The right tools make creating and maintaining your yard easier and faster. We dug up this year's most innovative finds, evaluated them for performance and durability, and asked recreational gardeners and experts alike to test-drive how easily and well they handle their designated jobs.

Happy Feet

A great choice for kicking around in the yard: comfortable, stylish, rubber-coated Garden Grips Nimbus gardening shoes ($65). Testers liked the high cut for blocking out splashes from the hose and the sole's traction for keeping them grounded on wet grass and mud. In orange, red, and purple.








Easy Lifting

The ingeniously simple strap design of the PotLifter ($25) makes it a cinch to move large planters and rocks, branch-filled trash cans, and big cubes of peat moss or mulch. While it requires two people, testers found it extremely easy to use and small to store.









A Good Clip

With Fiskars Florist Bypass Pruner ($8), our testers snipped flowers and trimmed down plants in no time. The ambidextrous design satisfies lefties and switch-snippers, and the nonstick-coated blade means sap-laden stems don't gum up the works. Great for smaller clippings, these couldn't quite cut it on woody rose stems.








Ace of Spades

Lightweight and perforated, the Toolite Sifting Shovel ($72.88) earned raves for how well it sifted dirt and peat together, and scooped out and drained muddy earth and clay. The nonstick coating improves ease of use and keeps it protected from rust.









Chop Chop

The hardworking Fiskars Lop & Saw ($35) is a two-in-one tool: The lightweight pruner hacks through branches up to 1 1/2 inches thick with minimal arm fatigue, and the double-edged saw, for larger branches, is sheathed in one of its handles. Some testers thought the saw was tricky at first, but all liked the compact design.








The Glove That Fits

The Bionic Gloves Blooms Gardening Gloves' ($30) silicone grip let testers pick up the smallest clippings and yank out weeds without dirtying their hands. While the slim fit means better dexterity, some testers felt the gloves were a tight squeeze to get on. Also, repeated washes caused fading. Three sizes and four colors.