If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you probably know that the Root Slayer is my favorite gardening tool. This shovel with a serrated V-shaped tip cuts through roots and just about anything in its path. I use it for a variety of tasks, including removing plants and digging holes (even in clay). Thanks to sharp rip-saw teeth on both sides of the shovel part, it slices through obstacles like nothing else I’ve tried. Just as importantly, it has a long shaft with a steel core that provides extra leverage – usually enough for me to pry out root balls.
If this sounds a bit like a commercial, it is. Not because I’ve been paid to say nice things about the Root Slayer (as if!), but because I’m truly happy with it.
But even the best tools break sometimes. That’s when you can tell how good a company is.
Three weekends ago, I removed the bloomed-out Agave bovicornuta in our front yard (see this post). Aside from the reciprocating saw I used to cut off the leaves, my Root Slayer was the only other tool I needed. In the process of lifting the core of the agave, I heard an inauspicious sound. Not a loud pop, just a low-key krrrr. That kind of sound is never a good thing. A crack had developed in the plastic handle at the end of the shaft. I was able to finish the job – I was careful not to put too much pressure on the handle – but clearly this was not good news.
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| Cracked Root Slayer handle |
A quick search on the website of the manufacturer,
Radius Garden, revealed that their digging tools have a
lifetime warranty. Fortunately, my wife was able to find the order confirmation email from 2017 – I couldn’t believe it had been that long. She exchanged a couple of emails with Radius Garden’s customer service and submitted two photos of the damaged product. That’s all they needed to process our claim and send us a new Root Slayer – all we had to do was pay shipping ($13 and change). We didn’t have to return the old one.
Here’s the brand-new Root Slayer next to the old one. The design doesn’t seem to have changed much, if at all, since my wife gave me the original one as a gift.
Radius Garden has greatly expanded their range of products. In addition to the original
Root Slayer, there’s now an
XL version, a
Perennial Shovel (about 70% of the size of the original Root Slayer), a
Mini-Digger Shovel, and a variety of
specialized tools (like trench spade, drain spade, post-hole digger, etc.).
I haven’t tried any of the other products, but based on my experience with the original Root Slayer, I wouldn’t hesitate. In fact, I have my eyes on the
Root Slayer Trowel; it looks like a hand-held version of the Root Slayer.
The prices charged by the manufacturer on their website are steep ($97.49 for “our” Root Slayer). On
Amazon you can buy Radius Garden products for about 40% less. If you don’t like Amazon, Root Slayer products are available just about everywhere – even Bed Bath & Beyond carries them! According to reader MS, Tractor Supply Company carries them as well; you can place an order
on their website and have it shipped to your local store if they aren't in stock there.
Note: As I mentioned earlier, I was neither paid to say nice things about the Root Slayer nor did I receive anything for free. I’m simply a satisfied customer.
© Gerhard Bock, 2023. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.
I bought one a few years ago, after reading about it in your blog. It's the best! Takes out things that my husband swore it couldn't. :)
ReplyDeleteI've been using the Root Slayer for 6 years now, and I'm still surprised what it can cut through.
DeleteDid the handle get bleached in the sun? UV rays will damage and weaken plastic--that may have shortened its lifespan. I went to buy one of those but they were sold out at the time. They look really, really handy. Unfortunately I'd probably slice through an irrigation pipe or drip tube with the first use--but I seem to manage to do that anyway, with whatever tool I'm using. ;^)
ReplyDeleteCheck if you buy on Amazon if the Radius guarantee will be honored. Some companies do not honor product guarantees if sold by non-authorized retailers like the many third party "marketplace" sellers on Amazon, ebay, etc.
Bleached plastic: My Root Slayer did live outside although not in the full sun. But many 100° days probably weakens plastic, too.
DeleteIrrigation lines: Like you, I've cut through many of them. What would life be without broken irrigation to fix?
Warranty: Turns out my wife bought the original Root Slayer at Woot.com, an Amazon subsidiary. There was no issue with the warranty. All Radius Garden wanted to see was proof of purchase.
Many 100F days would weaken anything! Thanks for the info on the Root Slayer purchase.
DeleteI ordered one on Amazon after your removal of the Agave. I think it will be very helpful. I also am interested in the trowel. If you get it let us know how it goes. Like Hoover Boo, I also wondered if they will honor the guarantee when one buys it through Amazon. I also wondered about the UV rays to the plastic and whether it shortened the lifespan.
ReplyDeleteI am the anonymous above! I do want to say that whether they honor the guarantee, I am happy to have the product that looks like it works great for removing plants! Thanks, Gerhard!
DeleteNancy, they do honor the warranty. Our Root Slayer came from Woot.com, Amazon's clearance site.
DeleteImpressive! I put it on my Christmas list as an idea to pass along to my husband and also as a possible gift for a gardening friend.
ReplyDeleteI was excited to see they now offer Root Slayers in so many different sizes. The trowel is on my wish list, but I may break down and buy it for myself before the holidays (too long to wait!).
DeleteI also bought one (from regular Amazon) after your mentioning it. We have glacial till, semi-clay tightly bound with many many rocks. It is not easy to dig things out of. I was eyeing a power posthole auger but decided it could be a disaster with all the rocks. I'm hoping the serrations and tapered blade will work as well.
ReplyDeleteI'll admit I did not expect to find a fellow woot-er here! We've gotten some pretty great things through them-although it does pay to check the price against the "mothership". I just bought a set of radius ergonomic hand trowels and a regular-ish shovel this summer (no longer available) . If I hadn't gotten the regular shovel ($20) and liked it, I probably would have been slower to get your red friend.
But, being a bit pedantic, technically you did get a free item- your replacement! I am pretty sure that on occasion manufacturers release products at very low prices to certain sites to get them into the hands of a new customer base-sure worked for me, anyhow. I think that's probably the case with these woot items-and maybe why they honored the warranty? Although not honoring it could have cost them more in lost sales than the cost of one shovel.
My wife used to order a lot of stuff on Woot. She paid $39.99 for the Root Slayer, so about $10 less than what she would have paid elsewhere 6 years ago. Their lifetime warranty doesn't say anything about having to buy the product from a specific place :-)
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