BoronGreen Digging Spade - RHS Endorsed by Burgon & Ball

Burgon and Ball BoronGreen Digging Spade - RHS Endorsed: £32.99*

*Price correct at time of publishing

Tested November 2025

This spade is designed for general digging, moving and turning soil, a digging spade is larger than a border spade so suited to larger digging jobs.  
My first thoughts are that the spade looks and feels very strong and of a good quality, I like the straightforward design, it’s perfectly weighted, the finish is top class and it has a 25 year guarantee! What’s not to like?

The spade is 108.5cm long overall from the top of the handle to the edge of the blade, the head is 28cm long and 19.2cm wide, it weighs 2.1kg. The Y-shaped ash handle is thermo-treated - it’s not a term I’ve come across before but Burgon and Ball say this is designed for comfort, increased durability and moisture resistance. The handle and shaft are both made from FSC Certified white ash which is sourced from sustainably managed forests. The Boron steel head is made from 80% recycled steel, all in all a very strong and sustainable tool. The shaft fits into a double-riveted strapped socket on the head which makes the whole spade super-tough, it has been load tested to 100kg which is impressive as the British standard load test is only 55kg. The head is powder coated in a distinctive green colour which helps protect from rust and it has wide comfort treads across the top which makes for easier ground penetration and saves feet and footwear from being damaged when applying pressure.

I tested the spade to dig a planting hole in a border and it performed well as expected, the sharp edge cut precisely. I also dug over an area of heavy ground on the allotment - admittedly the ground was quite wet so the soil did stick to the blade as it would with any spade but I keep a scraping tool nearby so that every so often I can remove any stubborn sticky soil.

It was a joy to use – the blade sliced through the soil easily, the handle was very smooth and comfortable to hold, the comfort treads work well and there was no fear of any sharp corners digging into my boots.

Conclusion: This is an excellent spade and I’d highly recommend it, just make sure that it’s cleaned after use and stored in a dry place.