CHILLINGTON HOES

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Chillington Hoes Information

1.....Azadas (Hispanic countries)....Badzas (Zimbabwe)....Hoe/Azada or Mattock (England).....Clatts (North Scotland) ......Jembes (Kenya)......just some of the names given to these perfectly designed agricultural/gardening hand tools,...but what's the story?

2..... What is a Chillington Hoe/Azada and why is it so good/different to use?

Chillington Ireland & UK Range
of Hoe/Azada/Mattock

Chillington Hoes come in at least 7 different forms and shapes for the U.K. & Ireland, each one purposely crafted for the particular type of work involved.

Heavy Duty Hoe/Azada is basically a spade head on a shaft which is purposely designed for digging but can also be used for trenching and heavy ground clearence.

Trenching Hoe/Azada is a lighter version of the Heavy Duty Hoe and can be used for fast trenching work, earthing up of potatoes, general garden digging and ground clearence.

Canterbury Fork Hoe/Azada can be used for weeding, loosening or breaking up soil and also can be used for loose raking of the surface soil to inhibit weed growth, and now increasingly used in a "raised bed" vegetable growing system or even a "no dig" vegetable growing system.

Ridging Hoe/Azada can be used for fast seed ridges and making potato type ridges.

Other Hoes/Azadas avaliable here are different sized designed general Hoe tools for normal hoe work and ground clearence.

This range of 7 Hoes/Azadas which have been picked out as most suitable for the Irish and UK market are well known by the Organic and Self Sufficient people, who have now used them for a good many years here because most of their work is on a small to medium production scale so very much "hands on".

These producers / growers find that manual work with these Chillington Hoes is so much easier and faster than traditional spade & fork, and now with the resurgeance in us having to grow our own food brought on by choice, spiralling prices and now unfortunatley unemployment, more and more people are turning to using Chillington Hoes for the same reasons.

None of this is new, infact these Chillington Hoes were used in the UK and Ireland not all that long ago, and a story told to us recently was about some of these Hoes which were dug up on a site in an excavation in Leitrim and put on display in the company building, but when local farmers of shall we say the older generation saw them, these farmers asked to be able to have them which they duly did even though they had to go away and make their own shafts for these tools so they could be used. It seems these farmers remember and also used them when they were much younger and never forgot these tools uses.

Throughout the world people use Hoes for their agricultural and gardening work and in some countries they would never use our traditional spade or fork. Also in some countries a farmers hand tools are his life blood and his livelihood and food supply may depend on them, and this is why these farmers prefer Chillington over others because the Crocodile brand and other brands like Elwell stands for quality and reliability.

Nobody we have spoken too seems to know WHY the U.K. and Ireland ended up using spades and garden forks which by many user accounts are inferior to Hoes/Azadas for doing the same agricultural/gardening work. Maybe it was because we were basically wealthy countries and could afford mechanised methods of food production and gardening work, so the old ways of "hand's on" manual work was replaced as machinery was made avaliable. But today with the enormous growth in people growing their own food again, these tool's have found a re-newed life as people learn again that they are the preferred choice around the world and make this work so much easier.

Chillington Tools:

For over 100 years Chillington Tools of England have manufactured the worlds farmers with superb quality agricultural hand tools identifiable by the famous Chillington "Crocodile" brand or "Elwell" brand stamped into them at time of manufacture.

Chillingtons Hoes/Azadas are today sourced the world over because Chillingtons Tools have a reputation passed on from generation to generation because of their reknown quality, durability and reliability.

Chillington Hoes and Forks also known as Azadas or Mattocks here, and are hot forged using high carbon British steel to the highest standards of quality.

In this website, from Chillingtons large range of tools, we list just a small selection of 7 Hoe/Azada tools which have been picked out as suitable for the U.K. and Irish market, these you will find avaliable at outlets listed on our Stockists page.

Ralph Martindale:

Martindale work knives also carry the Martindale "Crocodile" brand and most of these products are still made in the U.K. But all Martindale products are manufactured to exceptionally high standards of quality today as they have always. Martindale make agricultural knives and Sickles to Military knives required by the worlds Armed Forces.

All Martindale knives are hot roll forged from only top quality British steel then individually tested to ensure the hardening and tempering of the steel conform to the highest quality controls, and because of this Martindale knives are preferred over others.

Ralph Martindale have been making knife products since 1869 and again these products are all branded with the "Crocodile" trademark which is registered in 147 countries world wide such is the reputation of this company.

Each knife is designed and manufactured for the specific purpose which is required, and with agricultural knives the knife is made from hot rolled steel strip.

The handles are made from cross sawn German beechwood for maximum strength and stability.

The handle is fitted to the blade with solid steel rivets and washers using a technique which has been perfected from 125 years of experience.

Copyright 2009 - 2011 Chillington Hoes