Chinese Shovel Much?

[Yarram]

This. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzpRh-ZE9Mo&feature=popt00us06)

I need one of these. Can we think of any other uses for this than shown?

[Flickerdart]

Wouldn't the sharp edge dull really fast from the digging-related uses of the shovel?

[Catch]

I hoped that shovel was washed before he started cutting potatoes with it.

Especially if he was digging out a latrine beforehand.

[Mathis]

The single most awesome feature of that shovel is the cowboy music that it plays while you work.

[deuxhero]

A shovel that can also cut very thin stuff that a normal shovel could bash in half with the same effort? No thanks.

Wire cutters in a shovel are neat, but not sure why I would need it.

The grapple does not look sturdy AT ALL. I am not going to climb that.

Really, most of the functions are not something any other blunt object would have trouble with, or the shovel doesn't seem to be too good at.

[Innis Cabal]

A shovel that can also cut very thin stuff that a normal shovel could bash in half with the same effort? No thanks.

Wire cutters in a shovel are neat, but not sure why I would need it.

The grapple does not look sturdy AT ALL. I am not going to climb that.

Really, most of the functions are not something any other blunt object would have trouble with, or the shovel doesn't seem to be too good at.

Ya....pretty much this. They only dug and tested on "Soft" material. Nothing they cut through was all that impressive, even the barbed wire. I have wire cutters 10 years old that could tear that stuff down.

I'll pass on the Chinese Army Shovel.

[Comet]

Put a drill on that shovel and I'd buy it for sure!

[Keld Denar]

The real question is...

Will it blend? (http://www.blendtec.com/willitblend/)

[Miklus]

Must...own!

I bet you could shave with it too.

But seriously, the blade woulde go dull from digging. It could be sharpend, of cause. But the saw side would be difficult to restore.

[TheThan]

That’s nothing new. It’s just a military entrenching tool. Most militaries have something like that already. They are cool, but still its not new at all.

You can buy a similar product here from cold steel (http://www.coldsteel.com/spshovel.html).
Things like this brings me to something of a pet peeve. I hate how the Chinese tend to take credit for being the first to do or make XYZ, and how a lot of people give them credit for being the first to make or do XYZ, without any proof to backup their clams. I cough it up to propaganda but still its irritating.

[Thanatos 51-50]

As The Than said, this is throughly unimpressive.
Most modernized miltaries/developed nations have something like this already.

[Dancing_Zephyr]

Isn't this like most entrenching tools armies use?

[Player_Zero]

It's... A shovel.

At what point am I supposed to be amazed?

[Worira]

I'm just going to go ahead and assume that the Chinese army issues its soldiers with nothing but this shovel.

[Rutskarn]

It's... A shovel.

At what point am I supposed to be amazed?

It's a shovel that can also saw through metal pipes and chop down branches, while functioning as a ruler and grappling hook. Assuming this video is on the level, it's pretty damn useful. Perhaps not amazing, but not a mere shovel either.

[Worira]

Don't forget that it gives you super-speed.

[Rutskarn]

Obviously. It is a knife, after all--I hear tell that everyone runs faster with a knife.

[DraPrime]

You know, none of this is stuff that I could not improvise with any shovel that can bend inward. Besides the wires, the shovel that I have in my basement could probably do all of this.

[TheThan]

Lets see this thing has these functions.

Shovel
Hoe (please no jokes here)
Hammer
Axe/blade
Saw
Snips
Can opener
Bottle opener
Hot plate
Ruler
Improvised Melee weapon
Prying tool (including nails in this)
Wire tightener
Rope carriage (pulling things up a wall for instance)
Paddle

That’s quite a few things and really is fairly impressive now that I look at it. But half of those things any other adjustable military shovel can do just as well. However the snips, saw, and prying tool are good ideas. A multi-tool with snips and a bottle/can opener does some of the same jobs, and has negligible weight and grants easier access to it (pocket) so I find that those are more or less unnecessary.

[Escef]

Lets see this thing has these functions.

Shovel
Hoe (please no jokes here)
Hammer
Axe/blade
Saw
Snips
Can opener
Bottle opener
Hot plate
Ruler
Improvised Melee weapon
Prying tool (including nails in this)
Wire tightener
Rope carriage (pulling things up a wall for instance)
Paddle

That’s quite a few things and really is fairly impressive now that I look at it. But half of those things any other adjustable military shovel can do just as well. However the snips, saw, and prying tool are good ideas. A multi-tool with snips and a bottle/can opener does some of the same jobs, and has negligible weight and grants easier access to it (pocket) so I find that those are more or less unnecessary.

Indeed. A standard issue e-tool and the Gerber I was given before I deployed can accomplish pretty much everything this thing does. I must admit, I probably wouldn't have thought to use an e-tool to hack handholds into a cliff for climbing purposes. All the video does is demonstrate the versatility possessed by most collapsible shovels.

[Serpentine]

Things like this brings me to something of a pet peeve. I hate how the Chinese tend to take credit for being the first to do or make XYZ, and how a lot of people give them credit for being the first to make or do XYZ, without any proof to backup their clams. I cough it up to propaganda but still its irritating.Uh... that's pretty much historical fact :smallconfused: The Chinese did invent a huge number of things before anywhere else in the world (plough, porcelain, gunpowder, steel, beaurocracy, taxes (I think), etc). Whinging about it won't make it any less true. The problem is, they got all this technology to a certain point... and pretty much just stopped. They stayed in the early Rennaisance while Europe marched on to the Industrial Age.

[Eldan]

I wouldn't be too sure about taxes. Some of the oldest known cuneiform scripts deal with how many of your cows you have to give away to the king each year.

[Icewalker]

Well, one thing to note, is that while Serp is right and they did invent all these things first (although I also am unsure about taxes) the same things were also developed independently later on by other societies.

[Dallas-Dakota]

Not to mention that Ancient Egyptians had taxes.

In form of working for the king/pharaoh for a amount of time each year, instead of at ya farm or such.

[Rappy]

Well, one thing to note, is that while Serp is right and they did invent all these things first (although I also am unsure about taxes) the same things were also developed independently later on by other societies.
And other lifeforms developed tool-making independently from us. That doesn't make it any less noteworthy.

[Boo]

Obviously. It is a knife, after all--I hear tell that everyone runs faster with a knife.

You have it all wrong there, Rutsy. Everyone runs faster from a knife.

[lostlittlebear]

Yeah, but we had civilization before the Egyptians did (I think), so HAH!

-China, bringing you taxes since 6000 BC-

[Miklus]

I got it! It can also be used as a frying pan. Or is that what TheThan ment by hot plate? A mirror then? If it was polished really good? No? A small sled? You might want to consider the sharp egde though...and the saw edge. We might have to consult the Bad Idea Bears on that one.

It could use a cork screw, though...And a screw driver.

[Oriole]

It's a very stylish accessory.

[Eldan]

It could use a cork screw, though...And a screw driver.

Both of which you have on a pocket knife, which you should have with you anyway when you are out in the wilderness. Really, though: it's a useful tool, but most of the functions should be on a shovel/spade combination like that anyway.

[Serpentine]

Yeah, I wasn't sure about taxation, and although I suspect they did at least formalise it first, it's pretty basic.
'course, then you have things like seisometers, paper, printing, fishing reel, the fork, paper money, the compass, an accurate calendar...