This is the first time I have used this post hole digger design and I must say it works very well for my current post hole digging project (32 holes at 4 feet deep and 10 inches in diameter – no more or less. In the past I have been able to get away with the tried-and-true conventional post hole digger-style boring holes no more than 2 feet but with my current project’s diameter constraint of 10 inches and 4 feet deep the conventional style diggers just won’t cut it as the hole diameter would obviously have to be much wider to accommodate the spread of the handles while ‘trapping’ dirt.

~ The pivot is completely welded to the handle so no dealing with loose bolts/nuts which is a nice change! However, for me I immediately put my digger in the ground from taking it out of the box and realized that it was extremely difficult to move the handles to dig – very stiff! After about 15-20 minutes of continuous use it loosened up nicely (NOTE: obviously this is highly subjective. I’m a big guy so what I find as being suitable in terms of how ‘difficult’ it is to open-and-close this digger may not work for you. It is still slightly stiff for me to use but I find it suitable). If you would rather start your digging with a conveniently usable digger I highly recommend spending a few minutes opening and closing the digger to wear it in so hopefully it is much easier to use. I will say that opening and closing will still require more ‘work’ than your typical nut-and-bolt hinged digger so be prepared to exert more energy when using this!

~ Another great thing about this digger design is the fact that the handles do not come together; I have experienced no knuckle-smashing with this one. That’s great seeing as I have a huge tendency to bring the handles together aggressively and bash my knuckles while digging with the conventional digger design.

~ With the all-steel construction this digger is much heavier than my conventional fiberglass-handled digger! I’m not complaining but just something I personally noticed. It may be a little heavier as mentioned but I’ll take the quality of the construction over the fact that I have to take an extra break here-and-there. I have read old reviews of their Fiskars diggers bending and breaking but I can at least say that after digging 3 holes to 4 feet deep I haven’t experienced this. Did Fiskars update their design to accommodate for this? Not sure. If I experience any of this I will update my review to let others know.

~ Lifetime warranty

~ This obviously has the same straight-blade design as with many diggers – the ends of the blades leave an opening when fully clenched which means dry, loose soil will be difficult to grab and retain. Not sure why I have read other reviews of people complaining about this when this has been the case for decades. For my projects and if your project permits just add a little water to the hole.

This digger has performed well for me thus far. If I experience any issues I’ll update this review accordingly. I highly recommend this digger if you are particularly in need of digging deep holes and don’t feel like renting/buying a motored post hole digger.

——————- UPDATE 10/22/14 ————————

I dug 22 holes at 4’+ deep in very rocky ground and this digger took a beating let me tell you! The digger looks like it went through a war zone. After using the digger for awhile the ‘stiffness’ of opening and closing it became MUCH easier over time; it even now squeaks when I open and close mine – no big deal. The ‘stiffness’ of opening-and-closing the digger does have an advantage in that you don’t have to aggressively keep the blades together when trying to bring your payload up from 4′ deep! Just close the blades and bring up the digger from the hole. After having completed 22 holes, how it stood up to a beating and how it made my life easier I highly recommend this digger!

—————— UPDATE 11/25/14 —————————

I have completed my project; 32 holes each 4′ down and ~10″ in diameter in very rocky ground. This post hole digger stood up to a huge beating. Everything about this digger is in good shape and is still working. Very impressed!

Had to dig 52″ holes for post frame barn, tradition post diggers was too wide to get it done. These…. strong and they will dig BELOW the yellow handles if in a 10″ + hole! Did the job great.. no issues … treat your tools with respect you will have no breaking issues…. PERIOD!

Works great for working grass and clover seed into bare spots of lawn. Worth the purchase for just that use. For larger jobs I probably did more work that this product was intended for but when flipping over in the aggressive mode the handle regularly slips in even when fully tightened. I also find a lot of matter gets tanged in the twines and has to be manually plucked out to work again. It gives a maximum tilling of about 2 inches.

I have long admired the sharp, defined lines in landscaping and gardens that my friends have. I was told that this tool was the answer. Indeed it is! This edger is so easy to use, and gives such satisfying results. I love mine so much. The results around my yard are really nice to look at, and by creating the edged borders it helps prevent weeds from creeping into my planting areas as much as they otherwise would. The only complaint I might have is that I wish it was a longer length overall. I’m nearly 6 feet tall, so I have to bend over quite a bit to use this. A longer one would be better for my back. Other than that, I love this tool.

Received as promised. Tool is of good quality and does a great job of tilling the 500 sq, feet of ground I used it on. Great little garden tool.