DMOS

I don’t often get excited about shovels, because as we know they just mean bloody hard work but recently I came across a brand that may change the way we think about recovery gear. The inventor of the American made DMOS brand was Susan Pieper, a mum who in 2015 watched her son break shovel after shovel while making ski jumps in their backyard. After many years of persistence and kick-starter campaigns the first tool was launch.

Now, many years later, DMOS has grown across many countries and has a serious impact on both professional and leisure industries using its gear. The idea behind the brand was to build extremely lightweight but strong bits of gear for people who work and play in demanding conditions. I chose the Delta shovel ( to us Aussies, it's more like a V-nose spade) and also the Stealth shovel with mounting kit.

The award-winning Stealth shovel is an amazing piece of gear where it folds to a very compact size to fit into the mounting bracket. Made from thick 6061 aluminium, the head is 400mm wide and can act as a rake, snow or sand shovel. The handle is fully adjustable out to 1370mm so it works if you're standing up or compressing the handle to dig under your 4WD, and weighs in at just under 1.5kg.

Now the mount specs for the Stealth are just as impressive. Made from durable premium aluminium it has pre-drilled holes and slots to securely mount to multiple applications, and again is extremely lightweight coming in at just under 1kg. The kit comes with mounting hardware plates stainless lock-nuts and hex bolts and is fully lockable to keep little fingers away.

I also grabbed the insanely sexy, multi-use heavy-duty Delta shovel. Coming in at 2.5kg the Delta is made tough where the blade is made from premium 12-grade steel and the handle with three different lengths made from aircraft-grade alloy extends out to 1000mm. The unique patented multi-adjustable connector on the head can quickly turn the shovel ( really it's a V spade ) into a hoe where you can dig trenches or drag mud and rocks out of the way.

The Delta came from over 100 different prototypes until DMOS got it right with strength-to-weight ratio, versatility, quality and portability for a multitude of uses, both recreational and commercial. The Delta comes with an outstanding limited lifetime warranty.

DMOS is all American made and their products are made so that if there is any warranty issue the product can be stripped down and rectified easily. There are a multitude of different shovels and gear on their website for sale that should appeal to a huge market. I headed down to my local beach to try out the Stealth in the sand, and all I can say is that I’m seriously impressed with just how easy it was to use and dig sand out from the 80. Extending the handle made it easier on my back and could scoop a stack of sand out. The Delta was the same, digging out a deep trench easily in the soft sand.

DMOS certainly empowers people who can Do My Own Shit. They stand behind their product where they support partnerships that include competitors in the Baja 1000, snow teams, serious off-road drivers, first responders, adventures and hikers through harsh climates across the world.

Browsing their website, they have multiple variations of shovels plus the relevant mounting kits and also a range of clothing and 4WD gear. All the info and items can be found online at www.dmosproshoveltools.com they have pricing ( US dollars ), a great blog and news feed, an insight on their collaborators where you get inside stories on different adventures plus the usual facts and questions.

Now while these items are pretty pricey, they do serve their purpose for the American market where in different parts snow plays havoc for months at a time.

Do I think DMOS will catch on here ? … let's wait and see if the trend extends out here.

PRO

Super lightweight

Tough looking

Extremely compact

Great warranty

Big range

CON

Pretty pricey

Maybe not suited to the general Australian market ( yet ! )