WWII Army Shovel Stainless Steel Cold Rolled Sapper Shovel Special Forces Shovel - Spetsnaz Special Forces Trench Shovel - WW2 Russian Shovel USSR by KIBS group

Probably the ceremonial version, but still a great tool, very sturdy. Handle could use some sanding if it matters and the pouch / carrier could be better, but battle ready out of the box and perfect for camping and small yard / garden projects.

This is a fantastic little reproduction of the 1984 Soviet Spetsnaz shovel. Like most Soviet designs, it looks like it was made with only a hammer and a sickle - plus, no moving parts to break. Nothing of any significance has changed in the design in over 100 years, proving the quality of the build. It typically gets packed in the back of my wife's crossover, next to the air compressor and the first aid kit, and is a fantastic little digging powerhouse.

Handle is extremely loose and gnarled at end like a dog chewed on it. Is so loose and poorly attached to shovel I wouldn't even think of using. Whatever protective film was used, I'll spend a month trying to peel it off the way it's all chewed and torn. Seriously? A joke for sure.

The head was loose and noisy . had to really tighten down the screw to get it stable . Never have this problem with my Cold steel .

Yes, it's a reproduction......but it's a very well made one.I bought this for my bike, I've been pretty stuck 2 times recently and having tools would have really helped. Don't ask.It's wood and steel. Pride of Soviet production. No moving parts, no extra stuff you don't need. No carbon fiber. The fit and finish of the handle is good, the steel is decently thick (stainless is wierd though, they must have got a deal on that).For digging a bike out of where it caught not be, digging a fighting position, or burying the head into an enemies skull you can't ask for much more.

Handy shovel, Russian pragmatic design. Great for outdoors, vehicles, and garden.

Metal polish will give this a mirror shine. The handle is slightly rough. I found this made it easier to hold. If you want a smother handle, a little work with sandpaper can do that. The edge is too thick for me so I used a sander to put an edge on it and then smoothed that out with knife sharpening tools. Mine will now shave.The sheath is obviously surplus and has a musky smell that came from long time storage. This should air out it time. The sheath condition is good and appears unused.This is a good size for camping and could be used as a weapon if necessary. Sharpened, it can be used as a light hatchet.Overall, I think that it is a good value for the money.

The handle, undersized to the point that you could wiggle it back and forth in you hand and it clank this and that way. Shrink wrap on metal "Solutions LASER CO2 (squared)". This type of laser was invented by Bell Labs in 1964, twenty years later we were still in the cold war, so I don't think that was when it was from.Unless you want to heavily modify it (like I did) JUST SAY NO TO DRUGS (sorry I mean no to cheaply assembled ill fitting shovel handles).To make the handle fit:1. Remove the two (partially screwed-in) screws and set aside, take out the handle.2. Build up the ill fitting area of the handle with drywall fiberglass tape and layer with fiber glass resin. (if you don't already have this, I don't recommend buying it. You won't need much but you will have to buy a quart $40{?}3. Sand if needed after dry and reinsert into shovel.4. Replace screws.5. Fill-in any gaps afterwards with more fiber resin, I pushed it in with q tips....Still working on it, so not for everyone. But I value the the one I had 30 years ago and the metal is Stainless, lol, stainless, yea not cold war era. This is a very modern make, not made in the 80's either.