Lee Valley Swoe

I was skeptical about the push-pull cutting action, but it really does slice through dandelions on both strokes without me bending over. The stainless steel blade hasn’t dulled at all after a full afternoon of work.

The 66-inch ash handle means I can weed the whole border without bending once, and the blade cuts on both the push and pull so I'm not wasting half my motion. Weeds slice just under the surface and the blade still looks new after a month.

After years of hunching over a hoe, standing upright to weed feels almost like cheating. The blade slices both directions, so I clear a row in half the passes, and the ash handle has just enough spring to save my wrists.