About this product
Full description
Every gardener needs a good hand cultivator — the three-pronged claw that breaks up a crusted surface, teases air back into tired soil, works compost into a bed, and clears the fine weeds a hoe leaves behind. It's one of the most-used tools in the shed, which is exactly why it's worth owning a properly made one. This is about as properly made as a hand cultivator gets.
The Burgon & Ball RHS BoronGreen Claw Cultivator comes from the Sheffield toolmaker's most innovative range — and "innovative" is the right word, because BoronGreen is genuinely something new. The tines are forged not from ordinary carbon steel but from boron steel: the same high-performance alloy used in the automotive and agricultural industries for components that have to be tough and hard-wearing. Add boron to carbon steel and you get a tool that's stronger, more durable, and holds its working edge longer — all without any extra weight in the hand. Pointed, hardened tines slice into compacted ground that would stop a lesser tool.
What makes the range special, though, is that this performance comes with a real environmental conscience. The BoronGreen steel is made from 80% recycled steel — believed to be a first for UK garden tools — and the handle is turned from FSC-certified white ash, finished with a tough green powder coating on the head to resist rust. It's the rare tool that's better made and better for the planet, which is a combination we're always glad to find.
It carries the official Royal Horticultural Society endorsement and a 25-year guarantee — the kind of backing that tells you everything about how long the makers expect it to last. There's a lovely finishing touch, too: a dark wood inlay set into the end of the handle, etched with the ampersand from the Burgon & Ball name, and a twisted paper hanging cord for keeping it tidy on a shed hook.
What it's for
The claw cultivator is one of the great all-rounders of soil preparation:
- Breaking up compacted soil — the pointed tines bite into crusted or trodden ground that's gone hard over winter
- Aerating beds and borders — loosening the surface so air, water, and nutrients reach the roots more easily
- Working in compost and fertiliser — mixing organic matter or feed evenly into the top few centimetres of soil
- Preparing a bed for planting — creating the loose, crumbly tilth that seeds and young plants need
- Light weeding — dragging out shallow-rooted weeds and breaking up the soil between plants in one pass
It's the natural partner to a hand trowel and fork: the trowel digs, the fork lifts, and the cultivator does everything in between — the loosening, mixing, and finishing that turns a patch of ground into a proper seedbed.
Looking after it
Boron steel and FSC ash, properly cared for, make a tool that genuinely lasts decades — the 25-year guarantee is a clue:
- Knock off the soil and wipe the head clean after use, especially in wet conditions
- An occasional wipe of oil on the metal keeps it in good order, though the green powder coating already resists rust well
- Hang it up to store using the twisted paper cord, keeping it off a damp shed floor
- Oil the ash handle lightly once or twice a year with linseed oil to keep the wood nourished and handsome
About Burgon & Ball
Burgon & Ball have been making garden tools in Sheffield since 1730 — nearly three centuries of steel-working heritage — and today they hold the official Royal Horticultural Society endorsement and lead the way in innovative garden tools. The BoronGreen range is a good example of that: traditional Sheffield tool-making expertise applied to a genuinely modern, sustainable material. We're proud to stock it.
About AllotMate
This cultivator is supplied to us through our partners at AllotMate, who curate proper, well-made tools and equipment for gardeners and allotmenteers who'd rather buy once. We work with them through a direct fulfilment arrangement, which means your order ships from their warehouse straight to your door — the same Burgon & Ball tool, slightly faster delivery, and consistent stock.
Specifications
- Head: boron steel (80% recycled), three pointed hardened tines, green powder-coated for rust resistance
- Handle: FSC-certified white ash with dark wood inlay and Burgon & Ball ampersand
- Hanging cord: twisted paper
- Dimensions: 27.5cm long × 7cm wide × 3.5cm deep
- Weight: 176g — light in the hand
- Endorsement: Royal Horticultural Society approved
- Guarantee: 25 years
- Made by: Burgon & Ball, Sheffield (est. 1730)
- Supplied through: AllotMate
A well-chosen hand tool is a quiet pleasure — the right weight, the right balance, and the knowledge that it'll still be doing its job in twenty years' time. At this price, with this guarantee and these green credentials, the BoronGreen cultivator is an easy one to recommend.
What's included
handle, twisted paper hanging cord)
Care and use
- Knock off soil and wipe the head clean, especially in wet conditions
- The green powder coating resists rust; an occasional wipe of oil helps too
STORAGE:
- Hang up using the twisted paper cord, off a damp shed floor
HANDLE:
- Lightly oil the FSC ash handle (linseed oil) once or twice a year
GUARANTEE:
- 25-year guarantee - a tool to keep for decades
Pairs well with
Other products from the potting shed that work alongside this one.
