Compared shovels at a dig site near Santa Fe and one was way better

I was digging test pits outside Santa Fe last summer, using this old square-point shovel I've had for 10 years. My buddy showed up with a sharp, round-point WOLF-Garten spade and finished his hole in half the time. My shovel kept bouncing off roots while his cut right through. Anyone else notice a huge difference between cheap and decent digging tools on a real site?

2 comments

2 Comments

sagew5027d ago

So you've used both cheap and nice shovels and seen the difference... what was the biggest failure you had with a cheap tool on site? Like, did it snap clean in half or just leave you cussing at every root in the ground? I had a bargain bin spade fold right at the handle trying to bust through caliche once, nearly flipped me over backwards. Makes you wonder why anyone skimps on something you're gonna swing for hours.

jadew6329d ago

Wait, hold on. You used a square-point shovel for digging test pits? That's like bringing a butter knife to a sword fight. I honestly thought everyone knew you only use a square point for moving loose dirt or gravel, not for cutting through roots and hard ground. My jaw dropped when I read that your buddy's round point cut through everything like it was nothing because that's literally what they're made for. I've had the exact same experience with a cheap trenching shovel versus a nice one, and it made me wonder how I ever managed before.