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Gardening is a popular hobby, and many people love to keep their gardens full of flowers and plants. Do you want to get the best out of your garden? You will need to plant new flowers or plants. To do so, you need a shovel for digging to kick-start your garden adventure.
A garden shovel is a must-have as it helps you dig the soil and carefully sow your new plant seeds. This product will make your gardening work easy and convenient as a breeze. There are different types of shovels that you will see in the market. Each type has its unique design and functionality, including the blade’s shape, shovel’s length, overall design, and construction. But you have to keep your usage in mind to pick the right option. To get the best garden shovels, consider the following products.
Buying Guide for the Best Garden Shovels
A shovel is a must-have tool whether you are working as a pro or beginner gardener. If you are planning to buy a garden shovel for your gardening adventure, below is a comprehensive guide to assist you in buying the right product!
What Types of Garden Shovels Are Present in the Market?
Trench
This shovel has a narrow point with sharp and long sides. One or even both sides of the shovel blade might feature serrations to help cut out the roots. Note that most of these shovels do not have much room at the blade for a footrest.
Digging
It is one of the common types of camping and gardening shovels. The shovel features curved sides for digging. In this, you will get different head shapes like rounded, square, and pointed.
Round: It is best for planting, moving soil, gravel, stone, and much more. The round shape improves the penetration of materials. You can get these shovels with a 48-inch long handle or 30-inch D-grip handle.
Square: This type is best for scraping up gravel, sawdust, soil, and much more from hard surfaces, along with moving piles of stone, gravel, and other loose materials. Note that you can get them in a 48-inch long handle and a 30-inch D-grip handle.
Scraper
This shovel is the best for scraping tiles, driveways, and other surfaces for weeds. They will be really helpful for digging up ice in winter as well.
Scoop
This type of shovel has a broad mouth with a large capacity scoop. You can use it for carrying soil, and it comes in a different variety of blade materials. It is typically a good choice for snow shovels.
What Type of Blade Construction Is There for Garden Shovels?
Closed-back
It is a midrange shovel with closed-back blades and a flat back due to an extra welded plate. This plate will add more strength and rigidity while offering a smooth and flat surface to prevent the added weight of soil buildup.
Forged shovels
For your information, the forging process will provide you with a varying steel thickness, which is impossible by the stamping process. The forged blade is built with a single piece of steel under great pressure, resulting in the thickest and strongest shanks, blades, and sockets. These blades provide increased thickness at critical stress areas and become thin toward the edge for great cutting performance.
Open back
This shove is an affordable option. The shovel blades are stamped into shape and offer a low weight at an affordable price, making them popular.
What Materials Are Used To Make Garden Shovel Handles?
Wood
It is the most common type of material, and it has a traditional design that contours over the length of the handle for good or comfortable control. Note that grain is lined up vertically when placed in the head of a shovel for maximum handle strength. The large diameter base makes for a strong socket/handle connection.
Moreover, the handle end is notched, so it can bend to conform to the curve of the handle blade that offers the core support via the neck and rivets for a strong connection. In most cases, you will get the D-Grip option in contrast to the fiberglass or composite material that we will discuss in the later section.
Composite
It is a stronger material than wood but provides you with a feel and contour of wood. Smooth poly covering with UV inhibitors makes the Tiff-flex handles more water-resistant than wood.
Note that tubular fiberglass and honeycomb fiberglass tubes provide strength via the entire length of the handle. The solid fiberglass core at the shovel blade provides a storing riveted connection to the shovel head.
Steel
Most of the spades and shovels feature all-steel handles. It is one of the strongest designs available but carries a weight increase for strength. The tubular to oval shape of the handles increases strength and features a fully welded end cap covered by a rubbery grip for great control.
In addition, the blades are then fully welded to the handle for a strong handle-to-blade connection. In most cases, you will get the D-grip option, unlike the fiberglass or composite material.
Fiberglass
The thick wall fiberglass, multi-chambered, and honeycomb interior runs the complete length of the handle for string design. A resin veil interior will resist the splintering of fiberglass, while a UV-protected fiberglass exterior will ensure long service life.
In terms of construction, a solid fiberglass core at the shovel blade for a strong connection to the shovelhead. Furthermore, there is a poly expander that will fill the lower socket area for maintaining neck strength.
What Factors To Consider While Purchasing Garden Shovels?
Size and length
Most streamlined shovels will take fewer loads but are very easy to handle, especially when you don’t have much strength. These shovels are better at handling thorough and detailed work. Note that a broader shovel can carry more material in the same dig and is more efficient. The only con is that they will produce fineness, especially in the refined work output situation.
Weight
It is one of the important factors to consider when making a purchase. You need some amount of weight for the shovel to perform optimally. Too much weight will add an unwanted load and the actual load that the shovel will have to carry. In contrast, the extra lightweight shovel will not exert much pressure on the load to dig through sufficiently. It is best to select a shovel with a balanced weight.
Blade material
The blade is a significant part of a garden shovel. Pick the shovel made with 14 gauge steel and should have sufficient thickness to pick the material. A thick blade should be your choice.
The Best Garden Shovels You Can Buy
ESOW Garden Tool Set
– Best Overall
The tools are lightweight and have premium-quality metallic materials while keeping environmental protection in mind. The gardening kit includes a trowel, hand rake, and transplanter.
You will get a trowel suitable for transplanting small flowers or plants without damaging their root. Hand rake with the unique three-claw design is best for removing weeds, loosening soil, and aerating soil. The marks on the transplanter measure the depth of soil to help you with your gardening needs.
Pros
- Ergonomically designed handles reduce wrist strain
- Cast aluminum, rust-resistant heads
- Holes in the handles for clutter-free storage
Cons
- Handles can be of better quality
ZUZUAN Garden Hand Shovel
– Runner Up
The ergonomically designed handles with TRP rubber grip and curved finger grips reduce hand and wrist fatigue when weeding. You don’t need to worry about storing them as the handles feature hang holes for easy storage. They can easily stand up to almost any compacted soil. The set has a hand trowel with a smooth tip and a large head to displace soil quickly. It is best for planting, transplanting, tilting the soil, digging holes, and much more.
Furthermore, there is also a transplanting trowel with two clear standard units of depth scales. You can use it to dig holes, remove dirt, measure appropriate depth, and transplant flowers or plants.
Pros
- Ergonomically designed to reduce wrist and hand fatigue
- Stand up to the most compacted soil
- Comfortable, rubberized, non-slip grip
Cons
- Suitable for occasional gardening
Edward Tools’ Garden Hand Shovel
– Honorable Mention
Do you want to add a high-quality and sturdy yet affordable shovel to your utility kit? Then this is the right choice for you! The stainless steel design is bend-proof, making it the best choice for digging in compact or rocky clay soils.
An oversized trowel head speeds up the process as it allows you to move the soil instantly. Moreover, it features an ergonomically designed handle for a comfortable grip to allow you to work for extended hours without putting much strain on your wrist. The cherry on top is that you get a lifetime warranty on this product.
Pros
- The soft rubber contoured fingers, and palm rest reduce hand fatigue
- Bend-proof due to its sturdy stainless steel manufacturing
- Best for digging rocky or heavy clay soil
Cons
- The handle may slip off due to sweating in hot weather
Fiskars Ergo Garden Trowel
– Contender
This gardening trowel has high-quality aluminum for longer durability and convenient use. It has a special handle design that reduces wrist and hand fatigue, making digging, weeding, and planting a breeze.
Moreover, the tool has a cast aluminum head that is rust-resistant. It will not snap off easily when you dig anything, no matter how tough the soil will be! In addition to this, there is a hang hole on the handle for easy storage.
Pros
- Best tool for digging while planting, taking up the plants, and much more
- The polished aluminum head is rust-resistant for longer durability
- Ergonomic handle for a comfortable grip
Cons
- It may not hold up to prying rocks efficiently, but works great for digging and planting
FANHAO Garden Trowel Set
– Also Great Option
The gardening toolset is made of heavy-duty aluminum high in hardness and durable enough for your regular use. It is very easy to clean after use and rust-resistant to prevent breakage over time. You get a transplanter, hand trowel, and hand rake in the set.
It is properly built, sturdy, and will not bend when applying pressure during work. Moreover, it has an ergonomically designed handle that provides a better neutral grip and reduces wrist and hand strain. Lastly, if you feel that the tool isn’t working as you expect, you get a lifetime warranty to replace it.
Pros
- Convenient storage when not in use or off-season
- Easy-to-read inch and centimeter marks
- Best for cultivating, digging, and transplanting plants
Cons
- Too much pressure might break the tools
People Also Asked
Q: What is the price range for shovels for gardening?
A: A round head shape shovel will be the right choice. It will help you to dig the soil and move the plants with great ease. In addition, you can even get a transplanter or trowel for sowing the seed.
Q: Is there any difference between shovels for gardening and camping?
A: The price range of garden shovels lies between $16 to $50, depending on the brand and tool size. Note that a camping shovel with a multi-tool functionality can cost you $230 or more.
Q: Is there any difference between shovels for gardening and camping?
A: Shovels for gardening have long handles and large scoops for chopping at roots or moving the soil. In comparison, the camping option has a folding or telescopic handle that enables compact storage and packing it in backpacks.
