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

Concrete poker buying guide

Updated: 21 October 2026

This buying guide covers fence posts or a shed pad, and an amazon.co.uk page full of wattage claims. The head has to pass the steel, the shaft has to reach the concrete, and the power line has to describe one machine. The six short pokers in the [concrete poker comparison](/hub/flooring-tools-and-accessories/concrete-poker) are 35 mm or 50 mm tools with about 1–2 m of hose, not 7 m site pokers. Peter F. checked the listings against public UK guidance, not in a lab. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Reach on an open trench is on [concrete poker for footings](/hub/flooring-tools-and-accessories/concrete-poker/sub/concrete-poker-foundations). The lead-versus-battery choice is on [cordless or electric concrete poker](/hub/flooring-tools-and-accessories/concrete-poker/sub/concrete-poker-cordless-or-mains).

This buying guide covers fence posts or a shed pad, and an amazon.co.uk page full of wattage claims. The head has to pass the steel, the shaft has to reach the concrete, and the power line has to describe one machine.

Our top picks

Hanchen Hanchen 1500 W 50 mm poker

Best overall

Hanchen Hanchen 1500 W 50 mm poker
8.4/10about £235.00
View offer
KATSU Tools KATSU 21 V cordless poker

Best value

KATSU Tools KATSU 21 V cordless poker
7.8/10about £69.99
View offer
Hanchen Hanchen 1080 W 35 mm poker

Alternative

Hanchen Hanchen 1080 W 35 mm poker
5.5/10about £235.00
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Start with the gap in the steel
  2. 2.Then measure the shaft against the pour
  3. 3.Then check how it is powered
  4. 4.When these pokers are the wrong purchase

Start with the gap in the steel

The first measurement is the clear gap between the bars, not the wattage in the title. Five of the six listings state a 35 mm head. The only 50 mm head is the Hanchen SY 74C, at £235.00 with a 2 m hose and a package weight of 12.8 kg. The British Ready-Mixed Concrete Association’s practical guide, July 2020, publishes a radius of about 130–250 mm for a 35–40 mm head and about 180–350 mm for a 50–75 mm head. If the narrowest gap is under about 50 mm, stay with 35 mm and accept more dips.

Then measure the shaft against the pour

Enar’s UK selection note asks for at least a metre more shaft than the depth you insert. Beside an 800 mm trench, a 1.2 m hose is already short of that rule of thumb. The KATSU bullets state 1.2 m. The Hanchen 1080 W title states 1.5 m, and its bullets also mention a 1.0 m hose. The Hanchen 50 mm, the Hocomay and the DCSYOG titles state 2 m. An ENAR 7 m × 50 mm 115 V poker, outside this set, was £1,062.35 ex VAT. If the head cannot reach the first layer, the rest of the pour sits on uncompacted concrete.
Hanchen Hanchen 1500 W 50 mm poker

Testsieger

Hanchen Hanchen 1500 W 50 mm poker
8.4/10about £235.00
View offer

Then check how it is powered

Watts come third, and only if the listing agrees what the tool is. On a building site the Health and Safety Executive prefers a battery tool or a 110 V supply centre-tapped to earth. A 230 V tool in a house wants a 30 mA RCD you have tested. The KATSU is £69.99 with no battery, and the bullets name Makita LXT packs while also saying 18 V or 21 V. The Kistrba is £109.95 and names Milwaukee M18, at 4.0 Ah or higher. The DCSYOG title says 220 V and the table says petrol. The Hocomay table says ac and an included lithium-ion battery. Leave both unresolved. The Hanchens are called electric, and neither states a plug.

When these pokers are the wrong purchase

Under £90 is the entry band here, about £110 is mid if you already own the battery, and £235 is the top of these six, not of the UK market. Hire examples in October 2026, not a tariff, run from £21.73 a day inc VAT to about £33 a day. One pour you will not repeat can be cheaper to hire. These listings give no vibration figure. The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 set an action value of 2.5 m/s² A(8) and a limit of 5 m/s² A(8).

Common questions

What diameter concrete poker do I need?
Measure the clear gap in the steel before you choose. In this set, 35 mm is five of the six tools and 50 mm is only the Hanchen at £235.00. The British Ready-Mixed Concrete Association guide gives a radius of action of about 130–250 mm for a 35–40 mm head and about 180–350 mm for a 50–75 mm head. That is the guide’s table, not a tested radius for these listings. If the cage will not pass 50 mm, the larger head is slower in practice because it never gets in.
Is 1500 W the thing to shop for?
No. Watts do not tell you the head diameter, the hose length or whether the listing is electric. Two of the 1500 W titles in this set disagree with their own technical tables about the power source. A 1080 W Hanchen and a 1500 W Hanchen share the same £235.00 shelf price, and the reviews do not follow the wattage. Shop the gap, the reach and a coherent power line, then read the watts as a claim.
Do I need a 110 V poker at home?
Not for a house socket. A 110 V site plug will not fit a 13 A outlet. At home, a 230 V tool wants a 30 mA RCD and a plug the listing actually describes. On a building site, the Health and Safety Executive prefers battery tools or 110 V centre-tapped-to-earth. Several listings here never state a voltage, so electric on the title is not yet a plug you can plan around.
What if the listing says both petrol and electric?
Treat that as unresolved and do not guess. The DCSYOG title says 220 V electric and the table says petrol. The Hocomay table says ac and also an included lithium-ion battery. Neither listing picks a winner. A 5.0 or a 4.0 from one review does not settle the clash. If you need to know what to plug in on Saturday, choose a listing that names one drive.
When is hire the better buy?
Hire is the calmer spend when the hose must pass about 2 m, when you need a known 110 V kit for a site, or when this is a single pour. October 2026 examples, not a price list, start around £22–£33 a day. Owning makes more sense when you already have the right battery, the head fits, and you will pour more than once at a depth these 1–2 m shafts can reach. It makes less sense as a £59 gamble on a page that cannot say what the motor is.

Related pages

Best concrete poker

How to use a concrete poker

Concrete poker

Cordless or electric concrete poker: lead or battery

Concrete poker for footings when the shaft is short

Sources

Sources taken from the research digest. Listings were checked in October 2026.

  1. BRMCA practical guide, July 2020 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  2. HSE hand-arm vibration for employers (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  3. Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  4. HSE construction electricity (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  5. HSE cement (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  6. Vibratechniques poker types (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  7. Enar UK selection note (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  8. Seddon Plant ENAR Spyder Pro (retrieved 20.10.2026)