I wanted an unbreakable shovel with a handle that would last. Found it in this one. I knew it was tough when I picked it up and dug my first hole. Over the years I find I get enjoyment in quality long lasting items even if they cost more originally.
I bought the long-handled AM Leonard spade (AMP15L) to edge the border between my lawn and raised garden beds. The first 6 to 10 inches is top soil; under that is clay. I started edging after a good rain so the ground would be soft, and it was. After I put the spade in the ground 5 times, the foot pad broke off leaving the screws in the turned step. I also saw that about a third of the the black coating on the blade had simply fallen off, leaving bare metal. By contrast, I bought a similar long-handled steel spade made by another manufacturer for about the same price, and I've used it for a couple days now to continue the job I started with the Leonard spade. To date its footpads are in tact and the black coating on the blade is too. On the positive side, I very much like the "geometry" of the AM Leonard spade. Its blade is flatter than my other spade and that makes the edging easier. The folks at AM Leonard replaced the foot pad at no cost but didn't respond to the fact that the black coating fel
