Serrated Weed Knife by Burgon & Ball - RHS Range

This Burgon & Ball serrated and sharpened weeding knife is a true Swiss Army knife that every gardener should always have in their pocket. It is lightweight, easy to handle, and ergonomic. It has a long, slightly hollow steel blade with a sharpened tip that easily penetrates the soil to uproot unwanted weeds. It also has teeth and a hook to cut any type of ties or open bags of potting soil.

This weeding knife is an eco-friendly tool designed to eliminate unwanted weeds on small surfaces without the use of chemicals. You can manually and mechanically remove weeds by superficially scraping the soil without turning it. The narrow and slightly hollow blade of this model easily slips inside a pot to free a plant before transplanting it. Made of high-carbon steel for increased strength and durability, this weeding knife has a powder coating for rust resistance, and the blade features depth markings for precise planting. Its sharp fork-shaped tip cuts vegetation, scrapes and scratches, and dislodges "weeds" with pivot roots, such as dandelions, thistles, or sow thistles. One side of the blade serves as a serrated knife, ideal for cutting raffia or not too thick rope. The other side has a hook-shaped notch, sharp enough to cut through plastic bags of potting soil or fertiliser. This hand tool consists of a profiled FSC*-certified wood handle that surrounds the hardened carbon steel blade, resistant to shocks, twisting, and corrosion. The handle is compostable, and the metal head is recyclable.

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

Technical specifications:

• Total length of the tool: 30cm (12in)
• Weight: 0.200 kg
• FSC-certified wood handle
• Powder-coated tempered carbon steel blade

Promesse de fleurs has chosen the English company Burgon & Ball for the quality of its materials and its nearly three centuries-old steel manufacturing methods. The company has been working with steel in Sheffield since 1730, initially with a patent for solid steel sheep shears. The production of garden shears and equipment quickly surpassed that of sheep shears, but the stainless-steel tools from Burgon & Ball 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 rust. It's a very precise balance that needs to be found 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 of thicker steel with a medium balance between chrome and carbon, while the blade of this weeding knife, which requires significant strength and hardness to withstand bending in the soil, is made with a higher carbon content than chrome.

The heat treatment creates the right level of 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. The thickness of the steel affects the weight, so it's also a balance to be found, which the company Burgon & Ball, with its nearly 300 years of experience, has validated to ensure that its tools are both effective and comfortable to use.