Spear & Jackson 4450DS Traditional Stainless Steel Digging Spade

This S&J boarder fork is worth every expensive penny. Stainless, solid, hickory handle, solid. Balance is fantastic, finish is fantastic. It is a heavy work of art. Heavy because its a solid stainless fork, not a cheap imitation/hollow thing. Pay attention to the dimensions and notice it's height - perfect for border work. Heavy enough to sink deeply into soils, and lift/pry up bulbs, grasses, edging and you name it. Great for dividing plants. This fork will last your ENTIRE lifetime unless you do something really ah... disastrous to it. It is a pleasure to own and use. I've encouraged several of my Master Gardener friends to invest in this S&J. We all... all... love them.

I purchased this to replace my Spear & Jackson Neverbend Digging fork of two decades use ( and the tine bent due the user, not the tool ) and I'm very pleased.It is handsome and sturdy. Excells at turning compost and soil over. And digs well too. I would say, if you have rocks and clay or hardpan, I would consider the less attractive, less expensive Neverbend Professional Digging Fork. It served me well under such harsh conditions.

My garden has heavy clay and the last three cheaply made forks I bought bent right at the base where the tines meet the neck within the first year (one within the first day!). I was so sick of wasting my money on junk that I started looking for a solid metal fork like the ones I used to have as a kid. For some reason, NO ONE seems to sell them anymore! I looked locally and online, and this one from Amazon was one of the few I could find where the tines and neck of this fork are one piece, steel and forged and heavy duty enough to actually do the job! I've had for a while now and it does do the job, perfectly! So solid and durable, exactly what I needed. I wish this design of spading fork were the norm, but even if you have to look for one like this, it is so worth spending a little extra to get something that is going to actually last. Don't waste your money on anything that isn't made this good.

I bought both the Spear + Jackson border spade as well as border fork (stainless steel). They're both really nice, especially for the price. I would prefer to have an option without finish, so I can oil the wood myself, but for anyone who just wants to use them as-is, they're great.My only issue... the border spade has the handle grip attached "off-center". This could compromise it's sturdiness over time. I returned and sent for another and the second had the same issue. Seems like a factory issue with a whole batch.

I bought this to replace a compost fork that walked out of my yard, which was from Fiskars. This one is much nicer and the wood has been smoothed and it is, given that it is made out of oak and steel, surprisingly light and manageable for a lady with tendon issues like me. It is a beautiful instrument and is definitely an investment piece. Too bad I can't microchip it like my cat so I can find it - I'll have to keep it under lock and key instead. I hope this will be the type of tool I'll be able to leave in my will to some lucky progeny. :D

Bent and cracked after 6 small holes. So much for paying more for quality. I bought it 4 months ago and haven’t used it until now so I can’t even return it. This thing can’t handle one rock? Come on… back to ace hardware junk I guess.

Best digging tool, simple, strong, beautifully crafted out of stainless steel and hard wood; a pleasure to work with. What a big difference with this well crafted tool and the so called "digging forks" out of Home Depot or Lowe's. It's light, strong, it doesn't bend (like the Chinese forks), it works like a spade digging butter... even in hard clay.

Great size for digging in crowded flower beds. Sturdy, well made, the stainless steel blades shines after an afternoon working in the garden.