Customer Reviews for Bully Tools 13 in. 12-Gauge Steel Spade with D-Grip Handle

This is a first for me - an indestructible all-steel spade. Since the shaft and grip are steel, it's heavier than spades with wooden parts. The welds are well made and finished. The blade tip is tapered to a point to assist ground penetration. The foot plates at the top of the blade at 1" wide are wider than other spades I have and give me plenty of platform for stomping. The tapered blade is 13" long and averages 7" wide. It's finished in black powder coat that does come off with wear. The overall length is 41". It comes with a limited lifetime warranty and is made in the USA.

We are an elderly couple and don't have a lot of use for a shovel but we do some gardening in large ceramic pots and some edging of flower borders. This one piece shovel is very weighty and the weight helps it to do a lot of the work when we are digging. At first we were worried that the weight would be a problem but it is an asset. It is one solid piece - rather than a riveted handle like most shovels. The "D" handle was easy for both my wife and I to use because we could get a better grip than with a standard straight handle. When I think back over the many shovels we have owned over several decades this has to be the highest quality tool ever.

Having used this spade (not a shovel) for the last couple of days, it has performed well. The cutting edge sliced through numerous tree roots very effectively that were around a half inch in diameter using a downwards thrust or two. The only concern I did have was when I was using this spade to lever a stubborn rock that was lodged under a thicker root. Yes I was putting quite a bit of force behind the effort but as soon as I realized that the handle of the steel shaft was starting to move but the actual bottom of the spade wasn’t, I stopped. I continued to lever smaller objects with no noticeable sign of stress within the steel. I went back to the stubborn rock and used my 2 year old metal spade and was successful in levering it out. The blade continued slicing through small roots although the average size was only around a half an inch in diameter and when finished, the edge of the cutting area does appear undamaged. I now had successfully removed 100 spruces which ranged from a foot tall to 3 feet high in perpetration to re-planting in another area. I am happy with the way this spade performed albeit still a little unsure of its strength when using as a lever with force.

Solid Built and Solid Steel. This shovel is considered commercial grade. If you’re regular homeowner like me, this will be the last spade shovel that you’ll ever buy. If you run a business and need a commercial grade shovel, this fits the bill. My last shovel came from an outdoor tent sale at a local hardware store. The spade bent on hard soil and threw it away. What I like about this shovel: • Sturdy 6.5 pounds of 12 gauge steel • Wide ledge for foot placement and control • Smooth back to prevent dirt from clumping on the shovel • 100% welded

This is a perfect spade for my project - I wanted to cut around a garden area (since it is overgrowing its space) and make it bigger; so far, I am so pleased with how this Bully spade does exactly what I'd hoped. Of course I've been blessed with many rocks, but my spade has made it easy to work with them. Makes a great cut in the ground, with not so much effort as I'd thought it might. It has a wonderful finish on it! I love the way it was made, all very substantial metal and a handle that would still be firmly attached even after a nuclear disaster! I am pleased it was made in the US. Great tool for yardening!

Strong, sturdy spade, but very heavy. My husband loves it . I took off one star as I can't use it due to the weight.

Here’s a tool that will ACTUALLY last a lifetime! A great buy.

An extra strong shovel for when you want to really dig in. I live in a place where it only rains about 3 months of the year. That means the ground is HARD for most of the year. When I first moved here I broke 3 shovels using them the normal way you would use a shovel. I soon started looking for strong shovels. This one qualifies. It is heavy but not too heavy to get the job done. It comes with a sharpened edge at the business end. Its all welded, steel construction is just what I look for. The handle has abrupt ends that stick out and I would prefer a more rounded handle. The handle is not as comfortable as others I have used. This would be a good shovel for a business that supplies its employees with tools or a government agency as it is virtually unbreakable.

My husband loves this steel spade. He joked and said the only thing it did not come with was an operator, funny guy. Seriously, what we love is that 'Bully Tools' are 100% American Made. It comes with a closed back design that prevents debris from getting stuck while you are digging and it's made with extra thick 12-Gauge steel. The grips have been redesigned for superior comfort and durability. You won't find a stronger grip anywhere else.

I once bought a trenching shovel because I needed to run conduit in the ground. It was made for the job I was doing and it was great. I lent it to a friend since I hardly used it, and he apologetically returned a shovel head with some wood protruding and a broken handle. This spade is one-piece welded construction. I thought it felt heavy at first, but I compared it to my D handle digging spade and it wasn't very different. Besides, the 'heavy lifting' this tool does isn't literally heavy lifting, it's cutting and breaking. This tough tool is ready for that; it's edge is ground sharp and it has a bent foot step that isn't going to give. I think I better be a little more careful about cleaning this one after using since it is all steel.