Cold Steel Special Forces Spetsnaz Shovel 20" Carbon Steel Blade, Wood Handle w/ Core-Ex Sheath – 92SFS

I ordered this for an upcoming camping trip this fall so I haven't tested it fully yet, but I've no doubts on it's ability to cover a few bases for me, such as chopping small/medium branches, digging a hole for the call of nature, clearing small brush and scrub, digging a fire pit, etc. I enclosed pics to give an idea of the overall product's appearance since these seem to be a little lacking. The sheath is very well made so I'm happy about that. I really like the belt loop as I can essentially "wear" the shovel if need be and that's what I plan to do so my hands stay free. Also, in some scenario where you have to unsheathe the shovel in a hurry due to a surprise or some threat, I found the two button clips are right at hands reach and can be unfastened quickly if you loop the sheath with the fasteners facing outward away from you. Otherwise I could attach the shovel to my belt and run if I had to knowing the button fasteners are strong and will not open up and the shovel fall out. The shovel's edge is pretty sharp - not enough to cut your hand if you happen to grab it or feel the edge - but it you swung this at someone or something it will give them a very bad day. No doubt there. The size, weight dimensions seem accurate from the product description. Maybe I'm an easily impressed guy but the wood and metal isn't going to separate. The metal shovel is wrapped around the shaft and where the flanges meet it is welded closed. In addition there are two large screws drilled into the metal and into the wood giving extra strength. There is absolutely no play or looseness. I agree with what other reviewers have said about smoothness of the wood. It's finish is very smooth. For casual use it may not be a big deal but I can see why some would want a surer grip. Overall great buy and I am looking forwards to giving this shovel a true test in the near future!

From gardening, chopping up tree stumps, or killing a bear attacking you on a hike 30 miles in the woods. This a great shovel, it comes with a sheath and is extremely sharp in a pinch it could be used as a knife but is durable enough to hold up against several rocks hitting it. I do use this alot for camping and is my general purpose shovel now i dont need a big one for most stuff and you can fit this in a backpack for backpacking. If you need a full size shovel just go buy one from lowes if you want a multi purpose one this is good for light work. Its easiest to use this one single handed its not really meant to use with two hands. The other trench shovel is a bit bigger, but i dont really see the purpose that one is alittle too big. Other military folding shovels eh are not that durable this thing i chuck instead of axe throwing and could survive that all day.

Best shovel and multi tool. One overlooked feature it has winter time because it can help you dig out of snow AND ICE. A regular snow shovel is better for snow but it will be helpless against ice, but with this it’s no problem. Other than that, as others have covered it is a great shovel and pry bar, and a decent axe, blade, throwing tomahawk, boat paddle, and self defense tool. Some people even use it as a frying pan, I hear.

It's a really nicely made camp shovel. Solid materials, well put together, nice sharp digging edge. You could do some light chopping with it if you wanted - not cutting or splitting wood, but clearing small limbs or underbrush wouldn't be an issue. It's meant to be a shovel, so it functions best as a shovel. It could also serve as a solid self-defense weapon in a pinch - snakes, rodents, small sized predators or your fellow man would be short work with this thing. One thing worth noting is that the handle is a smooth, lacquer finish - this is NOT good for your hands as it will cause blisters very quickly. It makes it look and feel real nice, but any amount of serious work with it will reveal the flaw. I'd suggest sanding the handle back to the wood (you'll feel the soft, rough texture) and then coating it with either a tung oil or a linseed oil, do a few coats (letting it dry in between) and then you are back in action.

Overall good, sturdy product and I have no doubt it will last a long time and be durable. However, there are some issues with it right out of the box. The blade was very clearly not paid much attention to. It is not sharp at all and has severe burs or flashing all over the edge. I'll have to take a file to it to get the edge shaped properly and sharpened. and a couple issues with the handle. Firstly, you can see from the photos above that the shoulder where the handle meets the socket was left wider than it should have been, and is uneven. On one side it's about 1/8" out past the metal and on the other it's about 1/16". Additionally, that flare up to that shoulder is not symmetrical which you can sort of see in the photos. and lastly, the end of the handle still has the lathe tail stock marks in it, as you can see. Just a small detail, but speaks to the amount of time and effort that went into this handle, as it would have taken only seconds to cut that off. Additionally, I don't care for the varnish they put on the handle, or on any of my tools from any company, for that matter. But I get why manufacturers do it, to protect the wood in warehouse handling/shipping. All in all a solid piece of kit, but I'll be spending an hour or two fixing these things that could have been done by the factory in the first place.

I have been eyeballing this shovel for a while now , finally this summer I went and ordered it , I shouldn't have waited so long !! This is an integral piece of my kit now , the utility of it is for me just incredible , being a slightly used Marine model I have carried a shovel or E=tool for many years . A shovel is an indispensable piece of camp gear , from the mundane uses of digging holes and rain trenches , to the ability to move coals from the fire around to say a dutch oven or move sand/soil to douse a fire .I've used it as a stirring tool to extinguish the coals of a fire pit . It came sharpened ,which I found useful , I was able to carve basic tools with it as well as notch , trim branches and CHOP branches up to 1.5 inches in diameter with a single swing . It makes a great throwing object as well , being a Knife and Tomahawk thrower this jumped right in to the mix with little adjustment ,, I go everywhere with the Shovel !!! It's just a great all round tool !!!!!

I was worried after some reviews but I’m happy I bought it. You can tell it’s gonna be one of those tools that will outlive you if taken care of. The sheath on the other hand maybe not so much. I’m going to make a leather one when I get time to replace original. It would work fine but I’ll go for leather over one made from webbing just from past experiences. It came fairly sharp but I touched it up a bit. You don’t want an overly sharp shovel or the edge is more likely to roll when you hit a rock or something while digging. The only complaint about the shovel itself was the way it was packed. It has about a roll of like cling wrap plastic wrapped around the handle so many times it was almost comical till I got it off and found huge stickers on the wood that wouldn’t easily peel so it left the sticky residue that took a while to remove so I could treat the wood to my liking. Overall if you have been wanting a small backpack or camp shovel you won’t be disappointed with this one. I love my e-tool but I take this one over the e almost every time. The few times is when I’m trying to reduce weight for a long hike or I need to save space in/on my pack.

Very good shovel. It is a copy of the Russian МПЛ-50 (Малая Пехотная Лопатка - 50 см) Small infantry Shovel - 50 centimeters. It is much better than any other foldable shovels I have used. You will see the difference once you try it. The quality of the ColdSteel version is outstanding, YES, outstanding. Well finished and polished, good solid metal for the blade, and it comes sharp from the factory. I tested my shovel by throwing it from about 12-15 yards to tree trunks, made more than 100 throws. It sticks very well, I would say perfect. I also chopped some 10-12 centimeters (3 - 5 inches ) of wood pieces, no complains, it does it very well. After all of it not a dent on a shovel. This shovel is of excellent quality. One thing to keep in mind, even if I got a dent, I would not worry. I would mold it back to its original shape by using a standard rubber mallet or similar tool. GET IT, you will LOVE IT.

Fait courageusement le job dans un sol argileux et très caillouteux. Aussi bien que la vrais des Spetsnaz elle peut tout faire

لوحظ بعد استلام الشحنة القادمة من الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، عدم وجود شعار شركة جولد ستيل أو بلد الصنع أو رقم موديل أو بطاقة من الشركة هذا للعلم فقط.

Perfect for burying stools or making shelter when camping. Can also be used around the garden.

This thing can do a lot! Probably more than yourself. This shovel will never fail you.

J'ai commandé cette pelle sur une impulsion marketing, mais je suis ok avec ça. - Elle a l'air très solide, mais je ne pourrai vraiment la tester que plus tard en camping ou randonnée, - Le prix est assez cher mais si sa réputation n'est pas usurpée, elle pourra me durer plusieurs année, - Pour ceux qui veulent savoir si elle se plante bien dans les arbres : LOL, quel être humain normalement constitué a vraiment besoin de lancer sa pelle contre une cible (il y a 'autres objets faits pour ça), Je ne mets que 4 étoiles car je ne l'ai pas encore testée dans des conditions difficiles.