There are two reasons for buying a tool: the first is to collect a "set" appropriate to the work to be done and the second is to buy a replacement because the old one was of insufficient quality.

To avoid waste you have to first of all define your need and then not hesitate to invest in a quality tool, which is more expensive, but will always be ready for use over a long time span.

To decide on the tool that you need, the best idea is to see what is in use locally or what is used by the professionals you work with: in effect, they know from experience what works for the soil type in your garden, for the climate in your area, the type of materials used on your house and the type of vegetation and trees that grow around you.

Finally, they will know what to advise for the type of work you plan to do: you use different tools to maintain a small pleasure garden than you do in a park covering several hectares, to plant a few aromatic herbs in a pot or a vegetable garden capable of feeding an entire family all year round, to carry out a small bricklaying job or the complete renovation of a house.

We will not review all of the tools available to you because the risk of getting it wrong is small especially for the classic tools which everyone knows, even if their names change from one region to the next. We feel it is of more use to tell you about less well-known or recently introduced tools that can increase your comfort or your working pleasure.

» DIGGING:

Loosening the soil compacted by the year's activity, rain or gardeners' feet is essential for the penetration of water, air and roots. Digging work must also go hand in hand with the complete removal of weeds so as to prepare a suitable seed bed, so that seeds can develop healthily.

To make the gardener's life easier, it is advisable to do this work in the autumn, several days after a period of rain, when the soil is friable without being waterlogged.

The winter frost can then be left to break down the clods and save the gardener unnecessary effort.

The type of terrain will determine the most suitable tool:

For loose soils, light or sandy, a spade will be sufficient. Tip: certain designs of spade have footrests which allow the foot to push more effectively and therefore give better penetration of the tool into the soil. This also prevents the edge of the tool from cutting into the sole of your boot.

For heavy or clay soils, it is better to use a long-iron spade. With thicker steel than a standard spade and a longer and stronger socket, it offers better resistance to the strain applied by the gardener. In addition, its polished blade and foot bars facilitate soil penetration.

For hard or stony soils, the digging edge of a spade, wide or narrow, tends to strike against large stones and this prevents the blade from penetrating deeply. In this case it is better to use a digging fork, whose tines more easily avoid such obstacles. In forged tempered steel, the digging fork is a strong tool and the geometry of its tines is suitable to the soil being worked:
Square section for hard and/or stony soils. Triangular section for compacted and stony soils. Flat section for sandy and stony soils
	Triangular section	Square section	Flat section
Outre le fait de retourner la terre, la bêche, le louchet ou la fourche à bêcher sont également utilisés pour arracher et replanter les végétaux, enlever les pierres, bêcher au pied des arbres pour faire remonter les larves nuisibles ou enfouir un couvert végétal comme engrais vert.

In addition to turning over the soil, spades and digging forks are also used for removing and replanting work, lifting stones, digging around the base of trees to encourage harmful larvae to surface or for digging in mulches such as green manures.

Each of these two handles, however, has its own qualities: the bulb-end handle, which is longer, provides more efficient leverage while the T-handle gives the user better control over the load.
	Pomme	Béquille tournée	Béquille fraisée

Outre la forme, le matériau dans lequel est réalisé le manche est également très important puisqu'il est directement lié à la résistance de l'outil. Combien de jardiniers ont en effet été frustrés de devoir interrompre leur activité suite à la casse de leur manche en bois généralement provoquée par un effort important, comme par exemple lors du délogement d'une grosse pierre enterrée dans le jardin.

To avoid this type of problem, many people have now opted for our fibreglass NOVA handles (bulb-end or T-handle versions) which ensure a high degree of strength under bending.

See the range of spades
See the range of long-iron pades
See the range of digging forks

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» ORGANIC GARDENING :

When organic means the same as "easier on your back": more and more gardeners defend the idea that preparing soils by digging is no longer the only way and that working a soil without disturbing its microbiological composition is more effective and requires less fertiliser. There are now two tools which allow you to break down the structure of the soil without actually turning it over: the Rotogrif' and the Biogrif'. In addition the working position when using these tools is ideal in the fight against back pain. Their use goes hand in hand with good practices such as mulching to reduce weed growth and the need for watering, which is good for the environment and for gardeners' health.
	Rotogrif'	Biogrif'

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» POLYMER TOOLS:

Snow clearance:

Every year winter brings snow which blocks up pathways. Clearing snow from around the house, the path to the garage....is essential for us in getting on with life as normal. Traditionally accustomed to using aluminium tools for snow clearing, users are more and more frequently turning to polymer tools which are much better in many instances. On the one hand polymer tools wear more evenly than aluminium tools. They can therefore still be used, even when they are worn. Conversely, aluminium tools have a tendency to wear more unevenly, especially on the leading edge, which means that they have to be trimmed or ground down regularly to remain useful. And on the other hand the level of comfort when using polymer tools is vastly superior to that of aluminium tools. They are actually lighter, make less noise scraping against the ground, are less rigid than aluminium and are therefore less likely to snag against obstacles such as drains or to scrape against gratings and manhole covers. Finally, polymer provides much lower adhesion to snow than aluminium and thus avoids build-up on tools.

Vmax shovel

Agricultural use:

When used for silage making, aluminium tools can produce metal shavings which can cause injury if ingested by an animal. Conversely and as described above, polymer tools have the advantage that they do not produce shavings.

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» SWEEPING UP OUTDOORS:

Whether it's getting rid of leaves left after a storm on a tarmac drive, keeping tiled patios looking good despite the sand blown in by the wind, sweeping up the yard after trimming a hedge or simply cleaning up the workshop after some DIY, there is nothing more effective than the right broom for each of the above jobs.

For each of these situations Leborgne offers a different model of broom, each suited to the type of rubbish and the surface to be swept.

For efficient sweeping of large volumes or dense material (pebbles, sand etc.) on uneven surfaces (coarse concrete, tarmac etc.) it is best to use a rigid fibre piassava site broom, PVC pro, scraper or PVC medium.
	Efficient sweeping

	For the fine sweeping of small debris (dust, shavings etc.) on smooth, dry surfaces (tiled patio, smooth garage floor etc.) it is better to use a soft fibre broom in rice straw or coconut, or a natural filled black broom.
Fine sweeping

For sweeping large areas it is much more practical to use a 60cm wide broom with PVC or coconut bristles which saves a lot of to-ing and fro-ing
	Sweeping large areas

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» CULTIVATING AND MAINTAINING A FLOWER BED OR A ROCKERY:

Traditionally developed for use in the vegetable garden, garden tools were designed to meet needs depending on the surface and the type of soil to be cultivated. However, looking after a vegetable plot or a flower bed or shrubbery means you will be doing different types of work.

Historically divided into two ranges, one with long handles and strong, broad blades for the vegetable garden and the other with short handles and smaller sheet steel blades for maintaining window boxes, traditional garden tools are not really suitable for use in flower beds or rockeries.

In short, large tools are too big and do not allow easy access between shrubs without damaging the plants already there.

As for window box tools, their handles are too short and their blades not strong enough to stand up to the work required in maintaining a bed or a rockery.

Taking this into consideration Leborgne has developed a range of 15 tools (the Compacts) whose blade size and strength (most are forged and hardened) have been specially adapted for use in flower beds and rockeries.

In this range, 11 have standard handles (between 90cm. and 130cm) for working two-handed standing up and four have short 50cm handles allowing the gardener to work more precisely while crouched and holding the tool in one hand.

COMPACT Tools

From an ergonomic point of view, the working surface of the Compact tools is narrower and less effort is required than with traditional tools. They consequently cause less strain on the user and increase gardening pleasure.

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» RAKES:

Raking up and gathering up dead leaves, garden waste and clippings is an ongoing part of the gardener's work.

Instead of traditional rakes or metal lawn rakes with flat or round tines that are too fragile and not very effective, make life simpler by using one of the new tools such as the XL' or Xfil' which have lots of advantages: extremely solid, a good working width, light, sufficiently aggressive if you put pressure on them (they're made for it!); they are flexible in use and will replace all your old tools. They also present a large surface area which is essential for gathering up waste. And finally the XL' has the enormous advantage of tines whose shape has been designed to prevent leaves from climbing up the tines: you'll never use anything else!
	XL'	Xfil'

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» SPLITTING WOOD:

We are aware that reserves of non-renewable energy (oil) are not as plentiful as we might think. We are therefore witnessing an unprecedented passion for wood as a fuel.

Despite the appearance of new products such as granules or wood shavings, wood in logs remains the most common means of heating.

If you buy wood already cut and split, it is not uncommon that you will have to split some pieces again: The 2.5 kg Bursting Maul is ideal, when used on a hardwood block (oak, beech etc.) If you gather wood in all its forms or convert it from tree to log, you will need several appropriate tools: having cut the trunk and branches to length (30 or 50cm) you can then use a 2.5 kg Bursting Maul to split the wood into smaller diameters.
	2.5 kg Bursting Maul	3.7 kg Bursting Maul
for the stump, large diameter wood and pieces where branches join (knots) you will need a 3.7 kg Bursting Maul. In the most difficult cases you will have to use one or two Bursting Wedges which you will knock in with a 2.5 kg or 3.7 kg Bursting Maul or even a 3 or 4 kg Sledge Hammer.
	Bursting Wedge

Other practices: on wood which is easy to split it is not uncommon to use an Axe. We do not advise it however, because an axe often gets stuck in the wood without splitting it and can be difficult and dangerous to pull out.

Some people use a Sledge Hammer/Splitter for splitting: the advantage is that it exists in a 5 kg weight, but let's leave it to the strong among us who can handle such a weight.

Finally, in some areas woodcutters prefer to reduce the logs in the forest down to 100cm or even longer and split them along their length before loading them on to the trailer. The 3.7 kg Bursting Maul is the ideal tool for this, often in conjunction with a bursting wedge for the first split.

Last but not least, the first fibreglass handle, Nova, was created by Leborgne for these tools: splitting wood has always consumed a lot of replacement handles because of the high number of mis-hits. For your comfort and safety a Novagrip fibreglass handle is almost essential right from the start. The additional cost is often recovered in just a single day's work...

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» BUILDING WORK:

A range of innovative tools developed in conjunction with building professionals

Our design department has worked on the tools most used by professionals and amateurs alike. These tools are part of the Batipro family and have an undeniable advantage in use. These products has been have been designed with ergonomics in mind.

Batipro Bricklayer's Spikes and Chisels are cruciform in section which means they no longer require sharpening: they are self-sharpening These spikes are not however designed for working in hard stone like granite: only carbide tools can be used in that situation.
	Batipro Spike and Chisel

The Batipro Club Hammer is unusual in that it has three complementary working surfaces: a surface specially for striking spikes and chisels (rounded corners so as not to injure) a surface with hard edges for breaking brick, concrete and stone a third surface on the top of the hammer has two straight, hardened ridges for scraping away excess thickness and defects in concrete when removing shuttering.

Novamax Batipro Club Hammer

The Batipro Shuttering Hammer is universally appreciated for its balance, the effectiveness of its claws, its magnetic nail holder and the quality of its Novagrip handle.
	Batipro Shuttering Hammer

With its magnetic nail holder and nail puller blade, the Batipro hatchet is a flexible tool which is as useful for roofing as it is in bricklaying, plastering and formwork.
	Batipro hatchet

For heavyweight hitting and demolition in complete safety the Batipro Sledge Hammer is ideal with its rounded corners and its handle equipped with a rubber mis-hit guard.
	Batipro Sledge Hammer

Lastly the Batipro Wrecking Bar, unique in France, very light with its aluminium alloy handle (aviation quality) provides excellent leverage in demolition work.
	Batipro Wrecking Bar

Choosing a Batipro tool ensures that you have the best available, saves you time and improves your safety

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» COMPOSITE HANDLES:

Nova Handles:


Since 1988 Leborgne has used its solid experience in hand tools and a partnership with professionals in the trade to design, produce and market Europe's FIRST COMPOSITE HANDLE: the NOVA

This revolutionary new handle quickly became seen as a major invention and was awarded the trophy for innovation in 1992 by the Academy of DIY and Gardening.

Made from a fibreglass core inside a polypropylene sleeve, the NOVA handle combines break-resistance with an excellent resistance to mis-hits.

These features produce just the properties needed:
- for tools submitted to bending loads such as spades, forks and picks.
- for percussion tools such as sledge hammers, mauls and axes or building hammers (shuttering hammers, club hammers and hatchets etc.).

Novagrip handles:

In 1998 Leborgne entered the era of tri-materials and gave Nova handles an elastomeric, anti-slip, anti-vibration grip which combines comfort in use, safety and design.

The NOVAGRIP range was born!



Compositube handles:

In 2003 Leborgne launched the COMPOSITUBE handle. Made from fibreglass reinforced polyamide, this hollow handle (no core) combines lightness with strength. It is perfectly suited to tools subject to high stresses and for which weight remains a factor.

The COMPOSITUBE handle is therefore perfectly suited to tools such as spades, forks and cranked hoe-forks.




Manches Novamax :


In 2005, with the benefit of 20 years of experience in composite handles behind it, Leborgne strengthened its tri-material range and launched NOVAMAX.

Clearly positioned for its ergonomic properties, this new handle developed from the Novagrip handle has a broader section which gives it a satisfying feel in the hand for as-yet unequalled comfort in use.

So, users now have four extensive and complementary ranges, a complete choice of handles perfectly suited to specific requirements and working conditions.

Leborgne composite handles ensure STRENGTH - SAFETY - COMFORT

During the design phase, as well as constant checking during production, Leborgne submits its handles to a whole battery of tests so as to comply absolutely with the high level of quality defined in its specifications. These tests are carried out on a continuous basis, so that we can deliver tools that guarantee total satisfaction in use.

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