"Stainless edging iron head snapped"

My K&S Stainless steel edging tool head snapped at the plate and metal handle. Had it from new for 2 years but used it only a handful of times. 15 year guarantee is a joke.

"Questionable Products"

Updated review from original posted on 30/03/24: changed from 1 to 4 stars. Please see why at the end of my review.

The name Kent and Stow is supposed to be a good quality product, but it seems not anymore!

A while ago my husband got gifted a Kent and Stow Fork, which has now broken and split between the fork prongs and the handle. We thought this was a one off, but bought a different make in case. However, he needed a spade, so we bought one of Kent and Stowe's spade from a garden centre, however only a month in of using it, he has noticed that it has a big patch of peeling off paint on the back of the spade and is now full of rust!

Given the current climate and the competition they have, they should address their manufacturing processes and quality assurance teams!

Also they should be more easier to find on the internet to complain to. A reviewer mentioned they couldn't find the details on how to complain. This isn't a surprise as the company does not come under their name, but Garden Health or Westland products (you'd never know) it took me a while to find them to complain to.

Their contact form didn't work, as I kept getting an error message, so I emailed them.

They have replied and said that their products have a "no quibble return guarantee". They asked for my purchasing details, the product description, photos of the damaged items and my address to send the replacement items to.

They also said they have regular meetings to monitor quality of their items. This is all well and good, but they need to be more easier for customers to find, so customers have somewhere to complain to for the company to get a true reflection of their products performance (I see now on their replies they have given out their email address, which is great). The company also need to monitor Trustpilot reviews and learn from them and answer the negative ones. I have informed them of this too. (Since emailing them, I noticed they've replied to some of the reviews).

04/04/24: I've now heard back from Jo who has been very helpful and professional. They are now going to kindly send a replacement fork and spade to my grateful husband. Thank you Jo and Kent and Stowe for restoring my faith and confidence in your company.

"Low quality stainless aerator "

Purchased the stainless aerator today. Completed about 20 rows in soft ground and the handle snapped clean off the head.
The handle is tapered down to much and as a result it weakness the joint at the head.
Quite disappointing quality. More about appearance than function.

Edit:
Thanks for the offer of contact.
The following day, the wooden shaft/handle cracked and bent on a K&S stainless serated edger I purchased at the same time. Same weak point, where the wooden handle is tapered into the steel head.

Both have gone back the the retailer and were refunded without question. Seems to be an accepted issue.

15 year guarantee on the label, neither tool lasted 15 minutes.

"It took me an age to find out how to…"

It took me an age to find out how to get my Kent & Stowe secateurs repaired.

I finally found Westland Horticulture who immediately recognised the problem from the photos I'd sent,
then posted me the spare parts needed and I've now got them working perfectly again.
Special thanks to Kayleigh
Technical Advisory at Westland Horticulture

"K&S long-handled trowel weld failure"

K&S - long handled trowel - weld snapped where handle joins trowel. Less than 2-years-old. Certainly heritage looks but not heritage quality, clearly defective manufacturing. Reading reviews, seems I'm not the only one experiencing weld failures. Will never buy another K&S product.

"Bulb planter broke on first use"

Bought a small bulb planter but it broke on first use, and that was in soft wet soil. Very poor quality metal and design.

"The K&S 3 in 1 lawn rake is not fit for…"

The K&S 3 in 1 lawn rake is not fit for purpose. Despite having strong hands, I could not detatch the separate plastic rake hands by pressing the plastic levers in the middle. It looked like a good strong plastic rake with the additional advantage of being able to detach one or both rake sides to use as a narrower rake, but I challenge you to try and do this just with your hands. me and the garden centre assistant tried 5 different ones, and they were all the same. We managed to shift one of them - but only one side, and we all had sore fingers from the sharp plastic configuration. As a one-piece rake it looks OK (but expensive at £24.99) but as a 3 in 1 tool, it is useless. Sorry

"Chinese-made rubbish"

Cant find K&S website (other than facebook) - I wonder why. Don't reveal that their tools are 'designed in the UK' but made in China. Given a garden spade as a gift. Shaft snapped after two uses. Can't find how to get a replacement. Avoid the 'heritage' branding and fake up market promotion - the tools are lightweight rubbish.

"Great Customer Service"

I recently purchased a K&S border hand fork but when I first used it found the head was slightly loose. Not a high issue but not what I wanted from a premium brand. I emailed K&S (part of Westland), sent a video of the problem and without further ado, a replacement arrived. Thanks Kathy at Westland

"Kent and Stowe - Not Such High Quality Afterall :("

Purchased the single-handed grass shears approximately three months ago :(.
First, the locking button fell off; refitted. Then the top handle came off; refitted. Then the nameplate fell off covering the locking mechanism; refitted. Then the top handle came off again; refitted. Then the bottom handle came off; refitted. Then the handle's return spring came off; refitted. Now the handle's return spring has broken. So much for quality garden tools :( :(
Can't find a Kent and Stowe email address either ):|

UPDATE 15/09/2023
Contacted manufacturers and they sent me more springs :) :)