Written by Terry Smith
Our site is reader supported so when you click a link to Amazon we may earn an affiliate commission.
Post hole diggers rated for price and reliability
This article was last updated on May 6th, 2020 at 2:01 pm
The Best Post Hole Diggers
If you’re digging holes, you need the best post hole digger. Why? Who want’s to spend one second longer than they need to digging holes!? Unless you’re willing to pay up big for a petrol auger, the next best thing is a quality hand post hole digger. A post hole digger should have extremely sharp blades and should have a great grip designed with wearing gloves in mind, that allows you to force the post hole digger into the ground firmly. The joint needs to be firm so that when you close the post hole digger blades together, soil is removed easily. The best post hole diggers will last a lifetime and be easy to maintain. With those ideas in mind I have reviewed the best post hole diggers for you.
Comparison table: Post hole diggers rated for price and reliability | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product | What We Think | Price | ||||
Arebos Earth Auger Petrol-Driven 52cc 2.18HP     |
| |||||
   |
| |||||
vidaXL Auger Ground Drill Orange 52 cc Gasoline Engine Post Hole Borer Ground     |
| |||||
Spear and Jackson Landscaping and Fencing Post Hole Digger     |
| |||||
Silverline GT41 Post Hole Digger, 1560 mm   |
| |||||
Roughneck 68265 Heavy-Duty Post Hole Digger     |
| |||||
Roughneck ROU68250 Traditional Pattern Post Hole Digger, Multi Colour, 17x152x19 cm    |
| |||||
eSkde 52cc Petrol Earth Auger Fence Post Hole Borer Ground Drill + 3 Bits + Ext     |
| |||||
I can honestly say I am yet to find an avid gardener or even a landscaping professional that enjoys digging holes. This job can be extremely annoying and tough. Whether you are digging holes for fencing, signposts or planting nothing is more irritating than trying to dig holes when you don’t have the right tool for the job.
There are two types of fence post digger. Firstly, a manual post hole digger. This requires slightly more stamina and strength compared to the new petrol and electric driven competitors.
The manual post hole digger works by manually digging the curved blades that reassembly two spades attached to long handles into the ground and pulling the long handles away from each other closing the curved blades. The dug soil is then scooped out by the two blades which have been moved together to create a two-shovel grabbing tool. This may take some time, but it is an effective, simple and cheap method of fence post digging.
The petrol and electric post hole makers are extremely easy to use and effective also. They use motorised drill bits or blades to drill and dig at high speeds through the soil with ease.
If you are looking to dig a large number of holes regularly, we would recommend investing in a petrol or electric driven fence hole digger. Although, both have their positives and negatives. The petrol driven are quick but loud and more expensive than the manual. But more importantly are not very environmentally friendly. You might think that the electric post hole digger is surely the best bet. And well they are. If you don’t mind spending the extra money, these fence hole diggers can cost nearly double for a decent product with the same amount of power as a petrol driven model. That being said, they do work extremely well, they are safer, quieter, lighter and as previously mentioned, environmentally friendly. Plus, having to mix up the fuel for the two stroke petrol engine models can be extremely annoying when you are mid-way through a job.
In this review we are going to be checking out the best all three types of post hole diggers and hopefully giving you a better idea of which device is right for you.
1. VidaXL Auger Ground Drill and Post Hole Digger
The VidaXL ground drill is a petrol driven and is capable of being more than just fence post digger. Tackling tree planting and road construction works too. This piece of kit is ergonomically designed and lightweight. The device itself is easily handled and comes with an anti-vibration handle which is comfortable to hold and feels robust.The drill length is 72 cm and this petrol post hole digger comes with a set of three iron drills with different widths of 100 mm, 150 mm and 200 mm. Very helpful if you are going to be using this heavy-duty post hole digger on more than just one fencing job.
The VidaXL post hole digger is powered by a 52-cc single cylinder, two stroke, air-cooling engine. The auger speeds can reach up to 200 rpm. We could make light work of post holes and drills through tough soil with ease. The two-stroke engine has a fuel mix ratio of 40-parts petrol to 1-part oil (40:1). This post hole diggers maximum power is 2.2 KW or 8,000 rpm.
You can find this petrol driven post hole digger on Amazon currently for £69.99.
- Anti-vibration handle
- Three-piece iron drill set
- 52-cc single cylinder, two-stroke, air-cooling engine
- Drill speeds of 200 rpm
- Maximum power 2.2 KW
2. Landworks 48V Electric Earth Auger
We found the Landworks 48 V electric post hole digger to be great. First off, it’s eco-friendly and has a long-lasting 2 Ah Lithium-ion battery which also uses a battery life indicator. This post hole digger is capable to digging around 30 holes in a single charge. It feels extremely lightweight and is surprisingly durable.The powerful electric motor achieves excellent power to weight ratio and is controlled easily. This is due to the 3-gear planetary brushless motor. Used for an array of gardening jobs the Landworks electric post digger can drill through tough rocky ground as well as clay. The Landworks earth auger comes with a 15 cm x 76 cm drill bit or cutting blade made from a durable carbon coated steel alloy reaching a maximum speed of 320 rpm.
The Landworks post hole digger also has safety in mind with an easy to reach safety release button for fast electronic stops during operation. This quick stop release button can be found on the ergonomically designed wide-space handles fitted with silicone grips. The grips feel soft and comfortable making the post hole digger easy to control helping to improve the overall balance when operating the product.
We really liked the high-intensity LED light which allows the user to work at night as well as being able to check the depth of you holes easier.
The landworks 48V earth auger is a very powerful yet light machine capable of working quickly and quietly although it is more expensive than most of the other machines reviewed in the article is certainly a product that works and will not need replacing. You can find this post hole digger on Amazon for £69.99.
- Eco-friendly
- 48 V 2Ah Lithium-Ion battery
- Long lasting
- 3-gear planetary brushless motor
- Durable carbon coated steel alloy drill bit capable of reaching a maximum speed of 320 rpm.
- Quick stop release button
- Wide-space handles with soft silicone grips
- High-intensity LED light
- Powerful and quiet
3. eSkde 52 CC Earth Auger Fence Post Hole Digger
Due to the widespread handles the eSkde post hole digger states that is can be operated by more than one person, lightening the load for the single user if the task requires it. We wouldn’t say that the handles are the most comfortable, but they are easy to hold. This earth auger has a large 1.2 litre fuel tank which means more drilling time before needing to mix up the fuel again. The engine is a 52-cc, 3 HP two-stroke petrol engine capable of a max speed of 12,000 rpm. The fuel mix ration is 25-parts petrol and 1-part oil (25:1).The eSkde handles well and feels good when boring through soil. They have three heavy-duty drill bits of different sizes 4 inches, 6 inches and 8 inches which we found handy. We also like the 24 Inches extension pole allowing the operator to dig deeper holes.
This fence post digger comes with a fuel mixing bottle as well as a small tool kit for adjustments. Although, we didn’t need the tool as the drill bits are attached with a simple pin mechanism.
The eSkde is a decent hole maker and can be found on Amazon currently for £69.99.
- 1.2 litre fuel tank
- 52-cc, 3 HP two-stroke petrol engine capable of a max speed of 12,000 rpm
- Set of three heavy-duty drill bits
- 24 inches extension pole
4. T-Mech Garden Post Hole Digger
Firstly, the guys at T-Mech have kindly included a 12-month warranty with the product, plus free next day delivery for any purchases in the UK, excluding the Scottish Highlands. Plus a few freebies, a tool kit, fuel mixing bottle and some personal protection equipment which includes safety glasses, gloves and ear plugs. This is a nice touch if you don’t own your own PPE.The post hole digger has a 1.2 litre engine. It is again a two-stroke petrol engine like most of the fence hole diggers reviewed but the T-Mech uses a 40-parts petrol to 1-part oil ratio (40:1). The 3 HP engine can reach speeds of up to 9,000 rpm.
The drill bits are straightforward to attach, and the bits come in a variety of three different sizes, 4 inches, 6 inches and 8 inches. The set is completed with a 58 cm extension for the especially deep holes.
The T-Mech post hole driller effortlessly bores into tough soil and the double handle helps maintain control. The post hole digger itself feels light yet robust and is currently being sold on Amazon for only £69.99.
- Free delivery in the UK (excluding the Scottish Highlands)
- 12 Month warranty
- Free personal protective equipment
- 1.2 litre two-stroke, petrol engine
- 58 cm extension
5. Arebos Earth Auger Post Borer
This extremely rugged robust tool is designed to make digging holes a pleasure and not a chore. The handle has a squeezable trigger that operates the speed of the drill bit. The Arebos post hole digger utilises a step-down gear system with a powerful centrifugal clutch. This means more control for the operator and to add to that it has been fitted with a large soft grip handlebar that not only adds more control but makes handling effortless. This is attached to the unit via anti-vibration dampers which is very noticeable, and we were able to drill through tougher ground without feeling fatigue. The device is also fitted with a quick stop button for the user’s safety.The drill bits can be changed lightning fast with the quick action release system and the set of three drill bits vary in size from 100 mm, 150 mm to 200 mm bits. All bits are a decent length of 80 cm.
The Arebos earth auger is powered by a two-stoke 52 cc petrol engine with a horsepower of 2.18 HP. We really like the design and the features on the Arebos. Drilling holes made easy and the high torque motor was easy to handle and relatively lightweight and it certainly beats using a fork and shovel!
You can find this post hole maker online on Amazon for £69.99.
- Trigger operated
- Step-down gear system and centrifugal clutch
- Anti-vibration dampers
- Easy to control and effortless drilling
- Quick stop button
- Long three-piece drill bit set
- 52-cc, 2.18 horsepower, two-stroke petrol engine
6. Spear and Jackson Fencing Post Hole Digger
- Great price for a decent product
- Ash handles
- Hardened steel blades
- Winner of a ‘Grow You Own’ Great British growing award for 2018
7. Roughneck ROU68250 Post Hole Digger
The industrial strength blades make light work of digging deep holes and scooping out soil works equally well, I use a hoe to widen the hole if necessary to get a post in. The Roughneck ROU68250 post hole digger is currently on sale with Amazon at a great price for just £49.99.
- Knuckle protecting grips
- Fibreglass handle
- Industrial strength blades
8. Silverline GT41 Post Hole Digger
The Silverline post hole digger has long hardwood handles that have been treated to last longer coupled with hardened pointed leaf steel blades that dig and scoop up even tough rocky earth easily, creating narrow 5 inches in diameter, vertical post holes. We fell that these narrow post holes require less backfilling and the shape of the blades really helped to dig through tough soil. The handles also have pinch protector close to the blades to protect the operators knuckles.
- Treated hardwood handles
- Hardened pointed leaf steel blades
- Pinch protector
9. Roughneck 68265 Heavy-Duty Post Hole Digger
Roughneck’s heavy-duty post hole digger is built to last. With industrial grade steel blades for digging tough holes quicker and durable tubular arms which have been hinged for extra leverage. The handles have extra-long PVC grips so the user can find the most comfortable place for them to hold the device. This product is extremely robust and is even used to dig and scoop out the rockiest of ground.
- Heavy-duty
- Industrial grade steel blades
- Hinged arms
- Long PVC grips
I hoped you enjoyed reading the best post hole diggers reviewed and I hope we help you make the right purchase.
