Updated 2021 after 5 years of frequent use.This is an amazing tool for the money. It's very sturdy. Be aware of a few things before you buy:1) The blade is crooked, angled from the handle. This shouldn't affect function in any way but annoys my OCD sensibilities. It sprang back to its original position when bent just past 30° so I guess I'll just have to get used to it. (This still bugs me 5 years later!)2) The sheath is not what I'd call leather. If it is technically leather then it's the leather equivalent of particle board. That said, the sheath is well made (It's held up beautifully for 5 years of backpacking and camping trips).3) The stitching on the throat of the sheath is subject to abrasion by the edge of the shovel if sheathed concave side out. It appears that if the top stitching frays then the functional side stitching will also unravel due to a lack of glue, rivets, or bar tacking. (This has been a complete non-issue with the most minimal care as to which way I resheath the knife)4) My example has a very small gap between the handle scales and tang at the rear of the handle. (This was just missing splinters of handle material. The gap was gone after I reshaped the handle for comfort)5) The point on my sample wasn't a point but a rather blunt wedge formed by the intersecting bevels on the convex side of the knife that was dulled by the final finish operation after sharpening. I filed the wedge into a serviceable point. (No further issues after 5 years)6) Filing revealed the steel to be quite hard so I was concerned with brittleness. I tested for flexibility by propping up the middle of the knife with a hardwood dowel on top of a 2x4 to protect the edge and stood on both ends of the knife while wearing heavy boots, jeans, and athletic protector. This knife easily survived bending just past 30° in both directions which may mean it would pass the British proof test. It remains in perfectly serviceable condition. (And it's still in great condition 5 years hence. This tool holds a better edge than a shovel has any right to. One must have realistic expectations)7) The lanyard hole was countersunk on both sides apparently to take a flared brass liner but none was present. The interior of the hole is rough and splintery. I fear this will quickly abrade my nylon hand lanyard. A leather strip would be more appropriate. (This is another non-issue. I'm still using the same 550 cord lanyard I installed 5 years ago)5 year update:I reprofiled the handle for greater comfort. This involved considerable rounding of the rear of the handle as well as smoothing and rounding the corners throughout. The handle is now much more oval than rectangular. This made the biggest difference. I should've done it much sooner.In addition to gardening, I use this while backpacking and camping. I had formerly carried a large knife or small machete for processing sticks into usable fuel for my small wood stove. This does that job just as well and also serves to dig cat holes. The serrated edge is good at making tiny chips when scraped drown sticks. These chips are great for starting a fire in my wood stove. This shovel is a surprisingly good chopper when held near the end of the handle while using a hand lanyard for retention. A snap of the wrist at the end of the chopping stroke powers through sticks bigger than I have any business chopping up for my stove.