Spear Head Spade 40" with D-grip Model SHFD3

Description

Most shovels are built to move loose material. The SHFD3 is built for the harder job: opening ground that doesn't want to open. Its spear-shaped blade is pre-sharpened from tip to tail, so steady foot pressure slides it through sod, clay, and roots that stop a flat-edged spade cold. About 600,000 of these spades are out working in gardens right now, most of them bought on a neighbor's say-so. We're a family business, and that's still our favorite kind of advertising.

Ranked #1 for Shovels and Spades by Better Homes and Gardens, 2025. Our Double Patented blade profile makes your toughest digging up to 80 percent easier.

Why the point matters

A conventional garden spade meets the soil with its full width at once, so your effort spreads across the whole edge. A spear point concentrates that same effort into one place. The blade penetrates first, then the sharpened shoulders slice outward as it sinks, cutting roots wherever they cross the edge instead of bouncing off them. In rocky ground, the point slips past stones that stop a wide, flat edge outright.

The steel matters as much as the shape. We use high carbon manganese steel that is about 33 percent thicker and 25 percent harder than standard shovel steel, beveled and sharpened tip to tail at a 35 degree angle. The epoxy coating is designed to wear away at the edges first, so ordinary digging keeps exposing sharpened steel instead of dulling it.

Built for bodies that have done this a while

Most of our customers are somewhere between 45 and 75, and they didn't buy this spade to work harder. They bought it because a sharp blade does the work their knees and back used to do. Stand close, set the ball of your foot on the wide, forward-bent footrest, and let your body weight press the blade home. No jumping, no stomping.

The handle is steel-reinforced fiberglass, far lighter than solid steel and stronger than the work will ever ask of it, topped with a cushioned, UV-resistant D-grip that lets you steer without clenching. It will survive your garden.

What it handles

Roots. The point finds the gap and the sharpened shoulders cut what's in the way, from perennial mats to the woody roots you hit digging planting holes.

Clay. Where flat edges skate off compacted clay, the point starts a cut and the bevel wedges it open.

Edging. The tip draws a crisp line, and the smooth blade leaves a clean face on beds and borders.

Transplanting. Circle a shrub with four or five presses and lift a tidy root ball, cut rather than torn.

Three colors, chosen on purpose

The SHFD3 comes in Red, Lavender, and Yellow, and not just for looks. A bright spade is easy to spot leaning in a bed or lying in tall grass at the end of a long afternoon, so it gets found and put away instead of lost. The colors also make this the most gifted tool we sell, for Mother's Day, retirements, and new gardens alike. If you're buying for a gardener you love, pick the color that looks like them.

Specs

Spec	SHFD3
Overall length	40 inches
Blade	9 x 11 inch spear point
Blade steel	High carbon manganese steel, approx. 33% thicker and 25% harder than standard shovels
Edge	Pre-sharpened tip to tail at a 35 degree bevel
Weight	About 2 lb
Handle	Steel-reinforced fiberglass
Grip	Cushioned, UV-resistant D-grip
Footrests	Forward-bent, on both shoulders
Weight	4.5 lb
Colors	Red, Lavender, Yellow
Price	$60

Which Spear Head is right for you?

SHFD3 (this one). The 40 inch D-grip all-rounder. If you're buying one Spear Head, start here.

SHLF2, 58 inch long handle. The same blade with maximum leverage and minimal bending, a favorite of taller gardeners and anyone whose back files complaints. Restocks early August.

SHMini, 30 inch precision spade. A smaller blade for raised beds, containers, and dividing in tight quarters. A companion tool, not a replacement. Restocks early August.

Garden Kneeler. A ten dollar cushioned foam pad, because knees matter as much as backs.

Questions we hear a lot

What is a spade head shovel? It's what most people mean when they search that phrase: a digging spade with a pointed, spear-shaped head instead of a flat or rounded scoop. The point is what lets it penetrate hard ground and cut roots on the way down.

Is a D handle garden spade better than a long handle spade? Neither is better; they fit different bodies and jobs. The D-grip gives you control and a natural stance for bed work and transplanting. A long handle gives more leverage with less bending. If you're unsure, most gardeners start with the D-grip.

Will a pointed spade shovel cut through tree roots? It cuts the roots you meet in normal digging, including woody ones, because the shoulders are sharpened, not just the tip. It's a digging tool first, though. For felling-sized roots, reach for an axe or a saw.

How do I keep the edge sharp? Mostly, just dig. The coating wears at the edges first to keep exposing sharpened steel. When the edge eventually dulls, a minute or two with an ordinary mill file restores the 35 degree bevel.

Further reading: How to Cut Through Roots When Digging, the guide this spade was built to star in.