Never Buy a Cheap Wheelbarrow

This is a post in an on going segment I like to call “Farm Rules.” They aren’t rules for coming onto the farm but rather things I have found to be true about farming. This rule is “Never buy a cheap wheelbarrow, because you are going to the one using it.” In our price driven society where everyone is driven to look at the price of a good rather than it’s cost or quality, hand tools have gotten cheaper and cheaper. They are made of poorer materials, poorer construction but WOW did we save at Wal-Mart on it!

(I have nicknamed this the Wal-Mart effect because Wal-Mart demands suppliers lower their prices 5-10% yearly to the retailer. This results in race to the bottom where suppliers must substitute cheaper and cheaper materiel and construction techniques. This is a race to the bottom of quality. This means by the end of 5 years of selling to Wal Mart, a suppliers tools don’t even last a season.)

Because of this instead of buying a quality tool like a wheelbarrow, you end up with something that is going to make your life harder and won’t even last a season. I always recommend that you buy the highest quality tools whenever possible. It’s a bit pricer in the beginning but worth it in the long run. For a wheelbarrow this is especially true because you don’t want to feel like Sisyphus using it. Fighting your tools because they are poorly made means a higher risk of injury and elevated risk of kick it because it doesn’t work. Don’t skimp on tools.