Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

D grip or T handle on a spade

Updated: 21 October 2026

You are choosing the top of the shaft, not the socket. A D grip or T handle is a question about your hand, your gloves, and how the joint is made. It does not tell you whether the taper is straight or bent. Peter F. used the amazon.co.uk rows on the [spade handle comparison](/hub/digging-tools/spade-handle) in October 2026. There was no comfort trial. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. If you are not sure what broke, shaft versus grip is the [spade handle buying guide](/hub/digging-tools/spade-handle/sub/spade-handle-buying-guide).

You are choosing the top of the shaft, not the socket. A D grip or T handle is a question about your hand, your gloves, and how the joint is made. It does not tell you whether the taper is straight or bent. Peter F.

Our top picks

Faithfull Faithfull T-handle straight taper, 71 cm

Best overall

Faithfull Faithfull T-handle straight taper, 71 cm
9.0/10about £13.24
View offer
Toolzone Toolzone D-handle and shaft, 80 cm

Best value

Toolzone Toolzone D-handle and shaft, 80 cm
8.8/10about £7.99
View offer
Faithfull Faithfull MYD straight taper, 71 cm

Rank 3

Faithfull Faithfull MYD straight taper, 71 cm
8.6/10about £18.70
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Three hilts, not two
  2. 2.Hands, gloves, and force
  3. 3.How the joint is held
  4. 4.Which listing matches which hilt

Three hilts, not two

A D, which listings also call a Y or YD, is a closed loop. One hand sits inside it. Faithfull’s plastic Y is stated at 120 mm across. A timber T is a bar across the end so both hands can push. On the Faithfull T shafts that bar is stated at 130 mm. A metal Y is a metal loop with an ash grip, again about 120 mm, on the same 710 mm straight ash pattern. It is the heavier-duty hilt in this set, not a longer handle. QWORK and Amtech are plastic Ds for a sound shaft of about 32 mm. POHOVE is a metal D for a shaft near 1.3 inch. They have no taper. If the wood has snapped, that is a shaft, which the buying guide already separates. A grip that is screwed or glued on is the one that works loose.

Hands, gloves, and force

A YD is uncomfortable when the hand is small or large for the loop. A T suits putting force through the tool and a wider range of hand sizes. A D has to clear a gloved hand. You can get a second hand onto a D by gripping the shaft below the loop. You do not get two hands inside the loop. If you dig in winter gloves and the plastic Y will not pass them, the T still lets you push. Habit is a fair reason to stay with the hilt you use well. It is a poor reason to ignore a joint held by a single pin. The hilt does not move the socket. That geometry is straight or bent taper.
Faithfull Faithfull T-handle straight taper, 71 cm

Testsieger

Faithfull Faithfull T-handle straight taper, 71 cm
9.0/10about £13.24
View offer

How the joint is held

A plastic D on these shafts is meant to be riveted to the wood. Reviewers still find a plastic Y that rocks until they add a screw or varnish the shaft. Amtech’s red grip shattered in one review when the spade fell over. Plastic is the part that fails in sun and in a knock. A timber T fails at the bar: reviews describe a staple, a panel pin, or a dab of glue. Take the T off, glue it, and dowel it before you dig. That sequence is on how to replace a spade handle. The metal Y avoids the plastic loop. It does not avoid a rivet at the socket, and at about £18.70 it is the dearest full shaft here, against about £12.96 for the Faithfull plastic Y straight. You are paying for the hilt, not for a measured safety claim.

Which listing matches which hilt

For a timber T on a straight socket, the Faithfull straight T at about £13.24, 4.5 from 729 reviews, is the top pick, with the staple-joint caveat. For a plastic D on FSC ash, the Faithfull PYD straight at about £12.96, 4.4 from 990 reviews, is the plain loop. The Toolzone shaft at about £7.99 is the cheaper plastic D when you do not need named ash. Skip all three if the socket is bent. For a bent socket the set offers a Faithfull plastic Y at about £15.26 and a Faithfull timber T at about £13.99, with only 60 reviews on the bent T. There is no bent metal Y. For a sound shaft, QWORK at about £6.99 is the crowded 32 mm plastic D. None of these hilts changes the taper you need.

Common questions

Which hilt if I wear gloves?
Choose a T if the glove will not pass through the D. A D has to clear the hand you actually use, including a glove. A 120 mm plastic Y that fits a bare hand can still be the wrong loop in January. A T lets both hands push from either side of the bar.
Can I put both hands on a D?
Not inside the loop. One hand fills the D. The other hand holds the shaft lower down. A T is the hilt built so both hands sit on the top and push together. If that is how you already dig, the D will feel short of a handhold.
Why do T-handles come off?
On these Faithfull listings the bar is often held by one staple, a panel pin, or weak glue. Reviews include joints that were loose on arrival and bars that came off in the hand. Glue and dowel the T before you rely on it. A timber T can be repaired. A cracked plastic D usually cannot.
Is a plastic grip enough if the shaft is sound?
Yes, if you have measured about 32 mm for a QWORK or Amtech loop, or about 30 mm for the unrated generic grip, and you will drill and pin it. It is the wrong part when the shaft is snapped. Plastic remains the piece that can shatter if the spade falls.
Does the hilt change the taper I need?
No. D, T, and metal Y all exist, in this set, on shafts that are either straight or bent, and the metal Y is straight only. Match the socket first. The hilt is the second choice, for the hand and for the joint you are willing to check.

Related pages

Best spade handle

Spade handle

Replacement spade handle: shaft, grip, then socket

How to replace a spade handle: seat it, then rivet

Straight or bent taper spade handle: match the socket

Sources

Public UK sources listed in the research digest, retrieved 20 October 2026. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk listing lines for these ASINs.

  1. BS 3823:1990, grading of ash and hickory handles (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. Faithfull ash PYD handle, straight taper, 28 in (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. Faithfull ash MYD handle, straight taper, 28 in (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. Faithfull ash T-handle, straight taper, 28 in (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. Pipestock replacement handles (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. HSE INDG143, manual handling at work (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. Conservation Handbooks, replacing hafts on socketed tools (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 20 October 2026)