Tool handle material - wood or fibreglass?

NorthernJoe

I've got mostly wooden handled, traditional tools but there's more fibreglass out there. Some sell as vibration reducing too. I always thought fibreglass is usually on the cheaper tools so avoided, but how true is that???

I've moved house and inherited a set of spades and forks with fibreglass handles. They seem strong, well didn't break when I foolishly tried to lever a stump out. I'm looking at getting a Mattocks, will a fibreglass handled one be any good? Also axes with fibreglass.

For chopping tools like axe or mail I think good quality hickory handle is best. Is this true or are modern fibreglass or other modern materials getting better these days?

Wilderbeast

I've a number of the fibreglass tools so some back

1. They are quite flexible and very strong

2. Recently managed to break 2 hickory shafted pickaxes, however I found it quite a strange sensation using a fiberglass pickaxe due to the extra flexing
3. I'd choose a fiskars axe ahead of anything else on the market
4. I have snapped a long shafted fiberglass digging spade so they still break like wood sometimes

I find generally there's very little different about the two materials, however there there is lots less stress/vibration on your hands when using fibreglass wrecking tools

BobTheGardener

I only have experience of the Roughneck 5lb mattock, but I don't think I could break that solid fibreglass shaft, even I tried to do so on purpose!