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Straight or bent taper on a spade handle

Updated: 21 October 2026

The head is still in the shed, and the new shaft has to follow it. A straight or bent taper spade handle is a socket decision. Trade lines about leverage in tough soil do not override the metal you already own. Peter F. used the Faithfull pairs on the [spade handle comparison](/hub/digging-tools/spade-handle) in October 2026, plus how UK trade sellers separate the two shapes. He did not measure your fork. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Whether you need a shaft at all is the [spade handle buying guide](/hub/digging-tools/spade-handle/sub/spade-handle-buying-guide).

The head is still in the shed, and the new shaft has to follow it. A straight or bent taper spade handle is a socket decision. Trade lines about leverage in tough soil do not override the metal you already own. 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 T-handle bent taper, 71 cm

Rank 3

Faithfull Faithfull T-handle bent taper, 71 cm
8.6/10about £13.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Straight and bent are socket shapes
  2. 2.How to look before you order
  3. 3.What this set actually offers
  4. 4.Dressing is not a shape change

Straight and bent are socket shapes

A straight taper runs down into the socket in one line. A bent taper, sometimes called a cranked end, turns as it enters, so the shaft arrives at the blade on a dog-leg. Faithfull’s bent-taper pages repeat the same headline sizes as the straight ones: 710 mm, a 38 mm shaft, a 25 mm end. The amazon.co.uk bullets then say the bend gives leverage in heavy or repetitive work. That is a claim about the shape. It is not a test that your socket is bent. A bent shaft in a straight mouth will not seat to the full depth. A straight shaft in a cranked mouth leaves a gap where the bend should lock. Either way the hilt will not sit parallel to the blade. Rasping is for thickness inside the same family. It is not a way to straighten a crank.

How to look before you order

Hold the old shaft, if any of it remains, at eye level from the side. A straight taper looks like a long wedge. A bent taper shows a change of direction in the last few inches before the socket. If the shaft is gone, sight through the empty collar. A straight socket is a cone you can sight along. A bent socket shows the mouth and the back of the collar out of line. Grips have no taper. A 32 mm plastic D does not repair a snapped shaft. Length will not tell the shapes apart. Both Faithfull tapers here are 710 mm. Toolzone’s 80 cm shaft is a straight end, narrowing from 35 mm to 25 mm. Some older heads are a long S, or a pair of straps. A Faithfull bent spare will not copy those.
Faithfull Faithfull T-handle straight taper, 71 cm

Testsieger

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

What this set actually offers

Faithfull sells the plastic Y and the timber T in both tapers. Straight plastic Y is about £12.96 with 4.4 from 990 reviews. Bent plastic Y is about £15.26 with 4.4 from 337 reviews. Straight timber T is about £13.24 with 4.5 from 729 reviews. Bent timber T is about £13.99 with 4.3 from 60 reviews. The stated section is 38 mm and the end is 25 mm on all four. You choose the hilt on D grip or T handle, after the socket is settled. The metal Y is straight only, at about £18.70. Toolzone’s shaft at about £7.99 is a straight end. If your socket is straight, leave the bent Faithfull rows. If your socket is bent, leave the straight top pick and the Toolzone shaft. Stars do not cross that line.

Dressing is not a shape change

A correct taper can still be fat. A spokeshave, a Surform, or a rasp takes the high spots off until the wood reaches full depth and is tight at the mouth. One Faithfull bent-taper review needed that work. One straight metal-Y shaft failed after the buyer reduced the diameter to fit a 3 cm mouth. Dressing is a series of test fits. It is not permission to whittle a bent end until it looks straight. The bend is in the grain of the blank. Once you know which taper you are holding, how to replace a spade handle is the sequence. Buy the pin with the shaft. These boxes do not include it.

Common questions

How do I tell which taper I have?
Look from the side. A straight taper is a wedge in line with the shaft. A bent taper changes direction just before the socket. If the wood is gone, sight through the empty collar: a straight cone lines up, and a bent socket shows the mouth and the back of the collar out of line. Headline length will not tell you. Both Faithfull patterns here are 710 mm.
Can I rasp a bent handle into a straight socket?
No. A rasp adjusts thickness inside the shape you bought. It does not remove the crank or create one. A bent shaft in a straight mouth will not seat properly, and a forced fit is the loose joint that snaps. Order the taper that matches the collar.
Is a bent taper always easier on the back?
The listings say the bend gives leverage in tough soil. That is the maker’s description of the shape, not a measured reduction in strain, and not a reason to fit it to a straight socket. There is no method behind comfort percentages on these pages. Match the head you own.
What if the socket is a long S or a pair of straps?
A standard straight or bent spare will not copy it. UK heads exist that are strapped or double-cranked rather than a simple cone. Do not order a Faithfull bent taper and expect it to follow an S. That is a stop, and a job for someone who can make or fit a shaft to that head.
Where do I learn the actual fitting?
On the how-to page: clear the stump, dress within the correct taper, seat to full depth with the hilt parallel to the blade, then rivet. This page only chooses the shape. The D versus T choice, if the socket is already settled, stays on the hilt page.

Related pages

Best spade handle

Spade handle

Replacement spade handle: shaft, grip, then socket

D grip or T handle spade: gloves, force, and the joint

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

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)