This narrow trench shovel will last a long, long time. You can safely do a little prying with it to get out those roots and rocks (just don't go crazy, that is what pry bars are for). You can leave it in the back of your truck all year, and it will not rot like a wooden handled shovel. The kind of use and abuse that will destroy inexpensive wooden big-box store trench shovels will barely scratch this tool.