AMES COMPANIES 2594400 998253 Fiberglass Long Handle Round Point Shovel, Black

Strong and work good. Arrived slightly scuffed but new.

I bought one of these at the local hardware store because I had just shattered the wooden handle of my older, much loved shovel while digging out saplings. Having never tried a fiberglass handle before I thought I'd give it a shot thinking it might be a better match for the task I had (I think technically it's fiberglass wrapping a steel tube).I could not have been more wrong.Now, I'm not exactly the biggest guy to lay into a shovel, but it didn't take me more than 5 minutes to bend the shaft to 90 degree angle at the collar while prying out a particularly ornery sapling. I couldn't believe it. My old shovel which had been creaking ominously for ages took more abuse before the handle finally gave up. This thing barely squeaked before failing miserably. At least the wood handle had the decency to give a hearty crack before exploding magnificently.The good news was the fine folks at the LHS were happy to give me a full refund and I ended up replacing it with the 48" wood handled Razorback (Model # 2593600) which not only got out the offending sapling, but a tree stump and a few dozen other saplings as well. I don't think fiberglass is a universally bad choice for handle stock, but I think I'll be avoiding them from this point forward.

I'll tell you what... I've never loved a shovel like I love my razorback. Gone are the days of flimsy, stubby garden shovels. This is a shovel for the 21st century. I love projects that involve shoveling now. This tool is a monster. A man's shovel. Rock? Pry 'em out. Roots? Chop "em out of the way. Dig, man, dig.