Hori Hori Buying Guide

Written by admin on June 21, 2020. Posted in Hori Hori

When you buy gardening tools, there are soooo many different choices online, and the Hori Hori Garden Knife is no exception. With everything from the basic Japanese inspired version, to the futuristic Hori Hori that looks like a battle weapon, its difficult to figure out how to pick the best garden knife for your needs. Here is a Hori Hori breakdown to help you buy a quality tool that will help you in the garden for years.

1. The Hori Hori Blade – did you know Hori Horis became popular in Japan as Samurai sword makers transitioned to peaceful times? There are a few things you should look for in a blade. First off, it should be made of stainless steel, you don’t want a rusty hori hori. If its black, or edged in black, it will rust. Secondly, it should be concave (curved). I use my Japanese tool to scoop constantly, and if its not curved, you can’t scoop. It should have a serrated edge for cutting/sawing, and a smooth edge. Your Hori Hori should have measurement marks on the blade to help in planting and digging. Lastly, it needs to have a full tang. What’s a tang? The part that goes into the handle of the blade.
2. The Handle – Plastic has no place in the garden. It’s an environmental no no, and its just ugly, am I right? A Hori Hori is a traditional tool, and there are some that are nice to look at, and just feel right in your hand. A wooden handle keeps tradition, wont melt or warp in the sun, and just looks damn good 🙂 We prefer rosewood, for its durability, aesthetics and how it sheds water. Also, the handle should have a hole. Why? I use my Hori Hori constantly as a row marking helper. With a hole you can run marking string through the hole and make accurate lines. Lastly, there are several Hori Hori’s with round handles as compared to a flat handle. The flat Japanese blade handle is the traditional handle for a reason: it provides strength and stability when digging.
3. Buy From A Reputable Source with Experience – Would you have a painter do your plumbing? Buy your Hori Hori from a source with experience, and that actually uses what they sell, and that has reviews from gardeners/farmers on their site. How can you tell? Inquire and ask a question.
4. Read the Reviews – There is a ton of misinformation out there, and the best source of real, usable info? Other gardeners that have purchased the same tool. Review will give you insight into wether the product is really good, or just bleh. Look for passion and ooomph to make sure the purchasers really mean what they say about their Hori Hori Tool.

So, short and sweet. We have quite a bit more information on Hori Horis on our site, as it is our favorite tool on the farm for just about everything in the garden and landscaping.

Here are some other great articles:

Best Tool Set for the Garden

Hori Hori Garden Tool: Samurai in the Garden

• Continue Reading

All Hori Hori Are Not The Same

Written by admin on April 19, 2020. Posted in Garden Tools, Hori Hori, Japanese Tools

A Quick Tutorial for the Hori Hori Garden Tool

Ok, we may be going a little master of the obvious here, but there are soooo many uses for the Hori Hori Japanese Garden Knife, I wanted to make sure you get the most out of the investment, and choose wisely. There are a lot of cheap tools out there that can break , rust and crack. To get all you can out of this historical Japanese gardening tool, you will need to insure you purchase one with the following features:

• Knife Edge – a sharpened edge for cutting and pruning.
• Serrated Edge – all Hori Hori’s should have a serrated edge for sawing through branches and roots.
• Concave Blade – to provide digging/scooping ability, the blade should be wide and concave.
• Measurement Marks – for planting depth reference when planting with your Hori
• Hole in Handle – This whole comes in hand when marking planting lines with string.
• Stainless Steel Blade – Nothing is worse than a rusting tool

This is a quick list

• Continue Reading