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BROOK & HUNTER Frequently Asked Questions

What Materials Do You Use To Make Your Tools?

We make our products from high-quality, polished stainless steel and bent red oak handles.

How Is The Handle Made And How Do You Bend The Wood?

First, the raw wood is kiln-dried to reduce its moisture content. It’s then worked on a lathe to develop a curved surface. To create the DY shape, the wood is split about 8” into the middle of the handle. It’s then boiled in a solution to soften the wood. When malleable enough, the split end is forced into the mold. While still in the mold, the wood is kiln-dried again to lock in the signature design. After shaping is complete, we finish the handle and attach the blade. This process takes about 27 days for each tool.

Is This A New Product? Why Haven’t I Seen It Before?

We’ve made the oak D-handle for about 15 years and produced over 9 million of them. The stainless-steel blade has enjoyed a large distribution throughout Europe for almost a decade. These tools already have an impeccable global reputation for quality but are relatively new to the US market.

These Tools Seem Too Pretty To Use. Are They Really Meant For Gardening Or Should I Just Display Them On The Wall?

We chose the materials for their ruggedness and durability. The primary goal is to create products that provide gardeners with a lifetime of service.
We chose oak because of its density and strength. It also becomes sturdier as it ages. While you can dress up almost any wood to look pretty, not many can offer the strength and longevity of red oak.
We constructed the blades from stainless steel for three reasons. Firstly, the material has an astonishing weight to strength ratio. Many carbon steel tools have similar strength characteristics but are significantly heavier than stainless steel. Our products are for gardeners, not construction workers. A good strength to weight ratio is essential when creating an efficient and enjoyable tool to use.
Stainless steel is also very durable under extreme conditions. So much, so that million-dollar yacht manufacturers trust it for critical parts. Even when under constant stress and exposure to open sea air, stainless steel holds up. We needed something that could withstand soil contact, digging, and prying. Stainless steel was the only viable option.
Finally, because stainless steel will not rust and the blades are polished so well, the tool slips easily in and out of the soil and resists residue sticking to the tool. It makes the gardening experience much more efficient and less draining.
Once the raw components of strength and durability are in place, the craftsmanship adds beauty.

Why Shouldn’t I Just Buy A Hardware Store Tool? They Are A Lot Cheaper.

There are many reasons to choose a BROOK & HUNTER tool over a large retail chain product, but we’ll focus on the three primary ones:
Technical
Oak exceeds ash and hickory in strength by far, and when compared to fiberglass, oak is much more pleasing to the touch and will not splinter. As for the blades, solid stainless steel is much stronger than bent metal tools. Bent metal tools are not welded onto the handle, only bent over it. Any gardener that has used such tools knows that ash can splinter and bent metal blades can bend or break. This failure does not happen with a BROOK & HUNTER tool, but if it does, we will try the best to helo
Practical
Even when wearing gloves, a gardener can still suffer a great amount of hand irritation if they handle the rough, grainy surface of an ash tool. If their blade gets worn and rusted, they will struggle to penetrate the soil, in addition to shaking off residue that sticks to the blade. No gardener will experience these issues with a BROOK & HUNTER tool. The oak handles will remain soft and smooth, and the stainless-steel blades will glide easily in and out of the soil.
Financial
We construct these tools so that they will last an extremely long time. If they break, we’ll replace them. With the extra labor and replacement costs involved in bent metal shovels or low-quality tools, gardeners can’t afford to make the wrong decision.

Sustainable Employment
There is a small village in south-central China with a population of approximately 800 people. Our factory employs around 300 of these residents. For almost 16 years, we have been their primary source of income. More than that, the people of the village are connected to the tools. It’s their livelihood. Their admirable craftsmanship, coupled with patience and attention to detail, is remarkable. Our employees make double what they would to work at a city factory, and in return, they offer an unsurpassed commitment to the product and company.
Affordable Quality
Yes, the tools come from China. However, we cannot achieve the quality standards we expect without our workers and remain affordable for US and European markets. We pay our workforce well, but ultimately, it’s the inexpensive manufacturing costs of China that allow us to produce a premium product at a reasonable price.

Where Does The Oak Come From?

We source our oak from seven different suppliers in southern China. Our handles start as rough sawn material directly from the lumber mill.