The Best Garden Spades
A garden spade is the most-used digging tool in any garden. It edges beds, turns soil, cuts roots, and moves earth. The blade must be forged steel, not stamped. The handle must be hardwood or fiberglass. The socket where blade meets handle is where cheap spades fail. These are the ones that dig for a lifetime.
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How to Choose
Forged blades are stronger than stamped blades and hold a sharper edge. A solid-socket connection between blade and handle is stronger than a tang connection. Ash handles are the traditional choice: strong, flexible, and shock-absorbing. The blade should have a turned-over top edge for boot pressure. D-handles provide grip and control for digging. Straight handles provide leverage for prying.
Bully Tools 82515 14-Gauge Round Point Spade
If you only buy one, make it this one. Read the full guide below for alternatives at every price point.
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Six things that separate the good from the rest.
14-gauge is the minimum for serious digging. Thinner blades bend under prying pressure. 12-gauge is commercial grade.
Forged steel holds a sharp edge and resists bending. Stainless steel resists rust and sheds wet soil. Both are excellent.
Ash is the traditional choice: strong, flexible, and warm in cold weather. Fiberglass is stronger and weather-proof. Both outlast cheap pine handles.
Solid-socket construction wraps the blade around the handle base. Stronger than a tang, which is a spike driven into the handle. The socket is where cheap spades fail.
A turned-over top edge gives your boot a flat surface to press. Without a tread, your boot slides off the blade edge, which is painful and inefficient.
D-handles provide grip and control for digging. Straight handles provide leverage for prying and moving material.
The Picks
Bully Tools 82515 14-Gauge Round Point Spade
American-made from 14-gauge steel with a solid fiberglass handle. The blade is thick enough to pry without bending and sharp enough to cut roots. The fiberglass handle is virtually indestructible and shock-absorbing. Lifetime warranty.
The American workhorse. 14-gauge steel and a fiberglass handle that will outlast you.
Find on Amazon arrow_forwardSpear & Jackson Traditional Stainless Steel Border Spade
A smaller spade for working in tight beds and borders. Stainless steel blade resists soil adhesion and never rusts. The treaded top edge accepts boot pressure without slipping. Ash handle with a riveted socket. Made in England.
The border spade for tight spaces. Stainless steel sheds soil and never rusts.
Find on Amazon arrow_forwardRazor-Back 2594200 Square Point Shovel
A square-point shovel for moving loose soil, gravel, and mulch. The flat blade scoops cleanly from hard surfaces. 14-gauge steel blade with a 48-inch hardwood handle. This is the shovel that moves material.
The material-moving shovel. Square point for scooping, not digging.
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