TechGearLab

Ready for the long haul, the Fiskars Long Handle garden shovel is the burliest shovel we tested. In our pry tests, our 150 lb tester could not detect any flex in this shovel's handle. It's the only No. 2-style digging shovel in our review that has a handle welded directly to the blade, and it has a huge step with great traction for plunging into dense sediment. On top of its solid construction, the Fiskars shovel has an angled handle that makes shoveling from waist height easier and gives it a greater rise angle while allowing the shovel handle to be closer to your body when the blade is perpendicular to the ground.
This shovel weighs 6 pounds and is heavier than many of its competitors — almost twice as heavy as some. Though this doesn't hinder digging ability, for shoveling, the extra weight adds up quickly as you move the weight of the shovel along with dirt or gravel you're transporting throughout the day. The downside to the blade being welded to the handle is that if the handle does break, you'll need to send it back to Fiskars for replacement rather than replace it in the field. If your tasks or techniques typically involve lots of plunging, jumping, hacking, smashing, and general aggression towards the ground, this is the shovel we'd recommend.

Ready for the long haul, the Fiskars Long Handle garden shovel is the burliest shovel we tested. In our pry tests, our 150 lb tester could not detect any flex in this shovel's handle. It's the only No. 2-style digging shovel in our review with a handle welded directly to the blade, and it has a huge step with great traction for plunging into dense sediment. On top of its solid construction, the Fiskars shovel has an angled handle that makes shoveling from waist height easier and gives it a greater rise angle while allowing the shovel handle to be closer to your body when the blade is perpendicular to the ground.
This shovel weighs 6 pounds and is heavier than many of its competitors — almost twice as heavy as some. Though this doesn't hinder digging ability, for shoveling, the extra weight adds up quickly as you move the weight of the shovel along with dirt or gravel you're transporting throughout the day. The downside to the blade being welded to the handle is that if the handle does break, you'll need to send it back to Fiskars for replacement rather than replace it in the field. If your tasks or techniques typically involve lots of plunging, jumping, hacking, smashing, and general aggression towards the ground, this is the shovel we'd recommend.

Digging Shovel Comparison