Marshalltown Archaeology Pointing Trowel with Leather Holster, Wood Handle, 5 x 2 1/2 Inch Steel Blade, Heavy-Duty, Made in The USA, ATH50S

Quality is there; this is just a classic tool for every archeologist and field school student. It's comfortable in the hand, reasonably priced, and does the job. The size is ideal for most jobs, however, if you're entering field school I might recommend an additional trowel in a smaller size for detail work or even a dental tool to add to your repertoire--try it first and see if you like it of course before purchasing a bunch of stuff your professor probably has already, but boy it was nice to have my own trowel.

I bought this as a christmas present for my daughter who had just gotten a bachelor's degree in anthropology which has ties to archaeology. She got why I gave this for her so I suppose the gesture was a success. She will probably never use it and I will probably never see it again but it sure looks solid.

Overall, a fine trowel. My application was archaeology. It takes a good edge, and keeps its sharpness well with use. I've used it in various soil conditions. I have a smaller trowel that I like better. I thought "bigger is better" when I bought this, but honestly this sometimes feels too big and clumsy for finer detail work. The smaller trowels offer more precise control. However, since archaeology trowels are sharpened as they dull, eventually this means I will file this trowel down to the more comfortable size of the smaller trowels as the material is worn away. So it's not a huge complaint from me. The trowel is solid and made of quality materials. The holster is great for archaeology so your sharp trowel isn't left around on the ground to be stepped on or lost. 4 stars.

gave as a gift to my daughter starting a dig. She likes it so far.

See my post about the "SE DD312 12-piece steel wax carvers" I ordered along with this item and several others. Amazon screwed up, or at least their database did, and sent the wrong address for shipping; all four items went to the wrong address. To Amazon's credit, they re-shipped the goods they had in inventory, but told me they couldn't help with the 3rd party vendor from which the carvers were coming. Seems to me that if Amazon's database screwed up the order (it was an address that I lived at THREE moves ago and which wasn't tied to my credit card) and sent the 3rd party vendor the wrong address, Amazon should make it right. I had ordered several books just a couple of months prior, and they all came to the correct address like these should have, so it wasn't a matter of me not updating my account, THAT had been done correctly. I won't recommend buying anything from Amazon until they stand up and take responsibility for THEIR error.

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note: 4 inch is pictured, the 5 inch is not straight edged, but the curve is easily removed with a grinder or hand filing (if desired). good quality, thicker steel than the standard Marshalltown. sheath is one size, so it is kind of big for the 5 inch and smaller, but it works fine. I've purchased 2 of these, one for me and one as a gift, very happy with both.

Marshalltown is THE BRAND of trowel, of course. Solid. Comfortable. I ground an edge into mine for better scraping and it took an edge beautifully. Do your research on the shape that your need/prefer and you will not go wrong with one of these. I have no doubts that this trowel will last for many years before it needs to be retired.