Spear & Jackson Steel Tubular Shovel for Landscaping, Gardening, Contractor, DIY, Trenching, Outdoor Tasks

Used this for trenching, rubble clearing, and general site work on clay-heavy ground. No flex, no drama—just gets on with it. The MYD handle gives a solid grip even with gloves, and the tapered blade cuts clean through compacted soil and rough terrain. Build quality’s spot on—heavy-duty steel, clean welds, and the paint holds up after repeated use. It’s a proper bit of kit that feels like it’ll outlast cheaper gear by miles. Ideal for builders, landscapers, or anyone who needs gear that won’t quit halfway through the shift. Only minor gripe: it’s a bit weighty if you’re used to lighter tools, but that’s the trade-off for serious durability.

This past year I have been trying to landscape and drain a garden consisting entirely of heavy clay soil. This stuff is serious clay - you could take a lump and throw a pot with it on the spot, and there's lots of rock in it as well. I'm purchased the toughest looking spade I could find and I'm happy to say this has not let me down. It has taken any abuse I've thrown at it, even basically using it like a pick axe and a lever bar to force my way through brutal ground. The narrowness of it makes it ideal because you aren't trying to remove such a large amount of this heavy material. Size really doesn't matter - I've dug a hole 1m diameter by 2m deep with it! It has a good amount of weight and you feel no fear in bringing it crashing down on whatever you are desperately trying to dislodge. It appears unbreakable and now a permanent part of my novice gardening armoury.

Heavy shovel but ideal for digging in soft ground, extremely sturdy and great quality.

It’s pretty heavy, but the weight helps when digging narrow trenches for foundations etc. I used this to dig the trench for a brick paver ‘outline’ for a flower bed, and it was ideal for this task. Strong and well made, the epoxy type coating on the blade seems to be resilient. However, it is a welded steel shovel blade, and therefore needs to be cleaned before storage.

Great Spade this. Very tough and a decent weight although maybe a little heavy for some.

Great shovel. I deliberately searched for one that wasn’t too big. I like them to a nice manageable size since I’m often using it as part spade & part shovel, ie I’m doing digging with it as well as moving material from A to B. It’s solid steel. All one piece apart from the handle which is wooden. I’d have preferred a polypropylene handle as sometimes the wooden ones start to swivel over time but minor detail that doesn’t change the fact this is a great tool. Spear & Jackson are a very reliable manufacturer of garden tools so I never doubted that the quality would be up to standard and I wasn’t disappointed on that front either. I reckon that it’ll last a lifetime. I’m a happy shovel owner.

When the wife brings me out a cup of tea to the garden, she usually gives me earache if there are no visible signs of productivity. I've had this shovel for 2 months now and it's helped me out no end. I use it to lean on whilst listening to the wife moaning, but it has also reduced the amount of moaning because I've been able to quickly dig a lot of holes with it. As soon as she goes back indoors I lie back down in my hammock, set my alarm for another 20 minutes, have a snooze and then get busy for 10 minutes before my next cup of tea arrives. That way I usually have a sweat on when she comes down the garden and there'll be a new hole. I must admit that I got caught out last weekend. The wife enquired as to the purpose of the holes. Well, I had to lean on the shovel for a while after I explained they were practice holes. Then I got back to business and dug some holes to move some trees and shrubs in to and dug out the aforementioned plants. The construction is superb; it can really smash through some tough earth/rocks. The coating on the blade has withstood everything so far; but I expect it will deteriorate eventually. The metal shaft has already coped with the same punishment (and more) as the spade (from Wyevale's Vintage range - expensive and only for 'hobby' gardeners) this replaced. The wooden handle is comfortable and seems pretty tough and it is the right size for me (5'10"). I don't find it heavy. I would recommend this to anyone who needs to dig things. If you're shifting earth/sand you would probably benefit from a square shaped shovel (which will hold more); the round blade on this allows you to get into hard soil and shift in bigger quantities than you would with a spade.

A well made product, strong and robust. the price is very good and delivery was great.