The grades are reflective of levels of education, experience, and responsibility from what I have discerned from both the IFA and BAJR websites. It's a good model; not too dissimilar to the GS/GM grading in the civil service.

Specifications for the grades should be found on the IFA website, if not on BAJR as well.

Since I have recently had the pleasure of using the WHS 4" trowel and in the past used Marshalltowns I would have to say, from initial observations, I prefer the WHS. The blade is thicker so it will be less prone to tearing, the handle feels a bit larger allowing for a better grip, and the height of the handle over the blade is greater allowing my big hands some room. But I will have to wait until I had a chance to use the WHS a lot more to draw my final conclusion.

http://www.scribd.com/BAJR-Pay-and-Conditions-Request-200910/d/13864207

That will explain the Grades... as Jen says

ie

G 3 (ie Site Assistant 2 or Technical Worker 1)
-
recommended minimum £16,110.55 ( £ 310.85 per week)

Experienced in most aspects of the work,
though will receive supervision and further
instruction from higher levels.

Usually the person has a longer experience
in chosen field than G2 – rated in years
rather than months

Professional knowledge
Working level of knowledge in chosen field.


Decision making and influence
Expected to work on short-term targets through an
established procedure

Freedom to act
Guidance of more senior colleagues.


Communication
Ability to work as part of a team.
Ability to learn and mentor G2 staff.

Qualifications
Likely to have degree and relevant
postgraduate qualification (or equivalent
qualification/experience/training).


Previous experience
Demonstrable relevant experience (around
two to three years).

Trowels.. WHS 4" Battiferro 12cm 5" WHS Margin...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-D5rzbx4C-Q


as a matter of interest it was BAJRites that created the new archaeoogy trowel bless em!
http://www.bajrfed.co.uk/showthread.php?2106-WHS-Trowels-RESULT!!

David, do you ever have folks ordering the WHS trowels in the U.S.? I was just wondering how steep the cost of shipping is overseas.

Indeed we do...   often as part of the toolroll though (one of my more useful inventions!)
http://www.pasthorizons.com/shop/index.php?route=product/category&path=39

anyway...all in (ie Trowel plus P&P)  
c. $28

if you are a student..  then it drops to about $21.75

I noticed a comment about tearing of Marshaltowns...  this was the great debate that happened to the WHS  --  they thinned the blade and the trowels snapped and tore all over the place..
First brought up here:
http://www.bajr.org/diggermagazine/Digger39/4.html

WHS Trowel bites the dust?.

Ping! It's become a sound familiar on sites up and down the country, usually followed by the indignant shout of an angry digger. Ping! The noise of the blade of another WHS trowel snapping in half....................

Anyway...  sounds like the Marshaltown suffers from this, though the soils you go through are not as harsh as ours by the sounds of it...

pps    thanks Jen...    and Jens husband ...   you know what I mean!

Thanks. The soils here can vary wildly, depending upon where you are in the country, and certainly down to the site.  I've always had more than one trowel to choose from in my dig kit, but still feel fortunate that I've never broken one through the years.  Now, shovels, though... that's an entirely different story.  Why does it always seem that you are on a transect several miles from the vehicle when it seems to happen? :p

David, what was the actual cause of WHS trowel failure? Surely appropriate usage wont cause a properly constructed trowel to break (appropriate usage being the cutting of sediments, roots, applying plaster, etc.). I broke my Marshalltown because I was using it improperly, for a task for which it was never designed, by prematurely prying an object out of the ground. Had I spent more time cutting soil I wouldn't have broken my trowel.

My fiance ordered me the Excavator Kit and the tool roll which cost a total of 44.50 pounds. The exchange rate at the time was about $1.68 per pound = $75. The total cost with shipping was around $92. The only bad thing it took just over 3 weeks to receive it. (Of course it was during X-Mas season). She did say that the people she talked to at Past Horizons were very friendly and helpful as well.

Hope this helps!

I should be all too familiar with the speed and cost of shipping from the UK, owning vintage Land Rovers...lol.  Thanks.

I just got my 4" WHS in the mail yesterday, it's so shiny! I can't wait to get it dirty in the field. I'm in the U.S. and took my Marshalltown with me on my first dig overseas. There were a lot of European archaeologists with their WHS and it worked much better for the type of work we were doing (burials). The small size allowed for more careful work and it felt quite sturdy, when I was fortunate enough to borrow someone's. I'm going to take both my Marshalltown and WHS with me on another dig this summer, looking forward to trying them both.

As for shipping cost, I spent under $15 U.S., including shipping, for a brand new WHS from the UK to the US. It was even the newer WHS version that has supposedly been improved for archaeological work, vs one of the older versions that sometimes had poor reviews for excavating certain materials. What a great deal!

A few ones here for me to answer as well  :)

Firearch..  we in the UK are always inappropriate..  we3 lever out stones and graveslabs, hack through roman roads and the like...    we loved out WHS because it was made of old soviet tank armour (well   perhaps not)   and could be used in everything...   so the design change was a thinning of the blade...  but we are vigerous...  and it survived not the rough hands of the UK digger...   we use the trowel from everything between crowbar to delicate scalpel.   and the WHS does it well...(ps  it stands for Work Hard or Starve)   though we have a new toy coming soon...  the Battiferro RED


I was glad to see the post about getting the Toolkit  (believe it or not I invented that to keep all my bits together..)  I remember your saga only too well...  cos Past Horizons is ...  my wife!  and we were very worried...    Xmas is never a good time to order overseas!  :)   but so glad you got it...  and hope you love it as much as I do.

The new improved WHS was a triumph in asking the company   and we got them to alter  a few things which made a cracking trowel even better...    like you and jen and others, I carry a selection of trowels for different sites...   but I always always carry my WHS... 

if you want to keep up with tool news...  we have a facebookpage...   http://www.facebook.com/archstore  where we give away freebies and also special random discounts on tools.  plus keep you up to date with the latest tool news...    tell me I am sad enough to find that interesting  ;)

 I wish there was a cheaper wat to get some of the tools to you...  but look on the bright side...   we often have to import from the US  for some of the best tools...  ! 

I've always had good luck with Marshalltown trowels but also have never really had any trouble with other brands either.  You can typically get a pretty good feel for quality just by handling the various brands at the hardware store.