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Sneeboer

Sneeboer, Garden Toolmakers
Bovenkarspel, Noord-Holland
Sneeboer garden tools are hand-forged in the Netherlands from high-quality stainless steel and FSC-certified hardwood, combining a family legacy dating back to 1913 with traditional blacksmithing and modern manufacturing. Established as a humble forging workshop in a garden shed in Bovenkarspel, Netherlands, Sneeboer built durable tools for local market gardeners. In the 1950s, the company shifted focus to crafting premium handmade tools using stainless steel. The company passed through subsequent generations of the family, earning the designation of Royal Court Supplier during its centenary in 2010, and moving into fourth-generation management in 2022.
Large stainless steel sheets are cut into blanks using a high-pressure water jet. These blanks are fired in coal-burning furnaces to harden the steel, then shaped by blacksmiths using heavy drop-weight hammers (some dating back to 1920) on concrete-reinforced anvils. Hydraulic presses apply up to 120 tons of pressure to create specific contours, after which a softer steel socket is welded on to act as a shock absorber. To finish, the tools are cleaned in ultrasound baths, individually sharpened, polished, and fitted with sustainably harvested FSC-certified hardwood handles like ash or cherry.
What sets Sneeboer apart is their unique balance between tradition and innovation. Their skilled craftsmen, many of them family members, carefully craft every tool from high-quality stainless steel. This dedication to quality has brought the firm international recognition among the most discerning gardeners worldwide.

Further Information

Hand-Forged Stainless Steel Tools

Hand-forged stainless steel garden tools combine the exceptional rust-resistance of chromium-infused steel with the supreme structural integrity of traditional blacksmith forging. Beating red-hot stainless steel aligns the metal crystals into a continuous, dense flow, eliminating internal weaknesses found in stamped or machine-bent metals. Many cheap stainless steel tools join the head to the socket via a fragile weld; hand-forged options are shaped from a single, unified piece of high-grade steel. The polished surface of forged stainless steel resists corrosion and prevents sticky clay or damp soil from adhering to the blade as easily as it does on carbon steel. Unlike mass-faced factory tools that snap or bend under heavy leverage, a forged tool absorbs immense shock and is built to last for generations.

Maintenance

After use, remove any dirt with a hard brush (stiff bristle or brass). This is important to stop the spreading of any diseases. A sharp spade is a pleasure to work with, so it is advisable to sharpen the blade of your tool periodically. Only sharpen the sloping cutting edge and ensure that you maintain the angle of the sloping part. Hint: Never sharpen our tools with electric sharpeners. High temperatures will develop, which will change the quality of the material. Rub the blade and wooden handles with a thin layer of cooked linseed oil. Then store the cloth with linseed oil away in an airtight can, away from open flames, to prevent the cloth from catching fire. The better care you take of your tools, the longer they will last. Keep tools with wooden handles dry after using them, out of the sun, and be careful with extreme temperatures and variations in humidity. Finally, make sure to keep the tools out of reach of children.

Further Reading

A smaller trowel with an ash handle and forged stainless steel body — made by Sneeboer in the Netherlands to the same high quality of manufacture as their full sized tools. The firm of Sneeboer began manufacturing garden tools in 1913. Designed to withstand the rigours of daily use by the profession..
£35.00
Ex Tax:£29.17
An ash handled, hand-forged stainless steel flowerbed trowel, with a tapering blade for planting or transplanting young plants whilst minimising damage to surrounding specimens. Made in the Netherlands by Sneeboer, who began manufacturing garden tools in 1913. Originally designed to withstand the ri..
£59.00
Ex Tax:£49.17
A long-bladed, hand-forged stainless steel trowel designed by Christopher Lloyd — horticulturalist and author, who for many years resided at Great Dixter developing its famous gardens. This narrow tool is especially suited for work amidst well planted borders, in rockeries, and between shrubs. Made ..
£59.00
Ex Tax:£49.17
A sustainably made maintenance kit with all of the essentials needed to keep garden tools in tip-top shape, supplied in a wooden box for easy storage and even gifting. The box contains a handled tool sharpener, brass wire brush, a bottle of boiled linseed oil and cloth to apply the oil with. The too..
£95.00
Ex Tax:£79.17
A hand-forged, stainless steel planting trowel with an ash wood handle. Use it for planting bulbs, seedlings and small plants or use the large head for breaking and turning the soil — this trowel can even be used to separate smaller perennials. The firm of Sneeboer began manufacturing garden to..
£64.00
Ex Tax:£53.33
An ash-handled, hand-forged steel dandelion digger perfect for all gardens and allotments. This tool allows the easily removal or weeds with long taproots such as dandelions out of the ground. The firm of Sneeboer began manufacturing garden tools in 1913, and were in the 1940s amongst the first to e..
£39.00
Ex Tax:£32.50
An ash-handled, hand-forged steel transplanting trowel for handy use in the garden. The strong, sharp pointed blade is easily able to penetrate soil and can perform multiple garden tasks with ease — from transplanting bulbs and sprouts to creating plant holes. Additionally, the handle is placed on a..
£59.00
Ex Tax:£49.17
A handy ‘stone scratcher’ with an ash-wood handle and hand-forged steel head. This hooked tool is ideal for removing weeds between cracks in tiling, pavement and brickwork — almost like that of a dental scraper. Additionally, it can be used to aerate between plants or crowded crops such as garlic an..
£39.00
Ex Tax:£32.50
An ergonomic, Dutch designed push hoe with a long ash wood handle and steel head. Ideal for combating weeds — the hand forged hoe is sharpened on both sides of the blade making for effortless removal of unwanted greenery whilst not disturbing other plants. The long handle also allows for all weeding..
£105.00
Ex Tax:£87.50
An ergonomic Dutch hoe with a long ash wood handle and steel head. Ideal for combating weeds with a sharp, toothed blade that easily plucks and removes weeds even in heavy, rocky soil. The rear of the blade tapers to a point, allowing the balde to pass through the soil in both directions with ease. ..
£115.00
Ex Tax:£95.83
A right-handed potting trowel, designed to work in tight space around pot-plants, and for the scooping and deposition of compost without spilling. Hand-forged in stainless steel, with an ash hardwood handle, crafted in the Netherlands by Sneeboer, who began manufacturing garden tools in 1913. Origin..
£59.00
Ex Tax:£49.17
A left-handed potting trowel, designed to work in tight space around pot-plants, and for the scooping and deposition of compost without spilling. Hand-forged in stainless steel, with an ash hardwood handle, crafted in the Netherlands by Sneeboer, who began manufacturing garden tools in 1913. Origina..
£59.00
Ex Tax:£49.17
An ash-handled, hand-forged stainless steel weeding fork, strong enough to prise out even the most stubbornly rooted small weeds, as well as for use in breaking up and loosening soil or compost. Made in the Netherlands by Sneeboer, who began manufacturing garden tools in 1913. Originally designed to..
£59.00
Ex Tax:£49.17
This deep-reaching, ash-handled, two-pronged stainless steel hand weeder can break up even the heaviest soils allowing easy removal of deep rooted weeds. Made in the Netherlands by Sneeboer, who began manufacturing garden tools in 1913. Originally designed to withstand the rigours of daily use by th..
£60.00
Ex Tax:£50.00
Built to last a lifetime, of stainless steel with an ash handle. This is the perfect tool both for the careful scraping away accreted layers of earth, or for delicate cementitious repairs. The firm of Sneeboer began manufacturing garden and other tools in 1913. Still forged, ground, and assembled en..
£70.00
Ex Tax:£58.33
A heavy duty stainless steel digging fork with four sharpened tines, ideal for harvesting, digging and aerating the soil. The overall length of this ergonomically superior digging fork is 118 cm and the 23 cm flat tines will slice through the most compact soil. The firm of Sneeboer began manufacturi..
£189.00
Ex Tax:£157.50
A digging spade with foot-protecting steps either side of a slightly out tapering, sharpened blade with longer than is typical ‘T’ shaped ash handles, attached within thick steel straps by brass rivets. With a length of about 115cm, a width of 16.5cm, and a blade height of about 28cm. The firm of Sn..
£140.00
Ex Tax:£116.67
A smaller fork with an ash handle and forged stainless steel body — made by Sneeboer in the Netherlands to the same high quality of manufacture as their full sized tools. The firm of Sneeboer began manufacturing garden tools in 1913. Designed to withstand the rigours of daily use by the profess..
£35.00
Ex Tax:£29.17
This ash-handled, hand-forged stainless steel weeding trowel has a strong and narrow sharpened blade, especially useful for removing tap rooted weeds (dandelions and the like) as well as planting longer rooted seedlings, or those like sweet-peas that benefit from a deep narrow hole. Made in the Neth..
£59.00
Ex Tax:£49.17
A large claw like hand cultivator with a turned ash handle extended neck and two large hooked tines - ideal for breaking up and turning compacted earth or dragging tangled debris from borders. The firm of Sneeboer began manufacturing garden tools in 1913. Originally designed to withstand the rigours..
£49.00
Ex Tax:£40.83
The firm of Sneeboer began manufacturing garden tools in 1913, and were in the 1940s amongst the first to embrace the use of stainless steel. Originally designed to withstand the rigours of daily use by the professional horticulturalists and commercial growers of West-Friesland, with its heavy clay ..
£102.00
Ex Tax:£85.00
A stainless steel digging fork with a narrow head, ideal for working in tighter spaces like raised beds and borders, and between rows of vegetables at the allotment. Perfect if you're looking for a lighter tool, this strong fork is under 2kg, but is heavy duty enough to cope with digging over the la..
£135.00
Ex Tax:£112.50
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