The best pickaxes, compared.
Top pick: Roughneck ROU64352 pick axe, 5 lb – Joint highest score at 97, with the larger review file: 4.8 from 597 reviews, at about £27.29, for a full-size railroad pick. Best value: Draper 83463 mini mattock and pick, 400 g – Highest score among listings under £20 with at least 100 reviews: 94, at about £16.99, with 4.6 from 363 reviews. Updated October 2026.
On amazon.co.uk the same search covers three heads: a railroad-style point and chisel, a pick mattock with a point and a horizontal adze, and a grubbing mattock with a chopping blade and an adze. What shows up as quality is a drop-forged head that seats and stays on, and a handle you can swing or kneel with. A 7 lb trade pick and a sit outside this set. The [pickaxe buying guide](/hub/digging-tools/pickaxe/sub/pickaxe-buying-guide) sets out head shape, length and weight before you order. A pickaxe for a UK shopper is a steel head on a handle, used when a spade bounces off baked clay, rubble, roots or a shed base. The 5 lb pick mattock, and most of the 15 inch pick-mattock listings, sit in that group.
On amazon.co.uk the same search covers three heads: a railroad-style point and chisel, a pick mattock with a point and a horizontal adze, and a grubbing mattock with a chopping blade and an adze.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
How much tool do you need?
Across 597 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.8, the Roughneck ROU64352 is the full-size pick reviewers used when a spade bounced on drought-baked clay for a shed base. The listing sells a 5 lb / 2.27 kg railroad pick with a fibreglass handle about 92.4 cm long, and reviewers describe moving rocks, roots, buried bricks and paving slabs with a heavy head they could balance in two hands. Several call the handle comfortable and the two pieces easy to fit together, and more than one calls it strong for about £27.29. One reviewer says it is not for someone who is not strong, and another describes the work as a proper workout. A specification line lists 4.16 kg against the title’s 2.27 kg, so you cannot quote a single head weight from the page. The marketing line mentions old concrete, while the sample reviews stay with clay, rocks, roots and slabs.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A full swing on baked clay, rocks, roots or light rubble, if you can handle a heavy two-handed pick.
Less suitable: A small bed, a lighter user, or anyone who needs one agreed head weight from the listing.
Specifications
Common questions
What is the handle made of?
The amazon.co.uk listing says fibreglass.
How long is the handle?
The listing gives 92.4 cm long by 18.2 cm wide.
What head weight should you quote?
The title says 5 lb / 2.27 kg. A specification line says 4.16 kg. Those figures conflict, so neither should be silently preferred.
Across 436 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.8, the Mighty Products 5 lb grubbing mattock is the full-size tool reviewers used to shift hard clay, level a garden and cut bramble roots faster than with a hoe or a spade. The listing pairs a forged steel head with a 90 cm / 36 in fibreglass handle, and reviewers use that length and weight for a full swing on flint and roots before paving. One account covers woody growth a rotavator would not reach. The steel head bent on bamboo roots on first use in one report, and another reviewer could not shift the roots they wanted. Seating the head can take a club hammer, and a reviewer says it is not a pry bar. At about £34.74 it costs more than the Roughneck pick in this set, and it is a different head.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Hard clay, flint and woody roots when you want a grubbing face as well as a point.
Less suitable: Bamboo roots you intend to lever, or a job that only needs a railroad point.
Specifications
Common questions
What is the handle made of?
The amazon.co.uk listing says fibreglass.
How long is the handle?
The listing gives 90 cm / 36 in.
Across 465 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.7, the Mighty 5 lb pick mattock is the full-size tool reviewers used to cut roots, lift soil and, in one case, remove a garden tree stump. The listing gives a 5 lb steel head on a fibreglass handle of about 90 cm / 36 in, and reviewers call it sturdy over repeated use, with a grip lighter than a previous wooden handle. One reviewer could swing it for an hour. It is quite heavy, and a reviewer says hard prying can break it. Bigger stumps still needed a separate pick or axe for side roots, in that same stump account. At about £35.99 it is the dearest full-size listing in this set, and the page does not say whether a spare head or a cover is included.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Mixed root and soil work where you want a point and a mattock face on one 90 cm tool.
Less suitable: Levering out a large stump, or a lighter user who only wants a short session.
Specifications
Common questions
What is the handle made of?
The amazon.co.uk listing says fibreglass.
How long is the handle?
The listing gives 90 cm / 36 in.
Across 28 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.7, the LEXININ 14 oz / 400 g mini pick mattock is a 15 inch plastic-handled tool whose short UK reviews say it does the job and that those buyers would purchase it again. The listing gives a 38 cm handle, a head 24.5 cm long and 4 cm wide, a 653 g item weight, and a steel head it claims will not deform on stone. You assemble it from the end of the handle and then tamp the head on. The UK review texts in the sample are only a few words each, so there is no detailed account of clay, roots or a shed base. A review filed from France says the point and edge were too soft. That is not a UK review, and it does not belong in the UK rating. At about £11.39 it is the cheapest listing here, with too little review text to treat the 4.7 as a worked example.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A buyer who wants the cheapest short mattock in this set and will judge it on arrival.
Less suitable: A shed base, baked clay you have not tested, or a decision that needs review detail.
Specifications
Common questions
What is the handle made of?
The amazon.co.uk listing says plastic.
Is this a full-size pickaxe?
No. It is a short hand pick or mattock, about 38 cm, for kneeling and tight spaces. It is not the 90 cm, 5 lb class.
Across 363 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.6, the Draper 83463 is the 400 g mini mattock and pick that broke dry, clay-heavy ground for a raspberry bed when a full-size mattock was not wanted. The listing calls it strong yet lightweight, with a drop-forged, heat-treated steel head and a soft-grip fibreglass handle, and the product dimensions are 38 x 3.5 x 5.5 cm. Reviewers describe it as effective on tough roots without the weight of a long tool, balanced, and the right size for small jobs and bamboo in a limited patch. One older gardener with arthritis in the hands found it usable. It is too small for bulk bamboo removal. At least one review is only the word Broke, with no further detail, so a failure is on the record without a cause. At about £16.99 it is the best value: the highest score under £20 with at least 100 reviews.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Small beds, kneeling work and short root jobs where a 90 cm pick is too much tool.
Less suitable: A shed base, a long root run, or bulk bamboo.
Specifications
Common questions
What is the handle made of?
The amazon.co.uk listing says fibreglass.
Is this a full-size pickaxe?
No. It is a short hand pick or mattock, about 38 cm, for kneeling and tight spaces. It is not the 90 cm, 5 lb class.
Across 80 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.6, the KEILEOHO 15 inch pick mattock is the light hand tool reviewers used to break sand and hardcore for planting. One retired joiner used it on cobble edging and reported less back strain than with a spade. The listing gives a steel point and an inclined blade, a 38 cm shank, a pick length of 29 cm and a 710 g item weight, and reviewers call it light and comfortable. One account prefers it to a spade for topsoil and heavy weeding, and another used it on hedge roots. It is a small tool for restricted space, not a full-size swing. A near-identical earlier purchase arrived with the wrong size handle and was returned, so the fit is worth checking before you rely on it.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Planting holes, weeding and light roots in a tight bed, if the handle that arrives matches the head.
Less suitable: Open ground that needs a 90 cm, 5 lb swing.
Specifications
Common questions
What is the handle made of?
The amazon.co.uk listing says the handle is alloy steel.
Is this a full-size pickaxe?
No. It is a short hand pick or mattock, about 38 cm, for kneeling and tight spaces. It is not the 90 cm, 5 lb class.
Across 44 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.6, the LEXININ 15 inch garden mattock is a short fibreglass tool that short reviews call well made. One reviewer used a lot of force and loosened hard rocky soil. The listing gives an overall length of 38 cm, a pick of 29 x 4 cm, a carbon-steel head and a 700 g item weight, assembled by inserting the handle from the bottom. One reviewer found it too small for the job. Another said the pick slips, then added gaffer tape and would buy a wooden handle next time. Rust comes up in the review text often enough to count as a theme, beside a painted-finish claim on the listing. A camping bullet is not backed by a camping review in the sample.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A small rocky patch, if you can keep the head seated and you accept a short tool.
Less suitable: A long session, a damp shed if rust bothers you, or any job that needs a 5 lb head.
Specifications
Common questions
What is the handle made of?
The amazon.co.uk listing says fibreglass.
Is this a full-size pickaxe?
No. It is a short hand pick or mattock, about 38 cm, for kneeling and tight spaces. It is not the 90 cm, 5 lb class.
Across 37 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.6, the JOIKIT 15 inch pick is a plastic-handled hand tool that reviewers found handy in tight spaces, including around a felled-tree root in stony industrial fill and for laying border edging stones. The listing states a 1.5 lb steel head, a 38 cm length and a 720 g item weight, assembled by inserting the head into the handle and tightening. Reviewers also broke deep weed and bramble roots better than they expected. The head keeps falling off or working loose, and one buyer expected to secure it themselves. Another said the shaft and head do not marry well and the shaft felt thin to grip. One review places it below a Stanley or a Spear & Jackson. Only 37 reviews sit behind the 4.6.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A tight border, if you will watch the head and return the tool when it will not stay on.
Less suitable: Repeated swinging, or anyone who wants a head that stays seated without a home-made fix.
Specifications
Common questions
What is the handle made of?
The amazon.co.uk listing says plastic.
Is this a full-size pickaxe?
No. It is a short hand pick or mattock, about 38 cm, for kneeling and tight spaces. It is not the 90 cm, 5 lb class.
Does the head stay on?
More than one UK review says the head comes loose or falls off. The listing tells you to insert it and tighten it.
Across 77 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.5, the Mighty 5 lb pick axe is a full-size fibreglass tool that short reviews call well built. One reviewer found it easier on the shoulders and noted an anti-slip grip with a slight flex. The listing states a 5 lb steel head, a 90 cm handle, heat-treated drop-forged steel and a 5 year warranty, at about £31.99. When the shaft fits, reviewers seat it by striking the butt on a solid floor. One buyer could not get the shaft into the eye and discarded the head, and another’s handle end broke about five minutes into a fence-post base. The brand-name field says HENSITA while the title and manufacturer say Mighty, so the listing is not internally consistent.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A buyer who can check the eye fit on arrival and wants the stated warranty on a 5 lb pick.
Less suitable: Anyone who needs the head and shaft to marry first time, or a fence-post base you will pry.
Specifications
Common questions
What is the handle made of?
The amazon.co.uk listing says fibreglass.
How long is the handle?
The listing gives 90 cm / 36 in.
Does it arrive in one piece?
Reviews say it arrives in two parts. One buyer could not get the shaft into the eye. Another says the handle end broke within minutes on a fence-post base.
Across 242 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.3, the JEUIHAU 15 inch pick mattock is the hand tool reviewers used on sun-baked compressed ground and clay slabs in flower beds, including spots near a wall and a fence where a full-size pick felt risky. The listing states a 1.5 lb forged head, a 38 cm length and a 700 g item weight, with a fibreglass section and a softer plastic grip that you seat as an interference fit from the end of the handle. One reviewer used it for a drainage trench in a small area, and another said it was still as bought after a long digging job once that fit was seated. A reviewer calls it not for heavy-duty tasks, and another calls it very small. A loose-head theme appears in the review text, so the fit is part of the job rather than a one-time click.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Beds, borders and tight spots beside a fence, once you have seated the head and the ground stays light.
Less suitable: A shed base, or any job that needs a 5 lb swing.
Specifications
Common questions
What is the handle made of?
The amazon.co.uk listing says fibreglass, plastic and steel.
Is this a full-size pickaxe?
No. It is a short hand pick or mattock, about 38 cm, for kneeling and tight spaces. It is not the 90 cm, 5 lb class.
Across 52 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.3, the KEILEOHO two-pack is two 15 inch pick mattocks that reviewers used to dig broken brick and stones, open a small trench for a cable pipe, and loosen soil around tough weeds. The listing states steel heads, a point and an inclined blade, and a pack weight of 1.39 kg, at about £15.99. Reviewers call the tools light enough to use from a stool in a rocky garden, manageable with a weak wrist, and useful to carry while metal detecting so you can break a dry surface. One reviewer was unsure why the pack contains two. The sample has no detailed defect pattern beyond the tools being short and light, which is also why people bought them. Two small mattocks do not add up to one 5 lb pick.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Two people, or one person who wants a spare, on small rocky patches and dry crusts.
Less suitable: A shed base, or a buyer who only needed one head and will not use the second.
Specifications
Common questions
What is the handle made of?
The amazon.co.uk listing does not state a handle material.
Is this a full-size pickaxe?
No. It is a short hand pick or mattock, about 38 cm, for kneeling and tight spaces. It is not the 90 cm, 5 lb class.
Eleven amazon.co.uk pickaxe listings were scored from the figures stored for this category. The score is the star average divided by 5, multiplied by 70, plus a review-volume term capped at 30. There is no laboratory test. The top pick is the Roughneck ROU64352: the joint highest score, 97, with the larger review count, 597, at about £27.29. The best value is the Draper 83463: the highest score among listings under £20 with at least 100 reviews, at about £16.99. A higher score does not mean the tool breaks structural concrete, or that a pick is a safe way to find a cable.
Amazon star rating
70%The amazon.co.uk star average is divided by 5 and multiplied by 70. Stars in this set sit between 4.3 and 4.8.
Review volume
30%A review-volume term, capped at 30, uses the count of amazon.co.uk reviews. Hundreds of reviews outrank a high star line on a few dozen thin reviews.
This guide follows the 11 amazon.co.uk listings scored for this category. It does not add a laboratory score, a head weight the pages do not agree on, or a price from outside those listings. Head shape, length, how the head seats, and the size of the UK review file decide which listing fits the ground.
A pickaxe for a UK shopper is a steel head on a handle, used when a spade bounces off baked clay, rubble, roots or a shed base. On amazon.co.uk the word covers three heads. A railroad pick has a point and a chisel. The Roughneck ROU64352 in this set is that tool. A pick mattock has a point and a horizontal adze. The Mighty 5 lb pick mattock, and most of the 15 inch pick-mattock listings, sit in that group. A grubbing or cutter mattock has a chopping blade and an adze.
A 15 inch tool, about 400 g to 1.5 lb, is for kneeling and places a full swing will not fit. It can break dry clay in a small bed. It is not the 90 cm, 5 lb class reviewers used when a spade bounced on a shed base.
A point is a poor way to chop a mass of roots. The adze is the face that bends if you lever rock with it. A grubbing mattock is for roots and soil. A railroad pick is for hard or stony ground. Match the head before you look at the star line.
The Roughneck title says 5 lb / 2.27 kg and a specification line says 4.16 kg. Quote both. A fibreglass or plastic shaft will not swell like hickory, so soaking it will not seat a loose head. Seat a two-piece tool by striking the butt, and stop if the eye will not take the shaft.
Point and chisel for hard or stony ground. A pick mattock, point plus horizontal adze, for mixed digging and stones. A cutter or grubbing mattock, chopping blade plus adze, for roots and soil. Roughneck’s own guide and Travis Perkins both draw that line. In this set the Roughneck ROU64352 is the railroad pick. The Mighty 5 lb pick mattock, and most of the 15 inch pick-mattock listings, put a point beside an adze. The Mighty Products 5 lb tool is the grubbing mattock.
A 90 cm, 5 lb tool is the class that breaks ground in this set. A 15 inch tool, about 38 cm and about 400 g to 1.5 lb, is for kneeling, borders and places a full swing will not fit. Draper states that the mini is for where a full-size tool is impractical. The Draper 83463 is 400 g at about £16.99 with 363 reviews. The JEUIHAU, KEILEOHO, LEXININ and JOIKIT listings are the same short class, with thinner files and, on several of them, a head that works loose.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
Your spade bounced on drought clay, rocks or the ground under a shed. You want one full-size railroad pick and you can handle a heavy two-handed swing. The Roughneck ROU64352 is 4.8 from 597 reviews at about £27.29. The title and a specification line disagree on head weight, and the sample reviews stay with clay, rocks, roots and slabs.
You want a short light pick for a border, not a 90 cm swing. The Draper 83463 is a 400 g mini mattock and pick, about 38 cm, at about £16.99, with 4.6 from 363 reviews. It is the best value in this set. It is too small for a shed base or a long root run.
You want a chopping face beside a point, for bramble, flint and hard clay, and you can swing a 5 lb head. The Mighty Products grubbing mattock is 4.8 from 436 reviews at about £34.74, on a 90 cm fibreglass handle. One review says the steel head bent on bamboo roots, and it is not a pry bar.
In this set of 11 amazon.co.uk listings, the top pick is the Roughneck ROU64352 at about £27.29, with 4.8 from 597 reviews and a score of 97. It is the full-size railroad pick reviewers used when a spade bounced. The best value is the Draper 83463 at about £16.99, with 4.6 from 363 reviews: a 400 g mini for beds, not a substitute for the 90 cm tool. The Mighty Products grubbing mattock is the full-size option when you want a chopping face as well as a point. None of these scores is a laboratory test, and none of these tools is shown breaking structural concrete.
Roughneck ROU64352 pick axe, 5 lb
Joint highest score at 97, with the larger review file: 4.8 from 597 reviews, at about £27.29, for a full-size railroad pick.
Draper 83463 mini mattock and pick, 400 g
Highest score among listings under £20 with at least 100 reviews: 94, at about £16.99, with 4.6 from 363 reviews.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk figures stored for this category, checked in October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the display figures. A higher score is not a laboratory result, and it is not a mark that the tool is safe near buried cables.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk (tag pcuk26-21). If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the UK listing figures stored for this category. We did not laboratory-test these pickaxes.
