Materials & Buying Guides
Tools
Garden hand tools and equipment: what is worth buying, what lasts, and how to care for it.
The Tools category covers garden hand tools and equipment: what is worth buying, what lasts, and how to care for it. Articles include a guide to eight essential hand tools, a comparison of the garden fork, spade and shovel, and a profile of the hori-hori soil knife. They also compare trowels by blade shape, handle and durability, and explain when long-handled or short-handled tools make sense.
Other guides cover wheelbarrows, garden hoses by length, diameter and material, cordless versus corded power tools, pruning shears (bypass versus anvil), and gloves for different types of work. There are also pieces on ergonomic tools for bad backs and arthritic hands, cleaning, oiling and winter storage, and sharpening tools at home.
- Best Wheelbarrows for Home Gardeners: What to Look For
- Garden Fork vs Spade vs Shovel: Which Does What
- The Best Pruning Shears: Bypass vs Anvil and What to Look For
- Garden Hose Buying Guide: Length, Diameter, and Material Compared
- The Best Garden Gloves for Every Type of Work
- Soil Knife (Hori-Hori): The Most Versatile Garden Tool
- Garden Trowels Compared: Blade Shape, Handle, and Durability
- Cordless vs Corded Garden Power Tools Compared
- Long-Handled vs Short-Handled Tools: When Each Makes Sense
- Ergonomic Garden Tools for Bad Backs and Arthritic Hands
- Garden Tool Maintenance: Cleaning, Oiling, and Winter Storage
- How to Sharpen Garden Tools at Home
- Essential Garden Hand Tools: The Only 8 You Need
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