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

does the job nicely even with loads of roots in the way

excellent bit of equpment made digging hole for my fence post much easier and well built

Great for digging a post hole! No use for trying to stuff my wife in the hole. Well worth the price from a trusted seller.

How the heck did I manage before using this, made excavation of 2 ft fence holes a breeze.

Good and solid product. However handle coating and some of the coloured protective coating on the body had damage on arrival so don’t expect a perfect product. However due to the price you kind of have to expect the quality control isn’t where it would be with more expensive versions.

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.

Getting the right tool for a job makes a job so much more pleasant. I have 14 x 4inch round posts to put in the groung (in concrete) to a depth of 2 to 3 feet. It would have been impossible to create such neat holes without this tool. I tried using a normal spade and trowel which reaults in a very wide hole with lots of spoil to locate elsewhere, lying on the floor to reach the depth, and much more concrete to pour. Very happy with purchase. The tool is certainly robust enough for DIY use. It is reasonably light weight which becomes important when you are digging for a long time. It won't cope with any roots or rocks you might encounter. (Not deisgned to). Use a thin long spade or iron sike to losen to create spoil and then easily lift out with this tool.