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The long handled tool advantage
Professional quality tools for gardening, landscaping, farming, and construction.
Easy Digging's ergonomic long handled tools come complete!
Long handled tools allow you to stand in the proper upright ergonomic position while you dig or
cultivate. This means less effort and less back strain than if you used a short handled tool or a shovel
or spade. Please see our How to Use a Grub Hoe page for more information.
How long should the handle be?
The height of your hoe handle should be between your armpit and shoulder.
Our hoe handles are designed to allow it to be adjusted to match your size. The long handle is a consistent
diameter over the entire length so it can be cut shorter if necessary to create the properly size handle to fit
your body. All of our hoe handles are shipped 59" long - if your handle is too long simply cut some length off
of the rounded end. The cut end can re-rounded with a sander, or by good old fashioned whittling with your
pocket knife.
Frequently Asked Questions...
Why do some tools like this have much shorter handles?
A shorter handle will work, but it is less ergonomic, harder on your back, and requires more effort. I strongly
recommend that you practice using your grub hoe or azada with a properly sized long handle rather than
immediately cutting it down to a shorter length that may feel more familiar.
Why would a shorter handle feel more familiar?
Most gardeners and builders in North America are familiar with picks, mattocks, sledgehammers and axes -
these are usually short handled tools. They are usually used with a full body arcing swing, meaning that the
tool is swung from overhead down to the ground with a great deal of force to do high impact work like busting
concrete and splitting wood. But a grub hoe is a soil digging tool - not a concrete breaker - it should not be
swung from overhead and therefore does not need a short handle.
If you want a good tool for tackling soil with lots of rocks, very tough roots, or hard clay, I recommend getting
either our short or long handled mattock. That way you can keep your properly sized long handled grub hoe
for normal gardening and digging. Our long handled pick and mattock is 45" long, and we also offer standard
36" long handled picks and mattocks.
Why do some Africans and Asians still use this tool with a short handle?
Study after study in Africa, India, and Asia have shown that long handled tools would be more effective, less
tiring and healthier for the millions of small farmers who use them every day. But old habits and cultural
norms are very hard to change, and the switch to long handled farming tools has been slow coming - with a
few notable exceptions. In many African countries, to work in the fields standing upright is considered a sign
of laziness. In Burkina Faso, one women's group said they would like longer handles on their digging hoes
but that their husbands would not allow it.
Here are a few studies on the issue of short vs long handled agricultural tools in the developing world:
Rural Women and Farm Tools
The potential for improving production tools and implements used by women farmers in Africa
Labour Saving Farming Technologies and Practices in Eastern and Southern Africa
Long handled tools allow you to stand in the proper upright ergonomic position while you dig or
cultivate. This means less effort and less back strain than if you used a short handled tool or a shovel
or spade. Please see our How to Use a Grub Hoe page for more information.
How long should the handle be?
The height of your hoe handle should be between your armpit and shoulder.
Our hoe handles are designed to allow it to be adjusted to match your size. The long handle is a consistent
diameter over the entire length so it can be cut shorter if necessary to create the properly size handle to fit
your body. All of our hoe handles are shipped 59" long - if your handle is too long simply cut some length off
of the rounded end. The cut end can re-rounded with a sander, or by good old fashioned whittling with your
pocket knife.
Frequently Asked Questions...
Why do some tools like this have much shorter handles?
A shorter handle will work, but it is less ergonomic, harder on your back, and requires more effort. I strongly
recommend that you practice using your grub hoe or azada with a properly sized long handle rather than
immediately cutting it down to a shorter length that may feel more familiar.
Why would a shorter handle feel more familiar?
Most gardeners and builders in North America are familiar with picks, mattocks, sledgehammers and axes -
these are usually short handled tools. They are usually used with a full body arcing swing, meaning that the
tool is swung from overhead down to the ground with a great deal of force to do high impact work like busting
concrete and splitting wood. But a grub hoe is a soil digging tool - not a concrete breaker - it should not be
swung from overhead and therefore does not need a short handle.
If you want a good tool for tackling soil with lots of rocks, very tough roots, or hard clay, I recommend getting
either our short or long handled mattock. That way you can keep your properly sized long handled grub hoe
for normal gardening and digging. Our long handled pick and mattock is 45" long, and we also offer standard
36" long handled picks and mattocks.
Why do some Africans and Asians still use this tool with a short handle?
Study after study in Africa, India, and Asia have shown that long handled tools would be more effective, less
tiring and healthier for the millions of small farmers who use them every day. But old habits and cultural
norms are very hard to change, and the switch to long handled farming tools has been slow coming - with a
few notable exceptions. In many African countries, to work in the fields standing upright is considered a sign
of laziness. In Burkina Faso, one women's group said they would like longer handles on their digging hoes
but that their husbands would not allow it.
Here are a few studies on the issue of short vs long handled agricultural tools in the developing world:
Rural Women and Farm Tools
The potential for improving production tools and implements used by women farmers in Africa
Labour Saving Farming Technologies and Practices in Eastern and Southern Africa
| OR ? |
| Hoe handle length comparison |
| OR ? |
| Mattock handle length comparison |
| Long 45" handle |
| Standard 36" handle |
