I planted over 200 trees in rocky rooty Pennsylvania soil and this shovel worked superbly, one of my best purchases ever. Love the round handle and the bright color to find it in the weeds. Was concerned it might be too short as I am 5' 10" but length of shovel was not as issue. Cant think of any thing that would make this shovel better. Worth the bucks I paid for itTook a while but I was able to pull out some heavy brush (see picture). Works better then a regular shovel, but maybe not quite as well as advertised. I am planning to expand our paver patio to an area with bushes, a small tree, and to top it off, it was landscaped with rocks. lots of attempts to get the shovel into the ground were unsuccessful (not sure if I was hitting roots or rock.) My best strategy was to start in a place where I could get the shovel in deep, pull out some soil and pry underneath, then slowly expand the dig line using the serated edges. One I got the dig line all the way around (no easy task) I was able to pry them out. The tip of the shovel wasn't very effective against medium+ sized roots, but having a saw on the side was very helpful. Much easier then using a handsaw since you can use your stronger leg muscles and put your weight into it. Use gloves as the rubber kind of sticks to skin and will give blisters.So effective not only in uprooting but in digging holes. Truly the best shovel I've ever used. Love the economic design that helps you leverage out difficult roots and I'm a petite 5'2".I don't want a light weight shovel. I want one that has some mass to it. I love this shovel. Good foot support locations. Reasonable sharp edge. Cut tough hard dirt and roots..I love this for my planting! I have lots of trees around so need help to dig holesCertain areas of Hawaii is over run by an invasive ornamental ginger smothering our forests and native plants. The only way to get rid of it is poison or to dig up the absolute masses of rhizomes - and get every last bit of them or it will regrow. Poison is a no-go for me, so I have spent hours of backbreaking sweaty work to dig these up. Then I found this Root Slayer and whoa, this shovel makes the job so. much. easier! It takes more effort and time to haul the ginger away than it does to dig them up. Still a crazy amount of digging required, but I appreciate that this tool has made it infinitely easier on my body. And I just can't seem to break this shovel. I have used it as leverage to pull out giant clumps, putting all of my body weight on the top half to loosen the rhizomes, and it never snaps. I have also pounded it into quite a few large rocks by accident. My Root Slayer has been withstanding abuse for five years now. I sometimes think I should become a distributor for the company - I would make a mint since I can't find this shovel in any local stores and everyone on my side of the island has the same ginger problem. I love it so much I just bought a back-up just in case my first one ever gives up. 100% worth it.It's really just another shovel, but I love having it in my gardening arsenal. I haven't found that it is much better than my traditional spade at cutting roots, but the shape allows me to get into close places like around rocks neatly. I loved the name. I have named all my shovels now, it gives them more clout. I have potato masher, ice breaker, big mouth, and Skinny Minnie.Perfect shovel to get rid of root balls, roots.......very sturdy, not lightweight...........can chop and cut thru roots.Having recently moved house, I found myself with the the unenviable task of having to remove an established bamboo plantation. After cutting the individual stems to the ground I thought I would easily dig out the roots with my trusty spade, but soon found that the remaining fibrous root structure was so strong that it was like trying to dig into concrete.A quick search on Amazon and a couple of days later I was back in the garden with the Root Slayer in hand. Now, the Root Slayer isn't magical, and it still relies on physical labour to get the job done, but it does make the seemingly impossible possible. Working from the edges in small sections I was able to dig and cut my way through the entire root structure and remove every last trace of the bamboo.I have since used the Root Slayer to remove established ivy roots and again it was made the job so much easier.This is definitely the best additional I have made to my gardening tool-set and I would recommend it to everyone.The Root Slayer delivered more than i expected. It is so effective i was amazed. But there is a technique to be learned otherwise it will be very hard work and you may damage the blade. The blade and the shaft are not designed to be used to break roots by leverage. The spade is a good weight and if you try to use it like a regular spade you will become weary very quickly. So the technique is to lift the spade vertically and drive it into the target. Be sure to keep your feet well away and perhaps this is the situation when you need toe protection foot wear. As you drive the blade into the ground the serrated edges sever the roots and a few repeats might be necessary. But the effect is very rewarding. See my photos for evidence of effectiveness. I think the Root Slayer is well designed, easy to use and excellent value for money.I did not think a lot of a radius digging fork I bought, but this is my favourite garden tool and has so many uses.I have not actually tried it to dig out tree roots, but I do use it for many tasks and no other tool can come near it.First, it is immensely strong - it has a resin coated steel shaft from head to toe. This makes it heavy of course, but you either get something that's light and breaks, or this! Don't be put off by reviewers who say you aren't meant to use it as a lever. Although it is true, that if you are cutting through big roots, then levering is not the right action, but it is more capable of hefty levering of stones etc than any other tool I have.My soil is chalky with a lot of heavy clay. After a dry summer I could not get anything through it. But this just cuts through like magic! The teeth and the shaped end are extremely sharp. It is also good if you need, say, to dig a hole to plant something in the middle of a border, because it cuts down deep but in a narrow radius. So it can be used as a blunderbus but is also good for precise work. It seems to clean well after a session of clay digging too.I like the radius handles, which look awkward but actually are better than D handles, and provide good grip and leverage. I also like the substantial foot plates which really help with pushing the shovel in.I recommend going on to you tube and searching for reviews of this tool. There is a good one by someone digging through frozen earth and so on.It’s a bit pricey yes, but you have ever needed to clear hedges, bushes, tree roots it’s worth every penny.This spade owes me nothing. I have cleared SO much in two gardens and it’s still in great shape. The round handle is easier to work with, so much better than a regular spade handle, and I’ve had the blisters to prove it.It is very sturdy, it’s hit rock and tree roots and not buckled. I have snapped two forks trying to lift roots.This is best proof for having the right tool for the job.I have never seen this in any garden centre so buying without handling it was a risk, but for a middle aged woman with a crap back, this is brilliant.If you have roots, trees, bushes to clear save yourself hours of work by buying the root slayer, you can thank me later:)When I saw this and read the reviews I was cynical about how good it would be and the round handle made it look like Po from the Telletubbies?I have been using it for several weeks now clearing a very overgrown garden full of Bramble roots,, Ivy, Hawthorne, Sycamore and Holly. The Holly and Sycamore were substantial roots but the Root Slayer cut through the ground and the minor roots without any problem. The cutting action is brilliant and the round handle is perfect when attacking a root system from a side or other awkward angle. I would give this 6 stars because it makes a tough, boring job a pleasure and you can really clear a lot of ground quickly. I have also put my full 15 stones of weight down on the shaft levering and it's solid. If you are thinking of tacking any roots this is the perfect tool - I am delighted with it.