Buy cheap...

buy twice!! That's what my gran always said and she was right!

I bought the cheap set of 5 long handled tools from Argos for �£25 thinkinhg that as I'm new to all this I don't need to spend oodles on them.

Anyway, after a mere 6 weeks of not too hefty work - after all it's only li'l ole me doin the diggin - the fork broke. :( Initially I thought, oh well, it's a cheap fork, but I decided to take them all back and invest in something a bit better.

I now have a Spear and Jackson spade, fork and hoe. Not the full set and they cost an extra �£10 but I'm really pleased with them! :D :D They're stainless steel too so the spade looks like something the Queen would plant a tree with!!

 

I buy good quality tools for stuff I want to last - but things like daisy grubbers and patio knives, I jsut get cheapo ones. They do well enough, and it's less critical if I leave them somewhere! Machinery and secateurs I get the best I can.

 

I will buy most things cheap if I can, if there is no good reason for it to be expensive. For instance a small cheap plant can be just as good as an expensive one. God doesn't make two lines - basic and luxury.

However tools are the one thing that I will not buy cheap. The reason is the metal that they are made from. Cheap tools are usually made from soft metal which blunts, bends and breaks, but good quality tools are made from hardened metal.