"Isn't it somewhat presumptuous, mr. Appel, to name that spade after yourself ?" I hear you ask. Yes, perhaps somewhat. But in my defense I can say that this name was not my first choice and is also not launched by me. In the beginning I called it "ergonomic spade" after it was used in an article in a local newspaper on February 1, 2003 (see PUBLICITY), and later, in my first users manual in Dutch I called it "tweestelige spade", meaning "spade with two handles", but in English I used the description "ergonomic spade", because in English the word "handle" is rather confusing. In Dutch there are nine words as translation. The word handle is used for the vertical wooden part, but also for the horizontal part on top (not on all spades). Now my spade has two vertical and two horizontal parts, and the hands are only used on the horizontal parts and not on the vertical parts, so strictly speaking those vertical parts should not be called handles, but nevertheless I'm afraid that talking about handles gives confusion. That's why I frequently use terms like "vertical handles", "upper (horizontal) handle" and "lower (halfcircular) handle", to distinguish the four "handles" of the ergonomic spade.

Later, when was tried to find manufacturers abroad, I was asked to think about a good trade-name. Because "tweestelige spade" is not international, and "ergonomic spade" too long, eventually was chosen for Ergo-spade.

On July 1, 2006 I got a computer, and when I searched via Google for "ergonomic spade" I found a.o. a spade with a long curvy wooden handle, that was called, for some reason or other, not clear to me, "ergonomic spade", and its trade-name is Ergo-spade. I've been pondering about something like "BettErgo-spade", combining the words "better", "go" and "ergo", so an ergonomic spade with which you better go spade. In itself I find that a rather nice find, but I consider it nevertheless somewhat unpractical (with extra capital and a dash), too long, somewhat artificial, and indistinct (the combination of words is not immidiately clear to every one, and the German word "Bett" means "bed".).

When students from the Hogeschool van Amsterdam (University of Amsterdam) got the study assignment to sell my spades in March 2006, a.o. the web site www.appelspade.nl was created. Since all search results of "appelspade" refer to my spade, that name gives no confusion. That's why I changed the descriptions Ergo-spade, tweestelige spade and ergonomic spade to APPELSPADE, with capitals, so the description is just as striking as the appearance of the spade. People who now buy an APPELSPADE and, when temperarely not using it, hang it on the wall, can say :"I have a genuine APPEL hanging on the wall.".