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?
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!
Quote from: OllieC on November 12, 2008, 20:01:53
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)
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.
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.
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!
Quote from: Hyacinth on November 12, 2008, 20:12:05
Quote from: OllieC on November 12, 2008, 20:01:53
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!
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.
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?
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
Awwww, cute! Annabelle (my 3YO) will take them off you if they're no good!
Oh, my mistake: Draper do give the weights: 1.8kg for the digging fork, 3.2kg for the digging spade.
... 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.
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"... ::)
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
:-[ 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.
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 :)
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
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
I`d go for Bulldog spade and fork, had mine for 15 years with no problems.
Helen, if you're thinking of buying from Wyvale, go along on a Tuesday - and take a Penshner with you 8) Penshner's 10% discount day is Tuesday, they can sign up and use their discount card straight away ;D
A lot depends on your soil and how you go about cultivating it. I have a £3 spade I got from Tesco's several years ago after the original one was nicked, and it does me perfectly well because I hardly use it. What I do use, all the time, is a steel fork I got in the market for £5 when I first got the plot. It's indestructible, which is what I need.
we got quite a lot of tools from a bloke who knows someone at the tip :o
a stainless steel fork with a wooden handle and a border fork, plus he found me a ladies fork that's very light and a 3 prong cultivator..all for a bag of veggies and some pots with bulbs in ;D
I bought my S&J stainless steel forks from this lot:
http://www.keengardener.co.uk/product/index/101/garden-tools-spades-forks-and-rakes.rails
When I bought mine, they had the job lot (2x fork, 2x spade and had tools) on special offer and they are a very nice company to deel with - not a big faceless company!
I expect the tools I use are a bit heavy for the ladies, but I got mine from a builders yard, a fork with a metal handle, weighs a ton but puts up with all sorts of abuse and a clay graft which also has a steel handle. These with the help of my mattock clears and digs over new ground. Then I get out the stainless set with wooden handles for the easy digging.
I take the fork into the forge now and again to get it reset and sharpened. The smithy draws the metal out so it is not much shorter than when I first got it.
As Ace says - stainless for light work, otherwise forget it!
I agree with 'powerspade', Bulldog make fine tools. I don't use a spade, I dig with a Bulldog shovel & it shifts clay. I have a good back & I'm an 'oldphart'.
;D
Hi HH
Its not just the weight of the forks and spades but the height. Some years back I bought 1 of each from Argos for the garden and they are still going strong, but more importantly are easy for me to use as they are not too high. I think it was manicscouser who mentioned "ladies forks and spades", and I'd 2nd that!
And more recently I've treated myself to a new fork and spade from B&Q for the lottie, both wilkinson sword - the fork got bent really easily but they gave me a replacement and so far its doing fine. But if it happens again I'll get my money back and look at other makes (it has a guarantee).
1066
I had the same experience as 1066 with a Wilkinson Sword fork - it bent and broke very easily. I now use a Spear and Jackson stainless steel one which seems much tougher.
Just realised I'm a "Quarter Acre"
Yippppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 8)
Quote from: 1066 on November 14, 2008, 17:25:29
Just realised I'm a "Quarter Acre"
Yippppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 8)
...and I seem to have made it to an Acre. Time flies when you're having fun.
nice
congrats to those of you who've acquired more land since the thread started 8)..
Helen, have you bought yet?
Quote from: Hyacinth on November 20, 2008, 20:36:46
congrats to those of you who've acquired more land since the thread started 8)..
;D ::)
Nope, still haven't bought them yet. Might just go and buy a Spears & Jackson traditional wooden-handled fork from Focus, who have them for 25 quid. Haven't decided yet whether to get a spade of the same make, or a cheaper one...
I may have to do concrete-breaking before digging, because of a concrete path running along the south-facing wall, the whole length of my garden - the absolute prime spot for planting!
Have you searched around the local boot markets?
I have bought several gardening tools at very reasonable prices, certainly no more than a fiver!
Look for the 'well used' old spades and forks (not too well used of course), with wooden handles. . In my opinion these are much nicer to use, more comfortable and have a bit of character. Can't stand plastic handles.
Check before purchase, bent blade or tines, cracks or woodworm in the stave and a tight handle. Again, I'm not fussy about 'Tee' or 'Dee' handles but make sure it is tight and there are no splits.
When you have made your purchase, rub down the stave and give it a couple of coats of linseed, teak or similar oil, wire brush the blade or tines(if needed), a wipe with an oily cloth and Hey Presto, you'll be amazed how good it looks!! (and feels). And what a bargain!
Good luck, Diggerdave
PS I am still using a spade that was bought for me as a wedding present 45 years ago and it cuts and digs like magic (wooden handle of course)
Thanks for the tip, Diggerdave. I'd love to get them old and well worn-in, would prefer it to new, even. Will have to look into carboot sales. Unfortunately, the ones I've found out about so far are all on the far outskirts of town and look like they'd take several buses to get to - we don't have a car! Will investigate, though.
I held off buying new, after all the tips about auctions and car-boots - and today, picked up a wooden shaft/plastic handle, Wilkinson Sword border fork for £3 at the local furniture clearance shop. :D
It's obviously lower-range Wilkinson Sword, and was coated with that grey outer layer of stuff (what is it? reminds me of Hammerite) - but I'll give the tines a good rub down and I think it will be fine. Pretty good for £3 anyway, and I'll keep my eye out in case I can find a really nice one later. It's been a great day for bargains - I also got offered two bedside tables and a dishwasher on Freecycle! Freecycle is fab! But I've never seen garden tools offered there, only requested. Everybody wants 'em!
Well done, Helen! 8) Bet you'll treasure that border fork. Happy digging, hope it becomes a good friend for many years and good luck with finding more bargains :)
(and yes, Freecycle is fab!)
Lishka
Blimey Riley! - no sooner did I say that tools never come up on Freecycle, than they did! I'm going to collect a bunch of stuff from a Freecycler tomorrow, including a fork, spade, rake and aerator. (I never thought I'd get them, as I thought about 100 people would have instantly requested them.)
Have no idea of brand or quality, but will pick them up; if there's anything I don't need, can pass it on later to someone else.
Ah well, so much for the Freecycle bargain. I rang up the lady today to confirm the pickup time, just before setting out on a two-part bus journey across Reading. (She'd already told me I could have them, given me the address, and told me to pick up 'after lunchtime' today.)
At which point, she tells me that she's given the tools to someone else! NOT good! And hadn't even bothered to tell me, so I could have spent 40 mins or so getting to her house, only to find out when I got there; I'd also based my whole weekend around the fact I'd be making that trip this afternoon. HOW annoying is that?!
She said someone else had requested them, and they worked for an Alzheimer's group, so her husband decided he'd rather give the tools to them. Fine, but she had already promised them to me, so should at least have rung to say 'look, I'm really sorry, but...'
Ooh it really annoyed me. Also, she was a bit snippy from the outset (I wasn't surprised that she turned out to be a tricky one) so I refrained from entering into discussion with her about it, as I knew she would be obnoxious and annoy me even further. But of course now I regret not telling her what bad Freecycle etiquette that is!
Boo.
http://www.erowell.co.uk/Gardening/Hand-Tools.html (http://www.erowell.co.uk/Gardening/Hand-Tools.html)