Wellington company makes tools fit for a prince

A Wellington tool company has earned the auspicious title of making garden tools that are fit for a prince.

The Campbell Tool Company -- run by husband and wife team Murray and Elaine Campbell from their home in suburban Karori -- has just sold a consignment of garden forks and trowels to the Prince of Wales.

The high-quality handmade tools will be stamped with the Prince's feather logo and re-branded 'Highgrove', before being sold in an exclusive retail outlet at his Highgrove Estate.

Mrs Campbell says the tools, designed by her civil engineer husband, were born out of frustration with the poor quality tools available in the local market.

"The world is swimming in cheap, mass produced tools, but there is still a market for tools that won't bend or break with their first use," Mrs Campbell says.

The Campbell tools have stainless steel blades and tines, brazed onto an unbendable tang and bonded into a waisted wooden handle.

They are available in New Zealand by mail order, while other overseas stockists include top-notch London department store Fortnum and Mason.

- NZPA