The claw is useful for grabbing and pulling weeds with a long tap root.

I swung a 12 pound sledge in a previous life as a land surveyor but I don't swing anything now. Thats where I learned digging with a claw hammer while setting grade stakes. Now I use it mostly for pulling stubborn weeds.

Bower wrote: ↑Wed Jun 01, 2022 5:34 pm the one I looked at today didn't necessarily look so sharp,

If I want a sharp shovel I sharpen one with a flat file. Sharp shovels can make a big difference.

A shovel without an edge is a useless tool. Mine are kept nice and sharp and well oiled all of the time.

Three or four good ones for me.
I welded up a broadfork, similar, but stronger design than the ones sold on Johnnys for well over $200 at the time.
A colinear hoe that is shaped like a chevron - pull it back to cut off weeds.
A bamboo pole with a steel strap (from crate packaging) attached with rubber and a hose clamp - for narrow light weeding in row.
My favorite little planting shovel that I found up in a cranberry bog! The closest replacement is a diamond shaped trawl.

Most everything else, I can substitute something else.

Love our Planet Jr. vintage push plow. Great for hilling, getting rid of weeds in the row.

For serious digging I use an auger while sitting in a chair. I use a 3 x 36 inch for the more difficult tasks. If I had purchased 48 inches long I would get better reach but then it would be too long for some other tasks.
https://powerplanter.com/drills-and-aug ... ulb-auger/

I also like my 5 x 28 inch auger for blending in amendments after the soil has been prepared.

The 3 inch auger has an option for a different tip that I didn't think I needed. But I also use the 3 x 36 inch auger for some weeding while I walk around and it has a tendency to *walk*. I think the optional tip would be better for this application.
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Hmm. Let's look at what gardening tools I have at my disposal, before I decide:
- Hoses
- A shower nozzle
- Shovels
- A rake
- Trowels
- One or more hoes
- A tiller (not motorized)
- Tomato cages
- Pump sprayers (for doing foliar sprays)
- Scissors
- Pruning shears

I think I'd go for the hoses, or a shovel. They're both pretty important.

The hoses win. They're pretty good quality, and are a type where you can drink from them.

If I had to choose between a weeding hoe and a claw hammer I would choose the weeding hoe. Fortunately I don't have to choose, I have both. I have a friend who owns a landscaping company. He carries one of these around.
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I don't use too many tools in my garden since it is mostly containers and a couple of small raised beds. Weeding is pretty much non-existent in these situations. However, this year I managed to get a community garden plot and I have to say I am really loving the stirrup/oscillating/loop hoe for weeding.
I also like the wide handled Bonsai scissors for trimming.