I bought it as a gift for my wife. When I gave it to her her face lit up with a giant smile, that makes it perfect!
I am kind of particular about my spades, having worked on a landscape crew in my youth. I was a little disappointed to find that there is not a wooden handled spade available, but I"m sure this composite handle will last a lot longer. I was concerned about the weight. I still believe it is a bit heavy, but the tapered spade cuts through our clay soil beautifully. Go ahead, order with confidence. It will last you a lifetime!
Durable, light weight dig spade. Composite handle needs very little maintenance.
Since 1987 my one Leonard Classic Full Strap Spade has been my workhorse, my number one landscape tool. Used all spring, summer and fall for planting then used to scrape ice off sidewalks and driveways all winter. After 24 years the wood handle finally cracked and gave out (sigh). The composite handle on my new spade makes sense, especially for those of us who beat, chop, pound and jump on their spade in all soils in all weather conditions. There seems to be some shock-absorbing in the handle. Nice touch, good design. Probably the only reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I haven't had it long enough to truly test it (or that I still miss my old Classic Full Strap).
We purchased this spade for its weight and durability, when it comes to trimming off and leveling the bottom of a root ball for packaging, this spade is perfect! Light weight composite handle that won't freeze your hands in cold weather, good balance and grip. Everyone uses it over the all steel spade we have.