
Ingenious Chinese Army shovel (video) - sown
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/m-DmaTXvgl8
======
JCThoughtscream
While multipurpose tools are always fun, how is the Chinese army shovel
particularly noteworthy? I'm pretty sure you can get an almost identical model
from, say, REI. Or the /US/ Army's surplus.

...actually, they likely all come from the same factory, huh?

~~~
moconnor
I know it sounds plausible, but I've never seen one. Show me:
[http://www.rei.com/search?query=shovel&button.x=0&bu...](http://www.rei.com/search?query=shovel&button.x=0&button.y=0)

~~~
roel_v
The thing is that these things are called 'entrenching tools', searching for
that gives more results. See e.g.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrenching_tool> \- the pictures there don't
look like they have serrated edges to serve as a saw, but there are plenty on
e.g. Ebay that do. I know I used to sell the folding model, with serrated
edge, 15 years ago in the military surplus stored I worked at.

~~~
gaius
Dutch shovels, they're known as in the outdoorsy subcultures in the UK,
probably because at one point some supplier like Millett's bought up a job lot
of them from Dutch army surplus, and that's what everyone bought.

For some reason olive oil in spray bottles is known as "Portuguese sunblock".

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olefoo
It slices, it dices, it opens cans, bottles and jars; but wait there's more;
you can also use it as an axe, can your shovel do THIS, I don't think so! So
call now, operators are standing by.

Repeat above sentence with different features, repeatedly. Until someone buys
every last shovel you have in stock.

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zach
Also, you can use it to determine the height of a skyscraper.

~~~
JoeAltmaier
Drop it off the top and time how long it takes to reach the ground!

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BoppreH
Or use it as a payment for the janitor if he tells you how high the building
is!

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tfh
They forgot to show in the video that you could of course kill people with
that shovel.

~~~
bediger
That's what I thought when I saw the chopping and sawing parts. I seem to
recall that in the Great War book "All Quiet on the Western Front", the author
mentions that sharpened shovels get used as weapons extensively on the German
side. The author makes some offhand comment about chopping deeply into
someone's neck and chest with a sharpened spade or something.

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DanielBMarkham
Every comment on this thread so far (20+) has said that this story is not
noteworthy in some fashion or another -- and it has a lot of upvotes and is
the top ten.

??

~~~
stcredzero
My theory: a 4chan group is starting to experiment with manipulating HN
through reddit.

~~~
DanielBMarkham
Needs more cowbell

EDIT: Sorry, that was bending the rules. I wasn't trying to be snarky. My
point is that I think you are pulling my leg. If so, well done.

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joe24pack
how is this any different from any other army's entrenching tools? Yes there
are a few extras added to it but it is not in any way more ingenious than
what's already available elsewhere.

~~~
mapleoin
Well, it looks like not many people were aware of these entrenching tools.

~~~
juhgfghjklkjhg
Nerds on hackernews not familiar with tools for digging infantry trenches!

Hope nobody ever posts a fashion/haircare/style video.

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mootothemax
I love the rousing music accompanying the video, it's like something from The
Great Escape!

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fleitz
Looks like a pretty standard multifunction shovel to me.

~~~
ovi256
Yup, most Eastern bloc armies have these or similar. Well, the one I saw, of
the Romanian army, may not have had the bottle opener :)

Or I may not have seen it among all those gadgets.

FYI, they're also a close-quarters combat weapon, and were a favourite of
assault engineers.

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mambodog
I love the video player they're using. Instead of 'scrubbing' over the video
when you drag the playhead during playback (like most online video), it has
something like the Red Book Audio CD 'search' algorithm; it plays a short
sample over and over. Hilarity ensues.

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nfnaaron
Put a USB memory stick in it and I'll buy it.

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ax0n
I have a few e-Tools too, but nothing like this. And the outdoorsman in me
would really like one of these, versus the two anemic and subpar e-Tools I
already own. So to all you guys who are like "oh yeah, just swing by REI" or
"yeah I have one just like that" (yes, I'm hyperbolizing a tad) it'd be nice
if you'd show us where we could get one that's more like this one and less
like the ones you can buy for $50 at big retail sporting goods stores.

kthx.

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ekanes
The shovel is pretty cool, but I kept on marveling at just how fast the
soldiers work when a propaganda video is being made.

~~~
sambeau
Are you absolutely sure that is not the same speed that the Chinese make
iPods?

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GiraffeNecktie
You can buy similar tools on ebay: [http://cgi.ebay.ca/New-Folding-Camp-Army-
Shovel-Tool-Entrenc...](http://cgi.ebay.ca/New-Folding-Camp-Army-Shovel-Tool-
Entrenching-/220593531774?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item335c662b7e#ht_4406wt_941)

~~~
reduxredacted
Yeah, but that sort of looks like a cheep Canadian knock off.

I don't think I've ever used that phrase in this context before.

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Jun8
Damn, the Chinese have invented _everything_! The compass, gunpowder,
chopsticks, printing press and now this!

Although, the fact that their inventiveness missed baking, opting instead to
stir fry everything, is a point I bring up often with my Chinese colleagues
during lunch.

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mapleoin
I see they're already preparing for WW IV. The Shovel War.

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bad_alloc
I see nothing new here because the German army used this in WW2 and possibly™
even sooner (they called it "Schanzspaten").

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flipbrad
<call a spade a spade joke>

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gurtwo
Is that spam, at 4:55 ?

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mun411
my question is what can this shovel not do ?

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jonsen
digg

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MikeTaylor
TL;DW

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jarin
I am super scared of Chinese military now, because they can use their shovels
to open cans of Spam.

PROPAGANDA EFFECTIVE

