Folding Shovel with Pick, Compass, Multifunction Survival Tool, Emergency Zone® Brand Review
I can agree with both the four star, and two star review. This shovel is not without it's flaws.
Cons:
The saw teeth: Almost worthless. I bought this as a shovel, so i'm not worried about it.
The hatchet edge: Needs sharpened - comes blunt. Not a big deal, as anyone familiar with bushcraft can sharpen their own instruments.
The waterproof match container: Yep, as mentioned, non existent. Be careful putting your finger in here to pop stuck boxes out; I almost got mine stuck like an idiot.
And lastly the screw together handle: The steel here is a bit iffy - be careful you don't cross thread it.
Now the pros!
The quality of the metal used is much higher than expected - most of the time you buy a tool like this and it's made of some kind of flimsy mild steel. I am not sure what grade of mild steel/metal was used, but it is very sturdy, aside from the aforementioned cross threading issue.
The tools that work, work well. The hammer edge works good. The shovel works as a shovel. The compass is bubble free and accurate. The small nail puller works great. The bottle opener opens bottles without fail. Etc.
The best part is it packs down into a very nice little nylon case with a loop on the back held together by very solid velcro - I have had mine attached to my backpack for months and it's only come free when I pulled it apart.
For fifteen dollars, I'm very satisfied with this tool.
Folding Shovel with Pick, Compass, Multifunction Survival Tool, Emergency Zone® Brand Feature
- This is a multifunction tool
- Shovel, pick, saw edge, hammer, bottle opener, nail puller, wrench,
- compass and waterproof match container
- Extended length is 15.5 inches but compactable for easy storage
- Emergency Zone® Brand
Folding Shovel with Pick, Compass, Multifunction Survival Tool, Emergency Zone® Brand Overview
Emergency Zone® Brand, Tool Functions Include: Shovel, Hoe, Pick, Saw Edge, Hammer, Bottle Opener, Nail Puller, Wrench, Compass, Waterproof Match Container. Extended length is 15 1/2 inches.
Available at Amazon Check Price Now!
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Customer Reviews
More of a Garden Spade - D. Sun - Vallejo, CA United States
This item is really, really small and calling it a shovel is pretty far fetched. It works for digging in loose dirt to plant flowers, but doesn't really stand up to basic tasks, such as being a main shovel for a camp site. It reminds me of the 'Rambo,' knife survival kits from the 80's, complete with compass, hollow tube for matches, fishing line and a fish hook.
I'll probably need to go to a local military surplus store to buy a camp shovel.
Not bad - Coffee - Wisconsin
I like that it disassembles and folds up nicely in a little pouch. In terms of digging a hole, I am not sure that this would accomplish much more than I could do with a flat rock or piece of wood though. It isn't super heavy duty and the compass seems to just point randomly where it thinks north is.
There is a serrated edge on one side, but since it isn't sharpened, I am not sure what you would saw with it, maybe some butter.
Not a "survival" duty tool - Gentle Miant - Central Florida
Other reviews have been very positive with phrases such as: "...components (...) are sturdy....it is a perfectly capable mini-shovel ... and a solid 4 stars", "Great Tool for car or backpack! This tool is just too cute and cool for words.", and "It is a quality item ".
Lest someone get the idea from these comments and from the manufacturer's name (Emergency Zone) that this is a real survival tool, I will try to describe the good and bad of this item more precisely.
When I read the first reviewer's comment that "Waterproof Match Container" was inaccurate, I thought that maybe he had misinterpreted what was said in the product description to mean "Waterproof Container for Matches" when perhaps the description writer meant "Container for Waterproof Matches". But no, the matches are NOT waterproof, nor is the space inside the handle.
The edge marked "SAW EDGE" has the general shape of saw-teeth stamped (probably) into it, but there is no "set" to them nor is there any sharp edge to the individual teeth. The edge marked "HATCHET EDGE" is just the metal thickness edge with the corners smoothed sufficiently for handling. This was not a problem for me; I sharpened the "HATCHET EDGE" by beveling the top surface of the shovel to nearly sharp, then put a very shallow bevel on the bottom side. I also beveled the bottom edge of the front of the shovel to make it cut into the ground easier.
Then I cut some vines as a test, which worked fine. But when I chopped a 1" sapling, although it cut through more than half way the first chop, the head began to unscrew. The hatchet function is on the RIGHT edge, so, since the blade is on the left side of the handle when chopping, it will unscrew the bottom part of the handle from the top. On closer examination I noticed that the shovel no longer was in-line with the handle. The part forming the "hinge" to the handle had bent from the impact of less than half dozen chops.
I had taken the compass and the "survival kit" from the handle before subjecting the tool to any kind of impact. When I went to put the compass back, I noticed that the grip of the handle had worked so far forward that the compass was held out of position by the inner tubing of the handle, and would not allow the retaining ring to be screwed back on... until I twisted the plastic outer handle (or grip) relative to the tubing and pulled it out to where the inner handle no longer protruded. So the plastic outer handle (grip) is NOT fastened securely or bonded to the metal tubing part, but just a snug fit.
The method of locking the blade and pick in extended, right angle, and folded positions involves screwing a plastic collar against one of the flat surfaces that line up with the handle for each of these positions. After testing the hatchet function, I wanted to return the blade to the folded position, but on trying to loosen the plastic collar, I found that it was difficult and had a "gritty" feel. I expect that the threads in the plastic collar were not sufficiently engaged for sufficient length to bear the impact of the hatchet use, and possibly deformed. If so, several such uses would likely destroy the effectiveness of the collar completely.
The straps that snap to hold the tool in its pouch can also be used as belt loops. There are 10 and 12mm hex holes and a 10mm square hole in an offset piece of metal at the back of the blade. But since the metal is apparently not hardened and the "sockets" are only about the same thickness as the blade, I wouldn't put too much pressure on them as wrenches.
I am attracted, as apparently so are other reviewers, to a tool with as many useful functions as possible. This tool has more than most and they needn't necessarily interfere with each other if properly designed. Some of the flaws in this particular tool can be fixed with epoxy and the equipment that might be found in a home workshop. But some of them would best be handled in the manufacture of the item.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: May 09, 2010 02:45:10
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