Looking for Hoe recommendations

[SaberTooth]

Can anyone give me a link to order a quality hoe that will last more than one season?

[MikeInCypress]

I highly recommend these people: http://www.gardentoolcompany.com/cat...eatured&page=1

I have several of their hoes and they are all high quality. From the Clarington Forge Dutch Hoe to the Oscillating Weeding Hoe they do the job .

MikeInCypress

[tuk50]

I really like these... http://www.prohoe.com/garden_hoes.html
Bought the first one about 6years ago and now have 4 different types of them .. the first one got the handle sanded down this winter and was repainted and waxed.. it is still just as solid as when new.. and it does get used...
When you get to their web site click on "About Us" tells how they are made out of old disc blades.

[Wi-sunflower]

I highly recommend the Rogue Hoes too (link above).

We have several of the type some people call "onion" hoes on that linked page. But be sure to check out their other pages too. Personally I love their triangular slider/scuffle hoe as the chopping motion used with a regular hoe hurts my elbows. I've had "tennis elbow" on both over the years.

Also be sure to check out the "field hoe" link. Those are big heavy things almost like a wider pick ax with the grub head. I don't know if I've described it right but we love them. When planting my large sometimes leggy tomato plants we use a 1 bottom plow to make a furrow. We lay the plant down on the low side (opposite of the turned soil) then a person with 1 of these field hoes comes behind and with just 2 - 4 swipes pulls enough soil to well cover the plants. We come over the row with a 700 gal water tank and splash dump about 1/2 - 3/4 gal of water on each plant. The furrow between the plants helps hold the water near the plants. Later we eventually get the furrow refilled with the cultivator tractor. We can plant 5-700 plants in a 4 hour morning with a 4 or 5 person crew (counting me and I'm mostly the sign maker and recorder).

The hoes are darned near indestructible. The handles don't stand up to Hubby running over it with a tractor tho. But other than that they are great.

Carol

[tuk50]

Like Carol said, darned near indestructible!
My son is a fireman and volunteers for wildfire crews sometimes and wanted me to get the FB70F with the 60in ash handle.... we got it to clear cactus, mesquite and catclaw brush... It is a BRUTE! It is not for the faint of heart... they say it will cut 1in diameter brush, but my 11year old grandson can easily cut that size brush. It will literally whack bigger. For gardening get the lightest ones.. the metal is 1/4 in thick and has a heft to it.

[Stepheninky]

I guess my question would be what type of hoe do you need, as in what will you be using it for.

I have several myself but my two favorites are

my Ames Warren Hoe , This is a triangle shaped hoe which I use for planting and also for furrowing out my seed rows. The triangle shape also allows weeding in corners and other tight spaces such as around wire cages and also can get pretty close to plants with it.

My other favorite is an Onion Hoe, (mine is made by Union) the hoe end is not as tall as a regular garden hoe and is made of a thicker metal with all three edges sharpened. This type hoe makes for fast work of scratching out weeds. It is also precise enough to dig out around your onions as that is what it was designed for. With all three sides having a sharpened edge it is pretty versatile.

A good hoe does not have to be super expensive I have several types and kinds and do not think I have ever spent over $30 on any of them and most actually cost less. The most important thing if you have a quality tool is to always take proper care of it.

How to care for garden tools so they will last a life time: Any time you use the tool always clean it off with water in till all soils etc... are removed from the surface. Once this is done dry the tool with a towel and then spray the tool with some oil ( Some old timers would use used motor oil, I usually spray it with wd40, though if super organic no chemicals you can rub it down with canola oil or any cooking type oil. This will keep the tools rust free and in great shape.

Also any garden tools with a sharpened edge have that edge for a reason buy a med/fine metal file $4 to $10 each and use those anytime the edge is getting dull or you notice any slight nicks in the edge.

If you do the above as habit your tools will last a very long time.

Only time I have ever broke or damaged a garden tool or handle of a tool is when I tried to use it for a purpose that it was not designed for.

[tuk50]

Stepheninky, I agree with you completely .. I keep a bottle of mineral oil in the greenhouse to keep my handles and metal lubricated.. my desert sun will dry rot a piece of wood in one year if not kept oiled or sealed with paste wax...
I love the Rogue onion hoe... also the 40G.. but their triangle hoe is way too small for me. I hardly ever use it because it is about half the size of others I have.

[Stepheninky]

Originally Posted by tuk50

Stepheninky, I agree with you completely .. I keep a bottle of mineral oil in the greenhouse to keep my handles and metal lubricated.. my desert sun will dry rot a piece of wood in one year if not kept oiled or sealed with paste wax...
I love the Rogue onion hoe... also the 40G.. but their triangle hoe is way too small for me. I hardly ever use it because it is about half the size of others I have.

Mine is the Ames Warren "Kodiak" forged Hoe. so it is fairly good sized.

Glad you mentioned that though as it does remind me to mention when ever possible try to get foraged garden tools and not wielded. The forged tool heads are one piece, the wielded means the tool head is wielded to the shank that goes into the wood handle. Wields can get loose and be a point of failure. So forged is a bit better quality wise. So recommend them if the price is not too great a deference.

[tuk50]

That's what made me buy my first one.. they are hand forged from old discs and I have found I really like the heft of 1/4in steel. I do order all mine with the 60in handles.. I'm only 5'7, and my son is 6'4, but we both like the feel of the big handle when working in the garden and you can't beat the price for that kind of quality.

[Barbee]

I love love love my Wolf Garten push pull weeder with the extra long handle! Best hoe I've ever used...
http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Garten-32.../dp/B00023S6ME

[dahoss2002]

I ordered a grubbing hoe and grape hoe from these guys..http://www.easydigging.com/. These will really move some dirt.

[ContainerTed]

Some exceptional quality mentioned above. I guess I'm too cheap to put out those bucks. So I bought a bundle of 4 hoe heads (1 rusty, 2 used, and 1 new) and 3 weeding tool heads (looks like a small 4 pronged pitchfork bent at a 90 degree angle) at the flea market for 9 bucks (after haggling). Then I got a bundle of 6 handles from a roadside setup that when I combined them with a couple of other items, only cost me 2 bucks a piece. All 6 were brand new and still had labels on them.

After assembling all that I could, I kept 2 hoes and 1 weeding tool and sold the other 3 items for 9 bucks each.

My grinder and wire wheel make old things shine again.

Ted