The handle

Almost every hoe sold in Australia is fitted with a handle which is too short for comfortable, ergonomic work. Ignore this section if you are under five foot tall. If you are taller than that, check your hoe in the field. You should be able to work with the hoe with a straight back - almost impossible with a chopping hoe, but even here there should be a minimal amount of lean in order to make the tool work.

I replace the handles, or better still buy the hoe and handle separately and fit them myself.
For chopping hoes the blade must also be strong, to be able to withstand hand work in the soil. I call the smaller, light weight hoes ‘chipping’ hoes, rather then chopping hoes, and they are fine for light garden work.

It is also useful to have very short handled hoes, which can be used when on your knees. I have a chip hoe, three prong hoe, single prong hoe and a disc hoe with short handles and they all have their use for different functions. The strong stainless steel single prong is especially useful for chasing stolons or runners, and hooking down deep into soil.

I still like the concept of wolf tools too, although they are harder to find these days. Wolf tools were produced with removable working heads and three handle legths, long, short and very short. This means two people in the family can use one tool, even if they are very different in height, and it can be used in the kneeling position with the very short handle.