The Best Garden Trowels
A good garden trowel is forged from a single piece of steel, handle included, or fitted with a handle of ash or hardwood. It cuts into clay, it loosens roots, it transplants without bending. The trowels on this list are built the same way they have been built in Holland and Germany since the 19th century.
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How to Choose
The blade width determines function: a narrow trowel transplants and weeds; a wide trowel moves soil and plants bulbs. One-piece construction (where the blade and handle are forged together) is stronger than a blade fitted to a handle. For serious garden use, look for tool steel, not stainless -- tool steel holds a sharper edge for digging. A trowel should feel solid in the hand, not lightweight.
DeWit Forged Hand Trowel
DeWit has been forging garden tools in the Netherlands since 1898. The hand trowel is drop-forged from boron steel in a single piece -- blade and shank together -- then fitted with an ash handle that is bolted through the shank. The blade holds an edge through seasons of work without resharpening. The ash handle is replaceable when worn. A genuine heirloom tool.
The standard of quality for forged garden hand tools. Dutch steel and ash wood, built to outlast the gardener.
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Sneeboer Classic Hand Trowel
Sneeboer, also Dutch, uses a hollow forging technique that produces a blade of consistent thickness throughout -- no thick spine and thin edges. The result is a stiffer, stronger trowel at the same weight. The handle is also ash, fixed through a socket. Sneeboer tools are used by the Royal Horticultural Society's professional gardeners at Wisley and have been for decades.
The professional standard. Used by the gardeners who maintain Britain's most important gardens.
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Radius Garden PRO Ergonomic Hand Trowel
The Radius Garden trowel solves the wrist fatigue problem: the handle is angled to keep the wrist in a natural position throughout digging. The blade is aluminum alloy rather than steel, which means it is lighter but will not hold an edge for cutting roots. Best for soft soil transplanting and light work where hand fatigue is the main concern.
For the gardener whose wrist or hand objects to standard straight-handled tools.
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Wilcox All-Pro 14-Inch Stainless Trowel
Used by commercial nurseries and landscape professionals throughout the American Southwest. The Wilcox is 14 inches long with a blade wide enough to plant 4-inch pot starts in a single motion. One-piece stainless with a textured grip section formed from the same piece of steel. Not as refined as the Dutch options but more durable in rocky, abrasive soils.
The commercial tool for hard soils and high-volume planting. Indestructible in conditions that would ruin a finer tool.
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