Journal · 20 MAY 2026 · 4 min read

The S13 spec, explained

Every dimension on the S13 is the answer to a question. Here are the questions, and the answers.

The S13 has a spec sheet on the product page that lists dimensions and weights. That's the what. Nobody who isn't already familiar with the tradeoffs is going to know why the handle is 1320 mm rather than 1200, or why the blade is exactly 230 mm wide. So here's the why, dimension by dimension, in the order they got decided.

Handle: 1320 mm

The handle length is the most opinionated number on the whole shovel. Most garden shovels are 1100 to 1200 mm. Most landscaping shovels are 1300 to 1400. A dirt shovel needs to be long enough that you can work from above without bending — your top hand at sternum height when the blade is in the ground, your bottom hand near your hip — because every dig cycle on a jump build, you're cutting downward into the face or the lip from above. If the handle is too short you end up squatting for every cut, which destroys your knees inside a season.

1320 is the number that works for someone around 175 to 185 cm tall, which is roughly where the median dirt builder lands. Shorter than that and the handle starts to feel long. I'll do a 1240 short version if there's demand. For now, one length.

Blade width: 230 mm

A wider blade moves more dirt per swing. So why not 280 or 300? Two reasons.

The first is corner control. A 230 mm blade lets you cut a lip in one pass with one blade-width to spare on each side, which is what you want for clean overlapping bites. A 280 mm blade cuts in three-quarter passes and you spend the rest of the time fussing with the corners. The lip looks chopped.

The second is weight at the head. A wider blade in the same gauge steel weighs proportionally more and the lever arm gets meaner — the shovel starts to feel like it's pulling away from you. 230 is the wide end of "feels balanced."

Blade thickness: 2.5 mm hardened steel

This one is unambiguous. Garden shovels are typically 1.5 to 2 mm of soft cold-rolled steel. They bend on roots. They roll the edge on a buried rock. Once the edge rolls, the cut is fuzzy forever.

2.5 mm hardened steel won't bend on roots. The edge stays the edge. The penalty is weight — about 280 grams more than a soft-steel equivalent. After the first session of not having to whack a rolled edge back into shape with a mallet, you forgive the weight.

Blade angle from shaft: 28 degrees

The blade meets the shaft at 28 degrees. Standard garden shovels are 33 to 38 degrees, which is optimal for scooping out of a hole. A dirt-jump shovel mostly cuts vertically into a face, where you want the blade closer to in-line with the shaft. 28 is the compromise — you can still scoop, and you can drive straight down with your shoulders rather than your wrists.

If I were building a pure lip-cutter I'd go to 22 degrees. But people also use this shovel to move loose dirt and fill, and at 22 it's clumsy for that. 28 splits the difference cleanly.

Ferrule: machined aluminum, 38 mm OD, riveted through

The ferrule is the metal collar where the steel blade socket meets the wood handle. It's where every shovel I've ever broken broke. Most ferrules are stamped sheet metal pressed onto the handle with a single rivet. Under torsion — which is what happens when you pry sideways against a root — the rivet hole oblongs and the whole socket starts to wobble.

The S13 ferrule is machined from a single piece of 6061 aluminum and through-bolted with two stainless rivets at 90 degrees. The handle won't wobble. If something breaks here, it's the wood, not the joint. That's the failure mode I want — a wood handle is a forty-minute repair with a draw knife. A loose ferrule is a thrown-away shovel.

Total weight: 1.92 kg

A lot of shovel for the work, on purpose. Light shovels feel nice in the store and bad on a build day, because the weight of the head is what drives the cut. You're not lifting the shovel ten thousand times — you're letting it fall. The mass does the work; your arms guide it. Sub-1.5-kg shovels make you cut with your muscles, which is what cooks you by hour three.

1.92 is heavier than every garden shovel and lighter than every contractor's spade. It's the weight you stop noticing.