E tools/shovels

Monofletch

Monofletch

Gold Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
Messages
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I have recently been on an Entrenching tool kick. Why do we do the things we do??? lol! Of the 4 I have demolished--here is what I found...........

1) Cheap $9 Tri-fold shovel- Wal-Mart (Ozark Trail I think)-- Heaviest - cumbesome. Same as my ARMY issue E tool. Durable and will take abuse!! Rank #2

2) SOG Entrenching Tool Folding Shovel F08-N- Lightest of the bunch. Would NOT stay locked open--bent the main blade in the garden!!! Worthless customer service. I do like the pick option on this one!

3) Gerber George E tool- Shorter than the others- Super strong and will take abuse given out! My favorite of the 4! Don't like the push button locks, but the handle is suprisingly strong. The hammer and is great! I used it to dig my 24" holes for my deck 4x4's without a problem in this Missouri rock and clay! (the same clay that killed the SOG!) No frills waranty! Rank #1

4) Ebay $6 shovel- Bought this to "get lucky". Well no, I didn't! The handle is 2 pieces which is a good idea if the quality was there. My 2 pieces just kept on turning. JB Weld fused the 2 pieces together nicely ;). It took very little to destroy this p.o.s. My 10 year old daughter "took it out" in the back yard!!

I'm sure there are better options for more $$, but I now have spent $65 on 4 shovels! :D
 
If weight is not an issue I'd go with the standard military issue Etool, or a Colman/Ozark of the same design. They are all STEEL. The Gerber George isn't as big as the other Gerber Tri-Fold, but is 1/3 the price!!!! I didn't have a chance to dig with it, but used it for other chores around the garden.
I do think the Gerber George held up much more than I expected after the SOG crapped out after a few minutes of digging. The Gerber finished that hole and dug 5 more just like it. I could have used my regular spade, but I figured I would destroy the Gerber too....and I didn't!
 
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It doesn't fold, but the Cold Steel shovel is a pretty awesome tool. It feels much better than the Mil E-tools we have. Usually can be found under $20. Thanks for the review.
 
The first thing I heard about the Gerber E tool is that it is a tough and very compact tool. I guess the reviewers were right. I'm interested in picking one up soon and need to look into the Glock and Cold Steel steel offerings.
 
Monofletch said:
1) Cheap $9 Tri-fold shovel- Wal-Mart (Ozark Trail I think)-- Heaviest - cumbesome. Same as my ARMY issue E tool. Durable and will take abuse!! Rank #2
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I have two. I wouldn't want to carry it around all day, but it certainly does work. One stays in my shop for yardwork, the other lives in the trunk of my car (right next to a bag of kitty litter and a CS Rifleman's Hawk) for car-camping and in case I get stuck and need to dig out the snow/ice/mud around the tires. Pretty decent, useful tool for very little money :thumbup:
 
kappi011 said:
you should look at the glock e-tool they work great
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I agree that with considering the Glock shovel. It's exordinarily well made and designed. It may be more expense than the rest, but it's worth every penny.

I think it's made in Austria.
 
I have the CS Shovel, good back up chopper with those sharpened edges. Just picked up a small titanium shovel off of eBay. Seems pretty tough, at least for weeding in my yard :) Last year eBay had full size heavy duty titanium shovels. I should have ordered one. The Glock shovel sounds good, I'll have to take a look at one.
 
I picked up a GI E-tool years ago to keep in my truck for emergencies. May not be the best but it's soldier-proof, and that's enough of an endorsement for me.
 
I have a Glock E-tool. I love the saw that come with it that you can attach to the handle. You should check them out.
 
The three i have and haven't broken yet. Cold steel shovel, Glock shovel, Gerber Etool(not the gorge).
 
I'd have given you a thousand of them to get out of ALIT! Frozen granite, etools, and frozen fingers don't, don't, don't bring back good memories!
 
The Cold Steel Spetsnaz shovel is pretty nifty and when sharpened can chop with authority. Never believed I'd be able to say I chopped down a sapling with a shovel, but hey it worked.
 
I have the cold steel shovel and its a very sturdy well built shovel.

I also got a german military surplus folding shovel that cheaper than dirt was selling a few years ago and that is a tank of a shovel. It makes a great shovel to keep in your vehicle.
 
Condor have a rather interesting tool that is a shovel, hoe and a pic.

61703.jpg
 
I do like the looks of that Glock tool. The old WWII shovels look strong too. Hmmmmmmmmmm
 
Thrustus said:
Check out the Chinese Wonder Shovel on You Tube.
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I have wanted to try that shovel for a couple years now but I either can't find it (searching for "Chinese Army shovel" etc brings loads of junk hits) or it's like $200. WTH, this seems to be the one thing China ISN'T producing and importing in mass quantities!? If anyone has a good source I would like to hear it.
 
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