Review: Gardening shovel

Another hand tool post. I really like hand tools, not only because of their simple utility and ease of use but also on the freedom from reliance on power, for both off-grid use and grid-gone use.

Digging holes is one of those truly universal skills that all peoples; Inuit to Bedouin, Pict to Massai participate in. There is something very primal about digging. Whether is be digging up roots and tubers, clam or crabs for food, digging a fire-pit like a Dakota fire-hole ,digging for fresh water, for shelter or to bury a cache of booty. 

This most recent tool i've added to my arsenal is this very simple gardening trowel I saw online. 

This tool is simplicity itself. An overall length of 32cm (12 1/2"), half of which is "blade" the other half is handle. Made from a single piece of 16Ga stainless steel 2.2cm (7/8th") tubing, the blade has been punched out and folded outwards to a nominal width of 5cm (2")) The resulting edge is unsharpened, but finishes in a respectable point. 

The tip is slightly canted inwards almost to the centre of the handles cross-section, for scooping and balance.

The whole tool has been dip-coated in a tough black paint, which has barely worn on the edges from my digging in sandy soil and repeated throwing into turf and fence posts. 

The butt-end of the pipe handle is filled with a hard plastic plug that I managed to pry off, drill a hole into and add a cord loop for ease of removal and grabbing.

A quick dirt test resulted in a slightly lower yield  than the ChinLin spade but what it misses in surface area it makes up for in depth and low-drag design, which results in a quick digging tool. 

Silent and efficient this tool allows you to dig deep, even through tough turf, perfect for planting bulbs or seedlings. The most exciting part of this tool is that the hollow pipe handle doubles as an eye for mounting a shaft which can either add reach for digging or weeding without tedious bending. 

It is completely and totally coincidental that fitting it to a standard broom handle converts it into a fairly serviceable spear. Much like the humble axe, a spear is a force multiplier and unmatched in melee combat, even in the hands of relatively unskilled operators. 

Weighing in at a mere 120 gm (4 1/4 oz), this tool is easy on the hand and deft in the garden. The only drawbacks are the open end on the blade/ handle interface allowing dirt to enter, but not a  significant issue, a quick shake or bang will loosen that. In a pinch you could scoop up water and carry it in the upturned handle. 

Review: restored Folding entrenching tool

 A couple of years ago, between lockdowns, I went for a bushwalk with the family, in the Churchill National Park just near my parents place, and on the way back we passed a couple of items, sitting rusting beside a tree. I'm a firm believer in the old Marine adage of "Gear adrift is gear a gift", and as it had obviously been left in the elements for some time, snapped them up. A good sized Dutch oven, and a wooden handled cast iron pot with lid, and beside them: a rusty entrenching tool. After some soaking, scrubbing, heat-cleaning and re-seasoning the pots have become a welcome addition to my outdoor cookware collection.

The entrenching tool appears to be a Bushtracks folding entrenching tool with Pick' which had seen better days. The screw-down locking bracket had partially seized but with a little elbow grease and liberal WD-40, I got it worked loose enough to unfold the shovel-head and the pick head, with a little extra work I cleared the screw threads of grit and get it working smoothly. 

The next step was to wash and scrub the rusted  shovel face and pick. Luckily the hinge and locking bracket were not especially rusted. Once the loose crud and dust was removed, I heated the shovel head over the gas range hood to drive off any remaining moisture and coated it liberally with linseed oil as a seasoning mechanism. I did this outside as the hot steel vaporized the oil into old-timey smelling white clouds.

The scrubbing and seasoning paid off  and the surface has remained rust-free despite quite a lot of digging, both in the garden and trips to the beach where I use it to fill ballast sand-bags for our sun shelter. I have previously reported on my black tri-fold e-tool and the much smaller tactical-dump trowel but i'll be comparing the two e-tools, as they're in the weight-class.

I'll start by breaking the tool down into its major elements: the shovel, the pick and the haft. 

The working end of the shovel is a triangular tipped square side shovel, with  a gentle scoop. The tip is rounded and the edges are quite wide for durability, unlike the tri-fold which has a decidedly sharpened edge. One of the square sides has a sawtooth edge cut into it. The shovel face is riveted onto the hinge piece with three hefty rivets. The shovel has three positions, folded flat, 90 degree "Pick mode" and full extension. when folded flat the "head" of the shovel between the rivets makes a half decent hammer face, perfectly suitable for driving tent stakes in, not so much for fine carpentry. 

The screw-down locking bracket features  a big washer to aid in keeping  a tight fit when tightened which has stood up to some enthusiastic hammering and digging.

When folded out in "Shovel mode" the tool stretches to a fairly decent 62 cm (24 2/5") length, slightly longer than the delta-handled tri-fold. Length is leverage and leverage is force, both have utility when digging, and the extra length has little impact on its pack-ability  at 42cm (16 1/2") fully folded.

The shovel face itself a little smaller than that of the tri-fold,, but the tri-fold has an inch or so "behind the shaft" so the usable length is all but the same. it certainly digs well and scoops tailings out of the way smartly.  It lacks as pronounced  a rolled-over back-edge to support a diggers boot-assist, and if you really wanted or needed to you could use the pick, folded down.  

At 860g (lbs 14oz) its a reasonable tool to carry around, especially if you know you'll need to dig more than a trowels amount (be it a fire-pit, latrine pit-trap or fighting position.) The wide edge does not lend itself to axe-like chopping in the way the tri-folds per-sharpened edges do ,though they could take an edge without too much effort (either hand file or powered grinding tool). The saw teeth could be sharpened up without degrading the robustness of the tool, but that's a project for another day. I have been primarily using this in the vegetable garden, tilling soil, digging up potatoes and shifting delivered soil into our raised beds.

The Pick tool folds and locks in place the same way as the shovel does. The most useful position being at 90 degrees to the haft. The spike itself is curved along the whole length of the pick for strength and extends out  21 cm (8 1/4") from the haft. 

It is possible to operate the tool with both shovel and pick extended, but its a bit cumbersome. Easier to use one tool and swap between the two.  The pick isn't sharp-tipped, featuring the same robust edge as the shovel, but its not expected to be a mining tool. 

The pick, when folded flat against the haft, can also serve as a hammer, though the rounded back face of the pick makes for a tricky strike surface, but possible.

The pick can also be folded "upwards" into a "spear" configuration, extending the tool into a length of 58cm. Good for getting to the bottom of a hole, reaching the top shelf or possibly ventilating an unwanted visitor to your trench.

Lastly, this tool can, when set into soft enough soil, make for a halfway decent stool, with some balance and practice. better than sitting in the dirt or mud, not as good as a proper chair. 

The original haft was held in place by a rivet through the throat of the locking bracket, and whilst giving the tool a good bash test, trench-club style, I managed to snap it off at the bracket. After sitting unloved in a pile of scraps for half a year, including a house move, I dug it out, ground down the rivet head with an angle grinder, whittled a new head to the shaft, fitted it after a little char-hardening and set it with a clinch-nail. This cost me 2-3 inches of over-all length, but with my longer than average wingspan, it's none the worse. 

Though it doesn't fold down as small as the tri-fold, nor stow away in its own belt pouch (though military surplus canvas pouches exist), this is a solid tool rich with utility and with years more life in it, both in the garden and on the trail.

At some stage I may throw a sharp edge on the shovel for root/brush chopping and i'm certainly going to try my hand at sharpening the saw edge, but all in all I'm very happy with this restoration and salvage of a "lost" tool.

For the God-Emperor! For Krieg!

Review: ChinLin spade trowel

NOTE: rebranded but looks the same here: https://www.aussiestormshop.com.au/clearance-mini-hand-shovel-trowel-with-7-functions

Whether it's putting in crops, digging up a secret-squirrel cache, taking care of some business in a back-woods latrine or just some old fashioned fox-hole digging, having  a good digging tool comes in very handy and saves the old fingernails. I have a couple of folding entrenching tools in my camping/bug out kits, but even compact as they are, they can add a bit of bulk and weight. Sometimes they're even a bit too much tool for the job. A full-sized e-tool will make a big Dakota-fire hole, where a trowel sized tool would be more economical. I love multi-function tools, especially when they don't add function at the expense of the primary function. 

This little beauty is the ChinLin HW-901 spade and I originally picked a couple up on Wish.com but it looks like they are no longer sold there. I did find them on this Indonesian clone ( buyer beware). What it is is a 26.3cm ( 10 1/3") trowel with a para-cord wrapped box handle. Made from a  single piece of 420 Stainless steel, the handle has been welded along the middle of the upper face, obscured by the cord wrap. The trowel has a sharpened edge around 3/4 of its edge, with the final quarter being a serrated saw-edge. The spoon face of the tool has a nail puller cut in as well as a set of four hex-head wrench cut-outs. 

The edges aren't super-sharp but they're sturdy enough to chop with, which will be good for clearing brush, weeds or stubborn roots whilst digging. Weighing in at only 80g (2.8oz) it's not going to cut it as an axe, but it makes for a lively and light digging tool. The sharp edges and serrations do make digging through turf easy, and the tool-cut-outs don't effect digging and scooping output significantly.

There is a 7cm ruler printed on the inside of the spoon which is  a nice addition. The pressed steel has a spine ridge pressed in for stability and the tool is very stiff, which makes it very good when sawing or prying (splitting cracked wood or perhaps stone), especially handy when pulling nails with the nail puller or applying torque with the hex wrench holes. 

The cord-wrap is made of 290cm (9'6") of paracord, secured to the handle through four sets of holes drilled into the sides of the handle, and terminating in a lanyard loop at the bottom end. The handle has a slight taper which keeps the cord from sliding off either ends. 

Those side lashing holes and the hole in the spine of the spoon near the handle of the tool can also act as attachment points to fix a pole fitted into the hollow handle, either acting as a extension to the handle, or to turn the tool into a spear. 

The tool comes in a hand if pretty flimsy nylon pouch with a belt loop. I've found it very useful to have on hand when picnicking or hiking. The pouch keeps the sharp edges secure. 

I bought one for myself as a tactical hand shovel, and another for my veggie-garden planting partner. We've both put it to  good use and they've never failed us. 

Panjang Handle: 10.4 cm

Wish-Lust: Kickstarter- SPARtool

I caught the scent of a new hardcore multi-tool being crowd-sourced on Kickstarter. Contacting the designer, Stewart Yeoh , I got some pictures to share with you, and the text behind the ideas.

I've covered a couple of tools like this in the past; the famous Crovel, the ubiquitous e-tool , and the Bosse Tools shovel. Then there are the Dead-On Superhammer and the Stanley FUBAR.

Stewart put a very thorough description of the SPARtool up on the Kickstarter, so this is going to mostly be a repeat of his words. So, here they are:

 The SPARtool needed to be able to:

• Dig in both soft and hard ground.
• Chop through branches and split logs.
• Saw through wood, plastic, bone, or sheet metal.
• Hammer tent stakes, nails, or rocks.
• Open a cold bottle of something refreshing after all that work!

A common gripe with multi-tools is that many of their mechanisms are awkward and difficult to use, and inferior to a dedicated tool for the job.  We strive to create a design that shifts smoothly and safely between functions, and is comfortable for all its uses.

Shovel 

The SPARtool features a 6"x 8" shovel head with integrated chopping edge, saw blade, and bottle opener.  The 1075 carbon steel and Zytel handle is topped with a flat pry bar, hammer, and 4" pick that functions as a handle for digging and sawing.  the total tool length is 22", and the weight is 2 lbs 15 oz. 

Shovels derive much of their strength through smoothly transitioning concave and convex geometry, which distributes stresses evenly and allows them to be thin and light. 

The SPARtool shovel reflects these principles in its shovel head design.  Sturdy tempered carbon steel provides the cutting edge, which is both hard enough to hold an edge, and tough enough to absorb impact. The face is gently curved to increase the angle of repose of loose soil, and gather more in each scoop.  Our shovel provides the foundation for other tools while remaining an efficient digging machine.

Axe

One side of the hardened and tempered steel shovel head is ground scary sharp, giving a generous 9-inch cutting surface.  When used against small branches the thin edge acts like a machete, passing through with minimal resistance. When employed to split logs, the curvature of the shovel head acts more like an ax, forcing the wood apart cleanly. The edge of the shovel is carefully aligned parallel along the center of the handle, creating the most direct transmission of force, and reducing the chance for dangerous glancing blows.  

Saw 

Sometimes a chopper is not the right tool for a job. When you need to make a clean cut, separate bones in game, or neatly trim pipe or tubing a saw is the answer. Saws are often one of the weakest links in multi-tools due to disregard for their mechanical and design principles. Our saw teeth are an aggressive 4/inch, 60° tooth layout, cut at a 15° rake.  Our saw is laid out as a crosscut saw, with a 15° fleam and a wide alternating offset tooth pattern to clear a wide kerf. Once again the saw edge is parallel to the handle to allow pure single axis motion.  

Hammer and Pick

Our 1.5" hammer head provides a large and forgiving striking surface; while its thick plate steel construction makes damaging it a near impossibility. 

The 4 inch pick spike can break hard earth and rocks, forcefully open padlocks, and might save your life if the zombies ever do decide to rise.  The curved pick also serves as a convenient and comfortable handle when digging or sawing. The top end of the SPARtool is inspired by the Halligan bar, a tool used by firefighters and first responders for forcible entry and rescue. We have maintained the layout so that Halligan techniques can be used with the SPARtool.

The SPARtool handle ends in a flat pry bar with a rounded, shepherds-crook curve. Useful not just for prying open doors or crates but also pulling nails, splitting wood, chiseling, and other demolition tasks. The improved bottle opener now fits a variety of sizes, and the 0.25" plate steel construction will never wear out.

On every pocket and key chain multi-tool I have ever owned the second most used item is always the bottle opener. Maybe I just like beer, but this tool was a necessity to me.

Handle

SPARtool's handle is designed for strength and comfort. The backbone of the tool is a .20" thick carbon steel bar, forged half round (think of a tape measure vs. a floppy metal ribbon of the same thickness) to fit in your hand. Inside the half round's curvature is an impact grade Zytel© polymer insert; which provides stiffness in the secondary direction, and is textured to give a secure grip.

The SPARtool sheath is built from 1050 denier ballistic nylon with MOLLE-compatible strapping and belt loop. The cutting surfaces on the shovel head are protected by a nylon and Kydex sheath which is fully detachable from the backbone of the sheath. The cutting surfaces of the prybar and pick are similarly protected with a Kydex guard, and are freely detachable with secure snaps. When in use, the cover guard for the opposite end is left in place and protects the user from accidental injury.  

So, it's a great looking tool, and certainly covers a whole bunch of options; a shovel, an axe, a saw, a pry-bar, a pick-axe and a hammer. It looks like a really serious and well put together tool. I can see a whole bunch of applications for both survival, breaching and entry, and even disaster survival. You'd do well to look at it and perhaps add one to your collection too.

Wish Lust reminder: Ergonomic Shovel

Hey all, just a heads up, if you were thinking about pledging for one of Stephen's modular ergonomic shovels with the cool adjustable mini-gun grip, you've got only 12 hours to place a pledge on his Kickstarter.

Go here for more details. Stephen tells me that the Shovel will be 100% USA made, for all you Berry Compliance people out there.

Wish Lust: Bosse Tools - Ergonomic Shovel

I like me a good shovel, and I've had a few in the past (and have killed several) and when Stephen Walden of Bosse Tools got in touch with me to see if I were interested in his design which he is pitching on Kickstarter I was intrigued.

His design features a couple of interesting elements, which lend themselves to a disaster recovery and preparation mindset (As well as the everyday urban homesteader). 

Just looking at it you see the very obvious addition of a ringed handle in the middle of the shaft.  This plastic molded and fitted ring features a geared and locking system for rotating and adjusting the hand-hold, to maximize the ergonomics, customization and efficiency of your grip and use of the shovel, as Stephen puts it "you can do your job in one single motion - dig, scoop, and pitch - all in one".


The second aspect of the shovel which caught my eye was the u-shaped foothold, which lets you drive a boot down on the center line of the tool, rather than off to either side (as with a regular shovel). I've dented my shins often enough digging in my little veggie patch when digging to really have an interest in that feature, if nothing else. Admittedly, I cleared the turf for that patch with my e-tool , and I'd be weighing up its design andmaterials for melee combat much as I might for the Crovel on my Wish-Lust list but its a very innovative design, and if you are in the market for some fancy digging tools, I think this would be definitely worth a look. Get in quick, as the Kickstarter is ending soon.

Review: Entrenching Tool

Here is a piece of disaster preparedness hardware that has been serving since the 1940's, and will likely continue to do so for the forseable future. This is the all-steel US Government Issue tri-fold entrenching tool. I picked mine up, as many would, in an army disposal store, and have never regretted it. This folds out to 56cm when fully extended, and collapses down to a mere 23cm when fully folded. This is not a thing of beauty, unless like me you find beauty in sheer utilitarian design. Lets start at the business end.

The heavy steel shovel head is edge-sharpened along all four dirt-hitting sides, with a broad and chunky blade-edge, not fine enough to be bothered by rocks and other dirt-dwelling blade-chippers, and yet bitey enough to cut roots and dig into hard or cloying soil. In fact, I have used the flat-side edge to chop trees, and split logs, and the tip to spike said logs for hauling and shifting one log out of a pile. The length of the unit lends itself to use when kneeling or crouching. The rolled-back-end makes a good boot purchase point, but its not a full length shovel, and that changes how it works. The other side of the shovel-head is saw-toothed, giving you a saw-option, for times when hacking at roots or cables isn't working out in whatever ditch you are digging.

I haven't had much use for the saw-side, but it's one of those things I'm glad it has, because I -might- need it some time. One thing I love about this particular model is that the shovel head can be adjusted to sit at 90 degrees, with the locking collar screwed down tightly, and converts a shovel into a hoe, which is a great option for those times when either there isn't much head-space in your trench, or scooping is more important than shoveling. I've found that for pulling cast-iron cookware out of fires, managing coals and flattening the bottom of trenches the hoe-configuration just can't be beaten.


Folded up the shovel packs into this press-stud closure case, which attaches with a pair of ALICE clips. I take this tool with me every time I go camping, and it rides on my belt when I am out doing Stargate lasertag LRP. The added weight of it on my hip is small consequence to the utility of having it on hand, and I would consider it an essential part of my preparedness gear list. I would love to compare its effectiveness with that of the GearUpCentral Crovel in a task-by-task lineup. My all-steel tri-foldup has never given me reason to doubt its efficacy, as a shovel, improv axe, pry bar, or impromptu hammer. Like most of what I carry and collect, its ruggedness, multi-function design and capability makes it a much loved and valued addition to my kit.