FKMD Folding Shovel FX-0171111 Fantastic!

 FKMD Folding Shovel FX-0171111 Fantastic!

 It may also come as no surprise that a reliable folding shovel is a definite piece of kit to have in anyone's car or 4WD because there will come a time when one does get their vehicle bogged; that's a fact, especially if you are pushing the boundaries of exploration. It doesn't matter how experienced you are, it will happen if you go outback enough. 

But of course there is about a bizillion things one can do with a good folding shovel; such as it being a necessary tool for geologists exploring new areas, gold fossicking, gemstone hunters, campers, hunters, not to mention military personnel and those wandering into desert areas (digging for water if it comes to that).

I've had my eye on the FKMD FX-0171111 for some years now actually and to be honest I don't know why I never got one before now. Maybe I've beeb stuck in the old wooden handled screw lock shovel thing since I was a kid (I'll tell you all about that in the upcoming video LOl!).

The FKMD folding shovel model number FX-0171111 is made from 420 Stainless and glass reinforced nylon. It's built tough (for crazy gold fossickers!)

The blade is riveted onto the pivoting hinge, not cheaply spot welded as seen in so many "el cheapo" folding shovels. Matte black, goes without saying on this FKMD product.

The folded shovel is extremely compact and can easily be carried on a pack in it's 1000 Denier Molle compatible pocket (which by the way is very well stitched). This is far more compact than many of the folding shovels I have come across.  Glass reinforced nylon is extremely strong, cast you minds back to the days when skateboard trucks were made from this stuff and the abuse they can take LOL!

Here I'm using a Deuter Guide 35 plus, an extremely versatile guiding pack for climbers etc. This pack whilst not a Molle sewn pack can quickly accommodate mille items by threading climber's tape horizontally along the packs webbing loops. This way I could carry the FKMD FX-017111 easily into the wilds. But of course if one owns a Molle specific pack, then no problems with this shovel either.

Glass fibre reinforced nylon, light but strong and rigid in design.

3 positions (see below) are available for the shovel blade and are easily set with any tools or rotating screw-like rings. Just push in the black button and it clicks into place.

Digging in stoney mud, no problems and the mud did not clog up the mechanism either. The shovel was easily washed clean in a river. I also discovered the shovel can be used a a makeshift paddle too!

Rocky/stoney desert like soil, no problems, the 420 blade has been appropriately heat treated in order to take this kind of abuse with the shovel edge hitting hard igneous stones and remaining perfectly intact along its edge. The blade coating is extremely hard wearing and I thought at first it would peel off like not tomorrow in this type of soil but no chance!

And finally for those ever on the look out for some other tactical advantage of such a shovel, let me just say that (and I'm just saying that's all), doesn't it just look like a bit of a tonfa with a blade attached?

Stick around for the upcoming video field review but let's face it, if you haven't already got one in the boot of your vehicle then this is one to seriously consider.

BCT

Specs of the FKMD FX-0171111 Folding Shovel at a glance:

60cm fully open

27cm closed

Blade positions

90 degrees

135 degrees

and 180 degrees blade position

1000 Denier Nylon sheath-fully Molle compatible.

NATO Code (NUC-NSN)5120-15-205-0607

Plus you can also see it here too.