Laying It On With A Trowel. (Wilkinson Sword Wooden FSC Hand Trowel)

Member Name: Emmald

Product:	Wilkinson Sword Wooden FSC Hand Trowel
Date:	06/07/09 (103 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A top quality hand tool.

Disadvantages: None at all.

I would imagine that Wilkinson's Sword must be a very familiar name with anyone who spends a lot of time in their garden. Most of our garden tools have been with us for many years and more often than not if we ever need to replace an implement we replace like for like and buy another Wilkinson's Sword tool.

As a keen gardener I cannot imagine being without a good quality hand trowel, a strong hand trowel is an invaluable piece of garden equipment.
I tend to use my hand trowel in the borders, if you have a good strong trowel then you are well equipped to deal with the toughest of tasks.
A strong trowel offers good leverage and this stainless steel trowel from Wilkinson's Sword is a very capable hand tool.

The head of the trowel is made from stainless steel, that stainless surface discourages the soil from sticking to it, this means that you do not have to continually stop to clean the soil from the head.
The point of the head has a good cut on it and this lets you dig into the soil relatively effortlessly.
If a trowel has a blunt head then it can make for hard work.
The well-shaped head of the trowel allows you to get into the smaller corners which are difficult to reach with either a large garden fork or spade.

The light Ash handle is very comfortable to hold, it is shaped so that you can get a good firm yet comfortable grip.
The wooden handle is attached to the head of the trowel using a ferrule, a metal ring that acts as a strong joiner.
The stainless steel trowel will remain rust-free as long as you look after it and Wilkinson's Sword offer a five year guarantee on all of their tools.

I bought my new trowel from our local garden centre, it was on offer at £7.99 at the time. My trowel came complete with a leather hanger which was threaded through a hole at the top of the wooden handle.

Garden tools are like anything else, they need to be cared for. If you leave the tools dirty and then sling them straight back into the shed after using them then inevitably that may shorten their lifespan.
After I have used my hand trowel I clean away the dirt, give it a quick rub over with a soft cloth and then hang it up to dry, you would be surprised at how much moisture you can gather within the trowel in a short gardening session.
Once in a while I oil the head of the trowel, I use a drop sewing machine oil on a piece of soft polishing cloth, it brings the stainless steel back to life.

Wilkinson's Sword also do an excellent transplanting trowel, which can be bought either in Stainless or carbon steel. This trowel has a far finer head and can be used for the more fiddly tasks.
If you take a look on the Internet you will find lists of stockists of Wilkinson's Sword tools, I often go onto the Philip Morris and Son site, it is comprehensive and covers the range of tools so well.

Summary: A very capable garden trowel.