Top Seven Spades for Landscapers

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PRODUCT NEWS

Ralf Pijnenburg, Friday 23 May 2025

126 sec

Digging Deep: These Are the Workhorses Among Spades

The shovels, spades, and digging tools from De Wit are designed for intensive use, wherever you're working. The range is broad and diverse. The family business also produces around twenty new tools every year. Co-owner Derk Klaas de Wit has compiled a list for De Hovenier magazine of spades that are virtually indestructible for the average landscaping company.

From left to right: Derk de Wit, Derk Klaas de Wit and Sietse de Wit

Drenthe Model 000 - Half Curved

Thanks to the half-curved socket angle and the flat-pin connection, this spade combines three qualities: strength, durability, and ergonomics. It comes with a 110 cm long waxed ash handle, made in De Wit's own factory. "This is a perfect all-round digging spade," says Derk Klaas de Wit. "Moreover, this model is highly versatile."

Drenthe Model 00

"This is the same model as the first spade, but with a larger blade," says the De Wit co-owner. "It's especially useful when working in looser soil. If the ground is firmer, you use a slightly wider blade. It's the ideal spade for pavers, landscapers, and garden enthusiasts."

Drenthe Model 000 - With Footstep

De Wit has welded a footstep onto this Drenthe model to protect the soles of the landscaper's shoes. "If you're working with heavier soil types, this spade is a must," says De Wit. "In loose soil, however, a footstep can be a nuisance—especially if you want to dig deeper."

De Wit Spats

De Wit holds an international patent on this spats. It features a serrated edge, making it highly suitable for cutting through roots, digging out turf, and edging borders. "An indispensable tool for landscapers," says De Wit. "Thanks to the serrated side, you save energy during your work. You need less force to push the spade into the ground."

Concrete Spade 0

De Wit's concrete spades come in two sizes: type 0 is 22 cm wide, and type 1 is 23 cm. This concrete spade is ideal for cleaning up and clearing away. The long handle allows for very efficient work. The spade is also frequently used for sweeping warehouses. "With this very large spade, moving loose sand is an easy task," says De Wit. "This is partly thanks to the straight front edge."

Paving Spade

The paving spade is ideal for laying paving. It features a curved three-quarter socket of 55 mm. This allows the landscaper to bend less and work with a straight back. The 120 cm handle comes with a T-grip and flat pin connection. The blade has a straight edge, is 30 cm wide, and fits exactly between 30 x 30 cm paving stones. "The concrete spade sits fairly straight on the handle, while the paving spade lies much flatter," explains De Wit. "Thanks to its straight shape, you can level the sand neatly when working with tiles."

Drenthe Model with Fiberglass Handle

De Wit: "The purists among us prefer to work with a wooden handle, but for heavier work, a fiberglass handle can be very useful. And if you don't always store your spade neatly indoors, the fiberglass version won't wear out. Wood, of course, can shrink in damp conditions. The fiberglass handle always stays in place and never breaks."

Drenthe Model 00 - Three-Quarter Curved, with Locking Pin and Footstep

This spade is specially designed for true digging work, allowing you to fully use your body's strength. The curved handle is developed for pavers, so they can work ergonomically without straining the back. De Wit: "When you push this model into the ground, the handle is always in front of your body. The locking pin is a kind of tube under the blade. On other types of spades, this can be annoying—for example, if you work in cable installation, where the pin might catch on a cable. That won't happen with this model."

This article was originally published on 23 May 2025 on the website of De Hovenier.

DeWit Kornhorn BV

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