for the heavy work down the lotti then i take them home, it would be a shame if the shed was broken into and they were nicked. so i have a cheapo fork and spade for light work in the shed.

[hellohelenhere]

Thanks guys, for talking me out of throwing money away on tat! :)
There are really good deals on the wooden-handled Drapers on Amazon; haven't seen any in real life though, to know if they'd suit me as well as the Spear and Jackson. Ho hum, more dilemmas! Perhaps if I email, they'll tell me the weight?

[hellohelenhere]

These maybe? :D
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1-12th-Dolls-House-Garden-Spade-and-Fork_W0QQitemZ370097949274QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item370097949274&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1301|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318

[OllieC]

Awwww, cute! Annabelle (my 3YO) will take them off you if they're no good!

[hellohelenhere]

Oh, my mistake: Draper do give the weights: 1.8kg for the digging fork, 3.2kg for the digging spade.

[hellohelenhere]

... whereas, the Spear & Jackson digging spade claims to weigh only 998g! Can that really be true? (These are supposed to be 'boxed weight', in all cases.) If so, it wins. I know there are some advantages to a heavy spade but they're outweighed by the disadvantages, for me.

[OllieC]

I got a bit grumpy with someone on e-bay once for not saying enough about their cold frames... You can imagine how much of a tit I felt when I reread the advert and noticed the world "model"...  ::)

[flossy]

   You learn by your mistakes !!

   A spade that bent , and a fork  with bent prongs !!   Have my Dads rake from year  ' unbelievable '
   and is still as good as nearly new !

   Buy what you can afford , then save up for the very best.   ;)

  floss xxx

[Hyacinth]

 :-[ I knew Wilkinson Sword looked wrong when I typed it - meant Spears & Jackson :-[

If there are good deals on ebay etc. I'd be trying to find the identical ones in a shop & try them, then get them cheaper online. Like you, I'm 5'2 (and shrinking ::)) and can't use heavy tools and mine are perfect for me. Some tools peeps I garden for have are just too heavy or the balance isn't right. To underline personal preferences - TeeGee uses his spade far, far more than his fork - I'm the reverse.

[Lauren S]

I have the Vintage border fork and spade. I'm a bit of a light weight when it comes to my garden tools  ::). Can't use a heavy spade. I prefer a fork to a spade for digging  ;D

What they don't mention any where is the Vintage Tools come with a 10 year guarantee.

http://www.wyevale.co.uk/Vintage-border-spade/0900001701,default,pd.html

Lauren  :)

[hellohelenhere]

Ooh, those look good, Lauren. I can see that I have already decided in favour of wooden handles. :)
Hyacinth - I've always been more of a fork user, too. Perhaps it's a preference of smaller people - they must be easier to drive into the ground?
There's a Wyevale Centre in Reading somewhere - as usual, not so easy to get to without a car but I may check it out. Trying to stay away from garden centres mind you, for the obvious reason that I could spend aaaaaalll my money, easy peasy... :D

[hellohelenhere]

Oh dear - price wrongly listed on this one? £956??!!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stainless-Steel-Digging-Spade-224540/dp/B000PXS04A/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=outdoors&qid=1226522629&sr=1-9

[powerspade]

I`d go for Bulldog spade and fork, had mine for 15 years with no problems.