Fiskars 60" Steel Posthole Digger, Long-Handled Construction and Yard Tool, Digger Tool and Garden Tiller for Soil for Fence or Post Installation

This works so much better than a conventional post hole digger I can't believe no one thought of it sooner or they are not all like this now. It is a brilliant invention. It allows deep holes with straight sides resulting in much less dirt needing to be removed for a deep hole and a much stronger post that a normal digger that forces a V shaped hole. I purchased it 12 years ago, but visited again because I was looking for it to recommend to a friend. So this has lasted me 12 years and still going strong. Also, amazingly that the prices has barely gone up in 12 years. Well worth the money.

Nice tool. Gets you a lot deeper than a standard post hole digger. Sturdy construction and not super heavy with the extra length you get. I would by another that was taller so when you get to the depth of this one you can switch to the taller tool to not have to bend over so far to reach the bottom of the hole. I would buy this tool again

This is the first time I have used this post hole digger design and I must say it works very well for my current post hole digging project (32 holes at 4 feet deep and 10 inches in diameter - no more or less. In the past I have been able to get away with the tried-and-true conventional post hole digger-style boring holes no more than 2 feet but with my current project's diameter constraint of 10 inches and 4 feet deep the conventional style diggers just won't cut it as the hole diameter would obviously have to be much wider to accommodate the spread of the handles while 'trapping' dirt. ~ The pivot is completely welded to the handle so no dealing with loose bolts/nuts which is a nice change! However, for me I immediately put my digger in the ground from taking it out of the box and realized that it was extremely difficult to move the handles to dig - very stiff! After about 15-20 minutes of continuous use it loosened up nicely (NOTE: obviously this is highly subjective. I'm a big guy so what I find as being suitable in terms of how 'difficult' it is to open-and-close this digger may not work for you. It is still slightly stiff for me to use but I find it suitable). If you would rather start your digging with a conveniently usable digger I highly recommend spending a few minutes opening and closing the digger to wear it in so hopefully it is much easier to use. I will say that opening and closing will still require more 'work' than your typical nut-and-bolt hinged digger so be prepared to exert more energy when using this! ~ Another great thing about this digger design is the fact that the handles do not come together; I have experienced no knuckle-smashing with this one. That's great seeing as I have a huge tendency to bring the handles together aggressively and bash my knuckles while digging with the conventional digger design. ~ With the all-steel construction this digger is much heavier than my conventional fiberglass-handled digger! I'm not complaining but just something I personally noticed. It may be a little heavier as mentioned but I'll take the quality of the construction over the fact that I have to take an extra break here-and-there. I have read old reviews of their Fiskars diggers bending and breaking but I can at least say that after digging 3 holes to 4 feet deep I haven't experienced this. Did Fiskars update their design to accommodate for this? Not sure. If I experience any of this I will update my review to let others know. ~ Lifetime warranty ~ This obviously has the same straight-blade design as with many diggers - the ends of the blades leave an opening when fully clenched which means dry, loose soil will be difficult to grab and retain. Not sure why I have read other reviews of people complaining about this when this has been the case for decades. For my projects and if your project permits just add a little water to the hole. This digger has performed well for me thus far. If I experience any issues I'll update this review accordingly. I highly recommend this digger if you are particularly in need of digging deep holes and don't feel like renting/buying a motored post hole digger. ------------------- UPDATE 10/22/14 ------------------------ I dug 22 holes at 4'+ deep in very rocky ground and this digger took a beating let me tell you! The digger looks like it went through a war zone. After using the digger for awhile the 'stiffness' of opening and closing it became MUCH easier over time; it even now squeaks when I open and close mine - no big deal. The 'stiffness' of opening-and-closing the digger does have an advantage in that you don't have to aggressively keep the blades together when trying to bring your payload up from 4' deep! Just close the blades and bring up the digger from the hole. After having completed 22 holes, how it stood up to a beating and how it made my life easier I highly recommend this digger! ------------------ UPDATE 11/25/14 --------------------------- I have completed my project; 32 holes each 4' down and ~10" in diameter in very rocky ground. This post hole digger stood up to a huge beating. Everything about this digger is in good shape and is still working. Very impressed!

The curved handle, both at the top and at the bottom, is a wonderful design innovation. The traditional design of posthole diggers requires the top of the hole to become ever wider as you dig deeper, but this design allows for holes with vertical sides, so there is less dirt to remove. And also, when the post is finally placed into the hole, the space that must be filled back in with dirt is smaller, allowing for easier tamping down and for a firmer placement in the hole. I bought my model in 2007 and I installed fences on three sides of our lot with it. Last week I decided to add two more sixteen-foot lengths to my fence, requiring two more holes for posts, and this tool again worked very efficiently. It is well worth the extra cost over a traditional-design posthole digger.

I used to have an auger, but one of my kids must have liked it better than I did because it's MIA. I needed to set some posts for a handrail, so I bought this after reading favorable reviews. Before I got around to the handrail, though, a guy mowed down my mailbox. I used the Fiskars to enlarge the old hole and make it deeper. It cut through clay and roots in no time. I thought the old installation with a 24-inch concrete base and a post filled with concrete and rebar would withstand just about everything, but a steel bumper took it out. The ease of digging the hole caused me to give into the temptation of making the base even more substantial. There are four bags of concrete filling the hold and post. I hope it's the last time I have to replace a mailbox. I highly endorse it.

I wanted to dig two post holes so I could put in a small trellis. I decided to go with this all-steel one from Fiskars because I knew I was going to be hard on it while digging through my very heavy, clay soil. It arrived quickly and well-packaged and in excellent condition. I started my holes with a shovel first and then took a couple whacks with the post hole digger to get the shape and positioning right. I then filled the holes with water. Now, if I had a softer soil, I wouldn't have used the water, but when dry (and during this drought it's been very dry) my soil is rock hard. With the first hole, I had no troubles whatsoever. The second hole, however, had considerable obstacles, so it took me much longer to dig. I had to get a saw and loppers to cut through some thick roots, and there were a number of large rocks and even some pieces of bricks right where I was digging, and the post hole digger will not go through thick roots and rocks. Fortunately, the rocks were small enough that I could dig them out with a hand shovel, but if there was a larger rock that had only part of it in my path, I would have been SOL. I ended up digging my holes around 40 or so inches deep, and the post hole digger had plenty of further depth it could go. I would also like to mention that this thing is heavy, which is actually good since dropping it in the hole does a lot of the work for you. With softer soil, I might have been all right with a lighter digger, especially if I had to dig a lot of holes. One other important aspect is that this digger cut very nice and neat holes. I rotated around as I dug to make sure it was all getting cut evenly, but the end results were very good. The digger also held up very well to my abuse - nothing ever came loose or broke. It was also comfortable to use (I should note that I am 5'5", so I'm not a big guy). All in all, this digger met every expectation, and I'm very glad I purchased it.

This posthole digger is by far the best I've ever used. The bent design provides extra leverage and wider angles for deep holes and assists in cleaning out the edges of the holes. It's extra weight (due to better, thicker steel) helps get the shovel blades into the dirt faster, and get through gravelly soil better. I believe the blades are also thicker, better steel, so this digger will last a long time. The handles with the rubberized grip are comfortable, with a much straighter angle than the old style. It weighs more than the traditional ones, but I agree with the maker that this is an advantage - the increased effort to lift is more than matched by the improved performance. Generally lifting things up is easier than pushing things down, and this weight helps a lot with the pushing. One additional advantage - the overall design also made it easier to use a rotating motion at the bottom of the hole to break lost rocks and make a clean round hole. I could push the handles in both directions with the digger in closed position, where the blades are almost vertical as opposed to old style.

I was a little worried about the design putting too much pressure at the hinge on this thing, but I'm happy to say it was not an issue. The open handle design was also a concern, but after you dig the first hole you will have adjusted, and appreciate not busting your knuckles. If you are used to smacking the handles together to knock off the dirt sticking to the blades then you will be unhappy. I got around this when clay stuck by just dropping the blades into the ground to dislodge the clay. I also read in the reviews that someone complained about the metal bending and making the tool worthless. I have a guiding principle that will prevent such a thing from happening, "Work smarter, not harder". I hit hard clay and used water to soften up the clay, and then dropped this sharp and heavy post hole digger into the water filled hole about 15 times. It basically turned the clay into wet mud that could be easily taken out of the hole. Prior to doing this I tried to brute through the hard clay and my elbow joints did not like it. Knew there had to be a better way and found it. This is a post hole digger, not a pick, not a pry bar, not a jackhammer. If you use it in the conditions it was designed for it will work great. Last thoughts are it is heavy and it is tall, both of which were great for a 6 foot man who wanted to quickly dig postholes 32 inches deep and not have to be on his knees or stooping over and breaking his back.

I've been wanting to set some posts on our 2 acre property for a few years but never saw anything for sale locally that was different than those heavy, knuckle-banging, unimaginative and common diggers. I put off doing the work in hopes retailers would improve their offering. My mother bought a house recently and we needed a gate installed so she could baby-sit our dog on occasion. Instead of hiring out digging the post holes because the ones commonly sold were too heavy for me to want to buy, I decided to search down an ergonomic tool and order it in online if I had to. I could no longer find the ergonomic tool I saw years ago and have wanted for some time, instead, I could only find this digger. Our Canadian Home Depot was not able to order it in for us even though they sell Fiskars products so I decided to order online, something I choose to do infrequently. This Fiskars post hole digger was also cheaper at Amazon.ca than Fiskars offers it online, themselves. The order came quickly and trouble-free so this experience was good as far as ordering and paying online was concerned. The post holes dug like a dream! I am a cancer survivor and my joints, bones and muscles have not recovered from chemo damage, I need to use tools that make a job easier. What a great tool! I won't say it made the digging effortless but it did make the digging easy. I wish I ordered this tool online years ago!

I dig many post holes each year. Usually I use an auger but often I need to do them by hand or clean out the augered holes. Over the last 35 years I have tried many different types and I have had the most success with these. For some reason they stopped selling them in Canada (or at least southern Ontario). I jumped at the opportunity to by them when I saw them on line. They were pricey so I was really happy when I saw them the next time for 50% off. That price was much more reasonable. They are a tool which is used very aggressively so they will break. The problem I have with them is that there isn't really a quick fix for them when they break. Mine are used for a business so I realize they are a 'cost of doing business'. I think for someone who does not use them as often they should last a long time.

I was pleasantly surprised how well this works. Our land is rocky - it’s hard to dig with a shovel. The hole digger made putting fence posts into the ground much easier. Usual Fiskars quality.

This is the best post hole digger, you don't bang your hands while using it, so you can go deeper. Also, very hardy construction in steel. I would recommend this item.

excellent post hole digger. blades are exceptionally sharp and seem to hold their edge. be warned - one of the things that make these so effective is their hefty weight; their weight is a huge benefit going down *into* the soil, but that weight becomes a potential liability heaving it back up.