Comparison Fiskars 143002 vs Fiskars 143060

— Steel. Steel can be called a "classic of the genre" — this material has long been used for the manufacture of blades of shovels, and it has not lost its popularity to this day. This is due, on the one hand, to the good strength and reliability of steel, and on the other hand, to its relatively low cost. Cloths from this material are used in all types of shovels and can be made in any form (see above). And for a tool that is subjected to high loads — for example, a bayonet or rock shovel — a steel sheet is almost a must. Note that there are two main varieties of this material on the market — ordinary and stainless steel. The first variety is inexpensive and affordable, the second is more reliable, not subject to rust and keeps sharpening longer. Moreover, if the shovel has corrosion protection (see below), we are talking about ordinary steel; and in the absence of a coating, it is worth focus on the price category of the product — an expensive steel tool is usually made from "stainless steel".

— Aluminium. In the case of shovels, aluminium can be called a low-cost analogue of steel. This material is inexpensive and resists corrosion well, but the strength of aluminium blades is much lower than that of steel. Therefore, units of bayonet shovels are produced from this material, and such models should not be taken for serious work. And most of the aluminium models are snowplow or touring/automobile....r>
— Plastic. Plastic, on the one hand, weighs a little and is inexpensive, besides, it is absolutely not subject to corrosion. On the other hand, the strength of this material is noticeably lower than even that of aluminium, not to mention steel. As a result, such blades are used only in snow shovels and scrapers, less often in tourist / automobile models.

— Wood. Wood usually refers to plywood. This material is noticeably inferior in strength to metals — even aluminium, not to mention steel. And compared to plastic, wood is noticeably cheaper, but less resistant to moisture — from prolonged contact with water, it can swell and warp. In addition, plywood is poorly suited for sharpened blades — the sharpened edge of the wooden sheet is very quickly crushed. Therefore, mostly snow shovels are made of wood, which are not designed for heavy loads and high resistance, and most of these models are generally intended for children.

— Titan. Titanium shovels are extremely durable and relatively light in weight. The main advantage of titanium is its high durability, such models do not rust, dull slowly and practically do not deform. In addition, soil practically does not stick to the bayonet of titanium shovels, which greatly facilitates the processing of heavy wet soil. To reduce the cost of a shovel, an alloy of titanium and aluminium is often used instead of pure mud. Titanium shovels are usually equipped with a wooden handle, although more advanced tools may use a titanium handle that forms a single unit with the shovel.

The total width of the shovel blade.

The value of this parameter will be different depending on what the shovel is used for — digging, loading / unloading bulk materials or snow removal. In the first case (for example, in bayonet shovels), the width of the pit being dug depends on the size of the canvas. It doesn't always have to be large, and a wide blade experiences more resistance, meaning a large shovel isn't always the best choice. For example, drainage cloths (see "Form") are initially made narrow.

In the second case (shovel shovels), a large width allows you to scoop up more cargo, however, this cargo will weigh accordingly. Therefore, here the difference between different models is most often not very large — most of the canvases have a width in the range of 220 – 260 mm.

In the third case (snow shovels and scrapers), the large width allows you to capture more snow at a time, which is convenient in large open spaces. But for difficult conditions with an abundance of narrow passages and tight nooks and crannies, it is better to choose a narrower tool that can go where a wide canvas does not fit.

— Wood. Even inexpensive types of wood are for the most part quite strong and reliable, especially since the stalk can be made quite thick. At the same time, this material is also durable — the service life of a wooden handle is often comparable to the service life of the canvas itself. However compared with steel (see below), such handles are considered less reliable, not least because they are always made removable. On the other hand, a broken or too long / short handle can be easily replaced with a new one. Also, we note that wood has a relatively low thermal conductivity and does not cool hands as much as metal, and in general it is pleasant to the touch.

— Steel. Steel handle, usually, is used in shovels with a blade of the same material (there are exceptions, but extremely rare); moreover, in most cases, such a handle is welded or riveted to the canvas and can only be detached by breaking it off from the tool. The main advantage of steel is its high strength, garden / construction shovels of this type are better suited for work with high loads than tools with wooden handles. In addition, this material is suitable for foldable touring/automobile models (see "Type"). At the same time, steel cuttings are noticeably heavier than wooden ones, and long work with such a shovel requires more strength and endurance. In addition, steel is noticeably more expensive, it is extremely difficult to change su...ch handles (and most often it is simply unjustified), and if the handle breaks, the entire shovel becomes unusable. So it makes sense to specifically look for a full-size shovel with a steel handle, first of all, for complex work, for which the tree may not be reliable enough.

— Aluminium. Another kind of metal cuttings, permanently fixed on the canvas — similar to the steel ones described above. As for the properties, aluminium, on the one hand, is noticeably lighter than steel, on the other hand, it is not so strong and may not be suitable for heavy work.

— Plastic. The main advantages of plastic are lightness and low cost. In addition, it, like wood, does not get too cold hands at low air temperatures, making it excellent for snow removal tools (see "Type"). But full-sized construction / garden shovels with plastic handles are rare and are intended mainly for use where no special loads are planned — the strength of plastic, especially in inexpensive models, is rather low.

— Without a cutting. Shovels that are not equipped with cuttings at all and are sold in the form of a canvas with a shell. The main advantage of this configuration is that the handle can be chosen at your discretion; this is especially useful in cases where standard handles are not suitable for one reason or another (for example, if the user is tall and the stock handles are almost all too short). Most of these models require use with a wooden handle and do not allow other materials; however, this point cannot be called particularly critical.

The presence of a rubberized handle in the design of the shovel.

Rubber by itself is too soft to be used as a base material for a pen. Therefore, in this case, most often means a rubber pad on the handle. Such pads are designed to ensure that the handle is comfortable to hold, does not slip and does not cool the hands. They are found only in shovels with metal handles, made of aluminium or plastic (see "Shank material") — this function is not relevant for wooden handles (in particular, they are quite convenient on their own).

The total length of the shovel; for models with variable length (folding or telescopic, see above), the maximum size is taken into account, when unfolded to the maximum position.

In the case of full size shovels (garden shovels, construction shovels, snow shovels — see "Type"), the optimal length depends primarily on the height of the user. It is believed that a shovel, placed vertically, should be 10 cm below the shoulder joint; however, some prefer a shorter tool — up to the elbow. If you do not have the opportunity to “try on” the shovel “live”, you can measure the height to the desired point (10 cm below the shoulder or elbow) and, when choosing, compare this height with the length of the tool. Note that a shovel without a handle (see above) may well be somewhat longer than necessary — the “surplus” of the handle usually does not create any particular inconvenience. But in the presence of a handle, length matching is extremely important.

If we are talking about small shovels for tourist / automotive purposes, then here we should proceed from a compromise between efficiency and compactness. A shorter shovel will be more convenient to store and transport, but may be inconvenient and ineffective for heavy work (both because of the inconvenience in the hands and because of the short lever length, which requires considerable effort).

The total weight of the shovel; for models with a removable handle (wooden) it is specified taking into account the complete handle.

The lightweight tool reduces effort and therefore fatigue, allowing you to work faster and longer. At the same time, in some situations, just a lot of weight is more desirable: for example, a heavy bayonet shovel easily pierces even into dense earth and cuts the roots without any problems. In addition, weight loss often comes at a cost. Therefore, it makes sense to specifically look for a light shovel only when working with loose soil or materials where the blade does not have to be “driven” with force.