5 Stars

Great when soil is too heavy/hard for Leonard soil knife

I have both a Leonard soil knife and a Lesche soil knife on my garden work belt. The Lesche is the tool I reach for when the soil is too heavy for the Leonard. The offset provides great leverage. The one piece design does not bend. The wide guard means my hand does not slip forward - unlike the Leonard with a bump for a hand guard. I broke a Leonard soil knife when I tried to turn some of our really heavy/hard soil - now I use the Leonard in pre worked beds (Leonard replaced it). One person commented about the teeth direction on the Lesche. The teeth are pointed forward for cutting on the push stroke, as one pushes the knife into the ground. The slots are angled back, unlike the Leonard soil knife where the teeth are straight, perpendicular to the blade. With the Leonard one can saw the soil in either direction. With the Lesche when I want to edge/cut sod, I turn it at an angle and push. Remember whittling - you are supposed to push the knife away. If I "need a bigger soil knife" then I use a Sampson Ground Shark - T18 for 18", T31 for 31" or DHG for the King of Spades Ground Shark.