Customer Reviews

Radius Garden 202 PRO Ergonomic Stainless Steel Shovel

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I really liked the idea of this series of tools, but I doubted it would work out for me. As the earlier review mentions, the tool is short - mid-length, technically - and, like the other reviewer, I'm tall. Also, it seemed to have the potential to be mere gimmickry. I figured I'd get one of the tools, test drive it for a bit, and then grab the rest if I like it. I wound up picking the shovel for that first test.

My yard formed the testing grounds. It's thick clay in most parts, as the builders did their best to truck away the good topsoil and replace it with something that wouldn't sink their equipment. Clay, and rocks. Dig any spot and you'll hit at least one sizable rock. It killed two shovels and a digging fork, so it is dirt that does not play well with digging tools.

The first round with the shovel was somewhat simple: relocate some mud from the roadside stream to deepen it in one spot and prevent erosion in the other. This really put the lack of height at a disadvantage as I had to reach down into a 1.5' ditch. I was surprised it wasn't all that bad, and easier to use even in this case then the full-size spade. My son - who is a bit shorter than me for a few more years, anyway - did prefer the full-size; so there's some personal preference there. Where I found it really excelled was in walking down the street 50' or so without spilling any of the mud - the shovel, empty or full of clay mud, had an exceptional balance.

Some time after that, I did a round of planting - about a dozen trees, shrubs, and ferns in one to five gallon sizes. I'd gotten used to the luxury of having my son assist; this was a solo planting. With our soil, it's nice to trade off the digging, as it wears you out quickly. In actual use - much more strenuous work than the moving of mud - it did even better. I had absolutely no stress or strain, no trouble getting it to cut through forest floor or backhoe & bulldozer packed clay. As I was doing the whole deal, the balance again came into play - this time as I set it on the wheelbarrow or across the frame of the sifter. Usually, tools like to tip or slide away from where you'd rather they stay: this would settle against the round handle and stay where I put it. A great help when there's not a second set of hands to chase things for you - or keep a wooden handle from falling on your head while you're placing a delicate plant!

I've since picked up a number of the other tools in the series, and plan on getting the rest as I prepare for the Spring season.

I like this shovel a lot. The green parts are easy to grip, and the loop at the end makes it very easy to pry or pull if you hit a root/rock etc. The blade came very sharp and wrapped in a plastic cover.

I'm a very tall person, and the only shortfall with this is that for me the shovel is an inch or two short, for most people that wouldn't be an issue.

The spade is the second most used tool I own. As a professionl gardner, you need a tool that is comfy. The handle on this shovel is great, except it is too short. I am not a tall woman (5 ft) and this handle is just too short, you have to bend over to use it so it makes it hard on the back

Hello all, I just received the Radius Grip Pro Shovel #202 as a gift. I was pleased with the idea of a tool that would last even though it was made in china, as it turns out I cracked the head at the handle and the pin came most of the way out in two days of use, granted I work hard and am fairly strong. I feel that it is a good design though built by the lowest bidder and it shows. I have replaced the pin in hope that it will still function well enough. If the handle come off or gets worse I'll up-date this post.

This is pretty nice .. a bit on the Pricey side but I guess thats what happens when youre the only game in town. The only reason I bought these was because my wife is always in the garden and is using these huge, long handle shovles and other tools that my dad gave us years ago.. she is only 5'2" so she prefers shorter, lighter tools. These are pretty nice, the round handle is much nicer than a straight or triangular type handle, they are balanced nicely and they look sharp, they cut into the ground with relative ease.. the only cons (for me) is the price and they are a touch on the heavy side for the size they are.. but thats not THAT big a con. if I were using them it would be no problem at all.. but for here, she's going to need some time getting used to the feel. she does like them though..

Great design, you can work all day and not hurt you hands. It does take a little time to re-train you hands, but it is clearly better. Better leverage also. Regular garden tools seem so primitive when you get used to these.

This shovel is the best shovel I have ever owned. It is extremely sturdy and easy to handle. The PRO Grip is a tool that probably will last for years and years to come. It, quite possibly, may be the last shovel I will have to purchase, because it is SO STURDY AND WELL MADE.

I bought this shovel two years ago at a local garden center and it broke today as I was transplanting a rose that was planted a year ago. I am 5' 2" and not very strong, yet it broke on the shovel part right where it "V's", just split right apart. It is a nice shovel, cute, but not for any kind of heavy-duty work. I will be trying the Fiskars Long Handle Digging Shovel that hopefully will hold up better for the price.

Today my husband and I bought the Radius shovel with the circular handle. We had considered paying someone to come and do some planting in our yard rather than try and tackle it ourselves because our soil is thick, heavy, muddy clay; it makes utterly back-breaking work of landscaping. When we read the review by one gentleman who said the shovel made quick work of the clay in his own yard, we decided to try the shovel and see if we could save ourselves the money of hiring someone. It's an attractive shovel, certainly a standout in the garage among our other tools. It feels very sturdy, a little heavy but not by much more than our wooden handled shovel. You can use both hands at the top of the circle handle which gives you much more power behind each dig and the flat fold at the top of the shovel lets you really get your foot squarely on it to help add pressure to each shove downward. My husband was doing the digging today and I think we were both surprised by how easily this shovel cut through stiff, heavy clay. My husband said it was significantly easier to dig holes with this shovel than with our wooden, traditional shovel. We are confident we'll be able to tackle most any planting or landscaping job in our yard now, thanks to this shovel. The money we save on hiring someone to plant will provide us more money with which to buy plants. The nearly forty dollar price tag was nothing when you consider what we would have paid someone to plant these items for us; it already paid for itself in that regard. We highly recommend the Radius shovel and will certainly consider its other tools now.

I did a lot of research before buying the entire radius garden ergonomic tool set for my company's community garden. I wanted tools that could stand up to use by over 50 different gardeners of all ages and abilities and that would not need to be replaced anytime soon. I was very impressed with all the tools we received, so much so that I bought both the shovel and a garden fork for my own garden at home. These aren't cheap tools. They could probably be sold for a lot more but I'm glad they aren't. You will absolutely get your money's worth purchasing this tool.

I have the beginning symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome and find these tools very easy on my hands/wrists. The round handle is genius!

My only complaint is that both tools came with an obscene amount of packaging and an unnecessarily large box.