Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5163 in Home Improvement
• Brand: Fiskars
• Model: 9668
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 57.50" h x 8.60" w x 3.25" l, 3.40 pounds

Features

• Ideal for heavy-duty digging needs
• Oversized step for additional leverage and comfort
• Unique teardrop shaped shaft is comfortable and easy to grip
• Pre-sharpened, ready to use blade
• Limited lifetime warranty

Amazon.com Product Description
The Fiskars long handle digging shovel features an all-steel construction for heavy-duty strength and durability. The shovel's blade features an oversized step for additional leverage and comfort, and comes pre-sharpened to cut through the ground easier. Ideal for personal or professional use, the teardrop-shaped shaft provides ergonomic comfort and control during use. For added strength, the blade itself is directly welded onto the shaft, and the entire shovel is powder-coated to prevent rust. This tool comes with a limited lifetime warranty.

Customer Reviews

One of the best tools you'll ever use.
I saw the Fiskars shovel described as "The Perfect Shovel" in Mother Earth News. On that basis I tracked one down at the local hardware superstore.

Just came in from using it yet again and I can say that it is the best shovel I have ever used, a superior tool in every way. The built-in (wide and textured) stomp edge makes it easy to stand upon for penetration, the one-piece handle has no rough/pinch points, and the shape of the blade is a good balance between penetration and load capacity. The blade makes short work of roots -- I have many times easily gone through roots over 2 inches, roots which previously would have seen me resorting to another tool. (The first time I sliced through a thick root with it my jaw actually dropped, and I checked to see if the root was rotten.) I have also used the shovel in situations where I really should have gone to get a prybar, with no sign of stress on the shovel.

I've had this shovel for going on 2 years now, and the only signs of wear are the powder-coating is worn off back from the tip a few inches and scratched off the back of the handle. That's it -- no nicks, bends, or tip wear in the blade, no bends in the handle. And as I write this I realize this is the first shovel that I have never had to sharpen. There has been no tendency to rust.

The shovel comes with a plastic sleeve starting at the blade and going about a foot up the handle. During one heavy session this sleeve sliced on a sharp rock and peeled back from the handle. But this had no effect on comfort in using the shovel -- the handle is smooth and well-shaped anyway. (The shape of the handle makes for less hand fatigue than a round handle.)

This shovel has seen steady use around our property. We have riverbed soils here, which means mixed sand, gravel, pockets of clay, and the occasional head-sized rock. The Fiskars shovel handles all of them equally well.

The shovel is a bit heavier than a wooden-handled one, but no heavier than some "industrial-strength" models I have used. I think the extra weight is far offset by the efficiency in digging, and the way it handles roots. (The ease of cutting roots would alone make this an ideal shovel for many people.)

I do a lot of digging, and have used (and used up) many shovels over the years. After trying the Fiskars shovel, I can't see ever using anything else -- a good thing, since I am likely to have this one for life, the way it is holding up. Casual users might not want to deal with the extra weight, but I think any farmer, rancher, laborer, serious gardener, or homesteader would instantly recognize its superior qualities once it was in their hands and would value having one.

A tank!
This shovel is definitely not a toy. It's big and it's heavy, but it's strong and looks like it will last many years. I've used it for normal gardening and landscaping. It's got a curve and a point so it's not great for edging, but it will turn up clay and move plenty of dirt. The shaft is shaped like a teardrop so it's comfortable, but I'm a tall guy and I'm not sure how it will fit in smaller hands.

Heavy Duty
This shovel looks like it will hold up very well. The only problem is that it is very heavy. It's hard to use for situations where you have to lift it up very high. But for digging, this shovel works great!