Small pointed planting beak with an English handle, Burgon & Ball - RHS Range

This small English planting spade with traditional Burgon & Ball handle is ultra-resistant and specifically made with a sharp and acute head, easily cutting through the toughest terrains. If it encounters a stone or a root while cutting the soil, it simply passes the obstacle on the side, avoiding the hard work of digging in hard or stony soils. Its small size makes it ideal for working in small spaces. Equipped with footrests on both sides of the blade, a very hard FSC certified wooden handle, an ergonomic "Y" shaped wooden handle double riveted at the base for more solidity, and a polished stainless steel spade, it is a very resistant and high-quality garden tool that will satisfy demanding gardeners and tool enthusiasts. The socket that encloses the handle is extra long and fixed with two rivets, providing strength and flexibility to this key joint of the tool.  The breaking strain of this spade (weight supported before the handle breaks) has been tested at 90 kg, well beyond the British standard set at 55 kg. Robust and very maneuverable, it will overcome your most resistant soils. 

* FSC is an international eco-label guaranteeing that the wood comes from sustainably managed forests

Dimensions of the spade blade: 23.5x 18 - Length of the handle: 74.5 cm (29in)

The English have the privilege of being the reference in gardening (if not in cooking). Promesses de fleurs chose the English company Burgon & Ball for the quality of its materials and its soon-to-be-tricentennial steel manufacturing methods. The company has been working with steel in Sheffield since 1730, starting with a patent for solid steel sheep shears. The production of garden shears and equipment quickly surpassed that of sheep shears, but Burgon & Ball stainless steel tools are officially approved by the Royal Horticultural Society - probably the ultimate reward in the gardening industry.

The steel used for Burgon & Ball tools is alloyed with carbon to give it strength, and with chrome to prevent the appearance of rust. It's a very precise balance that needs to be achieved between chrome and carbon, different for each part of the tool. For example, the socket, which needs to be strong enough to withstand bending, is made with thicker steel with a medium balance between chrome and carbon, while the blade of this spade, which requires significant strength and hardness to withstand the flexion in the soil, is made with a higher carbon content than chrome.

The heat treatment allows to give the steel exactly the right hardness for each tool. Too hard and the metal can break or chip, not hard enough and it will bend or lose its sharpness. The thickness of the steel used also depends on the tool. This spade requires a thicker steel thickness than a knife, which can be made with much thinner steel. The thickness of the steel affects the weight, so it's also a balance to be found, which the Burgon & Ball company, with its soon-to-be 300 years of experience, has validated to ensure that its tools are both effective and pleasant to use.