Why Sneeboer garden tools are worth the wait (and the investment)
You know the adage – good things come to those who wait. This is probably never truer than with Sneeboer garden tools because...
- they take a while to make because they are all made by hand.
- they take a while to get in stock because they are in huge demand.
- they are an investment - meaning you either may need to save up, or to wait for a special occasion (like a birthday) to receive one as a gift.
But why wait so long, or invest your money in a Sneeboer garden tool when you could pop along to a garden centre or shop and immediately pick up a cheap trowel, spade, fork or hoe? Well, here are our thoughts:
Why should I invest in a Sneeboer garden tool?
The quality is absolutely amazing. This is because Sneeboer are a 4th generation family business who make all their tools themselves in the Netherlands. Sneebeor tools are all hand forged - with the knowledge and skills that they have been accumulating since 1913.
The tools all feel substantial, and you can physically feel the quality - which is what you are investing in. This is obviously a problem when you’re buying something online, because you can’t feel it for yourself – but trust us – they just feel quality and will make your other tools feel light weight (in all ways) in comparison. They are all stainless steel (so there are no issues of rust) and they have sharpened edges which means you can really get into hard soil easily (which is particularly good for gardeners such as us who have to battle with heavy clay soil).
This quality has to be valued over a lifetime – so you don’t just buy a Sneeboer tool, you invest in one. Meaning that the lifetime cost becomes a lot more accessible. We came to stock Sneeboer because we had a spate of breaking tools (spades and trowels snapping from their handles, or the tines of forks bending). Whilst we’ve only been testing and using our Sneebeor tools for a few years, Sneeboer do offer a warranty as their motto is ‘tools made to last’. So – let’s work it out – a ‘standard’ trowel from Sneeboer (the Transplanting trowel) costs just under £50. Yes – this is an investment as you could pick up a ‘cheap’ trowel for a fiver or spend, say, £25 to get a ‘good’ one. If you are an active gardener who uses their tools frequently then it’s highly likely that any trowel that costs you less than £5 will be in the bin before a year or two. ‘Good’, mid-range garden tools – such a £25 trowel – may or may not be working in 5 or 10 years. We’ve certainly broken our fair share and from talking with a lot of other gardeners, it’s a common story. If you invest in a Sneeboer trowel, after 5 years of gardening, it will have cost you £10 per year and is guaranteed to still be going strong. After 10 years, it’ll have cost you £5 per year – which equates to buying one poor quality tool and throwing it away each year. Buying once, buying well and maintaining your tools is better for your bank balance in the long run, better for your gardening (as the tools will make the tasks easier and more enjoyable) and better for the environment. It really is a three-way win.
Why are they in such demand and why is stock so hard to find?
We know – from our own customers – that professional gardeners really rate Sneeboer garden tools as they need garden tools they can rely on. Also, if you’re a fan of Gardener’s World - you’ll often see Sneeboer tools in use by Monty Don or Adam Frost – indeed, the phrase ‘Monty Don trowel’ is a popular one if you type it into google… (and in case you are wondering, the one he often uses is the Old Dutch Style Planting Trowel)…
Remember, Sneeboer hand make all their tools in their forge. So there’s a limited supply (they can’t simply add more to the Chinese factory production run – unlike other garden tool manufacturers). This creates a limit to how many they can produce in a ‘normal’ year. Add to this the restrictions that Covid has put on their production (the forge which had four people around it, had to socially distance to two people). Oh, and more demand because of the Covid lockdown gardening surge. A perfect storm really – meaning that orders have backlogged and the company works its hardest to keep up and keep supply coming.
Our 2021 Christmas order, which should have been with us in September, is due to arrive soon – hopefully before, or in March. But that only brings us back to our opening title – good things really do come to those who wait. Is it worth it? Yes! If you are super keen to know as soon as they arrive and go onto a waiting list – then just drop us an email…