Folding Shovels for relic hunting

Hey guys, refresh my memory on which military style e tool to use and which ones to stay away from. I have used a Predator Tool version of the e tool for over 20 years but recently accidently threw it away at the landfill when throwing away some boxes. Long story short...I was using its weight to hold down the boxes while in transport to the landfill and forgot about it til a few days later when I noticed my shovel missing. George doesn't make this version of the tool any more, and digging in the woods sucks with a normal foot shovel. So I'm gonna have to get another e tool. Seems like I remember the Ames 1940s shovel as being the best one but they are hard to find now days for under $50...and most I've seen are in horrid shape for that price. There has to be a decent alternative out there. If not, I may fire the welder up and fab up my own.

I got one of the 1940’s Ames entrenching tools that everyone recommends for $7 at a flea market in great shape. Best bet is to try and find them local instead of paying the high online prices.

I hadn't thought of the flea market. Use to be Tennessee's largest indoor flea market just up the road from me. Haven't been there in probably 15 years...worth checking out though. I remember there use to be a couple of surplus booths in there but who knows if there still is. Worth a shot though.

Crossville use to have a big open flea market.
I use to go there and buy guns.

Ole' Daniel going to hit dem' woods!

theres a large fleamarket in lebanon also

Lesche used to make the ultimate folding shovel but for some reason they quit producing it. They made it with a plain handle and one with the ball on the end of the handle. Like all Lesche products they were nearly indestructible.

The Lesche/Predator tools was the one I had that I accidentally tossed at the dump. I actually had 2 of them, a short handle version and long handle version. I wore the blade out on the short one and tossed the other. George said he lost the supplier for parts for them is why he had to quit making them. They are next to impossible to find used too. Several people have been trying for a while on the forums to find one.

Crossville and Lebanon are quite a ways drive for me; at least 2-3 hrs one way. Sweetwater is the closest for me.

Are the Ames from ww2 the only good ones? Are the German ones any count? How about the Vietnam era ones?

The"flea market" guys have gotten the word---you won't find a 40's GI folding shovel for less than 35/45 and the condition is mostly fair.

GO TO SPORTSMAN GUIDE NOW and type in "folding army shovel? They have the best selection I've ever seen and I've been buying them for years.

You want one with a straight handle.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2018 11:22PM by doc holiday.

Sweet water to Crossville 54 miles.
Chattanooga to Crossville 86 miles

Surplus Nation has what looks like the old army e-tool for $10.49 with free shipping.

TNSS - Bud, I've lived here my whole life. I know how long it takes to drive places and how far they are from where I live. It takes me a good 25 mins of driving just to get to the interstate from my house. I do it every day. The easiest 2 ways to get to Crossville from here are either I75 North to the I40 W split at Knoxville and then driving to Crossville from there...puts it at about 2 hrs with normal traffic. The other way is to take Hwy 68 thru Spring City, up the mtn, and thru Grassy Cove on into Crossville. It's the scenic route but more the less mostly uphill and all curves with lots of dump trucks and logging trucks on that route, and no passing zones. Meaning you get stuck a lot, on top of driving slow anyway due to the curves. It's the shorter way by mileage but usually takes longer. 2 hrs one way would be pretty close. Even Google maps puts it 1.5 hrs driving for just 57 miles, and that's the shortest one. It's not so much the miles as it is what you encounter in those miles. I'm only 8 miles from where I work but it takes 30 mins to get there due to traffic, stop lights, etc.

Hey, we're not talking about folding shovels here!

We're talking about Entrenching Tools!

(Only old fans of Tom Lehrer comedy songs will appreciate this reference, I guess.
Maybe some old GIs, too.)

seems to be pretty good one on ebay:

[www.ebay.com]

I paid $35 about 4 years ago in a relic shop in Stafford, VA for mine.

Wayne

Score!!! Sometimes it pays to whine to friends. I was going on about e-tools and how I missed my Predator one that I threw away to a digging buddy of mine. He says "you mean one of those folding kind George use to make like 15 yrs ago?". Yep that be the one. He says "I got one of them I've barely used. I hated it. Chopped a nice button right in half and quit using it". Ended up horse trading a relic I had that he wanted for it.

[flic.kr]

Good deal Daniel.

I picked one up a yr or so back to use when the ground is hard due to summer heat or when semi frozen in colder months and/or when I make it back down to hunt with Keith again up in those mountains but I gotta tell ya,,, I’m in your buddies camp of thinking there because those things are a pain to use/get use to!

I like my shovels and for the most part easy Diggin dirt around here. I feel the pain for anyone that HAS to use etools 80/90/100% of the time!

Woods hunting here is almost a requirement for something like the e-tool. Our fields aren't as bad, you can get by with a shovel. But our wooded areas seem to be really rocky around here (Rocky Top, Tennessee is appropriately named) and on top of that, we run into roots. Even a narrow blade shovel is a pain to use in the woods. Most of our fields are already knee or waist high, some fields are ready for the first cut of hay here. The pastures are still low if they have grazing animals in them but otherwise, I had been in the woods up til turkey season opened. The one time of yr I don't detect for relics is turkey season. Too many trigger happy people around here. I do transition to the occasional park or home site this time of yr. It's a hard transition for me to go from a shovel or e-tool to a Lesche hand digger or Raptor digger. I hate using little hand tools.

I'm curious about some of the Black Ada shovels that North Georgia Relics in now getting in. They seem to be popular overseas.

[www.cabelas.com]




[highplainsprospectors.com]

couple that i found online