Customer Reviews for Razor-Back 10 in. Fiberglass Handle Trenching Shovel

The design of this tool will save a lot of labor. Thanks to its narrow shape a trench becomes much easier to accomplish. Now I can do my trenching in half the time. Typically I would cut the soil from the side and lift out the dirt clod. Ending up with a wider than necessary trench and not as deep. With this shovel I can control the depth better and move less soil in the process.

The Razor-Back trenching shovel is a big upgrade from the old straight trenching shovel I have. It works a lot better in the trench to clean out dirt and digging new trenches. The fiberglass handle is very strong. The last foot of the handle is padded. The 10 inch tall head is made of industrial gauge steel. The fiberglass handle is 54 inches long. Nice!

With a steel, four (4) inch wide blade, fiberglass handle and lifetime warranty, this may be the last trenching shovel you need to buy. Rugged, but relatively lightweight (a little over 3 pounds) the four and one-half foot handle (securely attached to the working end by pinning and a plastic covered steel crimp collar) is provided with a cushion grip to prevent slipping, even when one’s hands are wet. The shovel blade is “scoop” shaped which will facilitate removing spoils from a trench, but it not as well suited for straight down digging (a non-curved blade would be more appropriate). The blade edge was sharp enough to get through some small roots with no difficulty. The fiberglass handle is inserted well into the blade ferrule, providing adequate support. All in all, a well-made product.

Excellent workmanship is certainly evident in this new razor back trenching shovel. It is well designed, and also well balanced which makes for comfortable handling. The fiberglass handle is a wonderful idea, in that it does not add additional weight to the tool. It feels just right, in my opinion, and the top of the fiberglass handle is also coated for ease in handling. I will be using this in place of other similar older shovels because I like the design, strength and durability of it. I also would highly recommend this product for interested Home Depot shoppers. 

I use a regular shovel to get to the depth then I used this one to level the bottom of the trench when laying electrical conduit from the house to the new garage. I also use it for 4” drain pipe for the downspouts. With the curve it works better than a regular shovel to clean up the bottom of the ditch/trench It’s also easier on me back because I’m only taking out 4 inches width of material as opposed to 9 with a typical shovel, less weight. I would recommend.

The Right Tool For the Right Job !! If your putting in a Trench for anything, this RAZOR-BACK 10 in. Fiberglass Handle Trenching Shovel is just that !! I'm adding LED lighting in the front yard and was going to use a regular shovel until I got this Trenching Shovel, so much easer to dig with this Shovel and less dirt to move, slides easy with the long Fiberglass handle, nice soft grip get your trench as deep as you need !! This is well built, specific shovel to do trenching and it works Great, Just the way it's suppose to !!

I never knew these existed and always wanted to trench a couple wires but never wanted to lug around a trencher from a rental store for such a simple job. This shovel does the trick. not only can you dig but you can preserve the grass layer much better so that once you fill your trench, the grass can return to the top and fill back in. The tool is super light with because of the fiberglass handle. There is a hard, rubbery grip on the top of the handle for comfort and grip while using the tool. The shovel itself is well secured to the handle and of a high quality and should offer many years of use.

The Razor-Back trenching shovel features an industrial gauge tempered-steel blade with Dura-Torque crimp collar. Users of the shovel will also like that the extra thick wall fiberglass handle construction for its strength and durability. The 4 in. V-shaped blade is designed for digging a narrow trench, such as would be needed for underground power lines and landscape piping and electrical runs. I found that this was a very easy tool to use however the tabs on the top of the blade did not facilitated using a lot of “boot” pressure when digging in hard soil. This is a good tool for homeowners and professionals.

Trenching can be difficult in and of itself. Add top that the difficulty of sometimes needing it to be narrow to keep damage to a minimum. This shovel is a great addition to my collection of shovels. The head is narrow, thick(see image), just sharp enough and very strong. It easily cuts through boney soil with making more of a mess than needed. The fiberglass handle is the perfect diameter for my suitcase medium hands and light enough to reduce my fatigue factor. Great product and a very high recommend.

I've got some wiring to bury and was looking for a tool that would make the digging easier while also minimizing the damage to my landscaping. This Razor-Back 10 inch Fiberglass Handle Trenching Shovel is perfect for the job. The blade is narrow so the resulting trench works great for wiring, irrigation lines, and other materials. The offset angle of the blade increases leverage and reduces the amount of force needed to power through hard dirt. The fiberglass handle is strong and has a vibration absorbing grip to minimize hand and forearm fatigue. I'm pleased with this shovel and highly recommend it!

I like this Razor-Back 10 in. Fiberglass Handle Trenching Shovel! I’ve been wanting/needing a trenching shovel for many years. We’ve been in this house for nearly 47 years and it seems like, all too often, there’s something to do that requires the use of shovels. I have another Razor-Back shovel in a round blade profile that I really like, and since I have to re-do my irrigation system and run some electrical pipe soon, I was sure this Trenching Shovel would fit my need well. And, it DOES! Prior to this, I would always have to dig (and clean) with a round or square blade, moving lots more dirt than was really necessary. This trenching shovel will make life much easier. To try it out, I dug a short trench about 12 in. deep down to some existing irrigation pipes. Very nice! If I need to dig around exiting pipe for a repair, I can dig the main part with a larger shovel and use this trenching shovel to clean out around the pipe much easier than using hand/garden trowel. This shovel has a good, thick handle that, at 54 inches, is perfect. The 4 in. wide x 9.8 in. long blade is made of heavy gauge tempered, and coated steel, with a good point and angle for digging, as well as cleaning, trenches. The fiberglass handle is thick enough to provide plenty of strength. At 3.2 lbs., the weight of this shovel is ideal. It includes a Lifetime Warranty.

Pretty solid shovel, great for burying 4 inch drainage lines. Cuts through soil and small roots pretty easily while making a trench a the size of what you need. The blade is a little short for trenching in underground wire though. I find the shovel easy to use and haven't had the handle break like other reviewers but given how it is attached into the blade, there is room for excess pivot, so I can see that occurring with heavy use in thick clay.

The Razorback 10 inch Trenching shovel with a fiberglass handle is actually 12 inches long by 4 inches wide. It has a 4 foot fiberglass handle with a 1 1/2 inch wide hand grip, which fits my hands perfect. I use this shovel to dig sprinkler pipe trenches and also to dig holes to plant our tomato plants every year. This shovel will be replacing one just like it, that I have been using for the past 15 years ! With the lifetime warranty you cant beat it !

I need a trenching shovel sometimes to drain areas around my barn. This Razor-Back model was my choice. I am impressed with the high quality fiberglass handle. The shovel part is about 4 inches wide. The handle has a nice large rubber grip, that I really like. The angle of the shovel is perfect for trenching without bending down very much. I have a large Razor-Back scoop and I have decided this is a good brand for quality tools.

Works great, what I like the best about this is the minimal amount of soil that is disturbed and how easy it is to dig a trench for a pipe. My wife wanted a hose bib closer to where she did her gardening so after the plumbing was done, I needed to bury the pipe. This started with a normal shovel and resulted in a much bigger trench then I wanted to dig and of course I ran into every rock and brick left over from building the house. Once I started using this shovel I was making much better progress and seemed like I hit fewer rocks. Also I took the approach of digging in line with the pipes. I find this shovel does make a difference much to my surprise. The best part is how much faster the digging went and I did not disturb as much soil where the plants were growing. Overall great shovel for digging trenches!

I've never had a trenching shovel, but I expect this to make some of my digging jobs around my yard to be much easier now that I have this. This is very well made, light weight, and very easy to use. I'm looking forward to using this on numerous projects next spring, it's going to simplify my life and inspire me to actually tackle projects I've been dreading.

Super impressive trenching shovel. I really like this shovel from Razor-Back and it is top quality. Comes with a lifetime warranty but you may never actually have to use the warranty. The shovel is well constructed with the handle being nice and light but still allow you to get the leverage and strength you would need from it. The shovel head is very durable and has rolled over edges for your foot plant. I used it to trench around my ground beds where there were a lot of roots and this thing handled it easily slicing through the dirt like a hot knife through butter. The edge point held up well even though there were some rocks in the soil. Nice form to the shovel and easy to use. Overall this shovel is great. The shovel is very functional and durable but you also get a wonderful lifetime warranty from the maker. I would definitely recommend this shovel.

Perfect for clearing out a trench that I used for drainage pipe (extend my downspouts away from the house). I didn't want to run a trencher through that area and not know if there are irrigation lines, irrigation electrical control wire, low voltage landscape wire running through that area, so I carefully dug it by hand (35 feet - 3 hours).There's a trick to this type of trenching. I use a pulaski axe to shave off the St Augustine grass and clear it out of the way, then I use the same axe to loosen the ground in the trench and finally this razor-back trenching shovel to remove the loosened dirt from the trench. This size of the shovel is perfect to clean out the trench. If I run into stubborn roots I use a sawzall to cut them as I go. The razor back is one of the tools I rely on to dig the trench so quickly and perfect dimensions to accommodate a four inch drain pipe.

An Ames tool with a lifetime warranty. I can see why - the shovel is built like a tank. This shovel is for trenching providing a 4" width for those jobs requiring trenching such as burying cables and pipes. My particular job includes burying low voltage lighting cables. One nice feature of this shovel includes a replaceable pin in case the handle does break.

The Razor-Back 10 in. Fiberglass Handle Trenching Shovel has a nice balance feel and a good long handle with a 6 inch grip on end , The metal 10 inch shovel has a gradual long sweep for standing up right position for cleaning deep trench out , will look forward to digging my rain gutters down spouts in for emitters on end , The Quality and Name says it all on this unit . Pictures attached .

This is a very robust shovel. I was worried when I first picked this shovel that the spade would bend over or be too flimsy to really do a good job trenching in our yard as we have several sprinklers that need to be moved. But I was pleasantly surprised when I jumped on this and put all of my 220lbs into the shovel and immediately hit a rock about 6" down. The spade did not give or bend. This has performed better than I could have hoped for.

The Razor-Back 16 inch Wood Handle Drain Spade is just what I needed to dig in a tight space. I needed to do some trenching near the foundation of my house but the width of my regular shovel was going to disturb my plants. The 6-inch blade width was perfect for getting the job done without the least amount of impact on my flower beds. The long handle gave me the reach I needed to work over the tops of plants. This is without question a quality made shovel that will give many years of service with proper care. The only negative I have is the price; seems a little steep for what it is.

Made in China I used this shovel to dig a narrow channel to mount a mail-box post (see other review) The job could have been done as well with a post-hole digger. The advantage of the "sealed back" was not clear to me, other than it may have allowed for a lighter grade of steel in the blade (it's not a heavy shovel). Strong wooden handle finished irregularly, but this is not living-room furniture, friends. Short turn-around on the reviews prevents any real tests of long-term durability, but if you care for your tools, this ought to last. Suggested applications - stand in for post-hole digger, sink yard irrigation lines or yard electrics.

This is just the digging tool I need to construct a new trench to replace a failed underground cable, then later to extend my downspout underground piping. Being taller, my back will appreciate the long hardwood handle with a diameter that's sized just right even when wearing gloves. I also like the flat, turned edge on the top of the blade to help keep my foot from slipping and to keep from gouging the sole of my work boot. I see that other reviewers are also using this drain spade for landscaping duties. I'm sure if I sharpen the bottom edge of the spade blade a bit that I'll be able to slice thru any smaller roots that I encounter. Just keep in mind that this is a digging tool and not for prying out larger rocks that get in the way.

I use a drain spade for hard and landscaping projects around my home. This spade works great. It is a very well made spade, manufactured with high quality materials. The long handle is strong and made from solid hardwood. The all metal spade is attached with large rivets and constructed of very thick tempered metal and has very large, strong welds noted. The sharp tip made easy work of my landscape project and its high quality construction means I will be using it for jobs for a very long time. Pleased with this spade.

Perfect size for extending the drain trench for my roof downspouts! The downspout from the roof has a plastic pipe that extends out into the yard and over time, the path of the water has been blocked, so I need to dig a trench to let the water flow instead of backing up in the pipe. Our soil has a lot of clay content, which means that digging can be tough. I don’t enjoy digging trenches but there are a few things about this shovel that I do appreciate: • The longer handle (48”) – This allows me to work in a more upright position. Much nicer than a shorter length with a D-ring handle. This allows me to put less stress on my lower back and when the job is done, I can work on other projects instead of stopping for the day. The length of the shovel from tip to tip is about 63”. • The design of the blade – The blade starts at about 4.25” and ends up at about 5.75” in width. It’s 16” long, so you get a nice, narrow channel when you are trenching. • The thickness of the blade – It’s designed to last a long time and I don’t have to worry about hitting a rock and ruining the blade. • The back of the shovel doesn’t have anywhere for dirt to build-up, so clean-up is easier. • The foot step has the ends bent forward – I found that this gives me a much better means of keeping my foot where it needs to be when I’m digging and also puts more force into each stroke. • The lifetime warranty – Although the blade says that it was made in China, I believe that it is assembled in the US and is a quality tool. The manufacturer is The Ames Companies, which also owns True Temper – a brand that’s been around for a long time with a good reputation.

This is a fantastic shovel and it is just what I was looking for to dig down to cap off sprinkler heads that are close to my lawn edge and sidewalk. It has a very strong 48 inch handle, a 16 inch spade blade, side foot steps that are small but large enough to get a foot on. I used it to cap off 12 sprinkler heads and to dig a few plants out of a couple narrow raised beds and it is very useful. I’m very pleased with this shovel and highly recommend it.

The Razor-Back Wood Handle 16" Spade is what I was looking for to keep the narrow trench around our patio slab clear. When it rains now a days the patio fills with water about 1 inch high. To drain the water from our patio I have dug a shallow ditches to the street. This Spade has many Features that have an Advantage of moving the access water from the patio. The Benefit we enjoy is to have use of our patio more often. Some of the other feature, advantages that have a benefit are-- 1 a closed back of the blade, 2 longer ash wood handle and 3 is the forward turned-step. These Features & Advantages reduce the back pain and muscle fatigue digging in thigh spots. If you would like to Benefit from owning this spade, I do recommend it to you.

STURDY; WELL-DESIGNED; EASY on the BACK — The 16 in. Wood Handle Drain Spade is another quality tool from RAZOR-BACK. The long handle allows one to dig a trench in a more upright position which is easier on the back. The 16" blade length and 6" width are perfect for a four or six-inch drain pipe. The foot step is wide enough to be comfortable. It doesn’t clean as easily as projected with clay soil. It is useful for planting perennials since it has as 16" blade and can break up clods of dirt easily. It has a lifetime warranty. It is assembled in the USA. The blade is made in China.

Have never used a drain spade before myself. I do a lot of digging on our property to planting perennials, bulbs, trees, shrubs and also transplant. I like that the six inch blade width is small enough so when I am planting flowers and perennials I can dig a smaller hole and not have to use a bigger shovel to dig a large hole. I use the forward turned step which is secure to get it into our soil which has some clay and is rocky in some areas and it worked well. We also have a sloped pond bank and when we get a lot of rain we have little drenches to direct the flow of water into the pond to drain better. This will be very useful for that!