How to Buy Basic Garden Tools
- 1). Check for a comfortable, balanced weight. Too heavy a tool will wear you out quickly, as will a poorly balanced tool. Too light, and you will have to compensate with your own energy.
- 2). Feel the handle. High-quality wood, usually ash, should be smooth, with an even, straight grain. Longer handles provide more leverage.
- 3). Make sure the head's on straight. Carbon steel is the highest quality. Consider stainless-steel tools if you're willing to pay the price. They're durable, rust-resistant and easy to clean.
- 4). Look closely where the head joins the handle. The strongest connections are forged sockets or steel strapped, riveted with several rivets. Less-expensive tools often employ a metal sleeve that extends from the head and wraps around the handle.
- 5). Test for sharpness. A tool's edge will hold up better if the steel is tempered, heat-treated or solid-forged.
- 6). Recognize the essentials. Every garden needs most of the following: Shovel, spade, digging fork, weeder, hoe, edger, leaf rake, garden rake, hand pruners, loppers, and a pruning saw. There are obviously a much wider variety than those, and many or helpful. But with those, any gardened can be tamed.
- 7). Buy your tools at hardware stores and nurseries. Or shop online at sites such as A. M. Leonard (mleo.com) and Smith & Hawken (smithandhawken.com).
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