The Spear & Jackson Hand trowel from the Elements range is a gardening tool ideally suited to digging and planting seeds and other small plants. I've used the product extensively in 18 months I've owned the product mainly on my vegetable patch. The product cost me £3.49 from Amazon UK and has been an essential and durable gardening tool that I consider very important.

Appearance
The hand trowel looks of a good sound professional appearance. The handle is grooved and ergonomically suited so it's easy to hold. The product features a hole at the top of the handle with a loop of leather string through it which allow it to be hung up in your shed. The handle is made from ash which is a light coloured wood but tough and built to last. There is also a black logo to the handle which in gold font reads "Spear & Jackson Elements Range". The metal trowel is securely attached to the ash wood handle and is grooved and indented. The metal is quite shiny and is coated with epoxy making it more durable against rust and damage. The trowel is light when you hold it and I weighed it at just under half a kilogram in weight, but is very sturdily built. Overall I was pleased with the appearance of the trowel, the light ash wood handle finishes the product off nicely.

Ease of use
The product was easy to use as the ash wood finished handle is smooth and very well sanded. The handle is also ergonomically shaped so it is comfortable to use and provides good grip. I have average sized hands and I found the size of the handle was very well suited to my needs. The handle was also not too thick, we can be a problem as grip can suffer with large thick tools.

Durability
The product was very cheap to buy from Amazon and I was unsure of the quality of the trowel despite it being manufactured by Spear & Jackson. The product has been used extensively for about a year and a half and the metal head of the trowel is still in great condition, rust free and unbent. I think the epoxy coating of the head prevent scratches to the metal and have helped keep it rust free. The head is also easily cleaned of dirt with a bit of water and a quick wipe. The handle has not shattered or splintered either and the handle and head remained firmly attached, not coming loose over time. I think the durability of the product is excellent for small scale gardening needs but if you were to hit hard rocks over a long period of usage I could see the head bending or chipping away. But for the cheap price, the durability and materials used are very high quality.

Pricing
The real selling point of the product for me was the price. I picked the S&J elements hand trowel online on Amazon UK about 18 months ago and paid only £3.49 for it. For a top brand, with a pleasant polished ash finish and epoxy coated head , this is fantastic value for money. I've seen a Draper stainless steel trowel online and it retails for about £5.70, so the S&J elements hand trowel compares very favourably with its competitors. I personally think you can't go wrong with the price for the high quality you get.

Conclusion
To conclude, I think the S&J elements range hand trowel is a superb product and durable investment. I've used the trowel for well over a year for my small scale gardening needs and it remains in perfect undamaged condition. The head hasn't scratched or bent and still remains firmly attached to the ash handle. The ash handle is light, strong and solid and is a pleasure to grip. It is slightly ergonomically shaped to provide better comfort and the brown leather hanging strap at the top of the handle was a sound idea. The only drawback I can find with the product is that the product is quite easy to lose in light coloured shrubbery. I would like to see maybe bright red or orange paintwork to the end of the handle so it is more visible to find when you put it down in the garden. This is only a minor drawback and for the bargain price of £3.49, Spear & Jackson have made a brilliant gardening tool. I hope you found my review helpful, thank you for reading.

© Revo9 (2011)
*Note, I am both a member of Ciao and Dooyoo.co.uk under the same username of Revo9*