Japanese trowel

[ImNotReallyHere]

Hope someone can help me. A couple of years ago on a Christmas thread, people were recommending a Japanese trowel that was very good. I’m looking to buy one for my mum’s birthday but can’t for the life of me remember what brand it was. Any ideas? You could also buy a sheath for it as it’s sharp. My mum’s now in her late 80s but enjoys gardening so thought something sharp would make life easier.

You mean a hori hori knife?

https://www.niwaki.com/s-type-hori-hori/?sku=P00658-1

https://labourandwait.co.uk/products/japanese-hori-hori-knife?variant=32224597671994&country=GB&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&srsltid=AfmBOoqRCZkHur8KpNGZEIQm98LuRyIOGmwKwyC35dhN3CLK5x12_KJAJU0
This one? I got one for DH and he uses it all the time.

I wonder if the people who bought them two years ago have remembered to sharpen them

I've had mine for 15 years at least and never had to sharpen it. And for around the first 5 years my job was gardening, it came with me every day when I took over a community garden and it hangs in the entrance of my poly tunnel and I use it to plant, weed, chop up large roots for the compost, bang large clay lumps apart...pretty much everything.

I have one, use it all the time, and hardly ever use a regular trowel.

Whenever I garden I use a trowel and secateurs, these are pretty much the only equipment I ever use so I’m wondering if this could replace them both with one tool? Hopefully I’d be less likely to lose it as I’m always leaving one of my two tools behind somewhere!

@Treviarpelli You’d need secateurs as well. I love my hori hori but it’s only good for rough chopping. It’s no good for proper pruning of roses etc.

Mines about three years old and I use it two or three times a week and I’ve never needed to sharpen it. It’s got a serrated edge on one side.

If your mum is in her late 80's and has never used a hori-hori knife before, it might not be a good idea to let her use something quite so razor-sharp.