I agree about hula hoes, that they are best for paths. I LOVE them for that, and that is what we use them for. You may need a very narrow hoe or something like this: http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=2&p=10425&cat=2,44823&ap=1
That can be used narrow and wide.
I don't use hoes in the garden. I don't have a huge amount of weeds because I use cardboard and mulch. We have huge amounts of weeds in the church garden because they are not kept up like they should be, even though we do use cardboard and mulch - it's not thick enough. I mean I pile it on THICK for mulch, inches deep. Works very nicely and weeds just pop out for the most part, if they get in there.
Any real weeds I get are mostly dandilion and things with longer roots. I really need one of these: http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=2&p=44725&cat=2,2300,44822&ap=1

luisianagal - I'd never seen a hula hoe so I had a quick Google. It is not a tool which I have ever come across over here. But what did surprise me was that I watched a video about different types of hoe in the US and they didn't mention the one nearly everybody here uses; the Dutch hoe. I suspect that when you use the hula hoe the technique is similar. It is most efficient when the weather and ground are dry. It is designed for slicing as near as horizontal as possible, not digging or chopping. That way weeds which you cut off dry out and die on the surface. In wet weather they can re-root. Also hoeing, in my experience, is best for slicing off seedling weeds before they have a chance to grow much, rather than dealing with well rooted specimens. HTH.

Laurie, I think it must depend a lot on the soil. I have one, though I didn't know it was called a Hula Hoe, and I love to use it when my sandy soil is damp and soft, and the weeds are only a few inches tall. It's a lot faster for me than a regular hoe and it rips out the weeds like a below-ground scythe. On the other hand, when the soil is dry and harder I have to put so much down-force on it, it's just too much work to use.

ThinMan

I have 2 of them and love them,everyone i've recommended them to love them as well.I findthem very easy to use.The landscapers that live across the street from me have several of them on their trucks.
Kathi

I think that perhaps a hoe isn't what you need but rather a rototiller. In any situation, hoes require a lot of shoulder stresses and so if this is a problem - perhaps you need a different tool altogether.

I agree with ianna that maybe you are using the wrong tool but I don't agree that a hoe hurts your shoulders. Under the right conditions a push hoe should be easy to use. It's just a question of walking slowly backwards scuffling seedlings off. (Backwards so you don't leave footprints on your soil.) Basically it's not much more effort than using a broom to sweep a floor. If it's hard on the shoulders I think you're possibly using the wrong tool for the job. Maybe you need a border fork.

Laurie, I took this definition of hoes for your information. This perhaps explains why the hula hoe didn't perform the function you had hoped for. I've also included information on other hoes.

"There are many types of blade of quite different appearance and purpose. Some can perform multiple functions. Others are intended for a specific use (e.g. the collinear hoe has a narrow, razor-sharp blade which is used to slice weeds by skimming it just above the surface of the soil with a sweeping motion; it is unsuitable for tasks like soil moving and chopping). The typical farming and gardening hoe with a heavy, broad delta-shaped blade and a flat edge is the Dego hoe.

The Dutch hoe (scuffle, action, oscillating, swivel, or Hula-Ho) is a design that is pushed or pulled through the soil to cut weeds just under the surface. Its tool-head is a loop of flat, sharpened strap metal. It is not as efficient as a chopping hoe for pulling or pushing soil."

so, perhaps if your shoulder pain continues, hoes are not the tool for you.

and since you described a soil structure that was tough, it seemed the a hula hoe was definitely unsuitable for that soil. In other words, a regular hoe was what you needed but this wouldn't work in respect to your shoulder problems.

A simpler solution to deal with weeds in between plants? Cover them up with thick newspapers and mulch to kill them off.

I don't care for my hula hoe either. It is definitely a tool for well tilled soil and baby weeds.

Thanks for all input re hoes. I am going to dr. today re the shoulder. Definitely getting worse and I'm not even doing any real gardening yet. Problem is that everything I do seems to involve the right shoulder - laundry, cooking, hair, dressing, bath, reaching in cupboard, don't see how it's gonna heal???
I do use the newspaper and mulch methods, it just seems the little winter weeds root on top of all that. Will try the hoe again when weather warms up a tad.

I didn't know that it was a Hula Hoe, but I have one too. It does exceptionally well in loose soil. I keep both side sharpened and can either push or pull. That way you don't have to lift it up.

sorry to hear of your continuing troubles. Hope your shoulder didn't get damaged further. You may require some physio therapy to rebuild your muscles.