Spades & Shovels
Shovels for proper digging, shifting and clean-outs, from garden beds to site spoil.
When you're cutting in edges, digging out for posts, or shifting wet muck, a flimsy shovel tool just bends and wastes your time. This range covers garden shovel work, drain spade clean-outs, fence post spade holes, and heavy duty spade options that take boot pressure and keep their shape.
What Are Shovels Used For?
- Digging and shifting soil, sand, ballast and spoil when you're levelling ground, backfilling trenches, or clearing a work area fast.
- Cutting clean edges and lifting turf with a digging spade when you're setting out paths, borders, or patching a lawn without tearing everything up.
- Cleaning out narrow runs with a drain spade when you're opening up a channel, clearing silt, or tidying the bottom of a trench before pipe goes in.
- Knocking in neat, deep holes with a fence post spade when you need straight sides for posts, stakes, or small footings that actually sit true.
- Shifting wet, heavy material with a metal shovel when you're dealing with clay, muck, or mixed rubble that would snap a light garden spades blade.
Choosing the Right Shovels
Sorting the right one is simple: match the blade shape to the hole you're digging, not what looks good on the rack.
1. Shovel vs Digging Spade
If you're scooping and shifting loose material, pick a shovel with a broader, more "scoopy" blade. If you're cutting into ground and lifting turf or compacted soil, a digging spade is the one that bites in and stays straight under boot pressure.
2. Blade Width for the Job
If you're working in tight trenches, around services, or cleaning channels, go narrower like a drain spade so you're not fighting the sides. If you're moving piles of soil, sand, or aggregate, a wider garden shovel shifts more per load and gets you finished quicker.
3. Handle Type and Length
If you're doing lots of lifting and throwing, a longer handle gives you leverage and saves your back over a full day. If you're digging post holes or working in confined spots, a shorter handle can be easier to control without clipping fences, walls, or your own knees.
4. Heavy Duty Spade and Metal Shovel Build
If you're in stony ground, clay, or mixed rubble, don't gamble on light blades or weak sockets. Go heavy duty spade or a proper metal shovel build so it doesn't fold the first time you lever a rock out.
Who Uses These Shovels?
- Groundworkers and landscapers who need the best digging shovel shape for shifting spoil all day without the blade twisting or the handle loosening.
- Gardeners and maintenance teams doing regular garden shovel work, from bed prep to compost and mulch, where a decent shovel and spade set saves hours over a week.
- Fencers and general builders reaching for a fence post spade to keep holes tight and straight, so posts don't end up rocked in with half a bag of extra mix.
- Drainage and civils crews using a drain spade to tidy trenches and channels, especially where a full-width shovel just won't get down the run.
Shovel Accessories That Save Your Back and Your Time
A couple of add-ons make a shovel and spade setup safer to use and less likely to get abandoned at the back of the van.
1. Replacement Handles
If the head is still sound but the shaft has split or the grip's gone loose, a replacement handle gets you back working without binning the whole tool, which is usually what happens when it snaps mid-job.
2. Tool Sharpeners and Files
Keeping the edge dressed makes a digging spade bite in cleaner, especially in hard ground, and stops you having to jump on it like a madman just to break the surface.
3. Knee Pads
For edging, trench clean-outs, and tight drain spade work, knee pads stop you grinding your knees into stone and hardcore, which is what ruins you over a long week.
Shop Shovels and Spades at ITS
Whether you need a single garden shovel, a digging spade for tougher ground, or a drain spade and fence post spade for tighter work, we stock the full spread of shovel and spade types. It's all held in our own warehouse, in stock and ready for next day delivery so you can get the right shovel on site when the digging starts.
Shovels and Digging Spade FAQs
What is the best shovels for professional use?
The best shovel for digging on site is the one that matches the ground and the task. For compacted soil and turf, a heavy duty spade that stays straight under boot pressure is the workhorse. For shifting loose spoil all day, a metal shovel with a solid socket and a handle that doesn't wobble is what lasts.
How do I choose the right shovels?
Pick by blade shape and width first, then handle length. If you're cutting into ground, go digging spade. If you're scooping and shifting, go shovel. For narrow trenches and channels, a drain spade stops you fighting the sides, and for posts a fence post spade keeps the hole tight and straight.
What are the key features to look for in a shovels?
Look for a strong socket where the handle meets the blade, a blade that won't twist when you lever, and a handle that feels solid with no play. On a garden spades blade, a proper tread edge matters as well, because that's what takes the boot force without chewing your foot up.
Do I actually need a drain spade, or will a normal garden shovel do?
If you're only shifting loose soil, a normal garden shovel is fine. If you're cleaning the bottom of a trench, working around pipes, or keeping a channel neat, a drain spade is worth it because the narrow blade gets down the run without collapsing the sides you've just dug.
Is a heavy duty spade overkill for garden jobs?
Not if your ground is hard, stony, or full of roots. A heavy duty spade is simply less likely to bend when you're prying and chopping, and it saves you replacing cheap tools. If you're only turning loose beds a few times a year, a lighter digging spade can be easier on the arms.
