Lets face it, I love tools. I love having the right tool for the job and when I find that tool it doesn't stop me from continuing to look for a better tool for the job. I've kept looking, and spent money and still always come back to my gardening knife
The Hori Hori Knife is the best weed digging tool that I have ever used. I dig weeds out of the lawn on my knees, and have done so for years and years. One of my summer jobs as a school kid was digging dandelions out of local lawns. I can say with confidence that I have dug hundreds of bushels of dandelions and related weeds out of lawns for over forty years.
As an adult I made a decision not to use poisons on my garden, partly because I am cheap, partly because I like being in the fresh air in the garden and partly because my garden is a hobby. If I made my living from my garden I would use every available method to increase my yield and profit margin including poisons and computers. I don't even spray my roses for beetles, I pick the beetles off the leaves and crush them. If the beetle infestation too great I carry a jar with gasoline or paint thinner in it and flick the beetles into the jar. ( they don't like that)
I do not remember when I bought the Hori Hori, I know it was before it had a cool sounding name and was made from stainless steel. In fact it was long enough ago that it was not cool at all, and arrived quite rugged, with the handle rivets loose. I suspect that it was fairly cheap and so hitting it hard with a hammer and seating the rivets seemed a reasonable action. I think for $27.00 I would expect the handle to fit.
Either way, for $27.00 you get the best weed digger I know and one that you will be able to leave to your Grandchildren, you hope that there will still be gardens in their lives, I know I do.
cheers,
