Don’t go cheap: Quality pays when choosing yard tools
Most homeowners can make use of a good shovel or two and a wheelbarrow for yard cleanup and landscaping. What’s not so clear is the difference in quality between various models. I use outdoor landscaping tools more than most and you might be surprised by what I’ve learned over the past 20 years.
If I had to choose just one tool for general landscaping, the task wouldn’t be easy. That said, I can’t imagine a more useful item than a round-point shovel with a Dshaped handle. This is about the most versatile tool I know of for moving sand, gravel and soil, but there is more to choosing a good shovel than just grabbing one off the store shelf.
Construction of the blade is what I always look for in choosing a shovel — particularly how the blade of the shovel connects with the part that fastens to the handle. This is called the shank and, as it turns out, a Canadian firm is one of the best sources I know of for high-quality shovels, precisely because of how they make the shanks on their highend models.
Garant has the longest history of any Canadian outdoor tool maker and I’m impressed with what they build. The company was originally founded as a wagon wheel shop in 1895 by Alphonse Garant near Quebec City. As far as shovels go, I’ve never used anything better than their Pro Series models. Solid shanks and forged steel blades are the reasons why.
The greatest stress on any shovel develops at the point where the blade meets the shank. Although cheaper shovels are made of sheet steel pressed into a shovel shape in this area, this is weak by design and prone to breakage. The Garant shovels I’ve been testing have a thicker, forged connection between blade and shank that will last a lifetime. The forged blade itself has proven reliably rust-resistant, too. One of my helpers left our test shovel out in the rain and there was no rusting to speak of.
A good wheelbarrow is at least as important as a decent shovel and there are three main issues to think about when choosing one for your yard. The first is shape. Wheelbarrows fall roughly into two categories: the traditional contractor model with a single wheel and the dual-wheel cart-style barrow.
Single-wheel models are best for heavier loads in tighter quarters, but they do tip over more easily. In fact, a heavily loaded, single-wheel barrow can easily tip over while sitting on the ground. Always keep children away. Dual-wheel models are much more stable, but they’re not as easy to push and manoeuvre.
Regardless of the wheelbarrow you choose, you’ll really appreciate a model with flat-free tires. Few things are more frustrating than heading out to do yard work, only to find that the air-filled tire on your wheelbarrow is flat. You can easily spend an hour or two patching the tube — more if you’ve never done this work before.
Flat-free tires are made of solid foam and while they mimic the all-important squishiness of an airfilled tire, they can never go flat. You could even saw into one if you were foolish enough and they’d still work fine. Both of the True Temper wheelbarrows I’ve been testing this spring came with flat-free wheels.
Too many homeowners choose outdoor tools that make work more frustrating and less productive. Choosing the good stuff does cost a little more up front, but if you think you need a shovel and wheelbarrow, don’t cheap out on yourself. Get some good ones.