A.M. Leonard Deluxe Soil Knife & Leather Sheath Combo – Hori Hori w/ 6-Inch Stainless Steel Blade

Sharp and sturdy. I am an active outdoor gardener. I decided to try a hori hori soil knife because I ran across it frequently among online instructions for gardening. First I ordered a less expensive soil knife, but was not happy with its sharpness nor the dull saw section. A.M. Leonard is a familiar supplier to me, so after returning the other knife, I ordered this with sheath. This is a well made product! First, I used it for weeding where roots were breaking off at ground level. The pointed part easily loosens soil speeding and easing weeding. Then, I began using the saw for vines, iris and Lilly seed pods, etc instead of the bypass pruner I had been using. This is mush faster and easier! I even used it to clear soil away to reset a paving stone, including removal is soft roots from spreading ground cover. This was easier than using a shovel as I was accustomed to do. It looks like I will keep this knife with me whenever I work outside. You should too if you do a lot of gardening! But be sure to get a sharp well made one such as this by A. M. Leonard! Oh, and it can be resharpened with a lathe and stone, but the hard metal is not like to require it for quite some time. Wearing protective leather gardening gloves would be wise.

This is the genuine Deluxe soil knife from A.M. Leonard, made in Italy. Accept no substitutes! It will be your best friend for planting, weeding, and myriad other gardening tasks. This "deluxe" includes a twine cutting notch and a ruler on the blade to measure the depth of your planting and digging, where the "classic" version does not.The thing is sharp. You could easily hurt yourself or others with the pointed end or either edge. So you will need to treat it with the care it demands. No leaving it around for children to find. No attempts to force it where it doesn't want to go.This is where the virtue of the short handle comes in. Some reviewers have complained that with the short handle, they can't get much leverage. Stop trying! You'll hurt yourself! Let the tool do the work. And yes, smaller hands will find this more ergonomic than larger hands. But this is made for lighter, quick work in the dirt, not something that would be better served by a mattock.Because it is sharp, it makes lighter work of digging up weeds, creating furrows for planting in small beds, working the soil, and other tasks. It even has a built-in twine cutter.I had to work the knife into the sheath, though I imagine this will ease with time and use. Still, it's a good thing the blade is secure. Did I mention that it's sharp?When you are ready for a tool like this, get the best version. You'll be glad you did.

I purchased this for characterizing soil pits but it can be used for a variety of soil yard work like transplanting or small, focused digging. The blade and handle are great quality and the sheath is nice too. It might be a tight fit and stiff in the beginning but with a few days of normal use, the blade and the sheath work well together. Highly recommend this! Much higher quality than what you would find at the hardware store.

Fantastic tool! It has replaced most of the tools I used to use. Great quality, definitely use the leather sheath as it’s very sharp.

I bought this for a class I took this summer. It was a recommended by the professor as a necessary, but "optional" tool instead of books (horticulture student problems). It seemed a bit expensive at the time, but I decided to go with the one with the leather sheath so that I could put it in my day pack for the class without damaging anything else. Either way I am so glad I bought this knife, with or without the sheath. I used it all summer long on the farm where we had class and then took it to a bunch of other classes. The other professors and students really thought it was awesome as well, and often borrowed it during our hands on projects. The knife is just the right heft and length to be able to dig up small plants and holes even in Ohio clay soil and the serrated edge is really great for scoring pot bound roots. And I am super happy it has a bright orange handle, it made it really easy to see where I had left on the ground. It is an awesome soil knife and totally worth the cost.

I like the soil knife it’s good quality but the sheeth arrives flat and takes a little bit to form to the knife

I love that the tool is orange as I'm always losing it in my garden. I love that the side serrations are sharp and I don't need to go find another tool. I can dig up weeds, plant my transplants, cut into roots, the blade is very sturdy. I love the leather sheath to keep it safe and protect the blade.

Exactly as advertised. Great for crop scouting. Bright orange handle has come in handy more than once. ;)