Shovels: specifications, types

— Garden / construction. This kind of shovels can be called classic: speaking of a “regular” shovel, most often they mean a tool of a garden / construction type. Such models have a rather large length, and the shape can be almost any. Among them there are tools for a variety of types of work: digging holes and trenches, throwing loose materials, etc. At the same time, a long handle reduces effort during work, but makes it difficult to transport.

— Tourist / automotive. Shovels of small size, designed primarily for the convenience of carrying in a backpack or transporting in the boot of a car; exactly the tool that is usually called "sapper shovels". Often made folding or equipped with a telescopic handle, many models are equipped with covers for added convenience. Their small size makes it difficult to use such shovels for large-scale work, but they are not designed for such an application — tourist / automobile models are designed to solve simple tasks of a small volume, such as digging out a wheel “buried” in the snow, preparing a hole for a fire, digging tents, etc. P.

— Snowplow. Snow shovels have a large blade width — it is larger than other types of shovels of the same length. The canvas itself in such models is soviet (see below). The length can be different: there are both full-size tools that are not inferior to garden / construction shovels, and...compact ones (60 – 70 cm) suitable for use as tourist or automobile ones.

— Scraper. A specific device used mainly for snow removal. It looks like a very wide (70 – 80 cm) shovel cloth with a U-shaped handle. Such tools differ from snow shovels (see the relevant paragraph) not only in size and design, but also in the way they are used: the scraper is designed not so much for tilting as for raking snow.

— Bayonet. The traditional, familiar to many shape is quite wide, rounded and slightly pointed downwards. Bayonet-type canvases are intended primarily for digging — they easily penetrate fairly dense soil and can even cut the roots; but bayonet shovels are poorly suited for pouring bulk materials.

— Owl. Rectangular canvas, bent up along the edges and set at a certain angle relative to the axis of the handle. Due to this angle, as well as the same width along the entire length (and in some models the blade also expands downwards), shovels are not well suited for digging — sticking such a blade into the ground, even loose, is noticeably more difficult than bayonet. But such tools are indispensable if you need to reload a large volume of loose or viscous materials from one place to another — you can collect a lot of such material at a time, and the bent "sides" of the canvas will to some extent prevent spillage. And snow shovels and scrapers are generally made only with scoops.

— Rectangular. Outwardly, such canvases are similar to the soviet ones described above, however, they do not have “sides” along the edges. Their main purpose is digging loose soils: a rectangular shape allows you to grab more earth than a bayonet, and sticking the blade with great force is not required in such soils. And if necessary, such a tool can serve as an impromptu replacement...for a shovel, although due to the lack of sides, this may require some skill.

— Bayonet rounded. Although such shovels are formally classified as bayonet shovels, they are closest in shape to rectangular ones; the main difference is that in this case the blade is not made even, but somewhat rounded. This makes it easier to work on tight ground, otherwise rounded models do not differ much from rectangular ones.

— Pedigree (chirva). Such canvases got the name "chirva" for their characteristic shape — in the form of a heart, used as a designation of the card suit. Their formal name — "rock" — is due to the fact that such shovels are popular primarily in mining — when loading / unloading rock, coal, crushed stone, etc. At the same time, the pointed shape allows you to easily plunge the shovel into dense heavy materials.

— Drainage. A specific type of canvas, characterized by an elongated shape — the length of such a canvas is 2.5 – 3 times the width; the blade is usually slightly pointed, like a bayonet, and the sides are bent upwards. The name "drainage" comes from one of the most popular uses for such tools — digging narrow and long trenches to drain water. Of course, nothing prevents digging trenches for other purposes — for example, when laying electrical cables for ground lamps or pipes for an irrigation system. In addition, a drainage shovel can be useful when digging up and transplanting individual plants — a long and narrow canvas allows you to dig under the very roots without turning out excess earth and without hitting neighboring plants.

— 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 presence of stiffeners on the shovel blade — longitudinal parallel protrusions. As the name suggests, these ridges increase the stiffness of the web, increasing its strength and flexural strength. This function is especially popular in models made of plastic (see "Web material") — this material itself is not very strong and bends easily, and additional reinforcement is very useful for it.

The presence of corrosion protection on the shovel blade.

Usually, we are talking about a special coating that covers the canvas from contact with water and other substances that can lead to rust. Usually such a coating has a characteristic black colour. It is relevant only for shovels made of ordinary steel (see “Blade material”): stainless grades, in accordance with the name, resist corrosion well, and aluminium and plastic are practically not subject to it. Over time, the protective coating can wear out and lose its properties, but anyway, it has a positive effect on the durability of the tool.

The presence of drainage holes in the shovel blade.

This feature makes it easier to work with materials containing a large amount of water. For example, with such a shovel, you can scoop up crushed stone soaked in the rain, and most of the “excess” water will pour out through the holes in the canvas.

The presence of rollers (wheels) in the design of the tool. This feature is relevant only for scrapers (see "Type") — it facilitates the movement of the bucket on the surface to be treated. The advantages of rollers are especially noticeable when moving a full bucket.

The total length of the shovel blade. In the case of "digging" shovels (for example, bayonet, see "Form"), this size actually determines the depth to which you can dig at once; in the case of "loading" models (for example, scoops), the total area and, accordingly, the capacity of the canvas depends on the length.

It is worth noting that for each type of shovels there are certain standards for the size of the canvas. However, different models of the same type and shape can vary markedly in length. At the same time, if the length is too short, more movements will have to be done, and if the canvas is too large, it will be heavy and bulky and will require increased effort when working. Therefore, when choosing, it is worth considering the features of the intended application: for example, a relatively short blade will be enough for a small country flower bed, and a larger shovel will come in handy for working in a large garden. Recommendations for more specific tasks can be found in special sources.

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.

Blade thickness.

With the same material (see above), the thicker the canvas, the stronger and more reliable it is, and at the same time, the greater its weight and the more expensive the shovel will cost. Therefore, it makes sense to specifically look for models with a large web thickness for heavy work — digging up dense soils, cleaning a large amount of old snow, etc. At the same time, the minimum for full-size steel shovels is 1.5 mm, the maximum is only 2 mm, it simply does not make sense to make blades thicker. But in plastic models, this figure can reach 3 mm and even more.

Shovel body diameter.

Tuleika is a device that secures the web to the handle: a short tube (cylindrical or conical) where the handle is inserted. Typically, the specifications indicate the internal diameter of such a tube; it must match the diameter of the handle, otherwise it will be impossible to fix the canvas normally.

Data on the size of the body is important, first of all, for shovels supplied without a handle at all (see "Shank material") — knowing the diameter, you can find a suitable handle without even trying it on the canvas "live". However, this information is often indicated in the presence of a handle — in case it breaks or the owner, for some reason, decides to replace the handle.

The hardness of the steel from which the shovel blade is made. The most popular designation is Rockwell, in HRC units; moreover, the larger the number in the designation, the harder the steel.

The shovel blade should be hard enough not to bend under loads and more or less keep sharpening (if any); at the same time, too hard metal tends to crumble, and under load it can crack. Thus, there is a certain range of hardness in which shovel blades are produced. For example, the Soviet GOST 19596-87 of the 1989 model, which is still in force in many countries of the former USSR, provides a range of 37 ... 53 HRC for garden and construction shovels for "digging" purposes (bayonet and rectangular) and 35 ... 51 HRC for all others types. However, there are also harder shovels on the market — up to 55 HRC: this is the maximum hardness value at which the blade will bend rather than break. And the minimum value actually found on the modern market is about 42 HRC.

In general, if a shovel is purchased for simple work — digging soft soil in small volumes, loading / unloading not very heavy and dense materials — you can ignore this parameter, because. even the softest "shovel" steel is likely to be quite reliable. But if serious tasks are planned, such as working in dense clay soils, it is worth finding a harder tool.

— Serrated notch. Most often, this feature is found on bayonet blades (see "Form"), and the teeth can be located both on the front and on the side edge. Anyway, such a notch facilitates cutting — for example, removing weeds or cutting roots.

— 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 type of handle provided in the design of the shovel.

In this case, the handle does not mean the entire handle, but a device at the end of the handle, which you can hold on to while working. Such a device makes the work somewhat more convenient — in particular, holding the tool by the handle, you can avoid turning the handle and unplanned "dumping" of the earth (or other material) from the shovel. However, this detail is far from mandatory.

The most popular are the D-shaped handles — they are considered optimal in terms of convenience, including with great effort. T-handles are much less common: they are simpler in design and better suited for some users, but generally less comfortable.

The ability to quickly fold or disassemble the shovel for storage or transportation. Note that it is technically possible to remove the handle in all shovels with wooden handles (see "Shank material"), as well as many other models; however , such tools are considered collapsible only if they are equipped with quick-release fasteners and can be detached without special tools.

The advantages of folding shovels over clumsy ones are obvious — they are much more convenient to store and transport, especially in hands or a backpack. On the other hand, this design increases the cost of the tool and at the same time reduces its reliability. In addition, making full-size shovels foldable, such as construction or snowplows (see "Type"), most often simply does not make sense. Therefore, this feature is found exclusively in tourist and automotive models, and even then not in all; and specifically looking for a folding shovel makes sense if compactness is more important than strength and suitability for heavy work.

The presence of a specific bend in the handle of a shovel (or in the shell where the handle is inserted). Due to this bend, the canvas is not at the level of the handle, but below (if you hold the shovel horizontally in the working position). It is believed that this ergonomic shape of the shovel somewhat facilitates the performance of certain work — in particular, when digging the soil, you do not have to bend as low as with a shovel without a bend.

The shovel has a telescopic (sliding) handle.

Such a handle has two key advantages over the classic, fixed one: firstly, it can be folded as much as possible during storage or transportation, reducing the dimensions of the tool; secondly, the length of the handle can be optimally adjusted to the height of the user. On the other hand, folding handles turn out to be somewhat less reliable than non-folding ones, and besides, they significantly affect the price. Therefore, it makes sense to look for a "telescopic" shovel if the described advantages are more important than the disadvantages.

The ability to change the size of the handle by adding (docking) a new handle element. The collapsible handle allows not only to change the length of the shovel, but also to fold it as compactly as possible, separating the blade from the handle, which is also divided into several components. However, due to the certain length of each element of the handle, it will not work exactly to a centimeter to fit your needs. In general, this function is applicable to hiking shovels, which in turn are also multifunctional, so minor errors in length will not be to the detriment of the functionality of the shovel.

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.

A storage case is included with the shovel.

This feature is found mostly in travel/automobile shovels (see "Type") and is almost never used in other varieties. A complete case, usually, is much more convenient than impromptu packaging, not only for storage, but also for transportation. Firstly, it is optimally suited to the "native" shovel in terms of size, shape and design features; secondly, covers are usually made of dense and durable material that reliably protects surrounding objects from damage when in contact with the tool. And the degree of protection of the shovel itself from moisture, dirt, etc. usually too high. The presence of a cover is especially useful if you plan to carry a shovel with you on a backpack or unloading.