Radius® Pro-Lite Garden Tools from Lakeland – Use Report

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Radius® Pro Lite Garden Tools

Spade – 1.23m (48½") H.
Lakeland Ref 51727 – Price: £28.99

Fork – 1.22m (48") H.
Lakeland Ref 51728 – Price: £28.99

Recently I reviewed the Pro-Lite Spade and Fork from Lakeland and I said then that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Well I have been doing a little on the eating side and I have now had the occasion to using those tools a lot more. For a number of hours on a number of days, in fact, without ill effect on my back.

I have being digging a new bed in the garden from ground that, basically, was grass (no, I could not really call it lawn) and the ground is full of roots from a Leyland conifer; one of the finest specimen I have ever seen. This bed is going to be for the growing of cut flowers in my garden, aside from the vegetable beds.

The spade performed extremely well, as did the fork in digging the clods over again. First of there was very little is any back strain. The long handles and the bit “O” grip saw to that and the spade cut through the turf where many another spade might have had problems, and this despite the fact that the blade is thinner than that of many another spade that I have used. Then again it may just because of this that the Radius® Pro-Lite spade performed so well.

Considering the state of the ground to be dug through – it wasn't a simple digging over – the spade outperformed any other, of that I am sure, and I would not have been surprised if I might have broken some other spade in that kind of ground.

I will say that I was worried more that once that I might harm the spade seeing what kind of work I put it through and the flexing of the blade. But it held and performed well and I take my hat off to it.

The long shaft especially and the “O” handle make the spade a pleasure to use and the leverage that can be applied due to the length of the handle is amazing, making digging and turning over heavy clods, such as those that came about during my digging work, very easy.

The fork stood no chance, really, doing the initial digging as there was just too much turf and way too many toots that were entangling its tines and were making extremely heavy work for me, as the user as well. Then again a fork is not the tool for the initial digging job that had to be done anyway.

In its proper setting the fork works well and I love using it with the raised beds too as I do not have to bend in any way and can reach from one side of the bed to the other when forking them over without having to step on them. It makes the work so easy without any straining to the back. The fork is also a great tool for turning the compost in my composters due to its long handle. No other can be used in there without me, normally, hitting my knuckles on the rims of the composters.

From where I am standing at the moment after having now used those two tools for a while I can but say that I am happy to endorse them and recommend them to any gardener, hobby or professional.

While the price of £28.99 is not the cheapest for a spade and fork respectively most of the cheap ones for less than £20 or even less than £15 just simply do not cut it and neither could they do the work in the same way as the Radius® Pro-Lite one can, I should think.

Use ratings are a definite 10 out of 10.

© 2011

Radius® Pro Lite Garden Tools from Lakeland – Product Review

Review by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Radius® Pro Lite Garden Tools

Spade – 1.23m (48½") H.
Lakeland Ref 51727 – Price: £28.99

Fork – 1.22m (48") H.
Lakeland Ref 51728 – Price: £28.99

Ergonomically designed to fit perfectly into your palms with the patented ‘O’ grip handle having four times the gripping surface to comfortably accommodate both hands as you work. Combined with the extra-long, lightweight fiberglass shaft, these tools provide more leverage with less effort to take the toil out of tilling.

Kathryn from Lakeland's Buying Team tested these and loved them so much she didn’t want to return the samples so Lakeland had to request new samples. I must say, I don't blame her one bit. I too love them but also have a few comments on them. Lots of it is positive but also one or two misgivings.

The heads are carbon steel heads and judging by the singing sound of the blade of the spade it is hardened carbon steel.

The proof of the pudding, they say, is in the eating and therefore it is difficult to say as to how well those tools may hold up over some years of work.

Personally I have two concerns. One is the rivet that holds the shaft to the tool. I have seen too many of those kinds of rivets in other tools fail, though the rivets on the Radius® tools here look much more substantial than those I have had problems with. The other is the fork. It is not made from a single piece of steel but the two center tines are a “U” shape that was welded in. I am not sure whether this is common or not – I would have to ask pother makers – but the fact is that the welds are visible and it is possible that there could rust be forming in time to come in the crevices of the welds.

When it comes to use, however, those tools are great requiring much less bending. It takes getting used to the big “O” handle and the length of the handle at first but then you can really feel the benefit of needing to bend all that way and thus keeping your back in a much better position; one where back strain while not totally being eliminated will be reduced.

Although my vegetable garden is all raised beds and containers, the latter of various kinds, including one ton builders bags, old bathtubs and shopping carts, the tools – both spade and fork – were great when used in the raised beds with virtually no bending whatsoever necessary.

I have also, for the test, dug over a piece of ground that once was an old lawn, which I tried to turn into a vegetable beg some years back, and which has reverted to very difficult ground. That was very easy work with the Radius® Pro-Lite Spade though the fork found it more difficult due to roots and such where the spade cut through and a fork, obviously, cannot. With any shorter-handled kind of spade it would have been hard going, I should very much think.

Radius® garden tools are designed and developed in the USA by Bruce Baker, who has been a gardener all his life, with a special interest in bonsais, and he says that he's always been interested in tools, sand that certainly shows. While being designed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, the tools are, however, made in the People's Republic of China rather than in the United States.

A little reminder: the heads of those tools are made of carbon steel and carbon steel, unlike stainless steel, will rust a lot easier. Therefore, as with all tools, including stainless steel ones, clean the well after use with warm water and then thoroughly dry them. Hang them up, don't stand them on the ground. That way they should last a very long time.

Once again, aside from the couple of misgivings of mine, I love those tools and wish that they had been around before I hurt my back some years ago, amongst other things while digging beds as a professional gardener.

If I would have to give a star ration we are looking at 4.5 out of 5 and the half a point that has been lost is simply due to the weld and the rivets in the shafts. Otherwise this would be full marks.

© 2011