Steel Shaft Fork, Spade and Shovel

[gillettadam]

Good Afternoon All.

I have been looking for a heavy duty steel shaft digging fork, shovel and spade as I’m fed up with snapping wooden handled ones! I had a brief look at the Bulldog forks in Wickes and was shocked by how cheap they were and then again (less so after seeing the price) at how poorly made they looked. I’ve used older Bulldog tools and based on what I saw in Wickes they’re not a patch on what they once were. I have found Richard Carter are still making what I’m looking for but again the price seems a bit low for a quality tool to me, although I haven’t seen any in the flesh to actually look at. Am I asking too much, should I just scour the car boots for some older tools? Is there someone out there who makes properly decent ground engaging tools? Any help greatly appreciated

[charlie]

I have to say I have never, well not yet, broken a fork or spade handle. That could be because the ones I use are old Elwell tools, this is a make well worth looking out for at car boot sales etc. I am a firm believer that the older tools, like many other things, were of far better quality in years gone by. The modern trend seems to be to make items down to a given price.

[andyfrost]

Elwell are the RollsRoyce of handtools , I recall my father telling me as a youngster , that if you didn’t use an Elwell axe then ” you’re no timber faller” . It was a joy to watch him felling with his collection of axes , all Elwell.

Andy.

[hdtrust]

Well Charlie
I can own up to breaking a shaft more than once on my old Stanley stainless steel spade, the fault was actually the shaft made from a plastic intrusion moulding, plus the fact of digging in coal measure soils of Sheffield (all heavy clay)
The remedy I have now is an old Elwell spade, which when I got it came from an auction at Shaftsbury. I took one look at it, has it has steel grips for digging (saves the soul on your boots when digging) First thing I did was get a file and sharpened the working end, you only need to do that once, then it will always stay sharp. The only other thing needed to keep the spade in tip top condition is not to allow anyone else near it!
When I first was shown how to dig in my apprenticeship days, they also issued me with clogs! Which I still have!
Kind regards
Big Ears

[wristpin]

I have some Neverbend spades and forks, inherited from my parents. My guess is that they bought them in 1934 when Dad retired from the Army and they had their first permanent home where they lived until the late 80s.
Edit. The blade of the spade is not worn that short, the iPad image has distorted it a bit!!

• This reply was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by wristpin.

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[kmacaoidh]

I have two Never end spades, not stainless steel so they need a lick of oil to keep them clean, but very strong well made spades. Comfortable to work with. And bought for a song at a sale. Didn’t realize they might, possibly, be that old! The 30’s? I have old Spears & Jackson spades also, well worn with work, old, but they were great tools as well.

[kmacaoidh]

Never end! That’s corrective txt for you. Neverbend was what I intended. But kind of appropriate anyway, in the context. Spades that last a lifetime, or two.

[wristpin]

Ha! Glad that someone else falls victim to predictive text. I never associated Neverbend with Spear and Jackson unto I Googled them. I wonder whether Neverbend was once a stand alone brand or have always been within the Spear and Jackson portfolio.

[kmacaoidh]

I didn’t know that either!? It’s just that I have both types of spade.i must check the exact labeling on them next time. I’m not sure if the two brand names are historically related? Or a more modern coming together, or just a coincidental marketing name they share, or have appropriated? Either way the old spades I have are fine fine tools, but I have no experience of working with the newly manufactured versions. Very interesting if it is the same company making them both all these years? Think I must take a closer look at all these old work tools when I get a chance.

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