Tool review! We use all sorts of tools on the farm, some of them are a pleasure to use, others, not so much. I should put a disclaimer at the beginning that I am not affiliated with the tool manufacturer or have been asked by them to write a review or anything. Why the disclaimer? Well I think this thing is freakin' great, honest.
This tool is a specialized hoe called a "Heron" made by Holdredge Enterprises, LLC. in their Hooke 'n Crooke series of tools.
http://holdredgeenterprises.com/
Here is the business end. It's built super burly, and has a ridiculously nice label.
For the most part, it's like an overbuilt stirrup hoe, with one side missing. You can use it to slide just under the soil surface and sever the roots of weeds that have just sprouted.
Stirrup hoe for reference.
Generally I like tools with a specific purpose, but the Heron performs a bunch of functions and does them well. Say you're out in a field weeding with a smaller stirrup hoe and come across a big overgrown weed, you're probably not going to go back to the shed for a bigger tool. First thing, you'll probably hack at it with the more delicate tool, and when you realize you might break that delicate tool, you'll stop, bend over and pull out the weed by hand. That gets old fast. With the Heron, it handles delicate weeding and can really chop at the big ones.
You can't do this with a stirrup hoe: Weed under drip tape! This is by far my favorite use of the tool. It's way too easy to put off weeding if there is drip tape in a bed. If there is drip tape you have to either pull the tape out of the bed, hand weed, or just go careful and slow. All of which results in eventually ignoring the weeds until they choke out the crop. Chances are that if you've installed drip tape, the plants are going to be there for a while and will need weeding at some point. When using the heron to weed under drip tape, the main thing you need to do is move away from the drip tape header line as you weed, so you're effectively pulling the tape straight. This prevents the drip tape from getting pushed into incorrect locations.
If the drip tape does get knocked out of position, just pick it up and scoot it over with the tool. No need to bend over. Easy on the back.
Flipped sideways I slide the tool along the edge of the hoophouse boards and slice the grass rhizomes that are sneaking in from outside. Yeah, I should put down landscape fabric on the outside edge, but in the meantime...
And you can pick away at tight spaces using the tip.
This tool also makes it easy to be lazy about what tool to bring out to the field.
Making furrows for a quick seeding.
Spun 90 degrees counter-clockwise, it also functions well as a narrow rake to close up the furrow after seeding or pulling out severed weeds from the bed.
You can really use this thing for hacking out grass clumps. Seriously, a good windup and chop! And use the tip to pick out the clump. I think it's most effective for clumps where a spading fork would be overkill.
But,oh yeah, the spading fork is back in the shed so... we'll just go after the really big clump. Chop away at grass that really got out of control and turned into a bunch of sod by slicing along the edge to sever roots, and then pry it up.
It's handy to weed the edges of perennials that hang into the rows and hide weeds. The handle does not bash the plants and the blade slides underneath.
Voila, the blade has taken out the weeds, but has not hit my perennial.
Negative aspects:
My main complaint is that if the weeds are really out of control, you end up chopping with the tip of the tool a bunch. Because the sharp chopping tip is offset from the center axis of the handle, each chop will cause the handle to twist in your hands. So, you hold on tighter to keep it from twisting, and eventually your hands are aching. I know when I chatted with one of the sales reps from Holdredge the main line was essentially "if you feel like you're working hard, you're not using it right." Probably true, and perhaps I'm pushing the limits with how much chopping should be done. I was envisioning a sort of wrist brace bolted onto the handle to stop the twist, maybe I'll try a modification. Or I should be using a rototiller on the really weedy stuff. But man, this tool makes you feel like a rototiller.
It's listed for $54 at http://holdredgeenterprises.com/#tools. Definitely pricey if you compare it to $16-$30 hoes from the big box stores. However the price is in line with other high quality specialty tools at
Johnnys. You really are getting what you pay for. There is a good chunk of metal on the end, it's a well designed specialty tool and it's made in the U.S.A. (woo!)
Last complaint, I frequently find myself wishing it had a longer handle when I'm using it like a stirrup hoe. Though the length is right for the chopping, and finer work. With the way they mount the metal bit in the handle, I don't think I could replace the handle.
I admit I didn't like the Heron name when I saw the tool. But now that I've been using it, the name makes complete sense. Picture the ever so graceful Heron (the bird) delicately walking through a shallow pond, making barely a ripple. Then BAM! he spears a fish with his big 'ol beak.
Seems about right.
