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Long-handle garden shovels come with a range of ergonomic designs. However, quality welds and ensures the compact structure of any steel garden spade. Regardless of their sizes, the best garden spades help to turn over soils and dig them efficiently.
Soil preparation tasks can be stressful, but the right farming implements can ease the hassles. While mixing manure with soils, your favorite spades should perform the application cleanly.
These flawless mixing and digging tasks require spades with sharp edges. Also, you can prepare beds and cuts thick sods of soils. Even in the clay soil, shovels with nice blades are easy to clean when they stick with the wad of soils.
Consider the ease of maintaining the shaft and blade of steel spades. However, the sturdy construction of your spade will get the job done quickly. Digging spades that are made with rust-proof materials can resist the effects of weather conditions.
Most steel spades come with powder-coated surfaces. Spades with compact handles, strong shafts, and wide treads allow you much control. Additionally, a hardened steel blade completes digging and cultivation jobs quickly.
When comparing the features of these garden tools, we saw many types of spades that could snap under pressure. These types don’t have strong socket connections between their shafts and blades.
Wide treads on carbon blades make digging easier because that part of the spade allows you to put your foot and apply pressure on the soil. However, a short blade will dig narrow trenches.
We help avid spade users to avoid hassles. Here is our list.
Top 11 Garden Spades
#1. Fiskars D-handle Square Garden Spade
No products found.Do you need a garden spade with a large handle? This 46-inch model of Fiskars Steel Garden Spade comes with a D-shape handle.
While digging you can apply firm grips with two hands and control the spade. You can break thick clod of soil with the flat blade of this 46-inch steel spade. Also, it comes with an 18-gauge shaft and a narrow 14-gauge blade.
These components are steel materials and the sharp blade can slice through synthetic turf. Unlike fiberglass, this Fiskars steel spade doesn’t flex and break during heavy-duty tasks.
It’s a welded steel construction with an impressive feature. Additionally, steel is a durable material and you can apply pressure on the tread with your foot.
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#2. Spear & Jackson Spade With 28-Inch Handle
No products found.You’ll need a great tool like this Spear & Jackson Border Spade to create edges. This sturdy spade comes with a long Polypropylene shaft and a straight profile.
Its stainless steel design is ideal for cutting turf. Also, it comes with a 28-inch shaft that’s suitable for users that are at least 150cm tall. With the polypropylene shaft, you can maintain comfortable postures during landscaping tasks.
Another impressive feature is the ergonomic and adjustable handle. It tilts forward and allows you to work in tight spaces of your garden.
Regardless of the spade’s design, its welded construction is compact. Furthermore, the stainless steel blade offers minimal retention of the soil after your gardening and landscaping tasks.
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#3. Seymour S604D Structron Drain Spade
No products found.The Seymour S604D Structron Drain Spade comes with a comfortable handle. Its fiberglass PowerCore shaft is made from a non-conductive material. This made-in-the USA design increases the drain spade’s functionality.
You can enjoy the convenience of working for long periods with the smooth texture of its D-grip handle. Also, you can clear drains and dig narrow trenches with this tool.
Since PermaGrip ferrule is designed as a rivetless steel ring, it ensures tight connections between the PowerCore rod and the handle.
Garden enthusiasts can transplant nursery plants with this 29-inch drain spade. The overall quality of this lightweight steel garden rake is impressive, and it will offer great value for your money.
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#4. A.M. Leonard Nursery Spade
No products found.This A.M. Leonard Spade comes with a unique design and it’s without a handle. However, this built-to-last garden spade has a 15-inch blade. While the blade tapers from 6 to 7-3/8 inches, it allows you to transplant nursery plants.
The nursery spade’s shaft is 50 inches, and it’s straight like a mop stick’s handle. Also, the part that goes into the neck of its steel blade is narrow. Since the end of this shaft is padded, it allows you to work with wet hands conveniently.
Unlike regular steel spades, this A.M. Leonard model is the ideal choice for landscaping jobs. Additionally, the steel shaft has a distinctive orange color and its powder-coated handle has a high resistance to corrosion.
The top of the blade has turned steps, and they enhance the comfort of your foot. It will be easy to push the blade through the soil.
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#5. Ames True Temper All-Steel Spade
No products found.Is your lawn or garden covered with thick roots of shrubbery? You need garden spades with shafts and handles that allow you to work comfortably.
This Ames Razorback Industrial spade’s blade measures 6 inches. However, the foot platform is more stable and wider than the blade’s edge.
As an industrial-grade garden spade, landscaping experts will enjoy the quality of this steel spade. Also, the steel handle is welded to the shaft and it allows firm grips. This durable steel construction weighs 6.7 lbs, and it’s a top choice for nursery planters.
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#6. Nupla Ergo Power Drain Spade
No products found.The lightweight Nupla Sharp Shooters drain spade is easy to turn the soil with one hand. It comes with a conspicuous design of a narrow blade and a round edge.
While this quality of steel blade, users can dig out soils in gardens with tight corners. Its 16-gauge is a heavy and strong steel that provides greater leverage for penetrating dry soils. Also, this blade comes with a forward-turned step that protects the user’s foot.
With this 4-3/4 by 14 inches hollow-back blade, you can clear drains in the yard that have weed and sand particles. Another amazing component of this Nupla spade is the molded D-grip handle.
The D-grip is rugged and provides leverage when you push or lift it. Since this handle has both fiberglass and polystyrene-core materials, this gardening tool guarantees long-lasting use.
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#7. DeWit Long-Handle Perennial Spade By Tierra
No products found.This long-handle Tierra DeWit Perennial Garden Spade has a high resistance to abrasion. It measures 37.8 x 4.5 x 4.5 inches (L x W x H) and weighs 1.5 lbs. The black blade is old-fashioned but quality craftsmanship.
With this Dutch-made DeWit spade, you can work in confined spaces conveniently. Also, its ash hardwood handle is designed with a smooth surface. It’s the innovative design and lightweight construction that make this tool a must-have for gardeners.
The ash hardwood is strong but the elasticity of this natural material doesn’t tend to break easily. Since it’s a hand-forged gardening tool, the Swedish boron steelhead was chosen to improve its durability. It shows historical craftsmanship of great quality.
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#8. Spear & Jackson Traditional Children’s Digging Spade
No products found.Even teenage family members can help adults during gardening and landscaping projects. This Spear & Jackson Stainless Steel Digging Spade is a great tool for children that want to work while maintaining a standing position.
It’s a weather-proof and hand-crafted spade with a timeless appearance. The wishbone handle has the same color as its hardwood shaft.
One of the interesting designs of this traditional Children’s spade is its blade’s low adhesion to soil particles. Also, a minimal soil adhesion means that it’s a low-maintenance spade.
As a digging spade for aspiring outdoor enthusiasts, its small size doesn’t reduce the quality. Instead, the polished stainless steel socket, blade and its cutting edge have a mirror finish.
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#9. Bully Tools Fiberglass Shaft
No products found.Bully Tools offers a 14-inch Drain Spade with a closed-back design that minimizes the accumulation of debris.
The design is reinforced with 14-gauge steel material. Also, the spade comes with a triple-wall fiberglass shaft that allows users to push and pull during its use. This made in the USA spade contains commercial-grade materials.
It’s suitable for home gardens and trench-digging projects by contractors. With an extra-thick and 12-gauge steel blade, it’s easy to make quick cuts on the soil or clear root of thick shrubs.
While prying, the strength of its ferrule increases the spade’s performance. Additionally, the ground penetration of this steel blade is impressive.
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#10. King of Spades Straight Blade Spade
No products found.This digging spade by King of Spades is designed for gardening enthusiasts that need low-budget spades. While the 13-inch blade has a straight cutting edge, it tapers between 6-1/2 to 7-1/2 inches (bottom and top).
More so, the all-steel shaft measures 27 inches and its main shank is a zinc-plated socket. As a safety measure, this spade comes with a rubber pad for the foot, and it can be attached to either side of the blade with 2 screws.
However, this model of King of Spades 13-inch blade has a straight cutting-edge design. Furthermore, the D-shape handle is made from tubular steel and it enhances your grip.
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#11. Radius Garden Pro-Lite Spade
No products found.This model of Radius Garden Spade comes with high-quality components of carbon-steel materials. The texture of this carbon steel blade is smooth. Also, the blade comes with an extra-wide and raised platform for your foot.
You can use the spade for heavy-duty soil preparation works without fatigue. Also, the offset on the steel blade provides better leverage for your foot. Apart from the feeling of comfort, this Pro-Lite garden Spade is an ergonomically-designed handle.
Its O-Handle grip has a very conspicuous design (green and black) and it minimizes the risks of strains on the hand and wrists.
Unlike regular D-handle spades, this tool’s handle is coated with a thermoplastic elastomer. It’s an over-molded polypropylene material that’s suitable for garden enthusiasts with arthritis.
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How To Choose The Right Best Garden Spades
Sturdy blades
The widest part of garden spades is blades. While planning to choose a heavy-duty spade, consider its blade’s size and cutting-edge design. These components help to turn the soil, mix manure or mulch. Different designs like epoxy-coated steel and weatherproof carbon-steel blades are durable.
Usually, the coated surface increases its resistance to rusts. While polished stainless-steel blades are easy to clean, these types might not have high resistance to corrosion.
More so, the adhesion of soil and debris to the steel blade varies with the material’s quality. It’s important to consider the ease of cleaning these steel blades too.
The Foot Platform
Traditional spades have forward-turned steps that allow the user to exert more pressure on tough soils. However, these are adjustable footpads in many premium models of garden spades.
Normally, these adjustable pads have screws that allow users to mount the pad on either side of the steel blade. There are garden spades with double-sided footpads. With minimum exertion on the foot-step, it’s easy for any sharp-edged blade to penetrate the soil.
Additionally, you can dig out and turn the soil during pre-planting or clearing activities. Many top-rated garden spades come with non-slip footpads. This design allows users to mounts the sole of the wet safety boot with more controls.
The Handle And Shaft’s Quality
Apart from the foot’s platform, these parts help to transmit pressure from the user’s hand to the cutting edge of the spade’s blade.
Traditional garden spades often have wishbone and T-handles. However, improved designs include O-handles, and D-shape handles. Generally, the handle of high-quality spades offers comfortable grips, but the quality of their material is important.
While regular steel garden spades have welded joints, other types of spades have flat ends on their shafts as handles. The latter type looks like the top of a wooden mop stick.
However, plastic handles of garden spades are coated with thick pads that ensure secure grips. One of the benefits of using coated-plastic handles is their weatherproof property. Also, the shaft of garden spades is exposed to environmental conditions.
Old-fashioned garden spades have wooden shafts. You will still see ash hardwood shafts with classic designs. They are smooth and secured with rivets on the socket that attaches to them.
One of the disadvantages of wooden shafts is the tendency to break. Unlike steel shafts with extra layers of protection, the ash wood shaft must be handled properly.
The Shaft’s Length
If you are buying garden spades for outdoor enthusiasts with a limited range of movements like senior citizens, consider the tool’s overall length. Usually, short garden spades require users to adjust their body postures.
Except when these types of spades are used by short gardeners or workers, a longer shaft feels more comfortable. Also, a long shaft provides extra leverage during long hours of planting or soil preparation jobs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What type of blade fits the choice of my spade?
Apart from the conventional blade’s shape, there are other designs of blades. Some blades have teeth like garden forks and others have round shapes. What’s important is the purpose of your outdoor project.
While narrow and straight blades allow users to dig trenches in tight workspaces, you might need blades with edges that allow quick cuts of roots.
Usually, root-cutting spades often have teeth along the blade’s edge. Additionally, a long and narrow blade is great for transplanting. This type of spade can dig deep and cut through thick roots of plants easily.
What is the difference between the performance of O-handles and D-handles?
Apart from the style and design of these handles, the ease of using them varies accordingly. Usually, garden spades with O-handles are suitable for turning tough soils.
The D-handles increase the user’s leverage and reaches into the soil. Elderly gardeners with feeble hands or with arthritis might need some assistance to dig deep with garden spades. So, this D-handle is the right design for them.
Final verdict
When using garden spades, you might need to apply pressure on tough soils. Apart from the cutting edge of steel blades, a solid shaft allows pressure to flow from the handle to the soil. Also, you need to maintain a good posture.
We understand these requirements and have compared different types of garden spades, and present 11 models with unique features. These 11 top-rated models are durable and efficient for clearing, transplanting, and digging purposes.
Last update on 2023-09-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
