Spear & Jackson4450DS Traditional Stainless Steel Digging Spade

I purchased this to replace my Spear & Jackson Neverbend Digging fork of two decades use ( and the tine bent due the user, not the tool ) and I'm very pleased.It is handsome and sturdy. Excells at turning compost and soil over. And digs well too. I would say, if you have rocks and clay or hardpan, I would consider the less attractive, less expensive Neverbend Professional Digging Fork. It served me well under such harsh conditions.

This S&J boarder fork is worth every expensive penny. Stainless, solid, hickory handle, solid. Balance is fantastic, finish is fantastic. It is a heavy work of art. Heavy because its a solid stainless fork, not a cheap imitation/hollow thing. Pay attention to the dimensions and notice it's height - perfect for border work. Heavy enough to sink deeply into soils, and lift/pry up bulbs, grasses, edging and you name it. Great for dividing plants. This fork will last your ENTIRE lifetime unless you do something really ah... disastrous to it. It is a pleasure to own and use. I've encouraged several of my Master Gardener friends to invest in this S&J. We all... all... love them.

My garden has heavy clay and the last three cheaply made forks I bought bent right at the base where the tines meet the neck within the first year (one within the first day!). I was so sick of wasting my money on junk that I started looking for a solid metal fork like the ones I used to have as a kid. For some reason, NO ONE seems to sell them anymore! I looked locally and online, and this one from Amazon was one of the few I could find where the tines and neck of this fork are one piece, steel and forged and heavy duty enough to actually do the job! I've had for a while now and it does do the job, perfectly! So solid and durable, exactly what I needed. I wish this design of spading fork were the norm, but even if you have to look for one like this, it is so worth spending a little extra to get something that is going to actually last. Don't waste your money on anything that isn't made this good.

I bought both the Spear + Jackson border spade as well as border fork (stainless steel). They're both really nice, especially for the price. I would prefer to have an option without finish, so I can oil the wood myself, but for anyone who just wants to use them as-is, they're great.My only issue... the border spade has the handle grip attached "off-center". This could compromise it's sturdiness over time. I returned and sent for another and the second had the same issue. Seems like a factory issue with a whole batch.

I bought this to replace a compost fork that walked out of my yard, which was from Fiskars. This one is much nicer and the wood has been smoothed and it is, given that it is made out of oak and steel, surprisingly light and manageable for a lady with tendon issues like me. It is a beautiful instrument and is definitely an investment piece. Too bad I can't microchip it like my cat so I can find it - I'll have to keep it under lock and key instead. I hope this will be the type of tool I'll be able to leave in my will to some lucky progeny. :D

I am an avid gardener, have used digging forks extensively, but have never seen a thing like this. On the second time I used the tool, it broke under not too much stress. The breaking point was between the fork and the handle. The handle itself did not bend or break, and no tine bent. The best way to describe it is that the handle and the fork had just separated from each other. I was curious and looked at the breakage point, and what I saw was very surprising. At the bottom end of the handle part I saw the end of a rusty metal rod, with no tear marks, enveloped in stainless steel plating. I assume this rod goes up into the handle. On the horizontal, top part of the fork, I saw a rusty flat surface, peering out of stainless steel coating. Again, it was smooth, no tear marks. It was the stainless steel coating that broke. Its thickness was about one tenth of an inch, and that had held the two parts of the digging fork together. In summary, in the light of what I have observed, my understanding is that this digging fork was made of two rusty parts held together by an enveloping layer of stainless steel, which in itself was not too strong. The wooden part of the handle seemed solid...It does not seem to me that selling a rusty tool coated with handsome stainless steel is a good or honest practice.

I never knew I could Love a shovel. Sounds stupid. Right!? I do, I love it. It's brilliantly designed and skillfully crafted. It even looks bad a$$. I will NEVER EVER purchase a shovel from Menard's or Home Depot again, as long as I shall walk this planet, or until they carry this brand and model and as long as they don't cheapen it up just to sell it to a crappy big box hardware stores who already carries crappy shovels that fail in three months of moderate use. So yeah, this shovel is sweet!

Beautifully made. Not for use as a crow bar, but for digging in prepared beds in tight spaces, this specialty spade is terrific. Shame on people who use shovels like they are pry bars. Shovels are for digging and turning dirt, not cutting roots, and being used for prying hard pan.