Bully Tools 92381 3/8-Inch Dibble Bar with Steel T-Style Handle

We had some trouble with shipping, but the company is top notch and went above and beyond to make things right even where it was not their fault. This thing works great for small non branched bare roots in damp soil. I believe where people have had problems probably was in hard and rocky areas. Use the right tool for the job. Will buy again if needed.

Loved it, worked great, easy to use

Sturdy, well made and just the thing for planting lots of bare root seedlings. Plenty of depth to the blade for seedlings with longer roots, requiring more depth to the planting hole opened up. Nice cushioned handle, but gloves still needed if you want to avoid blisters. Stout metal, did not detect any flex at all, even in tight dry soil.

So ... this is a pretty good tool overall. Some have had problems with the weld breaking ... Not me. The tool is strong and I was able to plant 100 seedlings quickly with it. The grip is good and spongy and is firmly attached.Here's the thing ... it's all about who welded it together. When you get your tool, examine the weld. If it is concave or sloped inward, you have a hot, strong and penetrating weld with a good bond by someone that knows what they are doing. If it is humped up and bumpy ... AN AMATEUR WELDED IT ... BOOM !!! ... That's was a cold-shot weld and the tool will likely break right away. Examine it ... if the weld is humped up as described it will probably break. If so, send it back immediately and get another one. I'm pretty sure this company's QC has taken care of any past problems with weld quality as some limited other feedback might suggest. I would overlook that frankly. So I've welded for 43 years and know what I'm talking about with steel and I'm sure mine was welded by someone qualified ... I will keep it.I dinged it one star because the blade metal is relatively soft mild steel, cannot be hardened and will dull fairly quickly. Every 100 - 200 trees or so you will likely need to grind a new blade edge with a 120 grit sanding disk ... check the weld and keep if it is good. If had designed it ... I would have welded on a 3/8" cobalt edge and ground that sharp ... I didn't ... Get Over It ... Buy it anyway. It's a good value regardless.The Ironman ... Ret.

It was too much for me to use, so I bought an auger and drilled the holes. Yes, it took longer to plant my 150 trees, but I got it done. So if you have strength great this tool is for you. If your whittle, buy the drill bit thingy.Sincerely, Cherry

I have never heard of a dibble bar before. However, I ordered some trees from my local nature conservancy, and in their planting tutorials they mentioned using a dibble bar to plant their seedlings. I figured if they suggested it, I should purchase one as I had hundreds of seedlings to plant.I have land in upstate NY, and the ground is full of rocks and dirt is clay like. So digging is a chore and back breaking work. But this dibble bar really made it easy to break into the dirt by pushing in, then pushing to create a pocket to plant the seedling and then getting the dirt back into the hole.It actually became a joy to plant these seedlings, and of course, now that it was easy to do and I could see progress of getting these seedlings into the ground, it further motivated me to continue planting.It made what could have easily been a chore, a pleasure! I love tools that provide function and help make work easier (isn't that the job of a tool?). This dibble bar is well constructed and sturdy, also not too heavy to manipulate/use.I love it!

This does an excellent job for planting trees and shrubs. It made my life much easier when I was planting a hundred oak tree trees this spring.

Bought this item to plant Pine Trees on my 23 acres. Did the job but, you don't want to get this stuck under a root or even a small rock. Even though the handle and shaft are nearly 1" thick, it easily bends out of shape, with any pressure exerted against it. It is just soft Pig Iron (not hardened or tempered) It's much harder to bend back into a usable shape again after doing so. Finally got fed up with it, and tried using a Trenching Shovel, which worked much better, especially in rocky soil. It also allowed me to get deeper into the earth to remove out of sight roots and rocks, that would have interfered with seedling root development. We put in 1000 Loblolly Pine Seedlings, so I do have a little experience with this! Conclusion: Save your money and time, and buy a good narrow / curved Trenching shovel. It's easier on the body, and does a much better job. Insert the shovel blade directly into the ground in an upright position, and work it back and forth to open a narrow pocket in which to insert your seedlings. The shovel will give you better leverage without having to bend over so much, and it blade is much longer, which lets you go deeper into the soil to make any sub surface obstructions readily apparent.