Best shovel brands

[TxMN]

Needing to upgrade my shovels, retired and doing more landscape and gardening chores. Wood or fiberglass handles? Kobalt or razorback?

 

[Terra Nova]

My preference is Bully Tools. Made in Ohio.

Fiberglass or wood handles and the tools are solid and well built. My wife really likes the D-handle floral spade for gardening.

USA Made Tools | Lawn, Garden, Snow Removal, & Specialty Tools

Bully Tools is the finest producer of 100% USA made lawn, garden, and specialty tools for all contractors, gardeners, and do-it-yourselfers.

bullytools.com

 

[jsmeece]

I hate fiberglass handles on yard tools. I have razorback shovels with wooden handles. They are somewhat more costly than other brands but worth it in my opinion.

 

[Ton ton]

I definitely want to vote for bully tools. I have used Kobalt but I don't really like them that well.

 

[vavet]

I hate fiberglass handles on yard tools. I have razorback shovels with wooden handles. They are somewhat more costly than other brands but worth it in my opinion.

Can you expand on why? Does it not work well for your soil type? For what you're doing with it? you don't like the feel? It's too stiff?
I've never given much thought to a shovel. I think the one I bought 15 years ago had a lifetime warranty. I've used it for planting some ornamental trees, shurbs, and the occasional wild critter my son finds.
I bought a trench shovel a couple years ago because I was digging a trench to run downspout drain tile. I think it has a fiberglass handle. Am i missing something with the advantages/disadvantages of wood vs fiberglass vs ????

I miss the Craftsman lifetime warranty on these tools.

 

[Tdbo]

My preference is Bully Tools. Made in Ohio.

Fiberglass handles and the tools are solid and well build. My wife really likes the D-handle floral spade for gardening.

USA Made Tools | Lawn, Garden, Snow Removal, & Specialty Tools

Bully Tools is the finest producer of 100% USA made lawn, garden, and specialty tools for all contractors, gardeners, and do-it-yourselfers.

bullytools.com

Do have a couple of pieces of Bully. They are nice.
I generally prefer Fiberglass.
I generally buy whatever True Value, Ace, Do it Best, etc. run as a monthly or beginning of season special.

 

[strutaeng]

I've got a mix of garden tool from THD and Lowes. The Razor-Back brand are pretty nice. They make them in fiberglass and wood handles. I think I have a few stuff from Ames, but the better models. Kobalt seems decent, but I just have a tamper from that brand.

I think as long as you don't abuse them, they should be fine. Just stay away from the really inexpensive stuff. And make sure you are using right tool for the job.

 

[bwringer]

Last time I bought a shovel (A cat entered Valhalla in January, and I snapped the old shovel handle in the frozen ground. This delayed proceedings for a quick trip to Home Depot.), I really, really liked the Fiskars, but ended up getting a cheaper mid-range tool with a wood handle.


Anyway, in my limited experience cheap fiberglass handles have a bit of flex which is endlessly maddening. You have to step up a fair bit in price to get properly stiff fiberglass handles. Or just go with good old-fashioned hickory somewhere in the middle, with a properly strong, thick blade.

 

[jsmeece]

Can you expand on why? Does it not work well for your soil type? For what you're doing with it? you don't like the feel? It's too stiff?
I've never given much thought to a shovel. I think the one I bought 15 years ago had a lifetime warranty. I've used it for planting some ornamental trees, shurbs, and the occasional wild critter my son finds.
I bought a trench shovel a couple years ago because I was digging a trench to run downspout drain tile. I think it has a fiberglass handle. Am i missing something with the advantages/disadvantages of wood vs fiberglass vs ????

I miss the Craftsman lifetime warranty on these tools.

I don't like the feel. Wooden handles give better feedback in the handle if you hit something solid in the soils. Fiberglass handles seem to flex more than wooden handle shovels in hard clay soils, I don't like that either. Just personal preference I guess. I am pretty hard on shovels, broke several over the years both fiberglass and wooden handles.

 

[TxMN]

Thanks for your help, I need to go check out some of your recommendations to see how they feel in my hand. This forum is one of the best for good, relative feedback.

 

[oldwino]

Buy the best quality commercial shovel you can get, wood or fiberglass handle, your preference. Will outlast a cheapo 10 times over

 

[TxMN]

That is sage advice oldwino for sure, I try to buy my tools with that very same thought in mind, after 40 years my wife accepts that when she sees her credit card statement, and now that she is retiring and has some gardening tools and a small hand tool assortment in her horse barn, she understands first hand that good tools make any task easier and safer.

 

[rlitman]

If you like to abuse shovels like I do, forget wood and fiberglass and get one that's all steel. Fiskars makes my favorite.

 

[Odd-job]

My preference is Bully Tools. Made in Ohio.

Fiberglass handles and the tools are solid and well built. My wife really likes the D-handle floral spade for gardening.

USA Made Tools | Lawn, Garden, Snow Removal, & Specialty Tools

Bully Tools is the finest producer of 100% USA made lawn, garden, and specialty tools for all contractors, gardeners, and do-it-yourselfers.

bullytools.com

Wow looking at the 12 gauge shovels.... that's some heavy duty stuff

 

[terrapinwheeler]

King of Spades is probably the best USA made brand. Indestructible.

 

[mrbillh]

On my second set Razorbacks... son took the older first set!

 

[bdbecker]

If you like to abuse shovels like I do, forget wood and fiberglass and get one that's all steel. Fiskars makes my favorite.

I agree... I've had a steel handled Fiskars for a year or two now and really like it.

Fiskars has been my go-to brand for yard tools for quite awhile now. Solid quality for the price. I don't think I've had an issue with anything I've bought.

 

[u2slow]

I buy what's on sale at Canadian Tire or Princess Auto.

Mostly fiberglass handles now. Whatever. I'm probably going to drive over it by accident before i use it up.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

I have a wood handled razorback and really like it. People made fun of my $40 shovel, but all their shovels have broken in the mean-time.

 

[housewolf]

I dunno about brands but I can run the hell out of a shovel. I can’t believe how many people struggle with such a simple tool. Started hand digging as a plumbers apprentice in high school (early 70s). Pretty much every plumber I ever worked around was way better than average even though most of us hate working with one. When we plant a tree or dig a hole for anything my wife can’t believe how fast I can dig a waste deep hole. I have a round point, sharpshooter, & flat (for grading). Shovel (rd point) says Union Tools on it, sharpshooter is a Razorback. It’s a bit heavy, but heavy is okay for a shooter.

Get something light but strong (I like a wood handle) and if you don’t have a sharpshooter, keep it sharp enough to cut through roots if need be.

 

[SRSemenza]

I have this Fiskars shovel ....................... awesome. Best shovel I ever used. Scoops quite well too due to a pretty wide step / flange.

https://www.fiskars.com/en-us/garde...-handled-steel-digging-shovel-57-12-96685935j

Also this Fiskars spade is equally good for cutting digging straight sided holes and small trenches. It too is awesome.

https://www.fiskars.com/en-us/garde...igging-tools/garden-spade-shovel-46-96676933j

Also have ended up with other Fiskars large pick, small one handed pick ( I think discontinued). The shovel started it.

Seth

 

[Jlarson]

We have a **** load of Razorback dirt tools, they hold up well, I loose the occasional point shovel handle when the guys use one to pry on an MJ fitting or a big rock instead of getting a bar lol

 

[MushCreek]

I like whatever brand the guy I hired is using...

 

[jives]

I've never used a steel or fiberglass handled shovel, but i don't like my aluminum handled landscape rake or fiberglass bow rake. The handles have no contours and the fiberglass is too fat. I like the feel of the wood. . .has curves in all the right places and feels better in the hand (okay, say it). Yup, broken a few, and left them out to weather a bit too much, but still don't like the others.

 

[tube_guy]

Ridgid sells a very nice shovel. The heat treatment on the new ones isn't nearly as good as it was on old ones, but even the new ones are pretty decent compared to most open back shovels available today. They're not inexpensive, however.

From my experience, the wooden handled Bully shovels are much more bulky and more poorly balanced, and they're not nearly as strong. But they are a little cheaper to buy.

 

[saltwater4life]

my two shovels are a narrow square tipped kobalt shovel with short metal handle, and a long regular garden shovel with a wooden handle. I'm very partial to wooden handles. both shovels have been great.

 

[giles45shop]

It depends a bit on what you are using the shove for, but for the last 40+ years my go-to shovel is a pony/cap rock shovel. I'm on acreage with a LOT of plants and trees and so I am always digging up plants/trees or trying to cut through roots to dig a hole or a ditch. This type of shovel has a fairly straight angle between the head and the handle and the handles are usually weighted fiberglass or metal. So it basically acts like a vertical axe for cutting through roots. With a slight edge on the blade you can easily slice through a 1" root in a single downward one handed stroke. Also makes it easy to cut through the sod layer. No longer any need to stick the shovel in the ground and stand on it, you can just use a one-handed downward stroke. With one of these shovels there's really no need for a pointed shovel.

The weighted fiberglass or steel handle means that they are very strong for prying action and the work very well at shoveling rocks or gravel. The only slight drawback is that the head is a little smaller than a conventional shovel, so they don't move as much material as a square point shovel. The other action where this is not quite as good as a square point is for back-filled or back grading the dirt into the hole. Because of the shallow angle you have to hold the handle closer to the ground if you are trying to keep the head parallel to the grade and the rounded cross-section doesn't give you the same smoothness as a square point, but it is less curved than a round point.

They aren't cheap, but in 40+ years I have only had two of them. First one lasted 25+ years, the reason I had to buy a second one was that I had been basically using it as a pry bar on concrete slabs and ended up creating a crack in the front edge of the blade which grew over time until it really wasn't usable.

First one was an Ames, the second one is Midwest Rake. Both are forged 10 gauge heads. The original Ames was ~$60 when I bought it back in the early 80's from a commercial nursery supply, the Bullhead was ~ $85 when I bought it in the mid 2000'sfrom a plumbing/irrigation wholesale supplier. I don't see my exact shovels, Ames doesn't seem to have a fiberglass handle, only wood, and the Midwest Rake doesn't seem to have the grey fiberglass handle and no longer appears to be made in USA. Here's a couple similar ones:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D910Z3E/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Structron 10 ga. Stamped Impact Caprock Shovel, 50" Yellow Solid Fiberglass Hand

midwestrakeonline.jnstools.com

There's a cheaper version by Bully Tools that is welded as opposed to forged and 12 gauge instead of 10:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ARTK5SQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Once you use one of these you will never go back to a conventional shovel

 

[Outwest]

^^^
This. Forged shovels don’t flex like the stamped ones. I prefer wood handles due to them being lighter. The head size on the newer ones are big for my taste, but can easily be trimmed down to your preferred size with a cutting blade on a grinder.

 

[Coach James]

Years ago, I only bought Tru-Teper No. 2 shovels. A few months ago, I looked at a new one and the blade was thin and felt cheap. Now, I don't see any that look as good as the old Tru-Temper ones.

Coach

 

[antman213]

I like Nupla

 

[SRSemenza]

Years ago, I only bought Tru-Teper No. 2 shovels. A few months ago, I looked at a new one and the blade was thin and felt cheap. Now, I don't see any that look as good as the old Tru-Temper ones.

Coach

The Fiskars I linked above. It is very solid, sturdy, heavy gauge.

Cuts through roots well too.

Seth

 

[neophyte]

It depends a bit on what you are using the shove for, but for the last 40+ years my go-to shovel is a pony/cap rock shovel. I'm on acreage with a LOT of plants and trees and so I am always digging up plants/trees or trying to cut through roots to dig a hole or a ditch. This type of shovel has a fairly straight angle between the head and the handle and the handles are usually weighted fiberglass or metal. So it basically acts like a vertical axe for cutting through roots. With a slight edge on the blade you can easily slice through a 1" root in a single downward one handed stroke. Also makes it easy to cut through the sod layer. No longer any need to stick the shovel in the ground and stand on it, you can just use a one-handed downward stroke. With one of these shovels there's really no need for a pointed shovel.

The weighted fiberglass or steel handle means that they are very strong for prying action and the work very well at shoveling rocks or gravel. The only slight drawback is that the head is a little smaller than a conventional shovel, so they don't move as much material as a square point shovel. The other action where this is not quite as good as a square point is for back-filled or back grading the dirt into the hole. Because of the shallow angle you have to hold the handle closer to the ground if you are trying to keep the head parallel to the grade and the rounded cross-section doesn't give you the same smoothness as a square point, but it is less curved than a round point.

They aren't cheap, but in 40+ years I have only had two of them. First one lasted 25+ years, the reason I had to buy a second one was that I had been basically using it as a pry bar on concrete slabs and ended up creating a crack in the front edge of the blade which grew over time until it really wasn't usable.

First one was an Ames, the second one is Midwest Rake. Both are forged 10 gauge heads. The original Ames was ~$60 when I bought it back in the early 80's from a commercial nursery supply, the Bullhead was ~ $85 when I bought it in the mid 2000'sfrom a plumbing/irrigation wholesale supplier. I don't see my exact shovels, Ames doesn't seem to have a fiberglass handle, only wood, and the Midwest Rake doesn't seem to have the grey fiberglass handle and no longer appears to be made in USA. Here's a couple similar ones:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D910Z3E/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Structron 10 ga. Stamped Impact Caprock Shovel, 50" Yellow Solid Fiberglass Hand

midwestrakeonline.jnstools.com

There's a cheaper version by Bully Tools that is welded as opposed to forged and 12 gauge instead of 10:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ARTK5SQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Once you use one of these you will never go back to a conventional shovel

Bulldog known as Clarington Forge in North America, were also “forged” shovels and spades.
By “forged” I mean they actually took a chunk of steel and squashed the red hot chunk out into the flat shovel/spade blade, I think using a giant rotary forging process.
The shovels/spades used to be made in the UK, although I though within the past decade the equipment got shipped off to India were the shovels are still made?
I presume AM Leonard and some other industrial suppliers in the US must carry the fully forged shovels and spades, but the term “forged” gets used incorrectly for formed sheet metal shovels a lot, so it’s hard to find the right shovel type, and the last time I saw one in a store, was before Smith & Hawken went bankrupt and the brand name got sold.

 

[F-22]

Don't want to be condescending, but those seem like a lot of money for some stamped sheet metal.

I guess people don't use shovels much in the USA? Those designs look so crappy to me, it's the one I'd always avoid in a store. I guess since most construction in the USA is with wood, primitive shovels remained more popular until today when they're primitive just because it's cheap to make them? Here, most construction is masonry and concrete and I'd hate to use a sheet metal shovel for mixing cement.

20-30€ here gets you a fully forged German/Bavarian style steel shovel with a wooden handle. The kind that will make a high pitched ring if you use it correctly with sand.

For example, the Austrian made Krenhof, the Slovene Struc Muta, or the German made Kerbl, or the ideal. The sheet metal ones that seem to be common in the USA accodring to these posts, are 15-20€ here but IMO aren't even worth that (e.g. Kerbl sells a simple one for 8-15€).

A proper forged shovelhas a steel ridge on the bottom. You don't want a ridge on top, how will you throw stuff off of the shovel smoothly otherwise???


I'm sure the bully tools do the job too, but a welded shovel still seems like an inferior design to what's available here.

 

[dutchgray]

Been using Spear and Jackson Square mouth all steel shovels for the last couple decades, always preferred them to Bulldog.
Though the quality of all is down and they all have more bend in them than you really want nowadays for shovelling. Some have been in use long enough to wear the shovel head down.
Spades for digging, Fiskars do a nice one with a long D handle which is good for digging.

 

[neophyte]

Don't want to be condescending, but those seem like a lot of money for some stamped sheet metal.

I guess people don't use shovels much in the USA? Those designs look so crappy to me, it's the one I'd always avoid in a store. I guess since most construction in the USA is with wood, primitive shovels remained more popular until today when they're primitive just because it's cheap to make them? Here, most construction is masonry and concrete and I'd hate to use a sheet metal shovel for mixing cement.

20-30€ here gets you a fully forged German/Bavarian style steel shovel with a wooden handle. The kind that will make a high pitched ring if you use it correctly with sand.

For example, the Austrian made Krenhof, the Slovene Struc Muta, or the German made Kerbl, or the ideal. The sheet metal ones that seem to be common in the USA accodring to these posts, are 15-20€ here but IMO aren't even worth that (e.g. Kerbl sells a simple one for 8-15€).

A proper forged shovelhas a steel ridge on the bottom. You don't want a ridge on top, how will you throw stuff off of the shovel smoothly otherwise???


I'm sure the bully tools do the job too, but a welded shovel still seems like an inferior design to what's available here.

Thank you for mention of brands, although I doubt I’d be able to purchase since shovels/spades are large snd expensive and annoying to ship.

I do own a round point shovel that was supposedly German Military surplus. (One surplus store lists the shovels as East German)
The blade appears to just be heavy sheet steel, although with a welded closed socket design.
It’s not bad, but it’s not anywhere near the same as forged shovels I’ve handled.
The trademark on the shovel blade appears to be a capital “M” within a circle, with perpendicular symbol descending thru the circle into the v of the M. The Vertical bit sort of looks like an “F”, and has notches on the lower part that looks like a modern lock key.
It was a full size shovel, not an entrenching tool.
No clue if this was a normal brand, or the Military just bought cheaply.

 

[Ton ton]

Thank you for mention of brands, although I doubt I’d be able to purchase since shovels/spades are large snd expensive and annoying to ship.

I do own a round point shovel that was supposedly German Military surplus. (One surplus store lists the shovels as East German)
The blade appears to just be heavy sheet steel, although with a welded closed socket design.
It’s not bad, but it’s not anywhere near the same as forged shovels I’ve handled.
The trademark on the shovel blade appears to be a capital “M” within a circle, with perpendicular symbol descending thru the circle into the v of the M. The Vertical bit sort of looks like an “F”, and has notches on the lower part that looks like a modern lock key.
It was a full size shovel, not an entrenching tool.
No clue if this was a normal brand, or the Military just bought cheaply.

Thank you for the picture.

 

[Bubba Fett]

I have a couple of True Temper wood handle shovels. Not bad, but heavy. A Kobalt fiberglass handled shovel, which isn't to bad.

My favorite is some no-name brand with a red fiberglass handle. It's light is great for small holes, etc.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Get one with a no hassle, lifetime warranty. I swear, one year my son and I must have broken a dozen Craftsman shovels digging out stumps, bushes an posts set in concrete !

 

[Ton ton]

It's not usually the blade that fails for me. It's usually the handle. Just my limited experience.

 

[plinker]

The steel handle Fiskars shovel is my go-to, Menards had the same shovel a couple years before Fiskars, bought on and it's been great. Then they discontinued it. Couple years later the were selling the Fiskars which is identical. They take abuse really well. Heavy, but whatever. the weight helps when prying rocks out.

Preference to wood handles otherwise, dont like fiberglass due to splinters.

Razorback is probably the best common brand, spendy but decent. Most stuff sold at stores is pretty lightweight, not sure it would hold up that well.