Sneeboer ⭐ Top pick

'I know how to do better', Arie Sneeboer's motto still guides our work today. Since 1913, we forge each tool by hand, favoring absolute quality over quantity. Our tools don't just garden, they last generations.

In 1913, Arie Sneeboer set up his forge in a garden shed in Bovenkarspel, a small town in North Holland. Local market gardeners and horticulturists needed strong tools that would last. Arie was convinced he could do better than what already existed. His motto, "Ik weet hoe het beter kan" ("I know how to do better"), became the foundation of the company.

The workshop grew. Coal fed the forge fires, and master smiths worked at the anvil and power hammer. The oldest hammer in the workshop dates from 1920 and is still used today. The same techniques developed more than a century ago are still in use. The modern Bovenkarspel facility runs with two forges and four coal-fired hearths, because the family still considers this the most effective method for forging.

Every new employee is trained on site, a process that can take up to three years. Traditional blacksmith training has almost disappeared from standard education. Sneeboer is one of the last places where this apprenticeship is still transmitted. Tools are forged from quality stainless steel and fitted with ash or cherry wood handles.

The third generation brought the company to international recognition. In 2013, the Royal Dutch Hoe, designed with English rosarian John Scarman, won Product of the Year at the Chelsea Flower Show. Since January 2023, the fourth generation has been preparing the handover, faithful to Arie's promise: "Whoever has held a Sneeboer in hand never wants anything else again."