http://www.razorbackprofession...
The Razorback round nose shovel (such as # 45519) is the one I used for some 20 years digging red clay on archaeological sites along the Tennessee River. I would prefer an ash handle, sanded and oiled with linseed oil for digging hour after hour on a daily basis. I haven't tried a fiberglas handle under working -sweaty conditions at 100 degrees hour after hour in an Alabama soybean field.
This one is described as a "rolled step". You want a flat step on the shoulder of the shovel for accuracy. We cut off the nose of the shovel with a grinder to about 10 cm. The resulting edge is kept razor sharp with a bastard file. The edge is filed from the top or concave side of the shovel in long strokes in one direction. Ne ver sharpen the back of a shovel! This is the shovel used in professional archaeological excavations to shovel skim (clear surface), and for vertical slicing, cutting levels (usually in 10 or 20 cm slices), and just plain moving dirt.
A shovel used on a regular basis does not get rusty. But today I keep a spray can of canola oil in the tool shed to apply to the blade of my shovel if Im not using it regularly.
My Razorback is now more than 50 years old. Ive had other shovels over the years, but this is the one I still choose if I have shoveling to do.
One final word of advice. Never ask to borrow my shovel. A tool gets to be a personal extension of yourself after years of use.
