Which material should you choose?
The first thing to look out for is that there should be no rust on the blade. In this regard, materials such as stainless steel and titanium are most widely used today.
Stainless steel is a classic version loved by many. Quite durable, not afraid of rust. Disadvantages: the price, the earth sticks to the bayonet. Please check the material before purchasing.
Knock on the blade: quality steel should ring. A dull ringing will give a low quality product. An excellent budget option even for an experienced summer resident.
Titanium shovels are also made from titanium and aluminum alloy. They appeared recently, but have already won their audience due to the lightness, strength and reliability of the resulting inventory.
Due to its low price, steel continues to be a fairly common material. It has a number of disadvantages: high weight, low strength, susceptibility to rust.
Suitable if the shovel is used rarely and little.
The bucket made of spring (rail) steel is strong and reliable, with moderate bayonet flexibility. However, the weight and price of rail steel is higher than the previous version, and its sharpening is difficult. Withstands high loads, so it will be a good choice for active use for many seasons.
Popular models
Among the manufacturers of shovels, one can note such brands as:
- Gigant;
- Truper;
- Inforce;
- Fiskars;
- Zubr.
Gigant
The Gigant brand for the production of hand tools and garden tools entered the market in 2015 and took one of the leading places, combining ergonomics and advanced technologies of enterprises in this industry in Europe and Asia in its products. The development of tools for this brand is based on the statistics of customer wishes and reviews. Surveys formed the requirements for the product, which ultimately led to full compliance with the consumer's needs. The tool of this brand is produced at modern enterprises in China and Russia. A feature of this brand of shovels is the unique shape of the handle and handle, due to which the load on the hand is significantly reduced.
Truper
Truper was founded just over fifty years ago in the heart of Mexico. Today it is a leading company producing tools for all kinds of purposes. The range of products includes about five thousand items, and Truper shovels are considered the most popular working tool in Latin America. The main priorities of the company are quality, durability and reliability of products. The manufacturer produces a full range of shovels, ranging from sand and crushed stone shovels and ending with "American".
Inforce
Inforce entered the instrument market in 2015. This is a Russian company whose motto is "High quality is the guarantee of reliability!" The company's products are very diverse: the manufacturer produces working tools from a spatula to a welding machine. Inforce shovels are a combination of a stable balance of price and quality, since the cost of products does not depend on currency quotes.
Fiskars
Fiskars was founded in 1949 in Finland and today is one of the most successful tool manufacturers in Europe. The brand is known worldwide precisely for the manufacture of agricultural implements. The assortment is updated annually, complemented by new products from a wide variety of materials
The Fiskars brand pays great attention to household items and kitchen utensils: all kinds of shovels and shovels for the convenience of doing daily chores, gardening and gardening. The name Fiskars has become a pledge and synonym for high quality products
Zubr
The company Zubr ("Zubr") stands out among the rest with a wide range, low price and durability of products.The company was founded in 2005, when the universal drill saw the light, which was especially popular among ordinary buyers and was distinguished by high functionality. Later, when the range of products was significantly increased, the company was able to enter the international market. The production of various shovels is one of the priorities for this brand, therefore the buyer is offered a fairly large selection of them.
Types of bayonet shovels and features of their operation
The classic version of the bayonet shovel is the LKO shovel (pointed shovel). This type of tool has a rounded blade and the standard geometries indicated above. A straight handle with a blunt end is traditionally used as a handle. With such a shovel, you can easily dig trenches or dig up the earth.
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A classic shovel with a straight handle and an additional handle at the end of the handle. Structurally, the tool is no different from the previous version, since only at the end of its handle is a plastic handle mounted, which allows you to efficiently and conveniently maneuver when digging trenches. However, this design is already very convenient for ordinary soil digging. In addition, a fire bayonet shovel is also a classic option, which may have only slight differences from the household type in the size and shape of the blade.
- A classic shovel with a shortened handle and a plastic handle at the end. This option is made specifically for working in confined conditions, that is, for digging any narrow trenches or holes. It is also great for carrying in the trunk of a car, as the short handle of the tool allows it to be stored in the trunk.
- Bayonet with a curved shank under the handle. This is actually a versatile option that combines high penetration efficiency, since the sharp-angle bayonet allows you to easily dig into hard and bulk materials, but at the same time the grip of this material will be much higher than that of a conventional bayonet shovel. This is achieved by deepening the main part of the bayonet. Thus, this version of the tool resembles something in between a bayonet and a shovel. This solution in the device of shovels came from North America, so the nickname "American shovel" was stuck behind it.
- Bayonet with a rectangular blade. This type differs from the previous ones only in that the edge of the blade is almost straight, and the bayonet itself is rectangular. It is convenient and effective to dig soft rock with such a shovel. With dense soil or clay, a rectangular bayonet of a shovel copes quite hard due to the large area of simultaneous contact.
Note! There are also shovels of increased strength and rigidity. They have additional stiffeners near the glass, in which the handle is fixed
The reinforced version of the tool is useful for dense and stony soil.
Types of shovels depending on the nature of the work
Even such a seemingly simple tool must be chosen wisely. A suitable shovel will allow you to work faster and be less tired, will serve you faithfully for a long time.
This hand tool is a handle connected to a bucket (tray, scoop) and a steel handle. The bucket ends in a blade that can have a wide variety of shapes.
Most garden work is done with a bayonet shovel. With its help, you can easily process the beds or dig a hole. Has a sharpened blade that allows you to dig up hard soil and cut roots. The sickle-shaped bayonet is convenient for lawn work, the processing of clay soil is more efficiently performed with a bayonet with grooves.
"American" stands out with a curved handle and blade. Thanks to this, its shape resembles a spoon (as can be seen by looking at the photo of this shovel). It is easier to wield than direct alternatives, since this configuration reduces stress on the back.
The earthmoving shovel is designed for digging holes and trenches.It will show itself equally well on rocky, clayey and hard soil. It is distinguished by an elongated pointed blade with a shortened handle.
The model with a rectangular blade is ideal for working on soft soil. It allows you to capture a large amount of soil. But with solid ground, she will not cope. It will be quite difficult to stick it into the soil, and you risk damaging the instrument and your own back.
It is most convenient to work with sand, cement and other loose and viscous materials with a deep shovel. It is ineffective in front of solid soil, but it has no equal in shoveling.
A shovel with a rounded blade perfectly copes with loose earth.
A saw-like, coarse-toothed blade will show its best when working on virgin soil and neglected, rooted soil.
Wide snow shovels are used for snow removal.
