Special Forces Shovel (Spetsnaz)

Outstanding and incredibly practical is what this tool is. I bought this for my son as a filler Christmas present as I figured he could use this on our many adventures into the woods. He's 11 and loves anything to do with hiking, survival skills, bush crafting, etc. Little did I know this tool would be so wonderful and useful, we would practically argue over who was going to use it next on our outings. I have been kicking myself in the butt ever since for not buying several of these when they were 15.55 each a few weeks before Christmas. They now seem to be running mid 20's to 30 bucks each. I'll be closely watching for the price to drop so I can get a couple more. I wont bore you with the specs as they can easily be found online, I'll just let you know how it arrived and how it is holding up so far. So the steel is pretty heavy gauge and the coating on it is incredibly tough. We are doing tons of digging, chopping, and some trail clearing as we encounter things in the way on our paths. Our shovel arrived extremely sharp. So much so that I had to caution my son about taking it from the sheath inside the house for fear of damaging floors. It was this sharp on all four angles of the shovel. Grind was sharp and even on both sides and all the way around. The handle fits tightly inside the socket head and secures with two large Phillips head wood screws that seemed to be finished in the same tough coating as the shovel head. It is slightly heavy, but this aids greatly in chopping, digging, using as a hoe/rake, and pounding stakes into the ground like a hammer. It is also curved over on the back edge like a regular shovel so you can stomp your boot against it if you need to drive it into the ground more firmly. Slicing. While this is not a substitute for a machete, errant vines, bushes, and thorn bushes were no match for this very sharp edge. Also goes right through palmetto stems which are common in the area we travel. Chopping. This is not a machete or an axe.......but you damn sure wouldn't know it by the way it cuts!!!! I really wanted to overuse this thing to see if it would fail from harsh use. I figured at this low price, I'll bend it up a bit and really loosen up the handle in the socket (I bought an extra handle) and scrape off every bit of the finish on it. Haaaa!!!! Cold steel had the last laugh!!! I am not recommending this as an axe, but I can tell you I chopped completely through a 6" diameter tree just to see if I could.....and it was no worse for wear. Also cut down tons of saplings of the same type. Outcome was zero bend in the blade, zero loosening of the handle in the socket, virtually no finish damage, and still sharp as new. I was completely blown away at the abuse this shovel took. I used it for things that I really didn't think it was fair to ask it to do and it passed with flying colors. I also used this for lots of delimbing and it jut became easier to stick with this than to keep swapping out for my Ontario sp-8 for lighter chopping. Digging. Small like a fox hole shovel, but far more effective than any other military type shovel I have ever used. Chopped tons of roots as I was digging, and it went through all of them just like a hatchet would. A damn fine digging tool as well. Miscellaneous. Hammered large diameter saplings into the ground dozens of times for building various things and not so much a pinch of deformation. Used it to tend to the campfire several times with no issues. Came home and hosed the mud and clay off then a wipe down with a little wd-40 to keep the sharpened edges from rusting and wow!!!!! Thing still looks hardly ever used. Although it's not a big deal, I really have to comment how well the finish is holding up. I did not expect this. I was also downright shocked that I have yet to loosen the handle in the socket no matter how many times I have used this as a hammer and hatchet. The negatives. There really aren't any. Just a few things you need to be aware of that I don't even consider negatives. You need the sheath! (I'll review it elsewhere). It's very sharp on all four edges and it will destroy your pack if you put it in there without it. Unless you carry it loose while walking, in the pack or strapped to it is the best way. It is just a little heavy if every ounce is a consideration. But for what it can do, it's worth the weight if that is not an issue. I don't throw it to stick it in things, but I have read if you do that a lot, the handles can be prone to breakage. But cutting the trees and saplings down did not phase it. Overall. Absolutely impressed in every sense of the word!!! Cold steel has an outstanding and useful product here that anyone would be glad to own. The replacement handles are cheap (9.00 and some change) although I'm starting to think I may never have to change it out. Slices, chops, digs, pounds, all without any issues. I absolutely will be getting more of these to have around when they drop back in price again. Get a spare handle too as they are quite the bargain as well. Lastly, have no fear that this thing is made overseas as it has surpassed my expectations in every way imaginable. get one of these and enjoy it on your next outing. You might be shocked at how versatile it is and how many tools it can do the same job for.