Review: Shavings Fork With Telescopic Shaft by V-Plast

Hey, everyone! Do you remember I ordered a shavings fork with a telescopic shaft by V-Plast from Divoza Horseworld a few months ago? Well, I promised you as soon as I received it that I would write a review and after using it (and letting Gali’s groom use it too) for a while, I’ve got some pros and cons to share with you!

There were a few reasons why I chose this fork over a traditional one. Firstly, at my barn, forks tend to mysteriously disappear so it was obvious to me that I had to buy a color that was either weird or loud! The second most important factor to take into consideration was the price as I wanted a fork that wouldn’t break after one week but I also didn’t want to spend a fortune. After a (not so) quick visit to both Epplejeck’s and Divoza’s website, as well as to some Portuguese shops to compare the prices of both traditional and fancy stable forks, I ended up realizing that because we were right in the middle of a pandemic, most delivery dates were delayed because the companies were waiting on the suppliers.

Therefore, Divoza seemed to be the best option although I hadn’t completely made my mind yet regarding which model I would buy. For the traditional fork, the cost was 25.95€ + shipping and for the fork with the telescopic shaft, the cost was 29.50€ + shipping. The shipping was 9.99€ for both and the difference in their prices wasn’t huge but although I wanted to test the innovative option, my frugal side was keeping me from completing the purchase. After a couple of days, I entered Divoza’s website again and saw that the fancy fork was on sale! I ended up buying it for 22.12€ – even cheaper than the common fork!

It didn’t take long to arrive and it came in a box so I had to assemble it. I didn’t care because the instructions were pretty clear and it was a super quick process. There was only a problem that still annoys me: I couldn’t attach the handle to the shaft because no one at the barn had the right tool to make a hole in the shaft (aluminum) so every time I use it, the handle starts rotating. The fork does its work just the same, obviously, but I like things to be as perfect as possible!

Regarding the only thing that is truly different, the telescopic shaft works and I must say it makes me very happy! I don’t know if I’m just not good at it but I always found it hard to muck stalls with most forks – I always thought to myself that they were too big, do you feel the same? Therefore, the shaft being adjustable was what I was looking for the most so, as soon as I completed assembling it, I started adjusting it until I found the perfect height for me (it didn’t take long) and, in fact, it is smaller than the height of normal forks.

One of my concerns was that the piece in the middle – what should I call it? – that adjusts the height wouldn’t hold it in place after a few months but, so far, it’s been four months and it is rock solid. As for the pink part of the fork, it is resistant as the company claims and I’ve got zero complaints, it does its job perfectly but I will only be able to confirm if it is, in fact, an indestructible shavings fork if I ever break it – fingers crossed I don’t!

To sum up, if you can’t decide between a regular shavings fork and this one and if they cost just about the same, then I would advise you to give this one a try because I’m loving the adjustable height experience! However, if you don’t have problems with normal forks and/or if this one if much more expensive than the traditional version, then don’t buy this one.

I hope my review was helpful!

See you soon,

Carolina ♥