Roughneck ROU68250 Post Hole Digger - Traditional Pattern 1.5m/59"

This Roughneck post hole digger is excellent quality and feels very solid in use. The handles are the right length for good leverage, and the action makes digging clean, even holes much easier. It’s well balanced, easy to handle, and the traditional design works just as it should. The build quality is tough and sturdy — exactly what you’d expect from Roughneck. I’m really pleased with this purchase. It’s reliable, well-made, and makes light work of fence post holes. A proper tool built to last.

Very good for penetrative soil and hard-core. Thoroughly recommend

This is a serious and sturdy piece of kit, and it does the job it is meant to. The handles on mine weren't correctly aligned, so the two knuckle protectors at the end didn't line up. Luckily I have used one before, so I knew how to avoid the damage that this could have caused to a new user. That needs to be sorted out in quality control and final inspection I think. On the quality side I would only give this product 3 stars because of that. If you are going to go to the trouble of fitting a knuckle protector, at least make sure it lines up and does the job it is supposed to, otherwise don't bother. In use is is a 5 star piece of gear, cutting easily through soil (even some rather nasty clay) and enabling you to get your post holes dug in pretty short order. It did struggle a bit over gravelly soil and also had to be turned to cut through some very old and very thick ivy roots, but we got there in the end, so full marks for that. The hole that it leaves around a 4" square post is just the right size for a normal sized bag of postcrete, so another neat bit of time saving there. I would check and - if needed - resharpen the blades after each use, and also make sure you give it a good hose down and a squirt of oil on the moving joints. It is quite a heavy tool, and you will know you have been using it after a full day putting up posts - but just think of the fantastic biceps you'll get - free of charge!

I had several deep post holes to dig in the most rubble strewn ground I've ever encountered. Whilst the task was still arduous, this performed admirably and saved me completely breaking my back. Tip, as well as wearing gloves, apply a little compede to the contact points on your hands to minimise the risk of blisters.

I bought these and the shovel to bury and power cable and put a fence in. They both appear very good quality, and now, when the rain stops, and Amazon deliver some motivation, I have some work to do!

This product is well made and sturdy. I had to dig a hole 48 inches deep. It coped easily with the top soil, after the first two and a half feet progress slowed. Cutting into thick heavy london clay was harder. Learning the correct technique was easy, drive the jaws Dow open, the spread the handles to grab the earth and the remove from hole! Sounds simple but requires some degree of strength and dexterity

Excellent item for digging in posts. When the hole is too deep for a shovel

I used these to dig nine holes around 40-60cm deep for decking and found them to be very useful. You're able to dig straighter holes than you would with a spade and the hard blades allow you to cut into the ground as you go. I made the rookie mistake of making the holes wider than they should have been, requiring much extra cement, but if you use these wisely, you'll save the cost in cement alone. They're pretty heavy, so a few digs, grabs and pulls can tire you quite easily, but it's still more efficient than using a spade. The only downside other than weight is that the rounded edge allows dry soil to slip through when you pull up, but that's not a major problem. These are best used in conjunction with a metal bar, such as a crowbar, to loosen stiff earth or stones, then the tool itself will easily lift the debris out.