I LOVE old tools. I have a scoop shovel that I bought at a yard sale last year that must be 100 years old...solid oak hand carved handle. I don't use it; it's for decoration. But a lot of the older tools I have, have been in use in someone's garden for at least 75 years. In fact, just yesterday, after decades of service, my triangle headed hoe's wooden handle finally broke down near the tang. When I tried to get a replacement handle, I was appalled. Instead of oak, pine, and so slender you just know it's going to split the minute I hammer that big old square tanged hoe head into it. I'd rather fix an old tool than buy a new one. I've got a "digging fork" that I bought a few years back and the tines bent about the 4th time I stuck it into the ground. I've got a "border spade" (small blade on a short handle) that some modern genius decided the D handle should be made of rubber that BENDS when you push down on it. That went in the trash. Can't tell you how many secateurs (snips) I've bought, got a year's use and trashed...but I have a good old pair at least 30 years old that are still going strong. Every yard sale I stop at I look for old garden/hand tools. They're the best.
