Spear & JacksonSelect Stainless Digging Spade

I've bought 3 generations of this same spade by spear and Jackson, for use in my business. We dig holes for installing fence posts. The first gen was grey, and perfect, the second generation was red, and fades in colour and is now pink, the 3rd generation is red also, and they have curved the BACK of the spade making is a nightmare to dig anything that's deeper than the depth of the spade. you cannot dig a neat hole deeper than 10" anymore. I ordered one which had the photo of the previous generation spade, but they sent me the third gen spade, which was useless. There was no way of contacting the seller to exchange it for the spade in the photo, and customer services sent me through to Spear and Jackson themselves who said i have to take this up with the amazon seller, which i cannot. We have ended up grinding off the stupid bloody fins at the back of the spade and now have a nasty edge to stand on because of the curved metal. Thanks for nothing speak and jackson.

Very good grave digger's tool which has stood up to a certain amount of abuse without issue. I haven't tried to batter in fence posts with it yet, or chop wood. But it has managed to get through heavy shrub roots, rocky ground and anything else you'd expect from a spade whilst digging your way to China....where it was probably made...

This spade has a nice strong handle, which is reassuring, having snapped a good few wood ones in my time, but the blade has a tendency to bend, quite abruptly, which is a little unnerving. Thankfully, it flexes right back into shape but this makes the spade unsuitable for heavier jobs, which is a shame considering how robust the handle seems to be.It is nice and comfortable to use, even for hours on end.[update] After a few days of use, the blade suffered a fatigue fracture. This spade is not suitable for anything more demanding than digging up a dandelion.

A really good quality item but for a mid range price. Spear and Jackson are a brand that says quality and I've had a number of their items over the years. Quite expensive in comparison to some others but they last far longer so are worth the investment.However, after my ex managed to snap several of my gardening tools. I'm not sure how, most likely using them for jobs they weren't designed for. Like, my trowel as a tyre iron or my shovel as a car prop for example. I stopped buying more expensive items as it wasn't worth the embolism of rage.However, now he's the ex and my tools are safe I bought this, not as expensive and doesnt have the wonderful wooden handle but still a great product and far superior to other similar items in the same range.

I have been gardening for over forty years but. Never had a stainless steel spade before, with the annual autumn dig coming up, I took the plunge on this one. The good thing is it’s light weight, Creek’s a bit when digging, not convinced with the ergonomic handle. I am tall 6’4” not sure the crank in the handle is of any benefit, I also find the top of the blade is folded over I suspect to both strength the blade and make it more comfortable to push on, I find it annoying if digging deeper then ground level. But my biggest gripe is the riveting, why or why have raised headed rivets, as my hand slides up and down the handle I feel the raised heads annoyingly. All my previous spades have had smooth flush to the shaft riveting. On a brighter note, the robin has adopted the handle as a vantage point. Was it value for the money, probably. Is this a well designed gardeners tool for regular use NO. Back to the drawing board.