Who Makes the Long, Skinny Blue Shovel?

The long, skinny blue shovel you are looking for is most likely the Metal Concepts Sharpshooter® Shovel. Metal Concepts makes its distinctive blue, all-steel Sharpshooter shovels in Phoenix, Arizona. The standard model is 78 inches long, weighs approximately 13 pounds, and has a narrow blade designed for trenching, cutting roots, and penetrating compacted soil.

Other manufacturers sell shovels with blue handles or blue-painted parts. But if you remember a notably long, narrow, heavy, blue shovel used by contractors, landscapers, utility crews, or serious DIYers, there is a good chance you saw a Metal Concepts Sharpshooter.

What Is the Long, Narrow Blue Shovel Called?

The tool is called a Sharpshooter shovel. You may also hear people describe this general style as a sharpshooter spade, trenching shovel, drain spade, narrow digging shovel, or root-cutting shovel.

Those names can overlap, but they are not always interchangeable. A typical trenching shovel or drain spade may have a narrow blade and a conventional wood or fiberglass handle. The blue Metal Concepts Sharpshooter is recognizable because the tool is built from steel and combines a long handle, a narrow sharpened blade, and substantial weight in one design.

If “skinny blue shovel” is the only name you can remember, start with the Metal Concepts Sharpshooter Shovel. That is the standard long-handled model most likely to match the description.

Who Makes the Blue Sharpshooter Shovel?

Metal Concepts, LLC makes the distinctive blue Sharpshooter® Shovel. The company manufactures its shovels in Phoenix, Arizona, using American steel.

Metal Concepts specializes in this family of heavy-duty blue digging tools rather than treating the Sharpshooter as one ordinary shovel among dozens. The lineup includes:

• The standard 78-inch Sharpshooter for reach, momentum, and leverage

• A D-handle Sharpshooter for more control in confined spaces

• A Shorty Sharpshooter for a compact version of the same basic concept

• A Dig Bar Sharpshooter for particularly hard or rocky ground

You can compare the current options in the Metal Concepts Sharpshooter shovel collection.

How to Recognize a Metal Concepts Sharpshooter

Look for the combination of these characteristics:

• Blue finish: The handle and steel tool have the recognizable blue appearance associated with Metal Concepts Sharpshooters.

• Long profile: The standard Sharpshooter measures 78 inches from end to end.

• Narrow blade: The standard model's blade is approximately 14.5 inches long and 5.5 inches wide.

• All-steel construction: It does not have the familiar wood or fiberglass shaft found on many garden shovels.

• Noticeable weight: The standard model weighs approximately 13 pounds. Its mass is intended to create momentum when driving the blade into resistant ground.

• Sharpened, heat-treated blade: The narrow cutting edge is made for penetration rather than moving large scoops of loose soil.

• Made in Phoenix: Metal Concepts states that its shovels are made in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Color alone is not enough to identify a manufacturer. Many brands use blue somewhere on a shovel. The full combination—blue, long, narrow, heavy, sharpened, and all steel—is the more useful clue.

Why Is the Sharpshooter So Long and Skinny?

The shape concentrates force into a smaller area. A wide shovel blade is useful for scooping and moving loose material, but it meets more resistance when entering compacted soil. The Sharpshooter's narrow blade is designed to penetrate tough ground, fit into confined cuts, and disturb less surrounding soil.

The long handle gives the user additional reach and leverage. Its weight also helps the tool carry momentum into hard soil and roots. That makes the design useful for jobs such as:

• Cutting through stubborn roots

• Digging narrow trenches

• Working in compacted or clay-heavy soil

• Preparing holes for posts or planting

• Loosening soil where a wide shovel will not penetrate easily

For a closer look at that use case, see Metal Concepts' guide to the best shovels for digging up roots.

Is a Sharpshooter the Same as a Regular Shovel?

No. A standard round-point shovel is primarily designed to dig and move soil. Its broad blade carries more material per scoop. A Sharpshooter has a much narrower profile and is designed to concentrate force, make precise cuts, and provide leverage in difficult ground.

The two tools can work well together. Use a Sharpshooter to open the ground, cut roots, or define a narrow trench; use a lighter, wider shovel to remove loose dirt efficiently.

Which Blue Metal Concepts Shovel Should You Choose?

Choose the model based on the space and the work:

If you are trying to replace the memorable long and skinny blue shovel, the standard Sharpshooter is the closest match. Review the dimensions and weight before ordering, because it is intentionally longer and heavier than an everyday garden shovel.

The Short Answer: It Is Probably a Metal Concepts Sharpshooter

If you searched for “the long skinny blue shovel,” “the blue Sharpshooter,” or simply “that heavy blue shovel,” the product you have in mind is likely made by Metal Concepts. Its proper name is the Metal Concepts Sharpshooter® Shovel.

See the original long-handled Sharpshooter and its specifications, or browse the full line to find the right size and handle style for your work.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Long, Skinny Blue Shovel

What is the skinny shovel called?

A long, skinny digging shovel is often called a Sharpshooter shovel, trenching shovel, or drain spade. If it is unusually long, blue, heavy, and made from steel, it may be the Metal Concepts Sharpshooter®.

What company makes the blue Sharpshooter shovel?

Metal Concepts, LLC makes the distinctive blue Sharpshooter® shovel described in this article. Metal Concepts manufactures its shovel line in Phoenix, Arizona.

How long is the Metal Concepts blue shovel?

The standard Metal Concepts Sharpshooter is 78 inches long. Metal Concepts also offers shorter configurations, so check the individual product specifications before choosing a model.

How much does the long blue Sharpshooter weigh?

The standard 78-inch Metal Concepts Sharpshooter weighs approximately 13 pounds. The weight is intentional and helps generate momentum, but buyers who want a conventional lightweight garden shovel should account for that difference.

What is the blue Sharpshooter shovel used for?

The blue Metal Concepts Sharpshooter is designed for narrow trenching, hard or compacted soil, root cutting, post and planting work, and other digging that benefits from a narrow sharpened blade and a long steel handle.

Is every blue shovel made by Metal Concepts?

No. Several manufacturers sell shovels with blue handles or blue-painted components. Metal Concepts is the manufacturer associated with the distinctive long, narrow, heavy, all-steel blue Sharpshooter described here.