Blade width
The total width of the shovel blade.
The value of this parameter will be different depending on what the shovel is used for — digging, loading / unloading bulk materials or snow removal. In the first case (for example, in bayonet shovels), the width of the pit being dug depends on the size of the canvas. It doesn't always have to be large, and a wide blade experiences more resistance, meaning a large shovel isn't always the best choice. For example, drainage cloths (see "Form") are initially made narrow.
In the second case (shovel shovels), a large width allows you to scoop up more cargo, however, this cargo will weigh accordingly. Therefore, here the difference between different models is most often not very large — most of the canvases have a width in the range of 220 – 260 mm.
In the third case (snow shovels and scrapers), the large width allows you to capture more snow at a time, which is convenient in large open spaces. But for difficult conditions with an abundance of narrow passages and tight nooks and crannies, it is better to choose a narrower tool that can go where a wide canvas does not fit.
Blade thickness
Blade thickness.
With the same material (see above), the thicker the canvas, the stronger and more reliable it is, and at the same time, the greater its weight and the more expensive the shovel will cost. Therefore, it makes sense to specifically look for models with a large web thickness for heavy work — digging up dense soils, cleaning a large amount of old snow, etc. At the same time, the minimum for full-size steel shovels is 1.5 mm, the maximum is only 2 mm, it simply does not make sense to make blades thicker. But in plastic models, this figure can reach 3 mm and even more.
Steel hardness
The hardness of the steel from which the shovel blade is made. The most popular designation is Rockwell, in HRC units; moreover, the larger the number in the designation, the harder the steel.
The shovel blade should be hard enough not to bend under loads and more or less keep sharpening (if any); at the same time, too hard metal tends to crumble, and under load it can crack. Thus, there is a certain range of hardness in which shovel blades are produced. For example, the Soviet GOST 19596-87 of the 1989 model, which is still in force in many countries of the former USSR, provides a range of 37 ... 53 HRC for garden and construction shovels for "digging" purposes (bayonet and rectangular) and 35 ... 51 HRC for all others types. However, there are also harder shovels on the market — up to 55 HRC: this is the maximum hardness value at which the blade will bend rather than break. And the minimum value actually found on the modern market is about 42 HRC.
In general, if a shovel is purchased for simple work — digging soft soil in small volumes, loading / unloading not very heavy and dense materials — you can ignore this parameter, because. even the softest "shovel" steel is likely to be quite reliable. But if serious tasks are planned, such as working in dense clay soils, it is worth finding a harder tool.
Rubberized shaft
The presence of a rubberized handle in the design of the shovel.
Rubber by itself is too soft to be used as a base material for a pen. Therefore, in this case, most often means a
rubber pad on the handle. Such pads are designed to ensure that the handle is comfortable to hold, does not slip and does not cool the hands. They are found only in shovels with metal handles, made of aluminium or plastic (see "Shank material") — this function is not relevant for wooden handles (in particular, they are quite convenient on their own).
Shovel length
The total length of the shovel; for models with variable length (folding or telescopic, see above), the maximum size is taken into account, when unfolded to the maximum position.
In the case of full size shovels (garden shovels, construction shovels, snow shovels — see "Type"), the optimal length depends primarily on the height of the user. It is believed that a shovel, placed vertically, should be 10 cm below the shoulder joint; however, some prefer a shorter tool — up to the elbow. If you do not have the opportunity to “try on” the shovel “live”, you can measure the height to the desired point (10 cm below the shoulder or elbow) and, when choosing, compare this height with the length of the tool. Note that a shovel without a handle (see above) may well be somewhat longer than necessary — the “surplus” of the handle usually does not create any particular inconvenience. But in the presence of a handle, length matching is extremely important.
If we are talking about small shovels for tourist / automotive purposes, then here we should proceed from a compromise between efficiency and compactness. A shorter shovel will be more convenient to store and transport, but may be inconvenient and ineffective for heavy work (both because of the inconvenience in the hands and because of the short lever length, which requires considerable effort).
