* Welcome back Yury Smirnov, of Ecominded.net, for Fokin hoe giveaway!!

I was just about to treat myself to one of these. We do scythe and have a kick-ass japanese hand sickle, but I think this fills a different niche. I generally try not to buy new things, especially things that are shipped long distances, but sometimes I want a nice tool that will last a lifetime. I am currently trying to clear blackberries and grass to replace them with more useful plants; however, I spend a lot of time bent over pulling grass and blackberry shoots. I would love one of these. It's at the very top of my list. I have researched these tools in the US and have seen mixed reviews from other vendors (the metal bends easily, etc). Our soils are generally soft and sandy, but how strong is the blade? Does it bend easily with use?

Thank you!

Rosa Nutkana wrote: Our soils are generally soft and sandy, but how strong is the blade? Does it bend easily with use?

Hi Rosa, The Fokin hoe blade is made of forged, tempered steel, so it is very strong and never bends. Also, you should know that some shops offer similar tool, made of stainless steel, and THAT stainless option is bent easily.

Yury Smirnov wrote:

Will Staves wrote:the shipping is more than the item!
Is it actually coming from Russia?
Could someone get a bulk order and stash on Amazon for quicker and cheaper distribution on this side of the oceans?

Hi Will, Yes, all the tools are coming from Russia.
And if someone decide to get a bulk order for quicker distribution in the States, we will be happy to discuss the bulk discounts that may be upto 50% of the retail price.

Yes Please! If someone gets the bulk order please put me on your list. I fracture my meniscus tendon last year and had to sell my goat herd while I was off my feet. Now I could really use the Fokin to hack up the petrified layer of muck in the barn.

Hi Yury,

Is there a European distributor for these? France would be preferable, but anywhere in the EU would be ok too.

I use an azada a lot in the garden for breaking up and moving soil, and was thinking about a smaller one for weeding.
This looks like something I would really like to try out.

Rus Williams wrote:Hi Yury,

Is there a European distributor for these? France would be preferable, but anywhere in the EU would be ok too.

I use an azada a lot in the garden for breaking up and moving soil, and was thinking about a smaller one for weeding.
This looks like something I would really like to try out.

Hi Rus, I don't know any distributors of these tools in Europe. Would you like to become one? We are ready to offer 40 to 60 % off of the retail price, depending on the quantities.

any guide showing how to properly  sharpen this?  learning things in my mid fifities and well  dont want to do this wrong heheh  

Welcome Yuri, those Fokin hoes look awesome!

Chris Ferenz wrote:any guide showing how to properly  sharpen this?  learning things in my mid fifities and well  dont want to do this wrong heheh  

Have you ever sharpened a scythe? Sharpening Fokin hoe is pretty much the same process.

Anyone else forget what these were called, then started typing in "Russian hoe", only to realize just before hitting enter that I was on a work computer and this was going to get a lot of unintended search results?

It's the simple joys of life. I have a oscillating hoe. One of those u-shaped hoes that just whips along the ground, so easy to use. Makes clearing a dream. Fokin hoe would be cool. Just saying.

We have winners!

Congratulations to:

Timothy Markus
Gary Bogdan
Carla Beemer
Hank Waltner

I'll be PMing each of you--please respond back by Sunday so I can send your information on to Yury and he can mail your Fokin hoe blades!

And, huge thanks to Yury for coming back for another Fokin hoe giveaway! You're awesome, Yury!

If you were bummed that you didn't win a hoe blade, have no fear! You can buy them at ecominded.net!

Congratulations to the winners!!  I hope we will hear from you on which hoe you received and what wonderful things you are doing with it.

Bonnie

Attention flat-cutter (Fokin hoe) users - some useful tips from the author, Vladimir Fokin:  https://ecominded.net/fokin-hoe-author-tips

Important information for those who ordered ploskorez Fokina (Russian flat-cutter) from us:

We shipped more than 90 parcels in April, May and June and all of them stuck for several weeks at Russian border or somewhere else but later most of them went through and were delivered to the destination. Some parcels arrive after 3-4 months since they were shipped. All parcels are late due to COVID-19 impact. And this happens to all post services now, USPS, Canada Post, DHL or Russian Post, no matter, all of them have to obey COVID-19 quarantine instructions.

Please be assured that any delay with delivery is not our fault, it is the subject of COVID-19 impact and we are pretty sure that all parcel will arrive sooner or later. Please be patient.

The situation is getting much better now: new parcels are delivered almost on time whereas some old parcels are still on the way somewhere...

So if you have not recieved your parcel yet please let us know so that we can make a claim about it at Russian Post, sometimes it helps to speed up the parcel.

I received mine about 2 weeks ago, so it sure can take a while.  I know people who have ordered things from overseas and it's taken them 3-4 months to get them, so I don't think it matters where it's coming from.

I haven't had a chance to use it yet but it sure looks strong.  I'll post a review when I have used it, but I'm already sure I'll love it.  

Thanks Yury!

Timothy Markus wrote:I received mine about 2 weeks ago, so it sure can take a while.  I know people who have ordered things from overseas and it's taken them 3-4 months to get them, so I don't think it matters where it's coming from.

I haven't had a chance to use it yet but it sure looks strong.  I'll post a review when I have used it, but I'm already sure I'll love it.  

Thanks Yury!

Good news, Timothy! :) Looking forward for your review!