How to choose a bayonet shovel
The choice of tool depends on the type of activity being performed. If necessary, the usual digging of the soil, which is needed, for example, a summer cottage, the version of the classic shovel will be enough. For such needs, it makes sense to take a more reliable and expensive tool so that the next purchase is not coming very soon, for example, you can buy shovels from Fiskars or Gardena that are excellent in combination with price and quality.
Continuous work with hard rock requires the appropriate tool
In this regard, your attention should be paid to reinforced versions of shovels, the strength characteristics of which significantly exceed the classical ones. To extract a large amount of soil in one go, you should look at the American type of bayonet shovel.
Note! For field conditions or constant transportation in the trunk of a car, a lightweight bayonet shovel or with a telescopic handle would be an advantageous option. The dimensions of these shovels are very small, so they can fit both in a car and in a backpack.
Classification of shovels
First you need to figure out what a shovel is. A shovel is a tool for manual digging of soil, as well as clearing different types and types of areas from foreign materials: debris, earth, snow and others. In fact, this is a canvas, predominantly metal, attached to a handle, which in Russia is most often made of wood.
For your information! This tool has been used since very ancient times, then it was made of wood, bone (from the shoulder blade of an animal), elk horn, etc.
Of all the existing hand tools, shovels are perhaps the most essential. With their help, you can do anything: dig up the soil, cut it off, dig a hole, make beds, huddle bushes and trees in a summer cottage, clear the area of snow, scatter sand, gravel, manure, gravel and humus over the site.
You can survive in extreme conditions with the help of special types of this tool by digging a dugout, cutting down a tree and cutting a hunting trophy. In military conditions, it can be used in battle, defuse ammunition and dig a trench. You can take the finished bread out of the oven, use it in steelmaking, put out fires. Truly, it is an indispensable tool. It's hard to find a more common inventory with this versatility.
All about shovels
Like any other tool, shovels vary in types and shapes, which suggest a variety of options for their use and purpose. Among the main types of shovels, first of all, there are:
Bayonet shovel
It has a working part made of metal mounted on a handle, most often made of wood. This is the most common type of garden shovels for work in the field, vegetable garden, orchard. It is used in agriculture, household farming and excavation work. The main part is sharpened towards the center to cut into the ground with great force, similar to no other types of shovels.
Titanium shovels have recently become more and more popular among bayonets due to their low weight, high strength, low metal adhesion, durable sharpening, and a rigid metal part. The disadvantages of titanium shovels are the high price and fragility.
Note! Also, among the bayonet shovels, there is a type such as a drainage shovel. It has a robust working part with an extended collar, which makes it convenient to dig narrow ditches and trenches
Such Truper shovels are popular among manufacturers.
For the hardest and toughest soil, special shovels are used.These include the shovel Vyatsky plowman, which is used for manual digging of soil for planting agricultural plants and for cleaning shallow trenches. It has a share and is designed for only one working leg. After digging it up, the earth looks as if after processing the soil with a walk-behind tractor.
Truper shovels
Spade
This is a rather old type of instrument and is practically not used today. These are shovels with special edges, which involve pressing with your foot, allowing you to hit the ground with even greater force. The working base of the spades is made in the form of a rounded cutting edge, which allows it to be used more efficiently for digging out even the hardest soils. Distinguish between spade with a long blade and with forward-curved working bases. As a rule, these are rather large shovels in size.
Small infantry shovel, or sapper shovel
It is usually 50 to 60 cm long so that you can carry it constantly on a belt or in a case. The tool consists of a wooden handle and an iron base, pointed towards the center. It is used for digging various types of soil, as well as for quickly pulling out trenches, digging up mines and ammunition and quickly neutralizing them.
Note! Sapper shovels are applicable not only in the army, but also in folk medicine, since with their help many herbalists dig the herbs and roots of medicinal plants they need in forests and fields
Snow shovel
Its working part is usually very wide, which is made of plastic, aluminum, various sheets of plywood, as they are the lightest and easiest to operate. The main task of such a shovel is to move as much snow layer as possible to clear the area from precipitation. Such a tool for collecting and cleaning snow, which does not have a tray, but simply a flat canvas, is called an engine.
Important! Another type of shovel is a trash scoop, characterized by a short handle, which is usually located across the general plane of the tool. It is used to dump trash that has been swept into a heap.
The official classification of shovels according to GOST 19596-87 is as follows:
- construction;
- gardening;
- loading and unloading.
Rating of the best models
There is a rating of the most reliable and already proven bayonet shovels. It is compiled based on the reputation of the manufacturer and user reviews.
- The first place is deservedly taken by the tool of the Finnish manufacturer Fiskars. In particular, the Fiskars Solid shovel today has a lot of positive feedback from users. It is a shortened model that fits perfectly into the trunk of a car, as it is only 84 cm long. However, despite its modest size, it copes very effectively with all types of soil. Fiskars is made of durable high carbon steel and powder coated. The handle is made of plastic, pleasant to the touch, which is not inferior in strength to steel. At the end of the handle there is a handle that increases the ergonomics of the instrument. In addition, the shovel has an excellent curvature of the handle, making it easier to work with it. Thus, the shovel made in Finland comes first.
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The second place is undeniably taken by the instrument of the Gardena company. Her shovel Terraline could have been in the first place, but due to its high cost it is located here. The distinctive features of this model include a very sharp bayonet made of steel with a corrosion-resistant coating. The Garden shovel has wear-resistant foot pressure pads that prevent the foot from slipping. The handle is made of plastic, at the end of which there is a removable ergonomic handle. The color of the instrument also leaves only positive emotions.
- Truper ranks last among the prize winners. The Trooper shovel consists of three materials at once: high-carbon steel, wood and plastic. The handle is coated to prevent slipping of the hands.The curvature of the shovel contributes to comfortable working.
- In fourth place is a shovel of very high quality from the Kuzbass company. The creation of a domestic manufacturer is not expensive. Literally for a penny, the user gets an all-metal tool that will definitely not break. The blade is located at a slight angle relative to the handle, which makes it easier to work. The Kuzbass shovel on the blade has teeth that allow you to effectively cut tree roots. It is also important that the manufacturer gives a 3-year warranty for the product and refers to GOST.
- The second domestic producer, SibrTech, ranks fifth. The SibrTech shovel is made of high-quality materials. It has a steel handle, which is equipped with a handle for ease of use. The handle has an anti-slip coating. There is also a bend in the handle and a ledge under the leg. The combination of price and quality of this tool is not very bad, but there are many negative reviews on the Internet about the quality of the steel of the shovel bayonet.
- The very convenient and mobile shovel Palisad conquered everyone with its reliability, versatility and small dimensions. It is ideal for travelers and motorists. The Palisade shovel will fit into the trunk without any problems. The only drawback of the product is its somewhat overpriced.
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Zubr's shovels are in a rather shaky place (they might not have made it into the rating at all). Most of the reviews about this tool are positive, but there are also negative ones, for example, many note the heavy weight that the purchased shovel requires sharpening, and with all this, it is not quite a budget option. The Zubr shovel has high strength and hardness, which allows it to dig most types of soil. In addition, there have been cases when, when working with hard rock, the bayonet of the shovel broke. But as a garden tool, this shovel can be used for as long as necessary and without complaints.
Characteristics of a garden bayonet shovel
The characteristics and conditions of use of bayonet shovels primarily depend on the material from which they are made.
- The main material for the manufacture of shovels is steel. High carbon tool steel is excellent for garden tools in terms of both wear resistance and toughness. As a rule, these shovels work for a very long time and can be used in very extreme conditions. The width of the steel shovel can be varied, everything will depend only on the goals that need to be decided by the consumer.
- The next material from which a shovel bayonet can be made is titanium. Titanium tools are not inferior to steel ones in terms of strength properties and wear resistance, but they are much lighter. It can also be operated under very harsh conditions without worrying about breakage. Perhaps the only and very serious disadvantage of the titanium bayonet is its high cost.
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Aluminum for certain types of shovels is also quite good for making. Such shovel assemblies are lightweight, which allows them to be very efficiently maneuvered for a long time without fatigue. A serious drawback of aluminum shovels is their low strength and wear resistance. Therefore, the aluminum tool is suitable for very light work, such as loading / unloading feed mixtures, sawdust, light aggregates, etc.
It is customary to use wood as cuttings for bayonet shovels. It is cheap, strong enough, lightweight, that is, it fits perfectly as a material for a handle. But today, more and more often you can find a steel or aluminum handle on a bayonet garden tool. The use of metals as a tool handle is due to the fact that the metal handle can withstand higher loads than wood and, therefore, is more durable.
Important! Many car owners prefer to take bayonet shovels with a telescopic handle with them. It does not take up much space in the trunk, however, if necessary, its importance is very difficult to underestimate.
The cuttings can be straight and curved in shape. The most common option is a straight stalk. However, curved, from the point of view of operation, is more profitable, since the load on the user's hands is less.
The standard width of the bayonet shovel is from 230 to 280 mm, and the length is from 300 to 320 mm. Anything less than these sizes refers to a gardening or sapper tool. Larger shovels are very heavy, and this, in turn, is unlikely to speed up the work.
Varieties of shovels for digging land in the garden and in the garden
A bayonet shovel is intended for digging the ground, which is a tray (bayonet) fixed on the handle at an angle of 180 °. The range of these garden tools is quite wide, they differ in several ways.
In ancient times, the tray (or, in other words, the blade, bayonet) of the shovel was made of wood, bone (from the shoulder blade), moose horn, etc., together with the handle. Later, a shovel for excavation was ironed for strength, and then an all-metal tray appeared. The second outdated Russian name for a shovel is "spade". Derived from "step in, step on with your foot", that is, pressing on a metal bayonet with your foot.
Wikipedia
The land in the garden and in the garden is usually dug with a bayonet shovel
Blade material
The working part of the shovel (bayonet, blade, blade, tray) can be made of various materials:
- Low carbon steel. The most common and inexpensive option, very much in demand among gardeners. The steel blade has a lot of weight, low bending resistance, rusts a lot and therefore is not durable. Easy to sharpen. The tool is strong enough and suitable for all soils, especially for heavy ones, but damp earth adheres well to it.
Steel shovels are the most demanded and inexpensive
Plain steel shovels are teflon coated
Stainless shovels are often of poor quality
The titanium shovel is lightweight and durable
Shovel rail steel is particularly durable
From personal experience, I can say that titanium shovels are the most convenient, but also expensive. It is impossible to leave such a tool unattended for a long time, since it attracts various lovers to rummage around their summer cottages and household plots.
To reduce weight, holes are cut in the bayonet
Video: choosing a shovel by sound
Blade shape
The shape of the working part of the shovels are:
classic rounded blade, suitable for clay and hard soils;
The rounded blade is classic
Rectangular blade suitable for digging loose soil, for example in a greenhouse
The tine shovel is suitable for stony ground and cutting plant rhizomes
Pointed shovel makes it easier to dig heavy, hard soil
The American shovel is a cross between a pick-up shovel and a bayonet shovel.
Handle material
The shovel holder, that is, the handle, can be made from the following materials:
- Wood. Various types of wood are used (pine, ash, birch, aspen, etc.). Lightweight, easy to work and sandable material, but not very durable. Wood cuttings are sometimes painted or varnished.
Most often, shovels have wooden cuttings
Shovel with aluminum handle is very light
Fiberglass cuttings are very light and durable, but expensive
Metal shovel handles are durable and heavy
Telescopic handles are not too durable
dimensions
The dimensions of the working blade can vary in the following ranges:
- width - 180-210 mm;
- length - 335–405 mm.
The shovel bayonet can be of different sizes
The height of the cutting is most often from 110 to 160 cm.
Classification by the shape of the web
This classification option is the simplest, it will orient any person who has a personal plot. Such a division of shovels is rather arbitrary, since each of the varieties described below is divided into smaller varieties, which will be discussed below. As for the shape of the canvas, in general there are only two types.
The bayonet shovel has a straight and flat canvas, practically devoid of even the semblance of sides, but sharpened in the form of a wedge or a rounded end. The main purpose of such a tool is to dig deep, for which the sharpening of the canvas is needed. In its upper part, to facilitate the work, there are even special projections on which it is convenient to press with the foot, complementing the manual force. For digging a garden, such a simple device is simply irreplaceable.
The pick-up shovel has completely different functions, which has other names, for example, shoe and shovel. The canvas here is almost always located at a certain angle to the handle, and it itself is, as it were, concave. Such a shovel is usually three-sided and has a characteristic shape resembling a tray. Although the end of the web is usually not sharpened, this design is optimal for excavation - it is convenient to use it to move large volumes of bulk materials.
