Fiskars 60" Steel Posthole Digger, Long-Handled Construction and Yard Tool, Digger Tool and Garden Tiller for Soil for Fence or Post Installation

Nice tool. Gets you a lot deeper than a standard post hole digger. Sturdy construction and not super heavy with the extra length you get. I would by another that was taller so when you get to the depth of this one you can switch to the taller tool to not have to bend over so far to reach the bottom of the hole. I would buy this tool again

This works so much better than a conventional post hole digger I can't believe no one thought of it sooner or they are not all like this now. It is a brilliant invention. It allows deep holes with straight sides resulting in much less dirt needing to be removed for a deep hole and a much stronger post that a normal digger that forces a V shaped hole. I purchased it 12 years ago, but visited again because I was looking for it to recommend to a friend. So this has lasted me 12 years and still going strong. Also, amazingly that the prices has barely gone up in 12 years. Well worth the money.

This is the first time I have used this post hole digger design and I must say it works very well for my current post hole digging project (32 holes at 4 feet deep and 10 inches in diameter - no more or less. In the past I have been able to get away with the tried-and-true conventional post hole digger-style boring holes no more than 2 feet but with my current project's diameter constraint of 10 inches and 4 feet deep the conventional style diggers just won't cut it as the hole diameter would obviously have to be much wider to accommodate the spread of the handles while 'trapping' dirt. ~ The pivot is completely welded to the handle so no dealing with loose bolts/nuts which is a nice change! However, for me I immediately put my digger in the ground from taking it out of the box and realized that it was extremely difficult to move the handles to dig - very stiff! After about 15-20 minutes of continuous use it loosened up nicely (NOTE: obviously this is highly subjective. I'm a big guy so what I find as being suitable in terms of how 'difficult' it is to open-and-close this digger may not work for you. It is still slightly stiff for me to use but I find it suitable). If you would rather start your digging with a conveniently usable digger I highly recommend spending a few minutes opening and closing the digger to wear it in so hopefully it is much easier to use. I will say that opening and closing will still require more 'work' than your typical nut-and-bolt hinged digger so be prepared to exert more energy when using this! ~ Another great thing about this digger design is the fact that the handles do not come together; I have experienced no knuckle-smashing with this one. That's great seeing as I have a huge tendency to bring the handles together aggressively and bash my knuckles while digging with the conventional digger design. ~ With the all-steel construction this digger is much heavier than my conventional fiberglass-handled digger! I'm not complaining but just something I personally noticed. It may be a little heavier as mentioned but I'll take the quality of the construction over the fact that I have to take an extra break here-and-there. I have read old reviews of their Fiskars diggers bending and breaking but I can at least say that after digging 3 holes to 4 feet deep I haven't experienced this. Did Fiskars update their design to accommodate for this? Not sure. If I experience any of this I will update my review to let others know. ~ Lifetime warranty ~ This obviously has the same straight-blade design as with many diggers - the ends of the blades leave an opening when fully clenched which means dry, loose soil will be difficult to grab and retain. Not sure why I have read other reviews of people complaining about this when this has been the case for decades. For my projects and if your project permits just add a little water to the hole. This digger has performed well for me thus far. If I experience any issues I'll update this review accordingly. I highly recommend this digger if you are particularly in need of digging deep holes and don't feel like renting/buying a motored post hole digger. ------------------- UPDATE 10/22/14 ------------------------ I dug 22 holes at 4'+ deep in very rocky ground and this digger took a beating let me tell you! The digger looks like it went through a war zone. After using the digger for awhile the 'stiffness' of opening and closing it became MUCH easier over time; it even now squeaks when I open and close mine - no big deal. The 'stiffness' of opening-and-closing the digger does have an advantage in that you don't have to aggressively keep the blades together when trying to bring your payload up from 4' deep! Just close the blades and bring up the digger from the hole. After having completed 22 holes, how it stood up to a beating and how it made my life easier I highly recommend this digger! ------------------ UPDATE 11/25/14 --------------------------- I have completed my project; 32 holes each 4' down and ~10" in diameter in very rocky ground. This post hole digger stood up to a huge beating. Everything about this digger is in good shape and is still working. Very impressed!

I built 100 ft of 6 1/2 ft high fence and dug every hole myself with this post hole digger. Each hole was 42 inches deep. I'm a petite woman and had no problem digging those holes with the Fiskars 9653 post hole digger. The design is WAY better than the traditional digger. This digger allows you to get much deeper because of the crossed bar design. The construction is also top quality. It held up great. It was so comfortable to use and I would have no reservations digging post holes by hand again with this item for another fence. Was it slower going than using a power auger? Of course, but it was much more accurate. I was able to make narrower holes, thus being able to use less concrete around the posts. It's also a heck of a lot quieter and less intimidating to use than a power auger. I LOVE this item! Also, make sure you have a breaker bar to dislodge any big rocks you may find while you are digging.

Not a bad post hole digger,... extra long handle, pivots in the middle....

The curved handle, both at the top and at the bottom, is a wonderful design innovation. The traditional design of posthole diggers requires the top of the hole to become ever wider as you dig deeper, but this design allows for holes with vertical sides, so there is less dirt to remove. And also, when the post is finally placed into the hole, the space that must be filled back in with dirt is smaller, allowing for easier tamping down and for a firmer placement in the hole. I bought my model in 2007 and I installed fences on three sides of our lot with it. Last week I decided to add two more sixteen-foot lengths to my fence, requiring two more holes for posts, and this tool again worked very efficiently. It is well worth the extra cost over a traditional-design posthole digger.

I was a little worried about the design putting too much pressure at the hinge on this thing, but I'm happy to say it was not an issue. The open handle design was also a concern, but after you dig the first hole you will have adjusted, and appreciate not busting your knuckles. If you are used to smacking the handles together to knock off the dirt sticking to the blades then you will be unhappy. I got around this when clay stuck by just dropping the blades into the ground to dislodge the clay. I also read in the reviews that someone complained about the metal bending and making the tool worthless. I have a guiding principle that will prevent such a thing from happening, "Work smarter, not harder". I hit hard clay and used water to soften up the clay, and then dropped this sharp and heavy post hole digger into the water filled hole about 15 times. It basically turned the clay into wet mud that could be easily taken out of the hole. Prior to doing this I tried to brute through the hard clay and my elbow joints did not like it. Knew there had to be a better way and found it. This is a post hole digger, not a pick, not a pry bar, not a jackhammer. If you use it in the conditions it was designed for it will work great. Last thoughts are it is heavy and it is tall, both of which were great for a 6 foot man who wanted to quickly dig postholes 32 inches deep and not have to be on his knees or stooping over and breaking his back.

I hesitated ordering this based on some of the reviews, however I am so glad I bought this. In West Texas the soil is hard and clay filled. I had to change out a few wooden fence posts that had deteriorated, and I was tired of borrowing my neighbor's post hole digger. I can't say enough about this and I'd like to address some of the bad things I read in reviews. Some people complained it was heavy - Well, the thing is ALL steel, so it might be a pound heavier, but not much more than a durable fiberglass handled one. The weight comes in handy though in tough soils as the extra momentum helps cut through the clay soils we have here. It went through them like butter. Some people complained it wasn't sharp - Well, that cuts both ways. If you sharpen it more, you make a thinner edge which can bend or break easier. I left it just the way it was out of the box. I didn't want to mess up the powder-coat paint. It cut through sod without an issue, and though it's probably not the best practice, it also sliced through marbled concrete from the previous post installations. No sledgehammer or pry bar needed. This thing punched through it and barely scratched the paint. Some people complained about not lifting as much dirt - Well, I thought that at first until I realized the scoops are designed to fill themselves as you slam the shovel into the hole. In most cases I did not have to open the handles to lift the dirt. It sort of packed itself full and lifted out. What I loved the most was the offset handles. No more busted knuckles, and it gives you so much more directional control than the standard design. It also provided an interesting way to wedge your arm into the lift when trying to pull out a big chunk of concrete. The only thing I can't answer is durability. Will it last a hundred holes, two hundred, or twenty. I don't know. I can say it cleared out three pre-existing fence posts better than any diggers I have used before and it still looks like new. I love it.

I've been wanting to set some posts on our 2 acre property for a few years but never saw anything for sale locally that was different than those heavy, knuckle-banging, unimaginative and common diggers. I put off doing the work in hopes retailers would improve their offering. My mother bought a house recently and we needed a gate installed so she could baby-sit our dog on occasion. Instead of hiring out digging the post holes because the ones commonly sold were too heavy for me to want to buy, I decided to search down an ergonomic tool and order it in online if I had to. I could no longer find the ergonomic tool I saw years ago and have wanted for some time, instead, I could only find this digger. Our Canadian Home Depot was not able to order it in for us even though they sell Fiskars products so I decided to order online, something I choose to do infrequently. This Fiskars post hole digger was also cheaper at Amazon.ca than Fiskars offers it online, themselves. The order came quickly and trouble-free so this experience was good as far as ordering and paying online was concerned. The post holes dug like a dream! I am a cancer survivor and my joints, bones and muscles have not recovered from chemo damage, I need to use tools that make a job easier. What a great tool! I won't say it made the digging effortless but it did make the digging easy. I wish I ordered this tool online years ago!

I dig many post holes each year. Usually I use an auger but often I need to do them by hand or clean out the augered holes. Over the last 35 years I have tried many different types and I have had the most success with these. For some reason they stopped selling them in Canada (or at least southern Ontario). I jumped at the opportunity to by them when I saw them on line. They were pricey so I was really happy when I saw them the next time for 50% off. That price was much more reasonable. They are a tool which is used very aggressively so they will break. The problem I have with them is that there isn't really a quick fix for them when they break. Mine are used for a business so I realize they are a 'cost of doing business'. I think for someone who does not use them as often they should last a long time.

I was pleasantly surprised how well this works. Our land is rocky - it’s hard to dig with a shovel. The hole digger made putting fence posts into the ground much easier. Usual Fiskars quality.

This is the best post hole digger, you don't bang your hands while using it, so you can go deeper. Also, very hardy construction in steel. I would recommend this item.

excellent post hole digger. blades are exceptionally sharp and seem to hold their edge. be warned - one of the things that make these so effective is their hefty weight; their weight is a huge benefit going down *into* the soil, but that weight becomes a potential liability heaving it back up.