Gardening demands the right tools, and among them, the garden trowel stands out as essential. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a novice, a reliable trowel can make all the difference in your planting, transplanting, and weeding tasks. Here, we’ve compiled an in-depth guide to the best garden trowels of 2024, ensuring you find the perfect fit for your gardening needs.
A garden trowel is a small hand tool that gardeners use for digging, planting, and weeding. These versatile tools come in various shapes and sizes, each designed for specific tasks. The ideal trowel will feature an ergonomic handle for comfort, a durable blade for long-lasting use, and a balanced weight for ease of maneuverability.
Top Picks for 2024
Edward Tools Garden Trowel
- Most heavy duty garden hand trowel tool on the market
- One piece stainless steel is bend proof making it the best hand shovel for working rocky or heavy clay soils
- Oversize trowel head makes for quicker work as soil can be moved in greater volume
- Ergonomic rubber grip with contoured finger grips and palm rest
- Lifetime warranty - Find a way to bend this garden hand shovel and we will replace it no questions asked
What We Like:
- Comfortable ergonomic handle
- Durable stainless steel and carbon steel blade
- Depth markers for precise planting
What We Don’t Like:
- Depth measurements can be hard to see
The Edward Tools Garden Trowel stands out for its comfortable grip and sturdy construction. The rust-proof blade is perfect for regular planting and can handle rocky soil with ease. The ergonomic design reduces hand fatigue, making long gardening sessions more enjoyable.
Specifications:
- Blade Material: Carbon and stainless steel
- Blade Shape: Standard
- Handle Material: Rubber
- Weight: 8.5 ounces
Radius Garden Ergonomic Hand Trowel
- Award-winning ergonomic garden trowel with unique, patented blade for optimal performance in all soil conditions
- Ultra-lightweight, die-cast aluminum blade is stronger than steel and will never rust
- Ergonomic Natural Radius Grip provides extra leverage and reduces hand and wrist stress
- Over molded handle with a comfortable non-latex, thermoplastic grip for comfort and ease of use
- Ideal for gardeners with limited hand strength, arthritis, or carpal tunnel syndrome
What We Like:
- Curved, ergonomic handle
- Lightweight and easy to use
- Soft grip for comfort
What We Don’t Like:
- Bulkier to store
The Radius Garden Ergonomic Hand Trowel features a unique handle design that reduces wrist strain. The thermoplastic grip ensures your hand won’t slip, even when working with wet soil. It’s excellent for weeding and planting in tight spaces.
Specifications:
- Blade Material: Aluminum
- Blade Shape: Square
- Handle Material: Thermoplastic
- Weight: 6.4 ounces
Wilcox All-Pro Fine Point Trowel
- Stainless steel
- Indestructible. Made in U.S.A
- Width: 2"
- Length: 12"
What We Like:
- Sharp point for precision digging
- Clearly marked depth markings
- Leather strap for easy storage
What We Don’t Like:
- Hard plastic handle isn’t as comfortable for extended use
The Wilcox All-Pro Fine Point Trowel excels in tasks requiring precision. Its sharp point and 10-inch size make it ideal for planting bulbs and aerating soil. Despite its hard plastic handle, it remains a favorite for its durability and functionality.
Specifications:
- Blade Material: Stainless steel
- Blade Shape: Spear
- Handle Material: Plastic
- Weight: 7.2 ounces
Mecheer Garden Hand Trowel
- [Thickened Aluminum Alloy Material]: Our gardening shovel is made of high-quality aluminum alloy material, allowing the garden trowel to dig deeply into the soil and cut through hard turf easily. The 0.08 inch thickness makes our spade shovel more sturdy and long lasting, ensures durability and stability during use, and makes the trowel not easy to break and long lasting.
- [Ergonomic Design]: The trowel garden tool is designed with an ergonomic rubber-grip handle that reduces hand and wrist fatigue while digging. The high-quality non-slip TPR material of the handle makes the trowel garden tool easy to hold and comfortable to use. Saving your labor, time and energy.
- [Easy to Store]: The small hand trowel is lightweight and compact, makes it easy to store on your garden bag and carry out for gardening. The hanging hole in the handle is designed to accommodate a rope. You can hang the hand shovel for gardening on everywhere you want when you need to do gardening works in your own garden or other places.
- [Easy to clean]: Our hand trowel has a smooth surface, with a polished aluminum knife head that is rustproof and long lasting. The small garden shovel is also easy to clean after use, ensuring its smooth appearance and remaining rust resistant for an extended period of time.
- [Multi-function]: This small shovel is suitable for a wide range of horticultural tasks, including digging, weeding, loosening soil, aerating, transplanting, etc. The great gardening tools for women, small shovels for gardening, digging shovel, small plant tools!
What We Like:
- Non-slip grip
- Compact size
- Affordable price
What We Didn’t Like:
- Lacks depth markings
The Mecheer Garden Hand Trowel offers great value with its durable aluminum alloy blade and comfortable handle. It’s perfect for digging, transplanting, and weeding without breaking the bank.
Specifications:
- Blade Material: Aluminum alloy
- Blade Shape: Standard
- Handle Material: Thermoplastic rubber
- Weight: 6.4 ounces
Kbenison CFCT Bend-Proof Garden Trowel
- Sturdy:The Garden Trowel is Solid One-piece design, won’t loosen, bend at the neck or break while digging, Made of Aluminum material, Surprisingly light and remarkably strong never rust
- Handy: The Garden Hand Transplanter is Easy to handle in any direction, Ergo and soft grip, Non-slip thumb pad for a more custom fit and slip protection, minimizes hand & wrist stress while maximizing power. the handle is Ergonomic, at the end of handle is Hexagonal Arc surface, fit well for your hand
- Functional: The Garden hand shovel Ideal for transplanting small plants and flowers. Sharp blade easily cuts through compacted soil. Use to scoop out Potting soil or Fertilizer, filling bird feeders, Pet food scoop, Narrow shovel, all-Purpose trowel
- Unique Radian Blade Design: Work as Transplanter and Scooper. Easy to Read Inch and Centimeter, Moderate Size Capacity, Make Work easily during Potting Soil and Transplanting plant or seedlings
- Fit for indoor garden and Outdoor garden .Pretty craft. Big Hole Dia 10mm in the handle for Easy Storage.[Be carefull for use in earth against big stone,if beat, Chop,lever too hard will cause damage]
What We Like:
- One-piece aluminum construction
- Non-slip rubber thumb pad
- Clear inch and centimeter measurements
What We Don’t Like:
- Scoop shape may not suit all tasks
For heavy-duty gardening, the Kbenison CFCT Bend-Proof Garden Trowel is a top pick. Its robust construction prevents bending, and the non-slip handle offers excellent leverage and comfort.
Specifications:
- Blade Material: Aluminum
- Blade Shape: Scoop
- Handle Material: Aluminum with rubber grips
- Weight: 6.4 ounces
Berry&Bird Garden Trowel with Long Handle
- WHAT YOU GET - 1 * Garden Seedling Shovel. Our garden shovels are made by traditional manual process and can be used for more than 10 years. The more the wooden handle and stainless steel will be used, the smoother it will be. Root trowel is very suitable for transplanting in narrow space. Ideal for digging or planting.
- WIDE APPLICATION - Weeding shovel is not only used to remove deep root weeds, but also very suitable for transplanting, digging, planting, shoveling and loosening soil. Suitable for your outdoor garden, flower bed, vegetable garden and indoor plants.
- QUALITY CONSTRUCTION - Our Digging shovel is a special treatment for the standard trowel. It has a narrow and sharp edge and can be easily installed in a small space. It's perfect for deep digging, and you can believe that this spatula can break down the hard to reach parts of the garden.
- SUSTAINABLE - Using our environmental tools, you will learn about your plants and the earth. Our garden shovel is designed with an ergonomic ash handle from a FSC certified government controlled forest. This regulates the use of wood and the planting of trees to achieve a greener environment.
- 100% SATISFIED GUARANTEE - 30 Days free replacement and 2-YEAR warranty. Berry&Bird is a traditional brand of gardening tools, we provide professional service for consumer, so please feel free to contact us if you have any issues, we will provide you with a satisfactory solution within 24 hours.
What We Like:
- Long, 12-inch handle
- Stainless steel blade
- FSC-certified wood handle
What We Didn’t Like:
- No padding on the handle
The Berry&Bird Garden Trowel with Long Handle provides excellent leverage for more demanding tasks. The 12-inch handle made from Manchurian ash wood ensures durability and ease of use.
Specifications:
- Blade Material: Stainless steel
- Blade Shape: Standard
- Handle Material: Manchurian ash wood
- Handle Length: 12 inches
- Weight: 1.15 pounds
Corona CT Trowel
- Corona Comfort Trowel Wide, 3 inch blade
- Lightweight, one-piece polished aluminum alloy
- Cushioned Comfort Tool grip
- Ideal trowel for convenient small gardening and construction digging
- Lightweight one-piece aluminum alloy design
What We Like:
- Lightweight design
- Cushioned grip
- Lifetime warranty
What We Didn’t Like:
- Not the most durable for heavy-duty tasks
The Corona CT Trowel is perfect for those who garden for long periods. Its lightweight construction and cushioned grip make it easy to handle, though it’s best for lighter tasks.
Specifications:
- Blade Material: Aluminum alloy
- Blade Size: 3 inches
- Blade Shape: Standard
- Handle Length: 9 inches
- Weight: 5.6 ounces
Garden Guru Hand Weeder Trowel
- ONE TOOL ALL GARDENERS USE - Ideal for planting and transplanting small plants, vegetables, flowers, mixing soil and compost, or scooping fertilizer, the Hand-E Garden Transplanter is the Gardeners Go To Tool.
- POLISHED STAINLESS STEEL - Rust Resistant Blade is Thick for Strength and Durability, and Concave for Scooping. Properly Designed for Professional Grade Applications.
- COMFORTABLE ERGONOMIC HANDLE - Large and Thick with Thumb Rest on top and Finger Grooves on bottom. Well Designed for those in search of an Agreeable Grip that Minimizes Hand Stress and Fatigue.
- DEPTH MARKS - Depth marks on the blade to easily measure depth for consistent planting and transplanting.
- GREAT GIFT: Warrantied like no other, the way it should be. Garden Guru products are built to last and come with a LIFETIME WARRANTY and a 90 day "no questions asked" Satisfaction Guarantee. Seriously.
What We Like:
- Ergonomic handle with contoured finger grooves
- Multi-functional blade with twine cutter and bottle opener
What We Didn’t Like:
- May not work for larger weed clumps
The Garden Guru Hand Weeder Trowel is an excellent tool for removing weeds. Its ergonomic handle reduces hand fatigue, and the blade features a handy notch for cutting twine or opening bottles.
Specifications:
- Blade Material: Stainless steel
- Blade Shape: Elongated with fork tip
- Handle Material: Rubber
- Weight: 7 ounces
Ames Planter’s Pal 7-in-1 Hand Tool
- Includes 7 tools in one for gardening tasks, not limited to steel blades and a weeder
- Use to dig, transplant, cut 2 ways, weed, tamper and measure
- Makes quick and easy cuts and weeding
- Portable and convenient with a hang up hole for storage
What We Like:
- Multi-functional design
- Ergonomic handle
- Durable chrome-plated steel blade
What We Didn’t Like:
- Slightly heavier than other options
The Ames Planter’s Pal 7-in-1 Hand Tool is a versatile addition to any gardener’s toolkit. It handles a variety of tasks from digging and weeding to cutting and tamping. Its ergonomic design ensures comfort even during prolonged use.
Specifications:
- Blade Material: Chrome-plated steel
- Blade Shape: Elongated square tip
- Handle Material: Polypropylene
- Weight: 8 ounces
What to Consider When Choosing a Garden Trowel
Blade Material
Duford emphasizes that the blade material of a garden trowel should be strong, resilient, and resistant to rust. Common materials include stainless steel, carbon steel, and aluminum alloy. For example, the Mecheer Garden Hand Trowel (a budget-friendly option) and the Edward Tools Garden Trowel (our top pick) use these materials. “Quality metal blades can be re-sharpened when dull and can be pointed for efficient digging,” she notes.
Handle Design
Since you’ll apply significant pressure while using a trowel, it’s crucial to choose one with an ergonomic handle made from comfortable materials. The Radius Garden Ergonomic Hand Trowel, our pick for the best ergonomic design, has a curved handle to minimize wrist strain and a soft, non-slip grip.
“It’s often beneficial to try out a trowel in person to see how it feels in your hand,” advises Duford. Opt for handles made from durable yet comfortable materials such as wood or rubberized grips.
Some trowels are designed with specific handle types for different tasks. The Berry&Bird Garden Trowel with Long Handle, for instance, offers superior leverage, while the Wilcox All-Pro 100S 10″ Fine Point Trowel provides better control for soil aeration.
Blade Size
The ideal blade size depends on your gardening tasks. Duford suggests a larger blade for efficient digging and a smaller blade for precise planting. For instance, the Garden Guru Hand Weeder Trowel, our best weeding trowel, features an elongated fork tip for weed removal, whereas the Kbenison CFCT Bend-Proof Garden Trowel, our best heavy-duty trowel, has a versatile scoop shape.
Multipurpose tools like the Ames Planter’s Pal 7-in-1 Hand Tool combine various trowel types, featuring an elongated blade, square tip, and serrated edge.
Weight
While lighter trowels are easier to handle for tasks like digging, transplanting, or weeding, Duford advises that a good trowel should have enough weight to dig effectively without bending. If you prefer a lighter trowel, such as the Corona CT 3010I Trowel (our best lightweight pick), avoid using it for heavy-duty tasks.
How We Tested
We tested a range of trowels by using them to dig, transplant, and turn over soil. We assessed each trowel based on the following criteria:
- Handle and Blade: Sharpness, shape, depth, size, weight, rust resistance, and material quality.
- Comfort: Ease of use, handle balance, and overall comfort.
- Performance: Strength, durability, and additional features like hammers and depth gauges.
- Value for Money: Quality, design, warranty, and price.
