Product: Titanium Xtra Powerstep Fiberglass Handle Shovel Manufacturer: Jackson Professional Tools Value Rating: 9 Performance Rating: 9 Price: $26.98
Pros: Strong, extended neck, nice step plate, comfortable grip
Cons: Limited availability
Features & Specs
- Powerstep stability
- Comfortable soft rubberized grip
- Double rivet attachment
- 11-inch titanium-coated steel socket
- 14 gauge titanium-coated steel blade
- 48-inch handle
The Titanium Xtra Powerstep shovel from Jackson Professional Tools offers a comfortable, easy-to-use tool with a fiberglass handle to make digging out tough terrain an almost enjoyable experience. The titanium-coated steel socket is stiff, and offers a level of confidence we don't normally experience with your typical wood-handled shovel. In addition, the Powerstep plates give you ample room to position yourself to drive the blade deeper and faster into the ground. Some people think a shovel is a shovel. Well, both will dig dirt, but if you are doing a day's worth of digging, comfort and convenience start to matter... a lot.
At this year's STAFDA show in Atlanta, we saw the label "Titanium" across a retail box of shovels and simply had to take a closer look at these products. Pure Titanium is about half as stiff as steel, so Jackson opted for a titanium coating which inhibits corrosion and gives the surface of the shovel a tough, long-lasting finish. Plus, let's just admit it, it's sheer marketing genius.
We liked a lot about this shovel. First off, the handle was extremely comfortable to use. This is largely due to a soft rubberized grip at the top, and a yellow overmold that covered the fiberglass handle where you typically grip the handle with your left hand (assuming you're right-handed like I am). Between the two, it was easy to maintain a firm grip without any slippage or issues. This came in handy when mixing concrete (I know, I know – get a mixer!) as the shovel was easily manipulated and went where we wanted it to go. The back of the shovel showed the stiff aluminum core which made up the center of the fiberglass handle. The tree layers: aluminum, fiberglass, and overmold, really did a lot to make the handle stiff and trustworthy when leaning hard on it to pry up dirt and ground material. At the top of the socket Jackson placed a ring – apparently to better secure the handle into its slot. In all honesty it just gave the handle transition a nice finished look. This shovel shares the same diamond plate texture found on the sockets of other J-250 Series of shovels and spades from Jackson Tools.
Metal + fiberglass weighs more (in this case) than wood, so the Jackson Titanium Powerstep Fiberglass Handle Shovel weighed in a full 10 ounces more than our comparable J-250 series model (which also lacks the Powerstep feature). The Fiberglass handled model measured 4...
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