Push Hoe by Sneeboer

Death to Weeds

Posted by Bob on 20th Jul 2010

The Sneeboer push-pull hoe (stainless blade that makes an obtuse angle with the handle). On a scale of one to ten, I would give this hoe a 12. It is beautifully made and works superbly. It just glides under the surface in open areas executing weeds as it goes. I particularly like the "pull" mode in my compacted walkways in the garden, as it just slides along the surface cutting weeds, without having to actually penetrate the compacted soil.

The weeds under the picket fence around my garden really hated the arrival of this hoe (that is right up until it cut them down--I don't think weeds can hate post mortem), as the hoe slides right under the fence. Also, my tomato plants are set in five foot tall triangular cages (about six inches on an edge) made of powder coated steel rods, and the plants are now so large that I can't see the ground underneath or in back of them (they are about two feet from the foundation of my house, so I can't get in back of them to weed at this point). By sliding the handle of the hoe back and forth along the outside edge of the vertical members of the cages on each side of the plant, I can effectively weed in back of the plants, even though I can's see where I am weeding, and get right up to the edge of the foundation.

Also, in the "push" mode this hoe slides right under the broad leaves of plants like collards, cabbages, etc., without breaking the leaves or stems. One caveat though, you have to be really careful not to get too close to a desired plant, as the hoe cuts so well the plant would be lying on its side before your realized your mistake. For close in weeding, a stirrup or circle hoe is much safer.

The Sneeboer hoe is really a unique tool in my arsenal of weapons against weeds, and I would enthusiastically recommend it to any of your customers who love beautifully made tools and hate weeds.