Jackson 1715100 Dig EZ Post Hole Digger

Having to dig a large number of post holes, I discovered the 75 year digger I inherited from my grandfather was far superior to the new one I had purchased. The problem was grandpa had worn the blades down so thin they would bend every time I hit a rock. I looked at every store in town and could find nothing to compare with grandpa's digger until I looked on Amazon. This tool has the weight and balance of grandpa's and what is great is it can dig deeper because of the compound action of the handles.The feel of the digger is different when opening the handles to remove dirt from the hole because you have less leverage because of the compound handles. I don't consider this a flaw, it just feels different. I twist the digger as I open the handles to separate the dirt to be removed from the dirt that will remain in the hole.This tool works well in all types of soil. It is not the perfect tool for removing large rocks from a hole you are digging with a bar and just using the diggers to remove material from the hole. The easiest way to remove large rocks is with your hand unless the hole is too deep. Remember those cheap diggers I bought that were no good for digging, they work fine for removing large rocks from deep holes:)

I have been using these diggers for about 7 months now, putting in posts for a pole barn, arbor, trellises, and fencing in about a half an acre. I live in Northern Florida where there is about a foot of sandy topsoil on top of a seemingly endless supply of sand. These guys are HEAVY! I had to relearn how to dig posts. After cutting through the sod on top of the ground, I just sort of drop the diggers into the ground, letting the weight do the work. The only time I have to push hard going down is through roots. The way the handles work, one won't smack your fingers between the handles. They close tightly so you don't have most of your dirt dribble out while your picking up the load. I can also dig a hole about 2' deep just the width of the diggers (I think they are 6 1/2"). More than that and I had to dig the hole a little wider. I will say that setting 6" wide posts 42" deep made parts of my chest and shoulders pretty sore, but I do believe it would have been a lot more work with the less expensive wooden handle guys.

I was skeptical about this digger. But for the price I was willing to try it out. This thing is significantly better than traditional units. The old style is archaic and extremely laborious to use. They're fine for a shallow hole (1 to 2' or so). Not that this one makes digging a hole easy, but it sure makes it easier, especially for digging deeper than a couple feet. The pivoting action is key as it provides a leveraged mechanical advantage, allowing tighter jaw closure but also with less effort. But my favorite feature is the overmolded rubber grips that also prevent your hands from slamming together when closing.

"Medium Duty" Nice design. The handle movement is (better) opposite of older design so that you push together to close and remove dirt. And you do not bang your knuckles together.But, not Heavy Duty, so after about 40 "hard holes" in rock and root area the hinge point is worn out.I would have paid more for Heavy Duty Model but could not find one quickly on Amazon. OK value for the cost, so even though it is worn out, I am not returning it (because of the hard use). The AMES Companies, Inc Jackson Dig EZ Post Hole Digger - 1715100

Arrived in one piece which was I'm sure super annoying to the postal service but much appreciated on my end. I've used many different post hole diggers but I really like this one. It seems easier to use and more efficient at removal of dirt than most. The only issue I have is there are several nuts/bolts that want to loosen which gives an awkward feel and less driving force during digging. It is typically the center nut and bolt that connects the two handles. When this occurs I simply re-tighten but might look at some locking nuts.Overall it works as advertised and I'd say better than most.

When I received this post hole digger I thought it felt really heavy and would would really do a number on my shoulders, but I knew I didn't want to use a standard post hole digger.First impression was that it wasn't really working all that great, and it took a lot of effort to get my first hole 2' deep...then I realized the last time I dug a post hole was in sandy soil near the coast, and I was now digging in clay with large roots and rocks to deal with. I then learned that the added weight of the digger sucks when pulling it up, but on the gravity assist on the down stroke the added heft helps to get through some of the gnarly soil that I encountered.Give this digger a try, I imagine it would have taken almost 2x the time to dig my holes if I was using a standard digger...and I am not sure if the standard post hole digger would have allowed me to go as deep as this digger...really cool design. Digging post holes sucks no matter what, so do whatever you can to ease the pain.

These Post Hole Diggers are built like a tank. When they say Industrial Grade, they are not exaggerating. These Post Hole Diggers will last our lifetime for certain. They can dig a straight, deep, round hole.They are heavier than the other post hole diggers we have had but that just makes it work quicker. The top of the handles have a knob of sorts that makes it easier lifting them out of the hole. We used them while installing 75 feet of used chain link fencing. The poles already had concrete on them and these diggers made fast work of customizing the holes to fit the shape of the concrete.A nice touch, the handles are a beautiful blue.Highly recommend!!

Extremely heavy tool. Add the weight of the dirt it picks up and you really miss your lighter (albeit less durable) wooden handle post digger. A clean hole had yet to be dug with this beast as you really have little control due to the weight and exaggerated swing. I will gladly repurchase a worn out $25 digger every year for three years to not have to use this guy again. Live and learn.

works great. but heavy. digging 4ft pier holes in clay soil was quite a workout.

If you look on Amazon.com you'll find quite a few reviews of this digger.I've not used it properly yet but first impressions are that it looks well made. The action is quite stiff and takes quite a bit of effort to open and close the handles - will probably loosen up after being worked for a while.One reviewer said these weren't that good because you couldn't get a good strong grip of the loose material at the bottom of the hole due to the extra pivot point - I know what he means and time will tell weather that extra pivot point helps or not.