Rothco Pick Mattock – Outdoor Camping Survival Bushcraft Pickaxe Gardening Trenching Digging Tool

I've used it several time over the time I have owned it. And let me tell you the quality is amazing for the price!

I live in rocky Central Texas.A shovel is pretty worthless, here.The lame picks on most camp shovels are a joke.I NEED a real pick and mattock to dig, here, at all!I mostly use it to prep my tent site.It is great at dislodging stupborn rocks.It is your only hope for digging out hard clay ot caliche.I am not digging fox-holes ... I am trenching and evicting stones.Also good for tossing a bear-bag line, over a limb.I was VERY pleased that the handle is so light !Just so you know ... the head is SUPPOSED to slide on the handle.It breaks down ... the handle goes IN my pack and the head rides outside.Again ... the head is MEANT to slide off the handle ... use gravity !This tool is perfect ... I have owned 4 and still have two.I would not have sold the others, they must be in storage, somewhars.Just do this ! Even on longer treks, I will not go without it.I traded my shovel, for this, decades ago ... never regretted it.

The wooden handle seems light as in not as solid as most US tool handles. Finish work is a bit rough price is very good and the tool is quite useful for gardening etc. I had one like this as a kid in the 60s that my grandfather had from WW2. It brings back good memories. If the handle doesn't hold up I will replace it with a hickory handle. Recommended.

I recently ordered 3 of these primarily for doing forestry trail work, and crouching work with harder soils in general.First of all, the handles are made of an extremely light wood and painted black. These are not hardwood handles. Nothing that cannot easily be replaced. So the handles are extremely cheap and would inevitably crack with extended use.The blade slides off the handle making it convenient to take apart and stow in a day pack when hiking-in with tools. This seemed like a real plus.But the real trouble became clear within the first week when the shank sleeve of the first pick blade cracked in two pieces upon hitting a small stone while digging. On cross-sectional inspection of the metal it became apparent that it is die-cast powdered iron - i.e. not forged. Embossed on the top of each blade is the word TAIWAN.My strong advice is that no one purchase this product, and make sure to get a name-brand forged carbon steel blade.

Used this to dig a drainage trench in hard dry clay. The pick worked great, good balance and sturdy. Our ground is so hard a shovel barely goes 2 inches, this pick broke it up really well. Hit several rocks with no damage to the tool. Reminds me of a GI pick my Dad had, not light but strong.

Army issued me one back in the day, lasted 30 years handle broke could not find one to replace. Ordered me this mattock and same quality hickory handle. Used it to dig up 10 lost sprinkler valves GREAT LITTLE TOOL.

Rothco Pick MattockVery light, and portable. I enjoy taking this with me to camp and is always in my trunk for emergencies. The top breaks down from the handle and stores easily and fit in tight places. Makes a great tool for fires to digging holes to go potty. Military grade easy to clean.

Gets the job done well and compacts nicely