Hungarian? Entrenching Tool/Shovel
Surplus Hungarian Military Shovel
Have a need for a small foldable shovel for use around
the yard, or auto? Perhaps you hike a lot and need a
small shovel. Or maybe you like the idea of a military
surplus shovel. Here is a good one to have. The Hungarian
military surplus shovel.
These shovels were found in a military surplus mail order
catalog a few years back. They looked a little different
from the standard American military folding shovel. They
also seemed to have different handles and I could not
tell how they folded. Due to the cheap price, I bought
two of them.
What I received was two Hungarian military surplus
folding shovels, and their canvas sheaths. The sheaths
were made of cotton duck fabric and has Velcro style hook
and loop fasteners for the cover flap. I found it odd
that they had two strips of fastener, but maybe that is
for some military use.
Each shovel was folded inside of its sheath and was
coated in what appeared to be battleship gray epoxy type
paint. Both appeared to be slightly used or at least
refurbished. One had grease marks on its cotton sheath.
They are on the heavy side, but for their size, seem to
be very durably made.
The handles are made of fiberglass, one had a black
handle and the other had a white handle. The handles are
two piece and connected with a metal cable. When the
handle is aligned with the folding hinge of the shovel, a
threaded portion allows both handle pieces to screw
together. Once screwed together, the shovel is a solid
assembly about a foot long.
This is a great folding shovel, but could use some slight
modifications. I added some grip tape to the end of the
fiberglass handle. This makes it more of a non slip
handle. I also proceeded to grind off the paint on one
edge. If sharpened, this could make it usable as a
weapon. (Very much like the Soviet Spetnatz shovels.)
Sharpening also allows it to dig better too.
As a digging tool, this shovel works well. While small, it
is comparable to an American military entrenching tool,
or the Soviet military shovels. The blade makes for a
decent shovel, while still keeping the size small enough
for backpack or hiking/camping use.
Grinding the paint off of the edges or just using them as
digging tools should wear the paint down, making it a
better tool over time. Some light grease on the hardware
and threaded portion will help with maintenance over
time.
It is hard to tell when these were made, no markings were
found on mine. But I am guessing sometime in the 1980's
as this seems to be the type I see online, searching for
entrenching tools. It was sold as a Hungarian entrenching
tool, but I have also seen Czech versions that look like
this.
This makes a good tool for digging your vehicle out of a
ditch, or for use at a camp site. These can be had rather
cheaply compared to other countries entrenching tool
shovels. They hold up well to abuse and use. I'm keeping
mine, they will age well and be used less than they were
in their previous life.
If anyone knows for sure when these were made, it would
help my curiosity, let me know any details you may have
on these unique shovels.
Have a need for a small foldable shovel for use around
the yard, or auto? Perhaps you hike a lot and need a
small shovel. Or maybe you like the idea of a military
surplus shovel. Here is a good one to have. The Hungarian
military surplus shovel.
These shovels were found in a military surplus mail order
catalog a few years back. They looked a little different
from the standard American military folding shovel. They
also seemed to have different handles and I could not
tell how they folded. Due to the cheap price, I bought
two of them.
What I received was two Hungarian military surplus
folding shovels, and their canvas sheaths. The sheaths
were made of cotton duck fabric and has Velcro style hook
and loop fasteners for the cover flap. I found it odd
that they had two strips of fastener, but maybe that is
for some military use.
Each shovel was folded inside of its sheath and was
coated in what appeared to be battleship gray epoxy type
paint. Both appeared to be slightly used or at least
refurbished. One had grease marks on its cotton sheath.
They are on the heavy side, but for their size, seem to
be very durably made.
The handles are made of fiberglass, one had a black
handle and the other had a white handle. The handles are
two piece and connected with a metal cable. When the
handle is aligned with the folding hinge of the shovel, a
threaded portion allows both handle pieces to screw
together. Once screwed together, the shovel is a solid
assembly about a foot long.
This is a great folding shovel, but could use some slight
modifications. I added some grip tape to the end of the
fiberglass handle. This makes it more of a non slip
handle. I also proceeded to grind off the paint on one
edge. If sharpened, this could make it usable as a
weapon. (Very much like the Soviet Spetnatz shovels.)
Sharpening also allows it to dig better too.
As a digging tool, this shovel works well. While small, it
is comparable to an American military entrenching tool,
or the Soviet military shovels. The blade makes for a
decent shovel, while still keeping the size small enough
for backpack or hiking/camping use.
Grinding the paint off of the edges or just using them as
digging tools should wear the paint down, making it a
better tool over time. Some light grease on the hardware
and threaded portion will help with maintenance over
time.
It is hard to tell when these were made, no markings were
found on mine. But I am guessing sometime in the 1980's
as this seems to be the type I see online, searching for
entrenching tools. It was sold as a Hungarian entrenching
tool, but I have also seen Czech versions that look like
this.
This makes a good tool for digging your vehicle out of a
ditch, or for use at a camp site. These can be had rather
cheaply compared to other countries entrenching tool
shovels. They hold up well to abuse and use. I'm keeping
mine, they will age well and be used less than they were
in their previous life.
If anyone knows for sure when these were made, it would
help my curiosity, let me know any details you may have
on these unique shovels.
