Debate: Are those fancy post hole diggers worth it or just a waste?

I've been putting in fence posts for about 7 years now and always used the standard clamshell diggers. Last spring on a job in Austin, my crew lead showed up with one of those expensive two-handle lever action diggers. I laughed at him honestly. Figured it was just a gimmick for guys who didn't want to get their hands dirty. But after watching him knock out 12 holes in rocky clay in like 45 minutes while I was still struggling through number three, I started to wonder. He let me try it and I gotta admit, it sliced through roots better than anything I've seen. But then I borrowed one for a week and the handle broke on the sixth hole. So now I'm split. Anyone else tried these things and have a real opinion on whether they hold up for daily use?

3 comments

3 Comments

mark_price13d ago

I read somewhere that the expensive ones are actually designed more for production work than daily abuse, which kinda tracks with your handle breaking. The cheap ones dent but the pricey ones just snap in a different way, you know?

viola_ward13d ago

Yeah, my budget just snapped in half too.

the_anthony12d ago

Viola_ward two weeks ago my expensive pair snapped right at the hinge and I nearly cried.