Today, I messed around with a potting shovel. Nothing fancy, just wanted to see what’s what with these things.
So, I grabbed a few different shovels from the shed. There’s this one, a Fiskars, that’s supposed to be all ergonomic and stuff. It’s got a long handle and it is made of steel. Looks kinda sturdy. I also dug out a couple of other ones, just regular garden shovels, nothing special.
First off, I tried moving some dirt around. The Fiskars one, yeah, it felt alright. The long handle meant I didn’t have to bend over too much. But honestly, it wasn’t like a life-changing experience or anything. It dug into the ground okay, moved the dirt. It did its job, I guess.
- Tried the long-handle one first.
- Compared it to the shorter-handle ones.
- Moved some dirt, nothing special.
Then I compared it to the other shovels. They were shorter, so yeah, I had to bend over more. But they worked fine too. I mean, dirt got moved. I poked around some rocky bits in my backyard, just to see if the shovels would break or something. They didn’t. They all held up pretty well, even the cheap ones.
Basically, what I figured out was, a shovel is a shovel. Sure, some might be a bit more comfortable to use, especially if you’ve got a bad back or something. But at the end of the day, they all do the same thing. They dig holes, they move dirt. No magic there.
My Two Cents
Don’t get too hung up on finding the “best” shovel. Just grab whatever works for you and get digging. It’s more about the work you put in than the tool you’re using. At least, that’s how I see it after messing around with these things today.
