"mike" wrote in message
...
Powered diggers are excluded.

Which is the better choice for various soil condition in your
experience?

1. The manual auger that you twist until you get a full load of soil
to dump:

http://www.hooverfence.com/tools/adjust-augers.htm

(Needs room for handle, but can go very deep by using pipe to extend
it)

or

2. The clamshell-type post hole digger, like this dandy by Fiskars:

http://tinyurl.com/cna8js

(reportedly reaches over 4 feet)


*I have never used the manual auger. I have used a regular clamshell
posthole digger and like the Fiskar ad says I have had to widen the hole to
go down to 4' or more. I expect that the Fiskar steel model is a little
more expensive, but could be a labor saver due to a narrower hole
circumference. One thing I have found useful is a heavy steel bar to loosen
up the soil as I go down deep.