•• What it is ••
The Garden Claw Gold is a gardening tool with 4 tines ( a claw) at the end attached to a long stem with angular handles.

•• Features and Commentary ••
Out of the box, there is a little assembly required. Being a man, I was up to the task. Especially since it consisted of only 3 pieces. The handle attaches to the long stem and the claw unit attaches to the other end. A small bolt and nut hold it together. The first thing to notice is that the height is adjustable. There are several notches you can use to adjust for different sized people. Being 6 feet tall, I have mine set for the highest setting. I still find I need to hunch over a little to really dig in, but I'd have to anyway to put my weight into the task.

The Garden Claw Gold is actually somewhat attractive. While I'm not about to rush out and buy a marriage license (I'm already married), it is a good looking tool with gold handles, a bright blue stem and gold claws. And if you aren't attracted to it, then you might feel threatened by it since the tines are thick and menacing. They aren't sharp at all, so this tool won't work for any tasks that require stabbing other people. Sorry.

The basic use of this thing, is to stick it into the ground and twist. Thankfully, the handles are slightly cushioned and angled in such a way that twisting it is the same motion as turning a steering wheel. So jam the claw into whatever substance you want to, er, claw and then twist. The angled claw will dig its way in and the pulling up will uproot whatever it is you are torturing. This is the basic use for weeding, aerating, and mining for coal.

I used mine extensively this summer when I decided to try my hand at compost. For those who don't know what compost is, it is basically rotting vegetation. Yummy! Actually plants do find it yummy and it's a great way to recycle table scraps, lawn clippings, leaves etc. And make your own compost and you don't need to buy it from the store. so I tried to make compost and instead ended up with a stinky, swampy mess of nastiness spawned directly from the toilet of Satan. However, despite my composting failure (Exactly how does one screw up letting things rot?), I diligently stirred the compost on a semi-weekly basis. The Garden Claw Gold worked wonderfully for that process as I was able to really turn the compost and give it oxygen. The claws gently lifted the muck and I didn't break my back doing it like i would have a shovel. I'm still trying to get the Garden Claw Gold to forgive me for making it do that task.

As well, we also put in a lawn. That means I spread topsoil by hand (or by rake). But after letting the big piles of topsoil sit, they tended to compact themselves. So my wife stood on top of the topsoil and used the Garden Claw Gold to loosen the topsoil so I could easily spread it. Worked like a champ. I also used it to uproot rocks, many many rocks. And when I put my weight into it it was able to dig in and pull weeds I couldn't pull by hand. I mean, these were big weeds. Weedzilla was no match for my claw.

Once the grass was in place I was able to use the garden claw to aerate the soil. The difference here is that you don't twist the claw or you will lift up the turf. Instead, twist it back out like you're unscrewing something and it will leave little holes for aeration. Then fertilize and water and you'll have one happy lawn. Well, if lawns were capable of emotion, that is.

The construction of the Garden Claw Gold is fantastic. It is thick and solid. The entire thing is made of steel, probably stainless as I've left it outside in the rain all winter with no sign of rust. I've hit many many rocks and they seemed to rattle my teeth on impact with no damage to the claw. This is a brute of a tool and there is no task that I'd be afraid to use it for. Maybe not for picking my teeth. But that's because it's been in the compost.

•• Conclusion ••
At under $30, the Garden Claw Gold is a must-have for any gardener. If you don't think you need it, try one and you'll wonder how you gardened without it before.

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Recommended:
Yes