Best post hole borer
Updated: October 2026
You want one listing to open, not six tabs. In this set the best post hole borer for a UK gardener who can supply an 18 V battery is the Einhell GP-EA 18/150, and the best value for bulbs and narrow holes is the LONGRUN hand auger. Both come with a condition. A 300 mm hole, a shed with no battery platform, or one Saturday and nothing to store means neither of those two is the purchase. Prices and star lines below are the amazon.co.uk figures in the [earth auger comparison](/hub/digging-tools/earth-auger). Peter F. compared the listings and public UK sources in October 2026. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You want one listing to open, not six tabs.
You want one listing to open, not six tabs. In this set the best post hole borer for a UK gardener who can supply an 18 V battery is the Einhell GP-EA 18/150, and the best value for bulbs and narrow holes is the LONGRUN hand auger. Both come with a condition. A 300 mm hole, a shed with no battery platform, or one Saturday and nothing to store means neither of those two is the purchase. Prices and star lines below are the amazon.co.uk figures in the earth auger comparison. Peter F. compared the listings and public UK sources in October 2026. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Diameter | Power | Battery | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Einhell Einhell GP-EA 18/150 cordless auger | 150 mm | Cordless 18 V | Not included | 9.0 | about £148.45 | View offer |
| Best value |  LONGRUN LONGRUN manual fence post auger | 100 mm | Manual | None needed | 8.4 | about £29.98 | View offer |
 WORX WORX WG865E.9 40V earth auger | 200 mm | Cordless 40 V | Not included | 8.0 | about £199.99 | View offer |
What best means here
Best on this page means the highest amazon.co.uk star rating with the largest review count, on a tool that is actually an earth auger and that can bore a fence-sized hole, at a GBP price from the listing. That rule picks the cordless powerhead with 752 ratings. It does not pick a laboratory winner, a noise figure, or a hole-count from another website. The cheapest manual auger is not best value while reviewers call it short. The only petrol kit has no star line, so it cannot be best. The fork between manual, cordless, and petrol is on the earth auger buying guide.
Top pick
The top pick is the Einhell GP-EA 18/150, model 3437000, at £148.45. The listing is 4.5 from 752 reviews, with a 150 mm auger, a stated depth of 80 cm, and a powerhead weight of 5.7 kg. UK reviewers describe clay, hedging, and new-build ground, often on one pack or a few packs, and several say it is easier to live with than a petrol auger. The box is the powerhead, the 150 mm flight, and a cotter pin.
Skip it if you have no 18 V battery and no plan to buy one. Skip it if the hole has to be 200 mm or 300 mm. Skip it if the ground is rubble. UK reviews say the bit stops or snatches on stone, a hard patch, or a thick root, and the handles felt too narrow for that snatch. Two buyers reported a unit that shut off mid-hole or failed on the second hole. A mixer attachment is a separate accessory, not part of this pick.
Best value
The best value is the LONGRUN LR-8240 at £29.98, not the £17.99 VIDETOL. The LONGRUN is a 10 cm flight on a 96 cm shaft, with a stated depth of 54 cm, a 3 kg weight, and gloves in the box. It sits at 4.2 from 251 reviews. Buyers used it for daffodil and tulip bulbs, and one reviewer reported about 200 holes to 6 inches in heavy clay. The longer shaft is the point they repeat against shorter augers.
The VIDETOL is cheaper at £17.99 and listed as 10 x 60 cm, at 3.9 from 77 reviews. One buyer found it about 300 mm shorter than they wanted, and another called it too small for real work. The manual listing at £24.99 is 4.3 from 212 reviews, but the title says 200 mm and a bullet says 15 cm, so it is not the best value while that clash is unresolved. The LONGRUN blade bends or blunts on stones, and it will not replace a powered auger on a long fence.
When to leave both
Open the Worx WG865E.9 if you need about 200 mm and you already own WORX PowerShare packs. It is £199.99, listed at 80 Nm with a 20 cm bit, and the amazon.co.uk weight is 13.6 kg. Batteries are not included. The rating is 4.0 from 12, and the written reviews are not UK reviews, so it is not the top pick. A stated jam cut-out is on the listing.
Leave the Horti Power 82 cc kit at £299 unless you want bits of 100, 200 and 300 mm and will accept an unreviewed machine stated at 25 kg. There is no star rating on the amazon.co.uk listing. For one day, hire is the cleaner petrol option: Hire Services (Southern) lists £35 for a one-person borer and £45 for a two-person borer, excluding VAT, and Tippers lists £40 a day excluding VAT. Those are shop tariffs, not a UK average. Runtime against fuel is on petrol vs cordless earth auger. Depth for a 1.8 m fence is on earth auger for fence posts.
Common questions
Which earth auger is the top pick in this set, and for whom?
The top pick is the Einhell GP-EA 18/150 at £148.45, with 4.5 from 752 amazon.co.uk reviews and a 150 mm bit. It suits you if you can fit an 18 V pack, Einhell’s own or another brand through a separate adaptor, and the holes are about 150 mm in soil rather than rubble. It does not suit a 300 mm hole or a shed with no battery and no plan to buy one.
What is the best value if I only need bulbs and a few narrow holes?
The LONGRUN at £29.98. Reviewers used it for bulbs and for many shallow holes in clay, and the shaft is 96 cm rather than the 60 cm stated on the cheaper listing. It is still a 10 cm hand flight. Stones bend the blade, and a timber fence post needs a wider hole than this tool cuts.
Why is the cheapest manual auger not the best value?
The VIDETOL is £17.99 and 3.9 from 77 reviews, with comments that it is short and too small for real work. Best value here means a coherent 10 cm tool with a longer shaft and 251 reviews at £29.98, not the lowest number on the page. Saving about £12 is a poor trade if the shaft leaves you short of the hole.
Is the Worx a better top pick because it states 80 Nm and a 20 cm bit?
Not on the rule this page uses. The 20 cm bit is wider than the Einhell’s 150 mm, and 80 Nm is the listing’s own figure, but the rating is 4.0 from 12 and the review texts are not from the UK. Choose it when you already own PowerShare packs and you need that diameter. Do not choose it because a torque number looks larger.
Can I call the petrol kit the best with no reviews?
No. The Horti Power listing at £299 has bits of 100, 200 and 300 mm and a stated weight of 25 kg, and the amazon.co.uk page has no star line. Three diameters are a reason to consider the kit. They are not a reason to call it the best post hole borer.
Does the top pick include a battery?
No. The Einhell box is the powerhead, the 150 mm auger, and a cotter pin. Einhell UK recommends a 2.5 Ah battery or larger, sold separately. The £148.45 price is not a ready-to-run price unless the pack is already on your shelf. Skip the tool if you will not buy that pack, if the hole must be 200 mm or wider, or if the ground is stone and old concrete.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listing lines saved on 19 October 2026. No laboratory test.
- HSE — PUWER overview (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE — excavations (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE — CIS65, avoiding danger from underground services (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Energy Networks Association — Think before you dig (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Einhell UK — GP-EA 18/150 Li BL-Solo (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Worx UK — WG865E.9 40 V earth auger (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008, Schedule 2 (retrieved 19 October 2026)