Spade or shovel??

[Gary Stockton]

I want to get a small spade or shovel to keep in the back of the truck - not for major earth-moving jobs, you understand, but for other, more delicate movements in the wild, which could still be earth-shattering, depending on prior evening consumption

I've decided to go for Roughneck stuff - looks pretty decent and isn't majorly expensive at £8-80 odd from MyToolShed. My question is - which one is of more use - the spade (or flat shovel as they call it ) or the (round) shovel?

see here: http://www.my-tool-shed.co.uk/p1001846/Roughneck_Micro_Round_Shovel_27in_Handle/product_info.html

and these are them (both are 27" LOA):

and

Thanks folks ...

 

[pugwash]

The spade

a shovel is for moving solids from done place to another

a spade is for digging holes and loosening compacted materials.

 

[Crispin]

would a shovel not be better for moving sand? Not exactly digging holes to plant trees where ever you go.

 

[Gary Stockton]

Pobably go with the spade because I can also use it as a jack-stand should I need to.

Mind you at under a tenner each I might just get both!

Cheers

 

[Gav Peter]

Names apart, IMHO you want the round pointy one Gary - I have a Silverline one with a nice orange shaft.

Before I got this I took my drain shovel that is a bit like the one here:

http://www.my-tool-shed.co.uk/Hand_...wcastle_Draining_Tool_5NDAM/product_info.html

As it was/still is all metal, it works superbly as a crowbar too!!!

Happy digging

 

[Chris]

Yep, round and pointy for me. If you have compacted, hard pan dirt to dig into you will never make a start with a flat spade. The round edge can be used to chop roots too if you swing it. The action of chopping down with a flat blade is ruinous to the wrists. I favour my NATO collapsible spade because the head can be locked at 90 degree to act more like a froe and has the added benefit of being able to be used to support a ground anchor too in soft earth. Useful on the quad! Never had an occasion when I have though, damn I wish I had a straight edged shovel. Good for coal and digging borders plus cleaning up poop. But that's about it. Besides, the pointy one looks waaay cooler.

Chris

 

[Gary Stockton]

Hmmm - I have a BIG pointy one that is carried on the outside on the roof-rack in a special shovel-mount-thingy that was purchased in a moment of blind stupidity at rather large expense ... so may just start carrying that in case I need to actually dig my way out of trouble.

So maybe I'll get the spade one to carry in the truck for when nature calls It's not got to be a big hole, has it, really ....

 

[TonyP]

...... So maybe I'll get the spade one to carry in the truck for when nature calls It's not got to be a big hole, has it, really ....

... oh I don't know, I have heard that you are full of s**t


















sorry couldn't resist

 

[sae70]

I was going to say spade before I'd read what others had written

I carry an all steel construction graft & love it

I guess it's another one of those things like tyres its all down to personel choice @ the end of the day but I can see what others are saying about the pointy one

As you only want it for toilet function maybe you need to decide if your going to use it for digging a hole before or after as the pointy one may be better for digging holes while under stress but on the other hand the spade shaped one may be better for scooping into a hole thats been dug after relief

I've got it buy 'em both

 

[Jimbo4x4]

Sorry, couldn't help myself

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

I don't think those are strong enough to use as a jack stand Gary. My limited experience of digging a car out is that you want a narrow blade and one that won't bend if you hit a root and use a bit of leverage to snap it. Mine seems to work fine for toilet visits as well

 

[Paul_Humphreys]

I have the "pointed" type, but mine is an ex-mod one. I got the pick-axe aswell.

Paul

 

[andyw]

Spades for toilet visits, down south we use paper.

 

[Jeremy L-Jones]

Definitely the shovel - for sand can't be beaten. IMHO it's also best to go for shorter handle shovels as they make you kneel down to dig out and save you buggering your back. I also carry two small folding shovels, army surplus - the blade can be angled at 90 degrees to the handle and again IMHO can't be beaten.

Jeremy