I've just picked up a "Roughneck Micro Mattock" . The head appears to be forged with an adze type mattock end and a pick end. The shaft is 15" long and fibreglass. It looks and feels seriously robust for its size.

They can be had for between £10 and £14 depending where you shop.

So far it has seen a day's action in my current dig where it demolished shaley killas and assorted cr*p pyritically cemented together with ease. The consensus amongst our digging team is that it the business.

Only time will tell if it holds up in the long term. That said my initial opinion is that it is a very useful addition to the diggers arsenal.

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Yes, I have been using one now for years!
issue is the head coming off all the while when in use. I find it better to drive the plastic handle in firmly and permanently as its less trouble in use and this more than offsets the added difficulty in carrying it.

The small shovel is also very good, the steel appears good quality as mine has been left underground and shows no damaging corrosion. They are a good range of tools.

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I’ve been using one of these from time to time, having rediscovered it in the shed some years ago. Only recently did I realise it’s a WW1/2 entrencher. Great tool for confined digging (clearly). These days its better appreciated and retired from active service.

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Definite benefit to my u/g surgery kit.
Fits in a small tackle sack, so that plus a folding shovel makes for a quick lightweight digging set up

The Roughneck Micro Mattock

I have worked inside drains for many years purchased one of these when I first saw it many years ago still have it ,Roy is correct with the head coming of mine always does it I found the best way slide it back on down the Handel hit the end of the shaft on a curb as hard as you can Normally wedges back beautifully, I use it to Chibble away at the c60 over spill in the channels great peace of kit for the cost !

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I've got a couple of Roughneck shovels, one of these micro picks and a few crowbars too - they're very impressive tools for the price and I haven't had any of them fail on me yet - other than someone stealing one of the shovels.

Agreed,
I have the mattock and also the micro square mouth shovel:

https://www.toolstation.com/roughneck-micro-square-shovel/p99461?store=I6&utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=googleshoppingfeed&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3Nvi-tzO6gIVQuDtCh2UhgPeEAQYBCABEgKoSfD_BwE 

Can't beat them :thumbup:

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Aas seen in Hidden Wales with Will Millard.

https://sendvid.com/dexr92ii 

🔗120852[linkphoto]120852[/linkphoto][/link]

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I have one as well and find it very useful.
The only thing I need to improve is the holder for the head when it's in my tackle sack. It's too sharp to leave uncovered, so I keep it wrapped in a bit of coat.

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Found similar wooden handled variant in the bric-a-brac and hardware shop by The Greyhound in Cromford. Excellent tool for picking in confined spaces and no problem with loose handles. Ditto the mini spades and shovels but found that these don't last for ever.
Sorry can't recall the name of the shop and not always open.

Worth giving it a sharpen from time to time. I had to get a new one a while back as I managed to lose the handle, unfortunately they don't float!
I have used mine as a foot peg to help get up a rise, great bit of kit, rarely not in my bag.

I use mine in conjunction with a bricklayers hammer as the hammer has a bit more weight for those pesky calcited rocks.

The baby shovels are good, I find that the square mouth one is better if you are working off a digging board and the round mouth for general piles of stuff. Don't last forever but pretty damn good for the price.

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broke my little mattocky-thing last week, handle snapped just under the eye ;(

this week, sharpened the adze end (underground of course, with the battery grinder) and used it as an improvised chisel in the absence of anything else suitable for the job. Eet will cutt...

MARK

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I had to get a new one a while back as I managed to lose the handle, unfortunately they don't float!

That reminded me of my other favourite underground tool, the 'Super Stemple®', which is half a hickory pickaxe handle, drilled through at one end for a lanyard loop and then sanded and linseed oiled every night for about three weeks. It does float, and it was primarily designed as a climbing aid for the Titan Cascades, which are difficult to climb and easy to damage, but with some etriers clipped on it jams in the 'spout', and ignoring the torrent of water in your face, coolly climb up or down and then you just pick it up and take it with you. Note - it doesn't float with the etriers attached, as I found out at the bottom cascade, which is a metre deep - hold your breath and flail.

It's also served as a handy temporary stemple/abseil anchor in tight rifts, a hammer, a crowbar and also as discipline stick when digging. If you drop it on a concrete floor it bounces back up - what's not to like? I highly recommend one if you have a good-condition handle lying around doing nothing.

I won't even ask for royalties 😉

The Brick Hammer I bought in Oban in 1970 is still going strong ! My main geological tool nowadays, the Estwing Pick I bought from Dydes in Dartford in 1995 is splendid.

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broke my little mattocky-thing last week, handle snapped just under the eye ;(

this week, sharpened the adze end (underground of course, with the battery grinder) and used it as an improvised chisel in the absence of anything else suitable for the job. Eet will cutt...

MARK

A Forged in Fire fan like me ?

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You got the reference :thumbsup:

regrettably the extent of my forging runs only to bashing out steel wedges, heat provided by wood-burning chimnea

not exactly your 1000-layer Damascus Katana!

MARK

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Simple upgrade to chimnea. About a dozen bricks, bag of real charcoal, and a hair dryer for hot blast, any big lump cast iron/steel if no anvil - in my case an inverted railway chair ground flat. Right way up the chair has some useful curves for shaping. Barbie briquets are only good for melting chocolate tea pots.