This may sound silly to a civilian, but for a military man, a sapper shovel is the most important weapon. It is particularly important that the shovel is of high quality because in war you have to dig often and a lot. If a soldier’s sapper shovel breaks while digging a trench, he, at the very least, could end up in an open field, entirely unprotected from the enemy bullets and debris aside from letting his fellow fighters down.
That is why we emphasize the need to purchase the highest quality and most reliable sapper shovels. To make the right choice, pay attention, first of all, to the quality of manufacturing and its metal.
If the shovel has a wooden handle, make sure it fits snugly into the shovel blade and is pushed into it as far as possible. In Swiss shovels, the blade is secured with a cone around the handle, in German shovels it is fixed with bolts. In pre-war (before the Second World War) Soviet shovels, which can still be bought “off the shelf,” the blade was additionally fixed with a metal ring.
If the shovel is foldable and/or made of plastic and aluminum, check that the attachment is secure. The blade should not wiggle. A good way to check the reliability of fastening on complex blades is to fold them in the position of a hoe, rest the handle on the ground and sit on the tool like on a stool. A well-made shovel will easily withstand such a test. If the shovel does not fold into a hoe position, hit it hard against the ground to test its durability.
On the back of the shovel blade there should be a curve on which the military can rest his/her foot. If it is not there, there will be a high risk of injury or damage to the shoes when digging.
The soldiers will be incredibly grateful if they receive shovels with sharpened blades. Sharpened shovels do their job much better.
Because trenches and dugouts are usually dug in forests and forested areas, an axe is also a necessary tool as it allows you to cut the roots of plants that interfere with digging.
We recommend shovels manufactured by ColdSteel, Bundeswehr, MFH, Fiskars, Mil-Tech, Gerber.
