Spear & Jackson Traditional Stainless Steel Border Spade with 712mm Wooden Handle

Product Information

Bulldog have a good reputation for creating heavy-duty tools straight from their forge in Wigan. Their Evergreen Digging Spade is a durable tool with several design features that help make it particularly strong. The 70 cm polypropylene shaft is also strong, with a wide-grip handle that’s comfortable to hold. It’s relatively lightweight compared to a lot of garden spades, at 2.18 kg, as a result of the construction materials used.

Stainless steel is rust resistant. It contains chromium which doesn’t oxidise. This layer of chromium in stainless steel is therefore what keeps it from rusting or corroding. Spades with a stainless steel blade are unlikely to need any maintenance at all. There are several small features that help boost the quality of the spade further, including the tread on the top of the head, and the extra bolts on the shaft and under the handle to make it stronger. There’s also a ‘dent’ whittled into the handle that will stop it from coming loose and twisting over time. Digging spades that weigh between 1.5 – 2.5 kg are generally easy to manage whilst being robust enough to withstand all typical gardening work. After demonstrating correct digging technique we finish by explaining how to prolong the life of your spade with the right maintenance routine. Nevertheless, it’s a great tool for any garden job, and has the strength to make tough tasks a lot easier. Plus, there’s the added reassurance of knowing exactly where it’s been made.Aluminium shafts are light, and strong enough for lighter gardening tasks; however, it’s not as strong a material others and may bend under pressure. Handle Material Weight it worth buying special attention to because it can be especially hard to bear in mind when shopping online. It’s also hardwearing and comfortable, with a stainless-steel head and lightweight 1.8 kg design. There’s no join between the shaft and the handle, as it’s all made from the same piece of weatherproofed ash, meaning there are no weaker areas in the wood. This garden spade is slightly smaller than our digging spade, making it ideal for digging in confined spades, or for gardeners who prefer to work with a shorter, lighter-weight tool. This spade has been tested to a breaking strain of 90kg; far above and beyond the British standard of 55kg.

There are a couple of design points to bear in mind, which help improve the strength and longevity of a garden spade. Firstly, the best garden spades have either a hardwood or polypropylene shaft . Ashwood is commonly used because it is strong but lightweight, and polypropylene has been shown to have three times the strength of steel. This spade isn’t a budget item, but fits neatly into the ‘mid-range’ price category, bringing the quality you would expect as a result. Coatings, such as an epoxy coating, can be applied to carbon steel to make it less likely to rust. This not only makes carbon steel more rust resistant, but on a spade blade it will also help the soil slide off more easily. Shaft Material In fact, this is a relatively petite spade overall, not just in terms of the handle but also in terms of length as it measures 96 cm long in total. There are a few construction features to look out for which are a mark of higher quality spades. These spades are likely to be longer lasting or easier to use:First, we look at comfort and ease of use in relation to handle and blade materials, explaining the pros and cons of carbon steel, stainless steel, wood, fibreglass and plastic.

They’re often lighter than digging spades, and may be easier for petite gardeners to use for prolonged periods.Carbon steel, on the other hand, has the ability to rust. Whilst it won’t rust immediately, or especially easily, it still has the potential to do so. Therefore, slightly more maintenance and care is required with a carbon-steel blade. The main benefit of carbon steel is that it’s stronger than stainless steel due to its high carbon content. The shafts of gardening spades can be made from various materials. The most common materials are wood, polypropylene, fibreglass and aluminium.