Sunday, April 26, 2015

There's a New Tool in Town! Barebones Hori Hori Garden Knife (+ a giveaway!)


This past week's Earth Day festivities, ongoing since the first Earth Day in 1970, are meant to call attention to our planet and to urge us to be kind to it. It is life-giving in that we derive our sustenance from it, either directly or indirectly. Did you do anything special to observe Earth Day?

Just a couple of days before, I had received a new tool in the mail to test. It was not only new to me, but new to the rest of the world as well, with it being officially introduced on Earth Day by Barebones. The Hori Hori knife is a multi-purpose tool that comes in handy in ways that might surprise you.

The Barebones Hori Hori Knife sells for $29.99 and is available online
and at Home Depot.


"Hori" means "to dig"
in Japanese
Having its origin in Japan, the Hori Hori knife as a tool is not new to me and I have owned one for several years. It's my go-to general purpose tool, especially in spring, when I'm doing such gardening tasks as weeding, trimming, small digging, etc. Many companies make a similar version of it.

So what makes the Barebones Hori Hori knife different or special from others?

Though I haven't had much time to put it to heavy use, right off the bat I noticed that this is a heavy-duty tool. It has some serious heft to it. The handle is made of sustainable bamboo and the blade is rust-resistant tempered steel, giving it exceptional strength. One edge is standard sharp blade - with a bottle opener and twine cutter! - and the opposite edge is serrated.

The steel at the base of the blade goes all the way through the handle to the bottom, where a one-inch solid piece makes it strong enough for pounding. (Why aren't more hand tools designed with this???)

One side of the blade is marked in inches, which can be a help
in measuring depth when planting bulbs.

I'll be using this over the next few months to see how it holds up under use by a gardener who is notorious for abusing her tools, but I don't really have any concerns that it won't. You can tell it's a high quality tool that has had some thought put into its design. It feels really good in your hands. If I could improve on the whole hori hori knife experience, I would suggest that Barebones provide a leather protective sheath for it that can be attached to the waistband of my jeans.

Listen to Robert Workman, founder of the Barebones Company that you may know for their outdoor lifestyle products, tell about the Barebones Hori Hori knife in this short video:





The Barebones company got its start four years ago with Workman's vision...

"At barebones, our products are designed to lift the poorest of poor while still being relevant to the richest of rich. Think about that for a moment. If we have products that will really do that, then those products are a great equalizer in lifting us all to a higher place. After all, we are all here on this earth together sharing a human experience.

We can offer reliable power, provide sustainable living shelters, and teach sustainable food growth to every human being on this earth without overwhelming our resources. There is enough for all."

A portion of the sales of Barebones products benefit TIFIE (Teaching Individuals and Families Independence through Enterprise) and Goal Zero. For more information about the Barebones company, their philanthropy, and their other products, visit their website here.

Want to win a Barebones Hori Hori knife?

How would you like a Hori Hori knife of your very own? Barebones has generously allowed me to give one away to one of you! All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post, telling me about your favorite garden hand tool, as well as fill out the Rafflecopter form below. In order to be entered into the giveaway, you need to do both things. It won't take you long at all.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway will end at midnight EDT next Sunday night, May 3, 2015, so make sure you enter by then. Good luck!
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Note:  I was given this tool by the Barebones Company to test in my own garden. I was encouraged to give an honest opinion of the tool, which any reputable company will do in order to get feedback for possible improvements on their product. As always, my opinions about any product I review are my own. I did not receive any compensation from the Barebones Company other than the tool I received for testing and will not receive any compensation from any purchases that come about as a result of my opinion about the tool.

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have heard that this is a great tool. I always need help with those hard to get weeds.

Marissa said...

Hmm ... probably the old bulb planter I borrowed from my mother. I never use it for planting bulbs - our clay soil is just too hard! - but it works wonderfully for making transplant holes for seedlings in the garden. This, however, looks like it could cut through anything!

Jenny said...

My favorite hand tool is my claw. I really want a Hori Hori knife though.

Daddy said...

The tool I end up going back to again and again, is a claw on one side, and a very small hoe on the other. It's wickedly sharp, and seems to be able to get roots out better than most weeders.

Virginia said...

I have a forked weeding tool that is my "go to" tool. I also like my manual edging tool for edging along sidewalks and fine tuning the edge of my flower beds.

Beth @ PlantPostings said...

Hi Kylee: Hori-horis are great tools. I've been meaning to get one, myself. We use them at the local arboretum where I volunteer. Great giveaway! I'm not sure I filled out the form correctly, but I hope so. ;-) Cheers!

Erin @ The Impatient Gardener said...

My favorite gardening hand tool will always be a hori hori and I've gone through more than a few. Currently I'm using A.M. Leonard's Deluxe Soil Knife but I like the looks of this one as well. I like the rounded handle and that steel end, as well as the length of the handle and the little cuff that protects your hand. Would love to try it out.

Caroline/Shovel-Ready Garden said...

My favorite tool is a Holdredge Heron hoe; my Cobrahead is a close second. But I've been wanting a Hori Hori knife forever. This looks like a really nice one.

Terri H said...

My favorite hand tool is my felco pruners! Thanks for the chance to win.

Rock rose said...

My favorite tool is any Cobra head but I would love the opportunity to try the Hori Hori.

teresa said...

I have 3. Hoedag, cobra and felco pruners. Would love one of these though. Nothing like great tools to make gardening even more pleasurable..

Anonymous said...

My favorite tool is my Felco pruners. But I also love a tool I have that is similar to a hori-hori, but not pointed on the end. It has a ruler printed on it, which is helpful while planting bulbs!

Wendy ArtsyChaos said...

My husband is my favorite garden tool! Haha. :) Seriously though, I love my Fiskars pruners.

Unknown said...

I don't have a favorite tool yet, as I seem to break them all.Maybe this knife could be my new favorite.

Layanee said...

Well, I do love my Cobrahead weeder. I have the short handled version.

Donna@Gardens Eye View said...

Wow this is quite a tool Kylee...would love to win one. I actually use my trusted spade and short shovel for lots of spring work, but this bad boy would be awesome to have in my tool belt.

Alice said...

I just started gardening last year so I don't have a lot of tools yet. Probably my favorite is just my spade as it helps me turn sod into flower beds!

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I love the idea of a bottle opener on the Hori. I have a hori hori knife and it is my favorite tool this time of year, after the mulch is in. I take mine with me every time I tour the garden to keep after those weeds that pop up.

Colleen said...

Looks like a great and useful tool.
I have a few favorites but I guess my antique Stirrup Hoe.
Thank you for this wonderful giveaway opportunity.

Emilia Cross said...

This looks amazing! I have a tool that's very similar to this with a serrated edge... it's more of a spade but it is definitely my go to tool. This hori hori knife would come in handy in so many situations.. would love to have one! Thank you so much for the giveaway!

Kristin Pinyan said...

My favorite hand tool IS my hand. I have a small trowel and a claw that I use frequently, but more often than not, I drop the tool somewhere, can't find it, and start digging with my fingers. Consequently, I have dirt under my nails most of the time.

Rose McDonald said...

I had trouble getting logged in to the comment page for the drawing. Here's my comment anyway. My favorite hand tool is my dandelion digger. I use it for much more than digging dandelions, though.

Karen said...

I have a hori hori knife and I have to say it is my favorite tool; however, it is not a very good one and the one you have pictured looks amazing. Mine has a partial serrated edge but it does not go all the way to the end and sometimes I need it to cut deep so it is not nearly as efficient as it could be.

Unknown said...

I love my Felco Garden Shears. They always come in handy.

Unknown said...

That looks like a very nice and handy tool. My favorite hand tool, at the moment, is my Gerber brush hook made by Fiskars. It is ideal for cleaning up brush and saplings along the fence row and the edge of the woods.

Unknown said...

Good morning, I don't know if it is something I did wrong or maybe the link was not working well.. but I was unable to leave a comment in the above link.. I would however like to say that my favorite gardening tool has always been to "Hand Trowl" the one I have is my favorite because not only can I dig holes for my seeds and starter plants, but it allows me to measure how deep my hole is..this is important to me as I am a new vegetable gardener, but have been planting flowers for years.. It is the best tool I have had so far.

Shirley said...

My baby tiller is my favorite tool. I don't have big gardens and I love using it for the little spaces.

Linda M Bruntlett said...

My favorite hand tool has been my asparagus fork but it looks like that is going to change with the Hori Hori.

Cassie Scott said...

Pruners is my favorite garden tool :)

Paula said...

This looks incredibly handy and a practical tool for me as I root around in the dirt and take out the weeds in the garden bed as I prep all the soil before planting each year.

Anne L. said...

Since I've stepped back a bit from professional gardening, I am actually getting to do some work in my OWN garden for a change, and I can think of some prime tasks for this little beauty. I have zoysia grass that has invaded the back yard and I'd like to cut some better edges around my blueberries and peonies--you know how tough zoysia is---I think it might be up to the task! Thanks for a good article, Kylee!

Steve and Peggy said...

Our favorite would be a shovel -- in order to plant more trees, shrubs and plants in our garden.

Julie said...

I've been wanting to try one of these since I first saw it! My life would be happy with this knife! The things I could do... :-)

Steve and Peggy said...

Please tell me how to ...
" as well as fill out the Rafflecopter form below. In order to be entered into the giveaway, you need to do both things. " ...

the form doesn't seem to let me do anything ... arghh

thanks

Anonymous said...

I don't have a favorite tool! I am not quite yet into a lot of gardening but hopefully in the near future!

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