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How to use a Fiskars spade

Updated: October 2026

You are about to dig a bed or edge a lawn, and a long Fiskars shaft will not do the posture for you. How to use a Fiskars spade, in this set, means a D-handle garden spade that cuts and turns soil. It is not a scoop for gravel all afternoon, and it is not an insulated tool for electric cables. None of the four listings is described as foldable or as meeting BS 8020. The models themselves are compared on the [Fiskars spade comparison](/hub/digging-tools/fiskars-spade). Peter F. checked the listings and public UK sources in October 2026. There was no lab test. What follows is the sequence: set the length, place your foot, lift without a twist, then stop when the ground or the joint says stop. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are about to dig a bed or edge a lawn, and a long Fiskars shaft will not do the posture for you. How to use a Fiskars spade, in this set, means a D-handle garden spade that cuts and turns soil.

Our top picks

Fiskars Fiskars Ergonomic pointed spade 1070639

Best overall

Fiskars Fiskars Ergonomic pointed spade 1070639
9.6/10about £42.88
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Fiskars Fiskars Solid round spade 1066717

Best value

Fiskars Fiskars Solid round spade 1066717
8.8/10about £15.59
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Fiskars Fiskars Xact telescopic pointed spade 1066732

Rank 3

Fiskars Fiskars Xact telescopic pointed spade 1066732
8.8/10about £46.75
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On this page
  1. 1.Set the length before you dig
  2. 2.Foot, hands, and the lift
  3. 3.Edging and planting holes
  4. 4.After use, and when to stop

Set the length before you dig

Two of these spades cannot change length. The Ergonomic pointed spade is a fixed 125 cm. The Solid round spade is a fixed shaft of about 116.6 cm. If that length makes you stoop hard, or reach, the listing will not grow a lock later. Changing tool is the Fiskars spade buying guide. The two Xact spades state a working length of about 111–130 cm. Reviews describe using the long setting for leverage, and a shorter setting when the spade is used more like a shovel into a barrow. That is a use report, not a Fiskars measuring chart. Set the lock, then stop if it shifts under a small spit of soil. Length helps you stay taller. It does not replace the next section.

Foot, hands, and the lift

The Conservation Volunteers’ garden guide, published via Groundwork, puts the ball of the foot on the tread, not the arch, and tells you not to jump on the blade with both feet. Use your weight to drive the blade, then use your legs to lift. A blunt edge makes that push harder, so keep the cutting edge keen rather than stamping. Use the step the tool actually has, and do not assume a non-slip board from the range name alone. The Health and Safety Executive’s handling guidance is written for employers, and it is still the clearest UK page on the lift. Plan the move, keep the load close, and use a slight bend at the knees and hips rather than a full stoop. Do not twist while you are bent. Turn your feet instead, and do not jerk the spit clear. On a D-handle, one hand sits in the D and the other slides lower on the shaft so the soil stays near your body. The Royal Horticultural Society’s research summary says a poor digging posture raised lumbar load by about half as much again, and shoulder load by more than double, compared with a technique that bent the back less and the knees more. That is their summary, not a new measurement, and it does not state a degree you must hit. Take smaller slices when the soil sticks. If you already have an injury, Thrive’s advice is to stop and seek advice rather than to buy a longer shaft and carry on.
Fiskars Fiskars Ergonomic pointed spade 1070639

Testsieger

Fiskars Fiskars Ergonomic pointed spade 1070639
9.6/10about £42.88
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Edging and planting holes

Edging is a cut, not a scoop. Press the ball of one foot so the blade goes in nearly vertical, and slice a short run before you turn the turf. A low shovel stroke tears the grass and loads your back. The round Solid and the round Xact are the edging shapes in this set. A pointed blade cuts a narrower slit if it is the only spade you have. For a planting hole on soft ground, cut the outline, then lift thin slices into a barrow so each load stays close. If the soil is clay that will not take the blade, stop stamping and use the Fiskars spade for clay soil page. A pointed blade will not turn a drainage trench into a planting hole.

After use, and when to stop

These heads are boron steel or high-carbon steel, not stainless. Sticky soil will cling. Wipe the blade before you store it, and do not invent a rust timetable. If the edge has gone dull, a file on the bevel you already have is the usual fix, because a blunt blade makes you push harder. The Ergonomic and both Xact blades are boron steel on their contents lines. The Solid is high-carbon steel. Stop if the ground may hide a cable. Before a new trench, search LinesearchbeforeUdig. The search is free, and it does not cover every private cable. The Health and Safety Executive says to dig alongside a known service, not straight down onto it, and to use insulated tools near electric cables. These Fiskars spades are not those insulated tools. In a bed you already know, you still stop if you hit warning tape or a hard service. Do not lever the shaft against a pipe. Stop if the lock or grip moves, if a weld opens, or if pain or numbness is already limiting you. A longer shaft is not a treatment. If the tool arrives faulty, use the Consumer Rights Act 2015 route on GOV.UK. Foundations and drainage runs are reasons to stop and get help, not reasons to keep lifting.

Common questions

Where do my hands and foot go on a D-handle Fiskars spade?
Put the ball of one foot on the tread, not the arch, and do not jump on the blade with both feet. One hand holds the D-handle. The other sits lower on the shaft so the soil stays close. Bend your knees more than your back, and turn your feet instead of twisting while you are bent. That follows HSE handling guidance and the Conservation Volunteers’ foot rule. It is not a medical exercise plan.
How do I set the telescopic shaft?
The Xact listings state about 111–130 cm. Use the longer end for leverage and a shorter setting if you are lifting soil into a barrow, which is how reviewers describe the range. Set the lock, take a small spit, and check that the joint holds before you lean. The Ergonomic at 125 cm and the Solid at about 116.6 cm do not adjust. If the grip moves, stop.
How do I edge a lawn without treating the spade as a shovel?
Cut nearly vertical along the line, in short runs, with the ball of your foot. Do not scoop under the turf from a flat angle. The round Solid and the round Xact are the edging shapes in this set. A pointed blade cuts a narrower slit if it is the only spade you have. Keep each lifted piece close to your body, and turn your feet rather than twisting while you are bent.
How do I clean boron steel if it is not stainless?
Wipe soil off before you put the spade away, especially clay that has stuck to the head. The Ergonomic and both Xact blades are boron steel on their contents lines. The Solid is high-carbon steel. None of them is described as stainless. There is no timed rust claim in these sources, so cleaning is about not storing a caked blade, not about a promised life in years.
When is back pain a reason to stop rather than buy a longer shaft?
Stop when pain or numbness already limits you, and seek advice, which is Thrive’s line for people who are already injured. The RHS summary linked a poor posture to higher lumbar and shoulder load. It did not say a 125 cm shaft removes that load. Smaller slices, a closer barrow, and a shaft you can use without stooping are the changes these sources support. They are not a treatment.

Related pages

Best Fiskars spade

Fiskars spade

Fiskars spade buying guide: soil, range and length

Fiskars spade for clay soil: pointed, not the Solid

Fiskars Xact vs Solid spade: lock or pointed blade

Sources

Public sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures saved for this set on 20 October 2026.

  1. Fiskars — how to choose your shovel type (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. Fiskars — anatomy of a shovel (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. Fiskars UK — Solid pointed spade, metal shaft 1066716 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. Gardeners’ World — Fiskars Xact pointed spade review, 29 January 2020 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. MyToolShed — Fiskars warranty (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK — accepting returns and giving refunds (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. legislation.gov.uk — Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 23 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. HSE — underground electrical cables (retrieved 20 October 2026)