JIM-GEM KBC Planting Bar | Heavy-Duty Alloy Steel Tree Planting Tool for Rocky, Difficult Soil | 39" Long | Blade 4 x 12 Inches | Durable | Reinforced Foot Step

The differences between the "Speedy 69048" narrow flat dibble and this classic dibble, the speedy dibble is for seemingly very loose (sandy) soil. For example, here in northeast Ohio, top 3-5 inches can be rich rooted soil with deeper than three inches or more being stiff clay. The speedy dibble didn't get further than an inch or two with full body weight. The classic dibble, includes too foot peddles for apply full body weight, allowing a rocking motion for going much deeper within the soil.The classic dibble is also a hefty 10lbs, while the speedy dibble is only a couple of pounds, and much lighter weight than the classic dibble!The classic dibble also is more so contoured for breaching stiff clay like soil, whereas the speedy dibble is very flat, and the flatness of the speedy dibble also significantly contributes to little soil depth.Although I just briefly tested the two within damp stiff clay like soil, the classic dibble looks like it may make planting seedlings with far less effort than using a narrow spade/shovel, due to weight, contours, and larger foot pedals than a shovel/spade nowadays provides.

We hosted a tree planting workshop on our property, and the pros brought several of these planting tools for the participants to use. It worked well enough in our rocky soil that we decided to get one of our own. It's pretty heavy to carry around, but my 5'2" wife has managed to use it for planting a few dozen Ponderosa pine seedlings. We intend to plant a couple hundred more trees (a big chunk of our property was torched by a wildfire), so this tool will definitely be worth the investment. FWIW, the way the pros told us to use it was to drive it into the ground, pull it toward you to open a hole, drop in the seedling, drive the tool into the ground a few inches away from the seedling, and then lever the original hole closed.

This tool will give you a workout! But it goes through dry clay, shale, weeds, etc., to get the job done!As other reviewers have stated, the handle could be longer.

The media could not be loaded. I bought two different sizes. I typically do not review products. Durability, function, etc would be a five star review from me. I dropped one star for packaging. The planters are heavy which helps get it into the soil. I only have one suggestion for the manufacturer. This is a forestery or green industry product. We do have some responsibility to be good stewards of our land and the earth. The packaging included one entire garbage bag full of foam shipping p nuts. Our trash can is full. The paint comes off as you plant. They are indestructible tools. The tools should be wrapped in paper or packed in individual smaller boxes. Awesome product! Environmentally terrible packaging and shipping. Something to think about.

I used this dibble bar to plant 200 short leaf pine bare root trees. I was working in very rocky ozark mineral soil and partially in freshly cleared woods that still had lots of tree roots. This bar is good and heavy built and with the point you can stand on it while working it back and forth to get down between rocks and roots. If you have rocky soil this works! I picked days where it had rained the night before so the dirt was soft and got all my trees planted in a couple days. One person commented about the packaging being packing peanuts and not earth friendly but my bar came packed in plant based biodegradable packing peanuts so I have to give the company props for doing a great job at being environmentally conscious!

This tool will last a lifetime , solid heavy gauge steel . Heavy but is beneficial driving into the soil for planting transplants This is a tool I will pass down to my sonToday I had the chance to use the tool planting 50 evergreen bare root seedlings in a shale / dirt field Had no problem driving the spade down into the soil to the required 10 inches needed moved the tool front and back to create the opening for the seedling it saved so much time planting each tree in less than 5 minutes Great investment

The best planting bar I have ever used is one my grandfather had custom made. This isn't quite as good, but it's well-made and just the right weight. At 6'2", I wish they made a version with a handle just a couple of inches longer, but it still worked pretty well for me. The tool could be improved with a mitered connection from the shaft to the handle. The "pinch and weld" style connection seems sturdy enough, it just doesn't exactly scream "quality." The bottom end, with the step bar all one piece with the weighted spade part, is fantastic - no worries about bending there. I've only planted 40 seedlings so far, but I'm confident this bar will outlast me.

I got this planting bar yesterday so I can planting 100 seedlings in my clay soil. This happened after 4 seedlings. I guess it's going to be one of those days.