7 Best Trenching Shovel in 2024 (Buying Guide & Review)

For many of us, gardening is a passion, but it can also be a major chore. This is very relevant when it comes to landscaping, as you will always require digging to some extent.

You may need to dig a trench whether you’re laying out underground irrigation pipes, removing plants, or just need to dig a narrow hole for installing a fence.

Trenching can be a difficult job, and it’s essential to do it right so that your lawn will be healthy and lush throughout the year.

There are many different types of trenching tools on the market, and you want to know what works best for you.

So, you’ve come to the right place as we have thoroughly reviewed the top 7 best trenching shovels available in the market and included buying guide later in the article.

If you’re in a rush, you can pick from our top three trenching shovels.

7 Best Trenching Shovel in the Market

What are the different types of digging shovels?

When choosing a trenching shovel, it’s vital to remember that they’re different from a standard shovel. The blade of trenching shovel is narrow and less wide than a regular shovel. They’re designed to move up any loose soil in the trench.

Several types of digging and trenching shovels are available, depending on the work. This includes, among others, the following shovel style:

Shovel: It has a broader blade that curves to a rounded point. The design of the blade allows you to dig and move soil. The collar at the top of the blade makes it easy to rest your foot and push the shovel to the ground. Shovels have a long handle and straight blades.

Flat Shovel: These have flat blades and can move dirt, dig a hole, or level ground. They can also be used as an improvised snow plow to clear your driveways or sidewalk. You can use these to scoop dirt from one place to another.

Spade: Although people use spade and shovel names interchangeably, they’re different. Spade cuts through roots or hard soil.

The garden spade blade is made of metal with a flat edge, and a curved front cutting edge sharpened like a knife. The sharp tip is used for digging and chopping roots and grass.

The spade is also called a trowel or soil scoop and has a collar to rest your foot and dig it deeper in the ground. You can choose a drain spade with a narrow round point to dig deeper into the ground for digging shallow trenches. It’s almost like a trenching shovel with a slight variation in shape.

Trenching shovel: Trenching shovel is used to dig trenches 4 inches wide and 18 inches deep. They’re called step-trench shovels because the back surface is upturned.

This means you can step on the shovel with your boot to push it down in the ground. High-angle handles make it easy to lift material from a pit or ditch.

Scooper: The scooper has a large flat blade designed to move a large amount of dirt and sand. These aren’t suitable for digging into the ground.

They’re also known as a cleanout shovel and have a high handle to reduce the bending while moving different soil types and dirt from the ground. You can use a wider blade scooper as a snow shovel.

Things to look for in a trenching shovel

Choosing the right trenching shovel for the job is essential. I’m a big fan of the trenching shovel for digging soil, installing irrigation, and taking it out for outdoor camping needs.

These are nice to have for any digging job and are incredibly efficient. Keep following things in mind when choosing your best shovel to dig a trench.

Choose a sturdier but lightweight handle

When you’re choosing a trench shovel, you can pick either made of wood or fiberglass. Both have their pros and cons. The wood-made handle has a smooth texture and feels natural to handle, whereas the fiberglass handle is sturdier and lightweight.

Usually, the fiberglass handle lasts longer as it won’t rot with time. But a good quality treated wood made of hickory ash can last several years and is a bit less expensive shovel than made with fiberglass.

You can also pick metal-made shovels for heavy twisting of the handle. They usually cost the same as those made from fiberglass but are heavier.

Pick a right blade shape depending on the job

When you’re looking for a trench shovel, the choices for shovels and blades are endless. But you must choose the right type of blade to get the job done effortlessly.

There are three types of shovel blades available based on shape. The edges can be either pointed, round, or square.

The pointed blade makes it easy to dig deeper into a hard ground surface, but they’re not efficient in scooping soil. You’ll have to use a scooper to move the dirt around.

The square shape blade makes it easy to move around dirt but won’t be very effective in digging hard surfaces. The round shape blade falls between those and is great for most residential users.

Choose a forged steel blade

A steel-made blade is durable and won’t rust. For greater strength, look for a forged steel blade made from a single piece of hardened steel.

The cheaper shovels are made of a stamped steel blade that isn’t as sturdy. But if you’ll use a trenching shovel occasionally, a stamped steel blade will be a good option.

Pick a good handle length

Most shovels in the market for gardening tasks have a large handle, usually anywhere from 44 to 48 inches long. Longer fiberglass or wood-made handles make it easy to get the job done as it provides you with more leverage when digging dirt.

But a longer handle makes it difficult to store and transport. If you’re looking for something more portable, you can choose a foldable or telescopic shorter handle. It allows you to adjust the length and move any type of soil.

Comfortable cushioned grip

A comfortable cushioned grip handle protects your hand while digging and moving dirt. The “D” style handle gives you a good grip and higher control when in use.

But a long-handle shovel won’t have any grip as you won’t be using it from the end. In that case, you should wear comfortable cushioned work gloves to protect your hands.

Riveted collar on the shovel

The shovel handle and blade must be securely attached to the collar. A cheaper shovel has a handle shoved to fit into the collar and secured with a nail or screw.

It could easily get loose or break with time. A sturdier and higher-quality trenching shovel has a handle attached to the blade with a round rivet that keeps it secure and reduces the risk of injury.

Pick a wide step foot pedal on the trench shovel

You’ll need to push the shovel in the ground by pressing your foot on a step. The step doesn’t need to be too broad but should be wide enough to place your feet comfortably and distribute uniform pressure on the ground.

How to dig with a trenching shovel

When you’re ready to dig with trenching shovel, there are a few things you can do to make your job easy. The first thing you can do is to water the ground a day before.

This helps with softening the ground and makes the digging easy. Don’t overwater the ground as it will make the ground soggy and difficult to move the wet soil.

The next step is to mark the area that you’ll be digging. You can use lime or color markers to indicate the places where you need to dig. You should factor in the width of the trench blade when marking.

Also, decide where you’ll be piling all the dig-out dirt. It makes the job much easier as you won’t need to dump dirt at a far distance in a wheelbarrow.

When you’re ready to dig, ensure the trench is wide enough for you to work around in the area easily. Follow the proper safety precaution and check with your local municipality to be aware of the underlying electrical or gas utility line at the digging place.

You may also consider renting or buying a power trencher depending on the job.

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