If you have to break up tough soil, cut through roots, or pry up rocks, you’ll need more than a shovel, and that is when a mattock comes in handy. Little appreciated in the world of gardening and landscaping, the mattock is a versatile hand tool that marries brute strength with finesse to make the most challenging yard work easier.
Growcycle provides a durable, heavy-use mattock that offers superior performance, year after year. Whether you're digging the first hole in a new garden, pulling stubborn roots from the ground, or clearing scrub brush and overgrown, we've designed our tools for people who care about the beauty of the world around them.
What Is a Mattock?
A mattock is a hand tool for digging and chopping. Usually it has a strong wooden or fibreglass handle, a forged steel head (although a later type of iron and steel head exists as well), and a spade-like blade (adze) directed toward the head at an obtuse angle; something like a pickaxe, but physically much smaller.
There are two primary forms of mattock:
- Pick Mattock – A pick for breaking up hard rock or soil, married to a short-handled adze for quick working.
- Cutter Mattock –Both an adze and an axe head, which is perfect for cutting roots and digging trenches.
Whether you are a landscaper, gardener, or homesteader, it can do many tough jobs with one swing.
Why Choose a Mattock Over Other Tools?
If you’ve had to try and break hard clay, lever up the roots of a tree or cut through frozen ground with traditional tools, you know how frustrating it can be. Here the mattock shines.
1. Built for Hard Ground
Mattocks can work higher up than a shovel or a hoe. Chop, mash, and crush hard food with their heavy heads and razor blades.
2. Multipurpose Efficiency
Rather than having to tote a shovel, an ax, and a pick, all of which can harm roots, you can use one mattock for them all. This will save you time and effort, along with giving your tool shed some order as well.
3. Better Leverage and Power
The long handle and head design give you more leverage to dig deeper than spiral designs in tall clay banks with less fatigue to the body while putting more force to the business end so that work gets done more quickly than ever.
How to Use a Mattock Properly
Using a mattock isn’t about sheer muscle — it’s about savvy technique. Follow these tips to use once safely and effectively:
- Grip: Grab as close to the end of the handle as you can to generate the most swing power, with your ungloved hand about a third of the way up.
- Stance: Hold your feet shoulder-width apart, your back straight, and get maximum mileage from your legs and hips.
- Swing: Bring it up and let it come down, swinging it with slow, controlled strokes and using the weight of the tool to do the heavy lifting.
- Remove Roots: Cut large roots with the axe blade and clear loose rock or soil with the adze.
- Breaking Soil: Drive the adze head into the soil again and again so it gets looser, especially if the soil is hard or full of rocks.
Wear gloves, steel-toe boots, and eye protection whenever you use a mattock.
Best Jobs for a Mattock
The mattock is widely used for a variety of heavy outdoor work operations:
- Breaking up clay or compacted soil
- Removing tree roots or small stumps
- Digging trenches for irrigation
- Weeding large overgrown areas
- Excavating garden beds or pathways
- Clearing rocky or forested ground
Whether you are working on a backyard garden or a homestead foundation, the mattock is ready to tackle the job.
Choosing the Right Mattock
When shopping for a mattock, consider the following features:
- Head Material: Forged steel is the strongest and most durable.
- Handle Type: Fiberglass handles are lightweight and weather-resistant; wood handles provide a traditional feel and are less likely to break.
- Weight: Heavier heads provide more chopping power, but users might tire more quickly. Select a weight that is appropriate for your strength.
- Head Design: Pick or cutter head? Pick heads work well in hard soil and rocks; cutter heads for roots, trenches.
Maintaining Your Mattock
Like any tool, a mattock will outlive its usefulness and be more magnanimous to the user with a little care:
- Clean after each use – Get rid of dirt, sap or other garden mess from the head and handle.
- Sharpen the blades – The adze and axe edges need to be sharp and effective, commonly requiring a metal file.
- Check handle integrity – Look for cracks or splits in wood; if fiberglass, check for flex or wear.
- Store properly – Store the mattock in a dry place to avoid rust as well as damage to the handle.
FAQs
- What distinguishes a mattock from a pickaxe?
A mattock has a flat end (adze) for cutting and a point for picking. A pickaxe often has a pointed pick on one end of the head and a chisel or narrow adze on the other end, and, if so, is known as a "pickaxe" as opposed to the "plain" pick. - Is it possible to take out a tree stump with a mattock?
Yes! It may not extract big stumps, but a mattock is great for cutting through the roots and soil around a stump to make extracting it easier. - Is a fiberglass handle stronger than wood?
Fiberglass handles are more resistant to weather and breakage, and they absorb shock better. Wood handles offer a classic feel and can be replaced more easily if broken. - How heavy a mattock do I need?
The average weight is 3-5 lbs. Pick one that you can wear and swing comfortably all day long without any undue pressure.
Conclusion
The mattock is a game-changer when you are dealing with tough soil, stubborn roots, or rough land. Durable, effective, and strong, this age-old tool is not much different from what it was centuries ago. If you’re resurrecting your garden, digging trenches, or clearing land, having a mattock as part of your tool set can make the job quicker, safer, and more pleasing.
