Neilsen CT1148 - Post Hole Digger with 1510mm Fibreglass Handles and Rubber Grips for Fence and Gate Post Installation

Survived lots of use giving through rubble and solid clay, as well as being left outside all summer, and is still going through. Good value for money, far cheaper than B&Q and nice and sturdy

These work better than you could ever hope. If you buy them your life will be better. N.B. I cannot guarantee that but if you're digging holes for fence posts they make the job easier. I also bought a fence hole spade and a ground screw. You should too. Or not. I don't care.

I bought this to clean out the traps in the driveway drains. It works perfectly well for that and saves me time and effort on my hands and knees with a trowel. That said, if I were digging out for a fence post, the handles might be a little too flexible? Certainly worth it for the price point, though!

This makes digging a post hole 'almost' a pleasure. Delivered when I got home and 1 hour later was all done. My back garden is all proper dense clay and it cut through it super easy. Worth every penny. Pro tip, don't bash it on your foot it mad hurts.

This review is for the yellow steel handled version (not the fibreglass) ‘post hole digger with steel handle by Nielsen’ Feels pretty sturdy, though the hinge is probably the weakest link. (Watch for loose nuts) This tool will be fine in nice soft, clear soil. But you would not use these to dig holes in heavily stony or rooty ground on their own. The blades on this are lighter than a Drainage/post hole shovel and while they will dig dirt, they won’t go through roots or stone without help. Don’t try to force them to shut, to bite into hard ground as the handles would be stressed where they join the hinged part. This is where some reviewers say the handles snap. [because they have forced it] No trouble digging 2+ foot deep holes… but use the right tools (a Drainage/Post hole shovel which has a heavy, hard, sharpened blade) to cut through hard, stones, roots etc I bought a ‘Roughneck Drainage/Posthole shovel’ as well, as I knew the ground would be full of Cotswold stones and tree roots. The shovel is heavy enough and sharp enough to cut the fibrous roots, (up to about an inch across) and will also chip away and loosen stones. And then this post hole digger to get the spoil out. You will have to switch back to the shovel, to loosen the next bit of earth, and back to the post hole tool to get the spoil out. Alternating between the two tools as required. Depending on the ground and obstacles in it about 10-20 mins per 2 foot deep hole. Obviously, if you hit very large stones or anything ready solid, you will have to try other methods to smash it up. If the dirt is very dry/hard, try thouroghly wetting it the day before to soften it. It is hard work (your triceps and shoulders will know about it the next day) but satisfying :) But it would have been ‘much’ harder and less efficient without ‘both’ of these tools.

Whilst it works, it’s not the most efficient or robust and has a tendency to twist/warp on encountering any stones or small tree roots or on attempting any rotary movement . Plus the two blades when closed have a significant gap allowing soil etc to fall through; so could be better designed.

Absolutely 💯 fantastic would definitely recommend

Sturdy and good quality