Shovels
For my first blog entry I'll tackle a down and dirty subject -- shovels!
What type should you acquire? Which is the best to use?
I have a little bit of experience and I'll share it with you.
Here's a picture of four shovels I own:
The top red shovel is the largest (33.5 inches) and was probably designed to be carried in an automobile trunk as an emergency snow shovel. The handle is very sturdy but the blade portion is not as strong. The shovel is made of sturdy plastic. The length is My guess is that it could be used to shovel loose sand or gravel. We've had this for quite a while and I'm not sure what it cost or where we got it. It weighs about less than one pound. It was manufactured in Canada by Garin but I couldn't find anything via a Google search. I include it because there may be similar models in U.S. stores.
The next down (small black folding metal shovel) is a novelty and not too strong. Also, the handle does not provide much leverage. The pick extension could be useful for hacking away on ice, for example if someone fell through ice on a pond. For light duty and/or occasional use it would be fine. This is possibly the least expensive of all. I picked it up (a small fabric case was included) at a flea market in Connecticut for about $3. If you want an inexpensive lightweight emergency shovel to keep in your trunk, this could be your choice. I have seen more expensive models with convertible saw attachments stored in the handle.
The Craftsman DHRP Mini Utility Shovel garden shovel is a miniature version of of a regular shovel. My brother recommended it and at $7.99 it is a good value. The pointed blade does allow you to step on the shovel fairly easily and dig into hard dirt. I don't think it is a sturdy as a regular shovel but I've had good luck using it.
The red shovel at the bottom is a classic military design and it is much sturdier than the black folding shovel above. It does not have a pick but the pointed blade and a saw tooth feature on the blade's bottom 45 degree angle edge might come in handy for cutting through roots. The folding mechanism is relatively sturdy and it's a good value at under $10. I purchased mine at a Sportsman's Warehouse store but they do not have an online catalog. This is another good choice for an emergency shovel that costs and weighs a little more than the black one. It would be a hard choice between the two Unlike the black folding shovel the red folding shovel is more useful as a digging tool and could serve as a passable emergency snow shovel.
What type should you acquire? Which is the best to use?
I have a little bit of experience and I'll share it with you.
Here's a picture of four shovels I own:
The top red shovel is the largest (33.5 inches) and was probably designed to be carried in an automobile trunk as an emergency snow shovel. The handle is very sturdy but the blade portion is not as strong. The shovel is made of sturdy plastic. The length is My guess is that it could be used to shovel loose sand or gravel. We've had this for quite a while and I'm not sure what it cost or where we got it. It weighs about less than one pound. It was manufactured in Canada by Garin but I couldn't find anything via a Google search. I include it because there may be similar models in U.S. stores.
The next down (small black folding metal shovel) is a novelty and not too strong. Also, the handle does not provide much leverage. The pick extension could be useful for hacking away on ice, for example if someone fell through ice on a pond. For light duty and/or occasional use it would be fine. This is possibly the least expensive of all. I picked it up (a small fabric case was included) at a flea market in Connecticut for about $3. If you want an inexpensive lightweight emergency shovel to keep in your trunk, this could be your choice. I have seen more expensive models with convertible saw attachments stored in the handle.
The Craftsman DHRP Mini Utility Shovel garden shovel is a miniature version of of a regular shovel. My brother recommended it and at $7.99 it is a good value. The pointed blade does allow you to step on the shovel fairly easily and dig into hard dirt. I don't think it is a sturdy as a regular shovel but I've had good luck using it.
The red shovel at the bottom is a classic military design and it is much sturdier than the black folding shovel above. It does not have a pick but the pointed blade and a saw tooth feature on the blade's bottom 45 degree angle edge might come in handy for cutting through roots. The folding mechanism is relatively sturdy and it's a good value at under $10. I purchased mine at a Sportsman's Warehouse store but they do not have an online catalog. This is another good choice for an emergency shovel that costs and weighs a little more than the black one. It would be a hard choice between the two Unlike the black folding shovel the red folding shovel is more useful as a digging tool and could serve as a passable emergency snow shovel.
Nice display , I have worked construction and used several different kinds of shovels , through my experience I have learned of there are (4) four different basic kinds of regular shovels . Long handle , short handle , pointed and flat with a straight edge all you have displayed in your great photo ! Short handle as opposed to long handle , the longer the handle the more leverage , and control and the wider you can spread your arms wich makes for less effort for longer pierods of shoveling . The oposite for the shorter of the two , but the shorter shovel has one advantage , when in a deep ditch (close quaters) ,you guesed it , easier to work with . Pointed as opposed to flat edge . Here both shovels serve a different type of job. Pointed for piercing into tough rocky soil . Flat edge to scoupe up loose dirt or snow mud ect. from a flat surface such as asphalt or flat dirt surface . Turn the flat end around now its shaped tike a hoe good for gradeing small piles of dirt or snow back to a flat surface , turn it around again and it makes a great tamp to tamp down the surface flat . I hope this helps you out cause I had to learn it the hard way ! Thanks Scrounge
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Thanks for taking the time to comment on the shovels blog entry.
You've addressed a very important issue -- How would one really use the tool?
If I was digging a big dirt pit I'd want a long handle as you suggest.
If I was trying to dig my vehicle out of snow I'm not sure how long the handle should be but the wide flat edge would be needed to scoop the snow.
"Survival" situation? Something that is rugged and versatile.
I'm not really sure what that would be...
Any suggestions?
DV
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Scrounge , Here is one instance I took my family camping years ago when the kids were very young . Went to lake frontenac in Quebec Canada , miles from anywere , being the good camper that I am I came prepared for just about anything (the car was realy loaded down!) Among the impliments to survive the trip was , the similer type of folding army shovel you have pictured in your blog , the one I had was a very sturdy WWII Army issue with a straight wooden handel . My dome tent was pitched on a slight hill that ran around the perimiter of the lake . I thought to myself it might be a good idea to dig a small gutter trench around the entire back of the tent for drainage just in case it rained . The soil was so hard I had to ajust the head of the shovel on a 45 degree angel to chop at the soil and brake through the tough surface . Shure enough the very next night it poured cats and dogs,the whole night .The water just ran into the shallow gutter trench, around the tent and down the hill .The tent our sleeping bags and us would have gotten washed down that little incline . Thanks to that sturdy little army shovel and a little bit of preparedness and common sense ,it saved the day or in this case the night .Well even in the summer ,It gets pretty cold in Quebec when the sun goes down . It could have turned into a nasty situation if it was'nt for that shovel. We stayed hunkered down dry in that tent the whole night ! Ironically I turned on the portable radio I had brought along for a little music ,and beleve it or not the song that was playing ( Rainy Night in Georga ) by Ray Charles True story ! Thanks Scrounge
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