Cold Steel Spetsnaz Tactical Camp Shovel Tool for Camping, Survival and Outdoors

Outstanding and incredibly practical is what this tool is. I bought this for my son as a filler Christmas present as I figured he could use this on our many adventures into the woods. He's 11 and loves anything to do with hiking, survival skills, bush crafting, etc. Little did I know this tool would be so wonderful and useful, we would practically argue over who was going to use it next on our outings. I have been kicking myself in the butt ever since for not buying several of these when they were 15.55 each a few weeks before Christmas. They now seem to be running mid 20's to 30 bucks each. I'll be closely watching for the price to drop so I can get a couple more. I wont bore you with the specs as they can easily be found online, I'll just let you know how it arrived and how it is holding up so far. So the steel is pretty heavy gauge and the coating on it is incredibly tough. We are doing tons of digging, chopping, and some trail clearing as we encounter things in the way on our paths. Our shovel arrived extremely sharp. So much so that I had to caution my son about taking it from the sheath inside the house for fear of damaging floors. It was this sharp on all four angles of the shovel. Grind was sharp and even on both sides and all the way around. The handle fits tightly inside the socket head and secures with two large Phillips head wood screws that seemed to be finished in the same tough coating as the shovel head. It is slightly heavy, but this aids greatly in chopping, digging, using as a hoe/rake, and pounding stakes into the ground like a hammer. It is also curved over on the back edge like a regular shovel so you can stomp your boot against it if you need to drive it into the ground more firmly. Slicing. While this is not a substitute for a machete, errant vines, bushes, and thorn bushes were no match for this very sharp edge. Also goes right through palmetto stems which are common in the area we travel. Chopping. This is not a machete or an axe.......but you damn sure wouldn't know it by the way it cuts!!!! I really wanted to overuse this thing to see if it would fail from harsh use. I figured at this low price, I'll bend it up a bit and really loosen up the handle in the socket (I bought an extra handle) and scrape off every bit of the finish on it. Haaaa!!!! Cold steel had the last laugh!!! I am not recommending this as an axe, but I can tell you I chopped completely through a 6" diameter tree just to see if I could.....and it was no worse for wear. Also cut down tons of saplings of the same type. Outcome was zero bend in the blade, zero loosening of the handle in the socket, virtually no finish damage, and still sharp as new. I was completely blown away at the abuse this shovel took. I used it for things that I really didn't think it was fair to ask it to do and it passed with flying colors. I also used this for lots of delimbing and it jut became easier to stick with this than to keep swapping out for my Ontario sp-8 for lighter chopping. Digging. Small like a fox hole shovel, but far more effective than any other military type shovel I have ever used. Chopped tons of roots as I was digging, and it went through all of them just like a hatchet would. A damn fine digging tool as well. Miscellaneous. Hammered large diameter saplings into the ground dozens of times for building various things and not so much a pinch of deformation. Used it to tend to the campfire several times with no issues. Came home and hosed the mud and clay off then a wipe down with a little wd-40 to keep the sharpened edges from rusting and wow!!!!! Thing still looks hardly ever used. Although it's not a big deal, I really have to comment how well the finish is holding up. I did not expect this. I was also downright shocked that I have yet to loosen the handle in the socket no matter how many times I have used this as a hammer and hatchet. The negatives. There really aren't any. Just a few things you need to be aware of that I don't even consider negatives. You need the sheath! (I'll review it elsewhere). It's very sharp on all four edges and it will destroy your pack if you put it in there without it. Unless you carry it loose while walking, in the pack or strapped to it is the best way. It is just a little heavy if every ounce is a consideration. But for what it can do, it's worth the weight if that is not an issue. I don't throw it to stick it in things, but I have read if you do that a lot, the handles can be prone to breakage. But cutting the trees and saplings down did not phase it. Overall. Absolutely impressed in every sense of the word!!! Cold steel has an outstanding and useful product here that anyone would be glad to own. The replacement handles are cheap (9.00 and some change) although I'm starting to think I may never have to change it out. Slices, chops, digs, pounds, all without any issues. I absolutely will be getting more of these to have around when they drop back in price again. Get a spare handle too as they are quite the bargain as well. Lastly, have no fear that this thing is made overseas as it has surpassed my expectations in every way imaginable. get one of these and enjoy it on your next outing. You might be shocked at how versatile it is and how many tools it can do the same job for.

Handy to keep in your truck if you have the room. Has the longer handle so it's less awkward to dig with. Nicely built. Marbles fireman shovel sheath fits it too for protection. This shovel has 1 or both sides sharpened for chopping.

It fit the Cold Steel Spetsnaz shovel snug and properly. The sheath seems sturdy, and able to withstand the sharp edges long term. I have the shovel sheathed at the side of my Eberlestock backpack sitting in my room. I’d occasionally graze it and the shovel …. Is impressively sharp and painful to graze your skin on. I ended up purchasing this as a solution. Great value for the price and snug fit!

I wanted some good "camping shovels" (in quotes because I don't go camping, but like "outdoorsy" quality), and saw these listed. They generally have a good rep, so yeah, I got a few. The blade is good and heavy, and yeah, has sharpened edges. I have no idea how the edges would hold up if actually used for digging in hard clay, or soil with rocks and pebbles, etc., so will have to take it on faith. Sharpened edges would be good for hewing through roots and runners that might give regular shovels a hard time. Anyway, the blade is good, but the handle leaves a bit to be desired. It's finished on the exposed part, but *NOT* on the part that goes into the handle. Should that get wet, it could swell and split over time, even soak up water and potentially get moldy/mildewy. I was considering, and probably will at some point, remove the handle and refinish the whole thing. Also, where the screws hold the handle in the blade can be razor-sharp (ask me how I know). The countersunk flat-head screws stick out, and the unfinished holes have burrs that cut my hand on multiple occasions just putzing around in the front yard. Yeah, that *definitely* has to be ground down and redone. So all in all, they're good heavy-duty shovels, but really need some work before being truly usable. Can you use them as-is? Sure, but just wear gloves to avoid cutting up your hands, and make sure you dry *everything* on the shovel after use in wet/damp weather.

Great shovel, well made sharp edge, great solid wood handle, both modern & traditional style.....it great for having I. Your truck for emergency... you just never know ..I use it for moving the hot coals when I'm cooking while camping or grilling at home. Very versatile shovel... decent size ..

I know these days its trendy to carry the all metal folding shovels into the woods, the better ones seem to hold up well, the not-so-great ones will bend and break quickly. This shovel is built with the quality one would expect from something costing much more money and here's why... First of all it's a carbon steel shovel, it's made from I believe 1040 but I could be wrong, in any event it will take an edge and hold it, while being characteristically tough enough to handle a beating (it wont chip easily) and keep on doing it's job - a big plus to me. It's durability and sturdiness is obvious the moment to handle it, this is not something cheaply made, it screams quality. Secondly, the head is mounted using two screws, if the handle ever broke while in the woods any competent person could improvise one themselves rather easily - good to know. Third, and this is the really cool part about this shovel, mine came very sharp out of the box and due to the edge profile (something difficult to see in the photos really) it makes a fine chopping tool. When I go camping I don't have to bring a machete - I bring this instead. This is not something many bushcrafters do very often but they might give it a try, having a shovel like this in the woods is great for many reasons. The last thing I will add here is that both sides can be sharpened, effectively making this equivalent to a double bitted axe. The only downside of this shovel is the fact that the handle came coated in really cheap shellac, this took me all of about five minutes to get off and treat the (properly grain oriented) handle with boiled linseed oil. Five stars all day long, great product. Note: A word of warning, there is a smaller version of this shovel (I own one too) it is just as well made, however the head is smaller on it, if you mistakenly purchase the cover/sheath for the small one, it will not fit the large one.

I purchased two (2) of these shovels. One for my truck EDC and one for my pack. I ordered them from Amazon. The order was fulfilled by The Perfect Aim, located in Monroe, LA. When the package arrived there was only one (1) shovel in the box. I immediately contacted the seller and advised him of the problem. The man who answered the phone was actually the owner, a gentleman named Morgan. He started laughing and said," Well, I guess I owe you another shovel !" He then advised me that he was sorry for the screw up and stated he would correct the problem and send me another shovel. He also said that he would FedEx it out that day. True to his word, the second shovel arrived by FedEx within days. Absolutely AMAZING customer service ! If you are planning to purchase this item, this is the place to go !!! Now for the shovel. The shovel is perfect for camping, backpacking ,or for use in emergency. The shovel is bladed on 3 sides and attached to a rock solid maple handle. It is formed around the handle and set in place with 2 Phillips head screws. The screws can be removed and the shovel can be detached to allow for an auxiliary long handle can be fashioned in the field. You can chop and dig with this tool and it could be used as a defensive weapon if needed. If you purchase this shovel, be aware that the edges are VERY sharp. You would be wise to also purchase a cover. I bought the cover made by Marbles for their Fireman's Shovel. It is Marbles Knives #5015S and sold through Amazon by Sword Demon, also an excellent vendor to deal with !! The Marble's cover fits the Cold Steel shovel perfectly. It comes with 3 exterior pockets and a belt loop for hip wear or to tie down to a backpack. AND, they also included a decent sharpening stone in one of the pockets ! You won't be disappointed with combining the shovel and cover. If you are looking for a small shovel that will take abuse, takes up little space, is relatively light weight and will make your time in the woods more enjoyable, this is the one !

Very hight quality, extremely sturdy. Heavy but expected because of the thickness of the steel. Actually sharp out of the package! Very nice tool should last a lifetime even if abused. You might be able to break the handle but I cannot imagine how you could damage the actual shovel part.