What Makes The Best Landscaping Spade

After years of experience these are the key elements that make the best landscaping spade.

• The Head – Also Called The Blade. This is the business end of a the spade – where it meets the soil and it has to be good at digging. Many landscaping spades have blunt or slightly rounded blades. In an area with poor or challenging soils (rocks, clay, shale) we have found that a pointed head is the best for deeply penetrating the soil. Sharpened or serrated edges can make all the difference in the world. Our favorite landscaping spade – the Spear Head Landscape Spade has a pointed tip, with sharpened edges. These two features can reduce the effort required to dig by 80%.
• Another important element is what the blade/head is made of. There are many types of steel, and they can differ dramatically in strength and durability. The Spear Head Spade is made of carbon manganese steel that is 33% thicker and 25% harder than normal shovels. This is a strong blade that lasts.
• The strength of the shaft is another vital element in for the best landscape spade. A good shaft must have both durability and flex. You need flex to feel what is going on under the ground. Are you hitting roots, how big are they, have you gone deep enough? You also need flex for the fundamental prying motion when you dig a hole or trench. Obviously you don’t want to break the shaft, and that is where durability comes in. Our opinion on the best shafts are made from steel, fiberglass, or some combination of those two (such as steel reinforced fiberglass). We do not recommend a wood handle as a long term solution to a landscaper quality spade.