Spamcorp's Iain Sinclair Cardsharp 2 and Folding Shovel M

[Corwyn]

The SPAMCORP people were nice enough to send me some stuff to review, and as promised, with Grant's blessing ( http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,55947.0.html ) here I do my honest review. Obviously the links and name will be censored but if you want to buy these, you have Google and can buy them yourselves if you so decide.

Foremost I really want to thank Brien for his kindness and openness and hope he gets his partnership with MTO.

So... about the shipping itself.
PRO:
+ was sent from USA with expedited shipping
+ was packaged in one box (ahem looking at you, SPAMCORP)
+ was packaged in a cardboard box not in trashbags to mess everything up (looking at you again SPAMCORP)
+ the thank you card was a nice touch 
CONS:
= website crashes occasionally
= "expedited airmail" took 3 months!!! to get here (I know it was stuck here in customs for a while, but I got over 10 packages meanwhile)
= tracking code never worked. I had even forgotten about these when I received the package
= biggest, inexcusable flaw... I don't know what they wrote on the shipping note, but I paid 10 Euros for import VAT. Quite a lot for something I didn't ask for. I could definately get a folding shovel and (not original) Cardknife for that money here... I have received over 30 international packages and only had to pay VAT twice before: my bougu and my katana.. and you definately couldn't declare a 2 meter 17 kilogram package as "toys and tools worth 8$"...

The products themselves
Iain Sinclair CardSharp 2
http://www.[url=http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,55947.0.html]SPAMCORP.com/CardSharp-2-Credit-Card-Folding-Safety-Knife-Black_p176042.html[/url]

I actually wanted to try this one for quite some time so I was happy to receive it.
After rigorous checking.. guess what... IT IS ORIGINAL. Refreshing sight from a China shop.
It is packaged right, has the right code, right sticker and most importantly it doesnt fold on itself.

Just in case you guys don't know it, it's a polypropilene credit card that folds into a knife. It is made by Iain Sinclair (not really a knife company) and it has gained quite a big following, as well as a slew of clones.

PROS:
+ awesome packaging
+ it is reasonably sharp and cuts well paper and even thick cardboard - stainless surgical steel, this was BOd, there is also a plain silver version
+ it is very very light - 12 grams
+ it definately has the cool factor
+ it is easy to carry - 1,6 mm thick
+ it is gimmicky
+ nice pointy blade
+ has very nice jimping that allows for a good grip

CONS
+ was sharpened uneven... the bottom and the tip and very sharp while the middle part is completely blunt... the thing wouldn't slice a paper right through - QC issue?
+ it is flimsy, it was designed to be flimsy and it is.. especially when putting lateral torque
+ the locking knob just spins freely - QC issue?
+ it won't fold back to horizontal properly
+ the foldy bits are stronger than they seem, but they will eventually break
+ it kind of is a concealed weapon

IN CONCLUSION
I carried it for a couple of days to get the feel for it... opening packages, cutting apples, cutting string, it performed fine and did not pop open unexpectedly.
Do I like it? Well, it's cool, ingenious, quirky and easy to carry..
Would I buy it? Well, it's a concealed weapon (which actually works a bit like a prison shank) so you could have problems with the law if found carrying. Also it is a bit flimsy for an edc knife and not complex enough for a tool...
Should you buy it? It's up to you, it is definately cool and light with a nice sharp blade so it would make a serviceable second blade and a great discussion topic.
Note: Newer improved versions are available, but I received the Cardsharp 2 and that's what I am review-ing 


Definately a looker


Top-notch packaging


Punches nicely but cuts unever


Unever sharpening and iffy coating


Still cool but won't fold back to horizontal

Military Tools Folding Shovel Camping Survival M
http://www.[url=http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,55947.0.html]SPAMCORP.com/Military-Tools-Folding-Shovel-Camping-Survival-M_p128748.html[/url]

Disclaimer, I never had a multishovel, needed one and wanted one. I also never got to use this properly as everything is frozen outside. I will take it out and use it when it's spring-ier and get back to this topic.
Now it has found its home in my car truck to clear snow and soon to clear our family's graveyard of weeds and stuff..

It is a folding shovel that also has a pickaxe, a saw and can work as a hoe as well. It is the midsize product of the range

At first glance:
PROS:
+ it folds to 20 cm
+ feels good in hand
+ came with sheath
+ the steel feels quite strong
+ using a screwbar can be fixed in both extended and folded position

CONS:
- sheath is very thin and low quality
- black coating is kind of poor, was already peeling when it got here
- it was sooo very rattly. After carefull tightening it is slightly less rattly now, even if rather off centered
- the tightening screws are really soft, when tightening with a Gerber MP400 the steel just deformed...
- the saw feels extremely blunt, I will test it against a Spiritsaw and Remgrit next time I'm out geocaching in the woods
- the locking systems occasionally jams
- it extends to 47 cm (a tad too small for me)

As I didn't put it to the actual test, I wonlt make any conclusions.. my opinion might change

Sheath fits nice but is really poor quality


Folds up nicely and locks in place


Hoe and pick


Saw and shovel

[sawman]

I love the Cardsharp. I carry one in my wallet and keep one at my desk for opening parcels. Oddly enough, I don't seem to have any problem getting it to fold back out to normal. Maybe you got a bad one.

[Kampfer]

Pretty easy to figure out what SPAMCORP is with the url provided. 

[Kampfer]

I used to collect military shovels, have many of them, never a fan of tightening type system, it takes too long to deploy / fold up, and it loose up by itself during use. GI tri-fold shovels are nice to carry because it folds up into a small package, but it is uncomfortable to use as shovel.

[edcmad]

I picked up a card sharp for under $5. Great value and a quirky little knife but not so practical for cutting purposes.

Also doesn't really work as something to carry in a wallet, much too bulky.

[Corwyn]

As promised an update on the shovel...
The good:

• the pick-axe pointy bit works really good at removing hard ground
• The small size and good shovel shape help pick up respectable amounts of dirt

The bad

• The wide part of the pick axe is subpar. It bearly tickles the ground, too much area, not enough weight
• The paint went off in a jiffy, after a few shovelfuls in wet dirt it looked like it had carried stones for weeks
• IT BENT!!! The darned shovel bent at 15 degrees after like 10 shovelfulls of earth... I did not pus it hard, I did not hit it into something hard, I did not lift lead with it, I did not even step on the edge to give it extra oomph... I just lifted earth and the thing bent in half die to the stress... so terribad. Makes me feel bad about the customs fee I paid. Avoid like the plague

I'll try to bend it into shape, take photos and maybe try out the saw bit as well, but I don't have great expectations...

Will keep it in the boot of my trunk though.. might be helpful if I get snowed in this winter.. though it might break if I put 2 snowballs on it 

[Corwyn]

Aaaand... with great delay... final update on the saw function of the shovel.

I finally had the chance to use a saw outdoors and try this out without looking ridiculous.

Amazingly, it gets a pass.. it chewed quite easily through a beech tree branch, without great effort, when cutting from both sides and without denting the teeth. It's noway near as aggressive as a Vic/LM saw but it does work.

Note: Of course all the coating on the saw popped out in 3 seconds.. but than again.. it was expected.

Nice to see a function that works... still it's compact and pretty cool looking and might help dig me out of the snow in the winter .. definately worth the customs fees I paid for it...