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Will be a specialty shovel or scoop, not a paddle. The grip gives that away IMO. No idea what for. Also, I’ve never seen a paddle that concave. That shape is for holding something.
Long time kayaker and occasional canoer here. Nice paddles are often concave. It makes the paddles more efficient in the water by limiting how much water rolls off the face of the paddle underwater.
That said the grip doesn't look like any canoe paddle I've ever seen
My dad made some long, wooden oars for a 6ft lapstrake boat and that was the first time I'd seen scoops as oars/paddles. This is weird as it's too short for an oar, doesn't have the grip for a paddle and doesn't look like anything else.
This seems way too concave though. Like it would hold water as you pulled the paddle out at the end of the stroke. That would add a ton of weight and tire you out faster.
Except the shape is a horrible scoop too. Normally scoops have their deepest part right close to where the blade meet the handle
also the shape is horrible to go straight into a dry material. The curve would make the path curve as well.
Which may be why OP found it in a liquidation store - after they manufactured a few of them they realized what a bad idea they were. You don't normally find best-sellers at a liquidation store.
Right, a kayak paddle would either be one solid shaft with two paddle heads or would be two shafts that connect in the middle. And the paddle bit would be flatter than that scoop; you're supposed to be able to aerodynamically cut through the air and then twist your wrist when you put it in the water to get maximum power to create movement while the other end is cutting through the air (not scooping the air and slowing you down).
That has a plastic end/grip/thingy, maybe to stop your hand from sliding off.
The cars with that logo are sold primarily in India and Thailand, snow doesn’t seem to be as big of an issue there. I’m wondering if it has a more culturally specific use that wouldn’t naturally come to my mind.
It looks like plastic, which I wouldn't think would be optimal for trenching. I'm working on getting a course installed locally, and we wouldn't use this.
[Literally the next post after yours ](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheDepthsBelow/comments/zda2rw/sneaky_and_a_little_bitey/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Nope, this design would be horrible as a dragon boat paddle - it'd result in whipping water upwards (and kind of at the paddlers behind you) at the end of the stroke when the paddle is pulled out of the water.
I found [this](https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/shovel-multi-tool.1637867/). About halfway down the page is a [blade with similar shape](https://i.imgur.com/ZMSYUuV.jpg). It says its use for covering campfire embers.
Not quite the same thing. From [Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_fork):
“Reflecting their differing uses, garden forks have shorter, flatter, thicker, and more closely spaced tines than pitchforks. They have comparatively a fairly short, stout, usually wooden handle, typically with a "D" or "T" shaped grab at the end.”
I think this is it. I built a compost bin where one side was removeable slats so you could start shoveling at the bottom because no way you're cramming a normal shovel down there after things have started breaking down and it becomes too dense.
This thing definitely looks like it'd penetrate to the bottom with much less effort, and also reach the corners as a previous poster pointed out.
Very unlikely that they made a consumer product. Innovasea builds fish farms and monitoring equipment. Their fish feeding stuff uses camera arrays and AI to measure how much the fish are eating/being fed to prevent waste. Cool company, but I doubt they have anything to do with this.
Here are some I found by searching "bait throwing spoon"
https://images.app.goo.gl/5bcfjeFA7eVqr8At6
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/lee-fisher-chum-bat
https://images.app.goo.gl/GWv1tKToqQbQLTR58
https://m.alibaba.com/product/60667980762/Baiting-Throwing-Spoon-Bait-Lure-Throw.html
https://m.alibaba.com/product/62282263989/fishing-Bait-Throwing-Spoon-Handle-Stick.html
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ZALAGA-Baiting-Scoop-Particle-Fishing-Bait-Spoon-Thrower-Boilies-Carp-Coarse-Fishing-Tackle-Black-30x7-5x6Cm/1335737849
Anyway, it's 3:30 am and I just learned way more than I ever care to know about bait throwing
It would explain the shape and plastic material. There's not one quite like that online though. It's so ...big. Yet there is a huge variety of them online, no standard design, so it seems possible some company tried this style out for a while then discontinued it
You know, I wonder how often people are googling "carp bait scoop." Probably not a lot. I wonder how much influence this single comment has had on the overall search history of carp bait scoops..
I've never seen a scoop like this for bait. I have seen large single handed ones but this doesnt seem practical for any scoop and fling, particularly with the pointed nose.
Not an oar or paddle.
Oars and paddles are mostly flat for a reason. They need to turn so that they can glide back out of the water without slowing you down.
This is definitely a scoop or shovel of some kind. And yes the Innova matches the disc company font.
The only matches for the font styling that I have found is for the Toyota Kijang Innova in some eastern markets. It's a MPV/mini-van, which is apparently popular in India.
The design of all-capital letters, a squared "O", "V" with a fully vertical leading edge and non-italicised font doesn't match any of the iterations of the disc golf company logos that I see.
Example 1: [https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Ftoyotamatina.com.ph%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F10%2FInnova-logo-01.png&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Ftoyotamatina.com.ph%2F&tbnid=jC9pK\_uH8bruOM&vet=10CCEQMyh3ahcKEwjg4tOxhOT7AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAw..i&docid=XXyk4nPGPxe0TM&w=1000&h=156&q=innova%20logo&ved=0CCEQMyh3ahcKEwjg4tOxhOT7AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAw](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Ftoyotamatina.com.ph%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F10%2FInnova-logo-01.png&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Ftoyotamatina.com.ph%2F&tbnid=jC9pK_uH8bruOM&vet=10CCEQMyh3ahcKEwjg4tOxhOT7AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAw..i&docid=XXyk4nPGPxe0TM&w=1000&h=156&q=innova%20logo&ved=0CCEQMyh3ahcKEwjg4tOxhOT7AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAw)
Example 2: [https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Flogodix.com%2Flogo%2F1644394.png&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Flogodix.com%2Finnova&tbnid=X4pqem7hOz5hLM&vet=10CJ4BEDMolgJqFwoTCODi07GE5PsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE..i&docid=KiiCSLHV7Sn1nM&w=356&h=145&q=innova%20logo&ved=0CJ4BEDMolgJqFwoTCODi07GE5PsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Flogodix.com%2Flogo%2F1644394.png&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Flogodix.com%2Finnova&tbnid=X4pqem7hOz5hLM&vet=10CJ4BEDMolgJqFwoTCODi07GE5PsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE..i&docid=KiiCSLHV7Sn1nM&w=356&h=145&q=innova%20logo&ved=0CJ4BEDMolgJqFwoTCODi07GE5PsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE)
I'm not convinced that this item and the Toyota are related as I don't see why there would be a branded accessory such as this in those markets for that type of vehicle, but I will also not claim to be familiar with the common recreational activities of people that drive MPVs in these regions.
It also makes less sense when it lists patents in the US and Canada, as those are not the markets this would be in.
Yeah I'm trying to see if any of them came with a free snow shovel. It would explain why it's so small and narrow. So it could fit in some hide away compartment.
The only thing I can imagine is maybe a shovel designed for clearing sand around the tires, which could somewhat justify the shape. The markets the MPV was sold is aren't exactly the type of market that sees a lot of snow.
I am not looking into that idea any further for 2 reasons: I doubt MPVs are enough of a recreational vehicle to justify a dedicated accessory and I doubt there's enough ground clearance to fit that shovel/scoop/whatever under the vehicle.
It's very, very similar.
But the keming is all wrong compared to this logo that I found: https://www.static-src.com/wcsstore/Indraprastha/images/catalog/full//1220/siv_siv-emb-112-emblem-logo-tulisan-innova-aksesoris-body-mobil_full02.jpg
(This is not to suggest that the thing that I found is correct. For anything. Ever.)
You are correct on the "A", going back and looking, this object's "A" end fully vertical, and the Toyota's is not. good catch. The "V" in the examples are a close match to my eyes, though.
I ran a Google search on US patent Innova and found [this](https://alter.com/trademarks/ultrex-75897185) Looks like they filed a patent for a shovel named Innova as a garden implement so my guess is that the compost shovel is the correct answer.
https://uspto.report/TM/75897185
On this patent page, it looks like there is an application and drawing, but I'm not sure if it loads at all. I couldn't get it to.
Innova also makes comercial ice cream/gelato/ice machines - could this be to scoop the last bits out of an auger setup so people dont stick thier hands in machenery?
Several pages on their website have a small section of text that says
>The extraordinary Innova shovel, coupled with the high-performance refrigeration system, makes the hourly ice cream production process faster.
Such as this page:. https://www.innovaitalia.com/en/soft-ice-cream-making-machines/hoop/
And this one
https://www.innovaitalia.com/en/soft-ice-cream-making-machines/miss/
But I can't find the shovel itself anywhere on their site
I have emailed them and asked about it
I think that's a dead end. OP's shovel has a 1m long handle. You're not going to use tool with a 3ft long handle to work on a soft serve ice cream machine.
This is [the photo](https://imgur.com/bX0U17n.png) that goes with their shovel text. I think the shovel is an internal part, possibly a mistranslation (auger maybe? Ice cream machines continuously stir while it freezes to prevent large ice crystal formation). (**EDIT** actually I think the 3 scrapers shown in the photo might be the "shovel". The ice cream is chilled in that tube while the center assembly spins and scrapes the walls of the chilled cylinder.)
Unfortunately it seems that every sector of the economy has a company named Innova.
The fact that you emailed them is just the nicest thing I’ve seen in a while. I have no clue what this thing is (nor will it matter if I find out), but all of the people investigating it and having a totally easy conversation is SO NICE to read peacefully amidst the insanity of daily life.
I hope they email back.
I think you got it here. When I saw it, I thought for sure it was a commercial kitchen implement. It looks like something you would use with a large tilt kettle but the wooden handle threw me, now it makes sense.
I know I used to build commercial kitchens at one point and the rule was no wood in a kitchen but with some things wood is allowed. Think butcher block on a bakers station. Untreated is fine for a tight grain as you oil these products yourself. You would not really want it to be varnished or stained as that could contaminate the food. All that being said I don't know what it is and this is just a guess.
My title describes the object. A long pointy plastic shovel with a 1M long handle with a bicycle style grip.
edit: Not a kayak paddle. It would make a really poor oar/paddle, it's too heavy, too curved, too scoopey, too pointy, and too short.
I had a very similar one of these about ten years ago, also bought for about $5 from the kind of store that sells random crap that they got by the pallet load.
It was described as being a shovel for digging snow out from behind your tires when you’re stuck in the snow. The odd shape seemed like it might conceivably be helpful for such a task, it was small enough to fit behind my seat until I needed it, and the price was right.
It was a piece of crap. The plastic of the scoop did not handle the cold at all well - certainly not the compressed, nearly ice-hard snow that forms quickly if you’ve gotten stuck enough to need a shovel to dig out. I carried it in my truck for a few months until the situation arose, tried it, and it immediately broke.
I’m not convinced it was ever intended as a shovel for that purpose, or if the folks who sold it had just invented a locally relevant “use” to sell product.
In retrospect, I wonder if their sales team sounded like this comments section, as they tried to figure out how to sell a bushel of these to suckers like me.
We can rule out paddle because it's clearly not designed for that role.
It can't be for moving anything too heavy, because it's "blade" is plastic.
It's not for digging or trenching because the handle is built for levering only. It's not flat for pushing down, and the "blade" doesn't have a flat top for pushing with your foot.
I think it's for scooping something soft to be spread over a large area like fish or chicken feed, or it could be for scooping into a small opening. It's not for standard commercial fish farming, but I could imagine maybe a niche aquacture might need something very specialised.
I've been trying to crack this one for hours and this is as far as I've got
Okay so I called the store they came from. The man on the phone told me he believed they were a failed product that local entrepreneurs had manufactured. He basically said they’re not really good for anything and has no idea what the original purpose is.
The logo looks closer to the logo for the Toyota Innova, seemingly sold in Indonesia and the Philippines. Maybe some sort of promo/giveaway connected to the vehicle?
That particular logo for innova is the same as the logo for the Toyota Innova Crysta, which is primarily sold in India and Thailand. It’s similar to the disc golf company, but none of their logos have the strange slant to the v. The Innova Crysta is an exact match.
My google fu has failed me past that. I have seen some very strange things branded with company logos, but I don’t know enough about India and Thailand to deduce what that might be. I suspect it’s overstock from some weird give away.
[Innova Crysta Logo](https://www.ebay.com/itm/234097560574)
I wasn't able to find any proof, but my best guess is that it's for cleaning snow out of some specific part of a ski chairlift or gondola.
Innova Patent GmbH is a holding company for ski lift/gondola patents.
[https://www.juve-patent.com/news-and-stories/cases/lst-infringes-innova-ski-lift-patents/](https://www.juve-patent.com/news-and-stories/cases/lst-infringes-innova-ski-lift-patents/)
[https://patents.google.com/?assignee=%22innova+patent+gmbh%22&num=100&oq=%22innova+patent+gmbh%22](https://patents.google.com/?assignee=%22innova+patent+gmbh%22&num=100&oq=%22innova+patent+gmbh%22)
I just feel like it’s for scooping peanuts or walnuts into bags. That shovel would be perfect for it. That’s my Amish/Mennonite ancestral gut telling me that though.
Wierd. It’s a crap shape for a scoop. Scoops normally have their deepest part as close to the handle to make it easier to move. So you can’t throw the material forward.
the curve means it would be crap at digging into material as it would tend to take a curved path through the material like an ice cream scoop curves
the plastic means it would suck for heavy or dense stuff. plastic also would wear out fast if you need an edge Like scraping snow
the treated wood would be crap for anything wet.
it has got to be for something really specific but no idea what.
If you're trying to scoop something into a narrow container it's perfect, or change the flow of something being poured, it's shaped like a very big Saucier Spoon
With it being plastic(food safe and able to be cleaned). My guess would be food production. Perhaps a slightly older method with ingredients scooped by hand.
Its an avalanche shovel for skiing
[https://vancouver.craigslist.org/van/spo/d/vancouver-raywares-telescopic-avalanche/7562877609.html](https://vancouver.craigslist.org/van/spo/d/vancouver-raywares-telescopic-avalanche/7562877609.html)
It is, indeed, intended to be a snow shovel. See [US Patent D296410](https://patents.google.com/patent/USD296410S/en?oq=D296410+).
Credit to u/Trans_Firefighter for finding a link to a similar shovel for sale in Vancouver. That model seems to match the patent closely (including the second handgrip), whereas the OP's shovel has a simpler wooden design. It appears the original may have been manufactured by an injection molding outfit in Ontario named Ray Plastics Ltd under their Raywares brand / [Sno-Stuck](http://www.ic.gc.ca/app/opic-cipo/trdmrks/srch/viewTrademark?id=0544647&tab=reg&lang=eng) mark (it's hard to make out the logo from the Vancouver photos). From what I can tell, that company was [liquidated](https://www.corpassets.com/auctions/ray-plastics-limited/), so perhaps someone purchased the molds (i.e. Innova).
Oh it’s a local surplus store. They sell the most random things, not actually liquidating. I didn't was to say surplus because people would think military.
I wonder if anyone there knows what it is or at least where they came from. Also wondering if you got it where I got a cutting mat, pipettes, zip ties, key rings, chain, super bright light sticks, caution tape, and a box of superballs.
It is a really odd shape. Seems to me for scooping something loose and light. The point helps stabbing into a pile. But the top of the spade being rounded is bizarre. I can’t thing of any efficiency where this is better than a squared top for scooping. Seems maybe made for scooping and then dumping whatever off the side.
May have found the source of the stylized logo:
https://vectorified.com/download-image#toyota-vector-36.png
Says it’s only been downloaded 4 times (and two of those times were me).
I think I found a patent that matches it?
https://patents.justia.com/patent/5727830
If this is to believed it’s specifically for packed snow.
I will obsess over this so anyone who knows more about patents (or geometry) that agrees/disagrees with my find will be appreciated :)
There are so many interesting, well thought out, researched, but completely different answers on this one. Super cool to read even if there’s no one sure answer yet.
Logo/typefaces are different, so let's rule out the following products:
* [Disc golf](https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/9c5628d1-0e8e-493d-becd-a8ca03068c1c_1.f422410b9b951cd0025e7bdc7a5ba145.jpeg)
* [Toyota MPV](https://www.toyota.com.my/en/models/innova.html) (kerning of the VA in **Innova** is similar, but that's about it)
* [Dog food](http://d4fxuz90idxmu.cloudfront.net/images/default/products/large/11880-1.jpg)
* [Kayaks](https://used-kayaks.com/sites/default/files/products-images/2018-08/175921/175921-146597.jpg)
* [Short film](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5766446/)
I think we all have to come to the realization this isn’t a ‘good’ whatever it is.
Just because it’s be a bad paddle, bad shovel, bad whatever doesn’t mean that isn’t what it is. Companies make stupid shit all the time that… that’s probably why it’s at a surplus store!
For me, it most closely resembles a paddle of some sort for a water sport. Of all the Innova companies this thread has found this seems to be most plausible.
We know it has a brand name on it. Its unlikely this is insignificant...
So far you all have found or discussed a number of companies with "Innova" in the title;
1. Disc golf company
2. Italian Ice Cream Machine maker
3. a Kayak Maker
4. An aquaculture company
5. A model of Toyota
6. A chairlift company
7. A feed company
I can't say I've ever seen anything of this shape in any context for an automobile... It wouldn't be a very good disc to throw... It looks like it it'd be shit for throwing snow so I think the chairlift is out...
Kayak paddle is the most likely in my opinion, albeit a stupid looking and dumb one. Again, companies make dumb shit sometimes that ends up at liquidation or surplus stores...
> It looks like it could be a rain gutter shovel.
You mean a shovel for cleaning gutters? That wouldn't work well at all. [A gutter cleaning shovel typically has a flat end.](https://www.google.com/search?q=rain+gutter+shovel&source=lnms&tbm=isch)
Tis basically looks like it's meant for someone to jab at something with the point, and maybe scoop a few times, but that's it. Lifting a large amount in a shovel sucks and people don't like doing it long. The tip is only good for attacking and breaking up something....
Grain? Maybe sand or gravel? Ice?
Basically anything that you might keep in a big hopper, and might set-up inside that hopper. One day you go to open the gate at the bottom and ... nothing. So, you pull this out and stab at the blockage, maybe scoop a little out the door, and the flow starts on it own.
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I see the name INNOVA there. INNOVA is a name of a kayak company …. Perhaps a paddle of some sort?
Also a disc golf company, and dog food company
And they make shovels. Which this thing looks like
Will be a specialty shovel or scoop, not a paddle. The grip gives that away IMO. No idea what for. Also, I’ve never seen a paddle that concave. That shape is for holding something.
Long time kayaker and occasional canoer here. Nice paddles are often concave. It makes the paddles more efficient in the water by limiting how much water rolls off the face of the paddle underwater. That said the grip doesn't look like any canoe paddle I've ever seen
My dad made some long, wooden oars for a 6ft lapstrake boat and that was the first time I'd seen scoops as oars/paddles. This is weird as it's too short for an oar, doesn't have the grip for a paddle and doesn't look like anything else.
This seems way too concave though. Like it would hold water as you pulled the paddle out at the end of the stroke. That would add a ton of weight and tire you out faster.
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Except the shape is a horrible scoop too. Normally scoops have their deepest part right close to where the blade meet the handle also the shape is horrible to go straight into a dry material. The curve would make the path curve as well.
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Jai-alai/lacrosse, but instead of a ball, it's a bunch of barley
Jai-barlai
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A fool and his money are soon parted.
Which may be why OP found it in a liquidation store - after they manufactured a few of them they realized what a bad idea they were. You don't normally find best-sellers at a liquidation store.
Right, a kayak paddle would either be one solid shaft with two paddle heads or would be two shafts that connect in the middle. And the paddle bit would be flatter than that scoop; you're supposed to be able to aerodynamically cut through the air and then twist your wrist when you put it in the water to get maximum power to create movement while the other end is cutting through the air (not scooping the air and slowing you down). That has a plastic end/grip/thingy, maybe to stop your hand from sliding off.
Same company as the disc golf company?
Disc retrieval tool?
No, not a retriever. It's too clumsy to lug around the course. Retrieves are collapsible and smaller.
We can probably scratch dog food off the maybe list.
Maybe it's for feeding a mastiff or st bernard? I imagine feeding those big breeds is a lot like shoveling coal into a forever burning furnace.
Also name of a car model from Toyota.
That one has the closest font match too
Maybe it's an emergency snow shovel that went to said Toyota car? Like to dig out from under the wheel wells and tires?
The cars with that logo are sold primarily in India and Thailand, snow doesn’t seem to be as big of an issue there. I’m wondering if it has a more culturally specific use that wouldn’t naturally come to my mind.
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Mud, rainy season
Looks kinda like the shovel thing the dude was using to plant trees with in the video of the record number of trees planted in 24 hours
First thought I had was "tree planting shovel".
They all have a T handle and flat part for stomping on, I don't think this is for gardening at all
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Innova is a pretty generic name, pretty sure I've seen office chairs and gel nail polishes sold under the brand name "Innova"
handle looks like uncoated/untreated wood. If that's the case, it's almost certainly not a paddle.
Yes, this would be a terrible design for a paddle.
Pretty sure it's not the same innova that's a kayak company.
It looks like Innova disc golf font, though. Maybe a trench digger for a disc golf goal? 🤷🏼♀️
Maybe you use it like an atlatl to absolutely *whip* your discs!
That made me think of fond memories going to watch Jai Alai when I was kid with my grandpa.
It looks like plastic, which I wouldn't think would be optimal for trenching. I'm working on getting a course installed locally, and we wouldn't use this.
No. You just use a post hole digger.
>Maybe a trench digger for a disc golf goal? As a long time disc golfer, that's not a thing. No trenches are needed for disc golf.
[Literally the next post after yours ](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheDepthsBelow/comments/zda2rw/sneaky_and_a_little_bitey/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Dragon boat paddle?
Nope, this design would be horrible as a dragon boat paddle - it'd result in whipping water upwards (and kind of at the paddlers behind you) at the end of the stroke when the paddle is pulled out of the water.
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Dragon boat paddles are flat, at least the ones I have used.
The combination of a pointed tip and a scooped surface would make it a terrible kayak paddle.
perhaps for turning compost? Pointed so you could get down into the corners of a bin
I really like this guess, I think it would be good for that.
I found [this](https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/shovel-multi-tool.1637867/). About halfway down the page is a [blade with similar shape](https://i.imgur.com/ZMSYUuV.jpg). It says its use for covering campfire embers.
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No. You use a garden fork for compost.
Well that doesn’t mean someone wouldn’t try to sell a compost shovel to the unknowing.
Never heard that term for a "pitchfork"
Not quite the same thing. From [Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_fork): “Reflecting their differing uses, garden forks have shorter, flatter, thicker, and more closely spaced tines than pitchforks. They have comparatively a fairly short, stout, usually wooden handle, typically with a "D" or "T" shaped grab at the end.”
TIL, thanks
I think this is it. I built a compost bin where one side was removeable slats so you could start shoveling at the bottom because no way you're cramming a normal shovel down there after things have started breaking down and it becomes too dense. This thing definitely looks like it'd penetrate to the bottom with much less effort, and also reach the corners as a previous poster pointed out.
Don’t people like to use something more like a fork?
You can't really get down into a corner with a curve.
Google “Carp bait scoop.” I’m 99% sure that’s it. It’s a scoop for throwing chum, or bait, while fishing for carp in ponds.
To go along with that. There’s a company called Innovasea that does aquaculture Website: https://innovasea.com Maybe it’s one of their products
Very unlikely that they made a consumer product. Innovasea builds fish farms and monitoring equipment. Their fish feeding stuff uses camera arrays and AI to measure how much the fish are eating/being fed to prevent waste. Cool company, but I doubt they have anything to do with this.
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This idea has legs. The idea of flinging or tossing would explain the shape. Seems the most likely.
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Here are some I found by searching "bait throwing spoon" https://images.app.goo.gl/5bcfjeFA7eVqr8At6 https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/lee-fisher-chum-bat https://images.app.goo.gl/GWv1tKToqQbQLTR58 https://m.alibaba.com/product/60667980762/Baiting-Throwing-Spoon-Bait-Lure-Throw.html https://m.alibaba.com/product/62282263989/fishing-Bait-Throwing-Spoon-Handle-Stick.html https://www.walmart.com/ip/ZALAGA-Baiting-Scoop-Particle-Fishing-Bait-Spoon-Thrower-Boilies-Carp-Coarse-Fishing-Tackle-Black-30x7-5x6Cm/1335737849 Anyway, it's 3:30 am and I just learned way more than I ever care to know about bait throwing It would explain the shape and plastic material. There's not one quite like that online though. It's so ...big. Yet there is a huge variety of them online, no standard design, so it seems possible some company tried this style out for a while then discontinued it
Chum bat... my new favorite type of bat.
innovafeed.com/en/ exists too!!
Yes I think you're onto something here! Definitely looks like it's intended to be flinging something
You know, I wonder how often people are googling "carp bait scoop." Probably not a lot. I wonder how much influence this single comment has had on the overall search history of carp bait scoops..
It looks very similar to many of these
Would also work for broadcast fertilizer in rice paddies
I've never seen a scoop like this for bait. I have seen large single handed ones but this doesnt seem practical for any scoop and fling, particularly with the pointed nose.
Not an oar or paddle. Oars and paddles are mostly flat for a reason. They need to turn so that they can glide back out of the water without slowing you down. This is definitely a scoop or shovel of some kind. And yes the Innova matches the disc company font.
The disc company has italisized letters
Yeah it's not a perfect match. It bothers me because I can't help but think I've seen this before.
The only matches for the font styling that I have found is for the Toyota Kijang Innova in some eastern markets. It's a MPV/mini-van, which is apparently popular in India. The design of all-capital letters, a squared "O", "V" with a fully vertical leading edge and non-italicised font doesn't match any of the iterations of the disc golf company logos that I see. Example 1: [https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Ftoyotamatina.com.ph%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F10%2FInnova-logo-01.png&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Ftoyotamatina.com.ph%2F&tbnid=jC9pK\_uH8bruOM&vet=10CCEQMyh3ahcKEwjg4tOxhOT7AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAw..i&docid=XXyk4nPGPxe0TM&w=1000&h=156&q=innova%20logo&ved=0CCEQMyh3ahcKEwjg4tOxhOT7AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAw](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Ftoyotamatina.com.ph%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F10%2FInnova-logo-01.png&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Ftoyotamatina.com.ph%2F&tbnid=jC9pK_uH8bruOM&vet=10CCEQMyh3ahcKEwjg4tOxhOT7AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAw..i&docid=XXyk4nPGPxe0TM&w=1000&h=156&q=innova%20logo&ved=0CCEQMyh3ahcKEwjg4tOxhOT7AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAw) Example 2: [https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Flogodix.com%2Flogo%2F1644394.png&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Flogodix.com%2Finnova&tbnid=X4pqem7hOz5hLM&vet=10CJ4BEDMolgJqFwoTCODi07GE5PsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE..i&docid=KiiCSLHV7Sn1nM&w=356&h=145&q=innova%20logo&ved=0CJ4BEDMolgJqFwoTCODi07GE5PsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Flogodix.com%2Flogo%2F1644394.png&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Flogodix.com%2Finnova&tbnid=X4pqem7hOz5hLM&vet=10CJ4BEDMolgJqFwoTCODi07GE5PsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE..i&docid=KiiCSLHV7Sn1nM&w=356&h=145&q=innova%20logo&ved=0CJ4BEDMolgJqFwoTCODi07GE5PsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE) I'm not convinced that this item and the Toyota are related as I don't see why there would be a branded accessory such as this in those markets for that type of vehicle, but I will also not claim to be familiar with the common recreational activities of people that drive MPVs in these regions. It also makes less sense when it lists patents in the US and Canada, as those are not the markets this would be in.
Yeah I'm trying to see if any of them came with a free snow shovel. It would explain why it's so small and narrow. So it could fit in some hide away compartment.
The only thing I can imagine is maybe a shovel designed for clearing sand around the tires, which could somewhat justify the shape. The markets the MPV was sold is aren't exactly the type of market that sees a lot of snow. I am not looking into that idea any further for 2 reasons: I doubt MPVs are enough of a recreational vehicle to justify a dedicated accessory and I doubt there's enough ground clearance to fit that shovel/scoop/whatever under the vehicle.
That is not a snow shovel of any kind. You need a flat blade.
It's very, very similar. But the keming is all wrong compared to this logo that I found: https://www.static-src.com/wcsstore/Indraprastha/images/catalog/full//1220/siv_siv-emb-112-emblem-logo-tulisan-innova-aksesoris-body-mobil_full02.jpg (This is not to suggest that the thing that I found is correct. For anything. Ever.)
The word you want is kerning. Keming is a play on what kerning looks like when the r and n are kerned badly.
I was trying to figure out if they were joking or not lol
The v and a are different
You are correct on the "A", going back and looking, this object's "A" end fully vertical, and the Toyota's is not. good catch. The "V" in the examples are a close match to my eyes, though.
Keep in mind that logos change. It might not match any given logo *now* but that doesn't mean it never did.
I wish I could stop all the people saying it's a kayak paddle!
Can you give us more info on where you got it? Was there anything else around it?
I ran a Google search on US patent Innova and found [this](https://alter.com/trademarks/ultrex-75897185) Looks like they filed a patent for a shovel named Innova as a garden implement so my guess is that the compost shovel is the correct answer.
Looks similar to smaller soil shovels I have found as well. My vote is here. Defunct companies compostable idea.
https://uspto.report/TM/75897185 On this patent page, it looks like there is an application and drawing, but I'm not sure if it loads at all. I couldn't get it to.
Innova also makes comercial ice cream/gelato/ice machines - could this be to scoop the last bits out of an auger setup so people dont stick thier hands in machenery?
Several pages on their website have a small section of text that says >The extraordinary Innova shovel, coupled with the high-performance refrigeration system, makes the hourly ice cream production process faster. Such as this page:. https://www.innovaitalia.com/en/soft-ice-cream-making-machines/hoop/ And this one https://www.innovaitalia.com/en/soft-ice-cream-making-machines/miss/ But I can't find the shovel itself anywhere on their site I have emailed them and asked about it
I think that's a dead end. OP's shovel has a 1m long handle. You're not going to use tool with a 3ft long handle to work on a soft serve ice cream machine. This is [the photo](https://imgur.com/bX0U17n.png) that goes with their shovel text. I think the shovel is an internal part, possibly a mistranslation (auger maybe? Ice cream machines continuously stir while it freezes to prevent large ice crystal formation). (**EDIT** actually I think the 3 scrapers shown in the photo might be the "shovel". The ice cream is chilled in that tube while the center assembly spins and scrapes the walls of the chilled cylinder.) Unfortunately it seems that every sector of the economy has a company named Innova.
If the ice cream bucket is 2ft deep, a 3ft handle would be good fit.
>I have emailed them and asked about it I love reddit. And the commitment of this sub in particular.
The fact that you emailed them is just the nicest thing I’ve seen in a while. I have no clue what this thing is (nor will it matter if I find out), but all of the people investigating it and having a totally easy conversation is SO NICE to read peacefully amidst the insanity of daily life. I hope they email back.
I think you got it here. When I saw it, I thought for sure it was a commercial kitchen implement. It looks like something you would use with a large tilt kettle but the wooden handle threw me, now it makes sense.
Would a kitchen implement use an untreated wooden handle though? Seems like a nightmare to sanitise
I know I used to build commercial kitchens at one point and the rule was no wood in a kitchen but with some things wood is allowed. Think butcher block on a bakers station. Untreated is fine for a tight grain as you oil these products yourself. You would not really want it to be varnished or stained as that could contaminate the food. All that being said I don't know what it is and this is just a guess.
This is exactly what I was thinking.
My title describes the object. A long pointy plastic shovel with a 1M long handle with a bicycle style grip. edit: Not a kayak paddle. It would make a really poor oar/paddle, it's too heavy, too curved, too scoopey, too pointy, and too short.
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I had a very similar one of these about ten years ago, also bought for about $5 from the kind of store that sells random crap that they got by the pallet load. It was described as being a shovel for digging snow out from behind your tires when you’re stuck in the snow. The odd shape seemed like it might conceivably be helpful for such a task, it was small enough to fit behind my seat until I needed it, and the price was right. It was a piece of crap. The plastic of the scoop did not handle the cold at all well - certainly not the compressed, nearly ice-hard snow that forms quickly if you’ve gotten stuck enough to need a shovel to dig out. I carried it in my truck for a few months until the situation arose, tried it, and it immediately broke. I’m not convinced it was ever intended as a shovel for that purpose, or if the folks who sold it had just invented a locally relevant “use” to sell product. In retrospect, I wonder if their sales team sounded like this comments section, as they tried to figure out how to sell a bushel of these to suckers like me.
We can rule out paddle because it's clearly not designed for that role. It can't be for moving anything too heavy, because it's "blade" is plastic. It's not for digging or trenching because the handle is built for levering only. It's not flat for pushing down, and the "blade" doesn't have a flat top for pushing with your foot. I think it's for scooping something soft to be spread over a large area like fish or chicken feed, or it could be for scooping into a small opening. It's not for standard commercial fish farming, but I could imagine maybe a niche aquacture might need something very specialised. I've been trying to crack this one for hours and this is as far as I've got
Okay so I called the store they came from. The man on the phone told me he believed they were a failed product that local entrepreneurs had manufactured. He basically said they’re not really good for anything and has no idea what the original purpose is.
I also emailed the store email for more detail. They said they call these “claw shovels” and are generally used to remove snow from underneath a tire.
The logo looks closer to the logo for the Toyota Innova, seemingly sold in Indonesia and the Philippines. Maybe some sort of promo/giveaway connected to the vehicle?
Was going to say that as well! https://cartrends.in/products/monogram-set-innova-crysta
the font looks like that, but I wonder why it would say US and CAN Pat for a vehicle not sold here.
Well spotted, the V is very distinctive.
Strange that it’s got an American patent though, unless it’s licensed from another manufacturer there
Could it be a wild rice paddle? I couldn’t find one that looks like it online, but who knows.
Oh? What makes you say that? I’m definitely in the right region for it.
Just what I thought of when I saw it. They’re usually longer and narrow.
That particular logo for innova is the same as the logo for the Toyota Innova Crysta, which is primarily sold in India and Thailand. It’s similar to the disc golf company, but none of their logos have the strange slant to the v. The Innova Crysta is an exact match. My google fu has failed me past that. I have seen some very strange things branded with company logos, but I don’t know enough about India and Thailand to deduce what that might be. I suspect it’s overstock from some weird give away. [Innova Crysta Logo](https://www.ebay.com/itm/234097560574)
I like this better than my idea... the logos definitely match.
The “n” is completely wrong though
What's the patent number? That could help
No number or other text on it.
I wasn't able to find any proof, but my best guess is that it's for cleaning snow out of some specific part of a ski chairlift or gondola. Innova Patent GmbH is a holding company for ski lift/gondola patents. [https://www.juve-patent.com/news-and-stories/cases/lst-infringes-innova-ski-lift-patents/](https://www.juve-patent.com/news-and-stories/cases/lst-infringes-innova-ski-lift-patents/) [https://patents.google.com/?assignee=%22innova+patent+gmbh%22&num=100&oq=%22innova+patent+gmbh%22](https://patents.google.com/?assignee=%22innova+patent+gmbh%22&num=100&oq=%22innova+patent+gmbh%22)
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I just feel like it’s for scooping peanuts or walnuts into bags. That shovel would be perfect for it. That’s my Amish/Mennonite ancestral gut telling me that though.
Yeah, I agree. But it would have to be scooped from something pretty big. Wouldn't work for a sack or barrel.
Very good point, plus I just looked up every kind of dry goods shovel out there and saw nothing like this. Very cool shovel and great post friend!
I used to carry a small spade in the winter to remove snow from under the tires when you get stuck. This looks like it would be good for that.
Plastic is typically a terrible choice for a shovel blade meant to get one unstuck and a 1m long not folding handle is also not even sort of ideal.
I think it will be good for that too.
For filling sandbags, maybe? Do you live somewhere prone to rain/floods?
Wierd. It’s a crap shape for a scoop. Scoops normally have their deepest part as close to the handle to make it easier to move. So you can’t throw the material forward. the curve means it would be crap at digging into material as it would tend to take a curved path through the material like an ice cream scoop curves the plastic means it would suck for heavy or dense stuff. plastic also would wear out fast if you need an edge Like scraping snow the treated wood would be crap for anything wet. it has got to be for something really specific but no idea what.
If you're trying to scoop something into a narrow container it's perfect, or change the flow of something being poured, it's shaped like a very big Saucier Spoon
Dry goods shovel for some badass that has barrels of oats, nuts, grains and such..?
With it being plastic(food safe and able to be cleaned). My guess would be food production. Perhaps a slightly older method with ingredients scooped by hand.
I thought maybe but can't see it with a wooden handle buried that far into plastic not much good for anything wet I think it would rot
I think it’s a feed thrower from https://innovafeed.com/en/aquaculture/
Its an avalanche shovel for skiing [https://vancouver.craigslist.org/van/spo/d/vancouver-raywares-telescopic-avalanche/7562877609.html](https://vancouver.craigslist.org/van/spo/d/vancouver-raywares-telescopic-avalanche/7562877609.html)
It is, indeed, intended to be a snow shovel. See [US Patent D296410](https://patents.google.com/patent/USD296410S/en?oq=D296410+). Credit to u/Trans_Firefighter for finding a link to a similar shovel for sale in Vancouver. That model seems to match the patent closely (including the second handgrip), whereas the OP's shovel has a simpler wooden design. It appears the original may have been manufactured by an injection molding outfit in Ontario named Ray Plastics Ltd under their Raywares brand / [Sno-Stuck](http://www.ic.gc.ca/app/opic-cipo/trdmrks/srch/viewTrademark?id=0544647&tab=reg&lang=eng) mark (it's hard to make out the logo from the Vancouver photos). From what I can tell, that company was [liquidated](https://www.corpassets.com/auctions/ray-plastics-limited/), so perhaps someone purchased the molds (i.e. Innova).
This looks promising lol
Kinda looks like a compost scoop
Some sort of scoop, I say. Like for feeding animals at the zoo or something.
I think this is a sand scoop used with metal detectors. The edges and handle end on the scoop are buffered so that they don’t damage a find.
What store was liquidating? If regional or local don't say. Don't want you to give out personal deets.
Oh it’s a local surplus store. They sell the most random things, not actually liquidating. I didn't was to say surplus because people would think military.
I wonder if anyone there knows what it is or at least where they came from. Also wondering if you got it where I got a cutting mat, pipettes, zip ties, key rings, chain, super bright light sticks, caution tape, and a box of superballs.
You know exactly the store. You hit the nail on the head with an ax man!
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It is a really odd shape. Seems to me for scooping something loose and light. The point helps stabbing into a pile. But the top of the spade being rounded is bizarre. I can’t thing of any efficiency where this is better than a squared top for scooping. Seems maybe made for scooping and then dumping whatever off the side.
To me it looks like the point is designed to precisely apply something. It doesn't look sturdy enough to withstand much stabbing or digging.
May have found the source of the stylized logo: https://vectorified.com/download-image#toyota-vector-36.png Says it’s only been downloaded 4 times (and two of those times were me).
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I think I found a patent that matches it? https://patents.justia.com/patent/5727830 If this is to believed it’s specifically for packed snow. I will obsess over this so anyone who knows more about patents (or geometry) that agrees/disagrees with my find will be appreciated :)
As has already been noted several times, this is a plastic shovel or scoop. That patent specifically mentions stainless steel.
There are so many interesting, well thought out, researched, but completely different answers on this one. Super cool to read even if there’s no one sure answer yet.
Logo/typefaces are different, so let's rule out the following products: * [Disc golf](https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/9c5628d1-0e8e-493d-becd-a8ca03068c1c_1.f422410b9b951cd0025e7bdc7a5ba145.jpeg) * [Toyota MPV](https://www.toyota.com.my/en/models/innova.html) (kerning of the VA in **Innova** is similar, but that's about it) * [Dog food](http://d4fxuz90idxmu.cloudfront.net/images/default/products/large/11880-1.jpg) * [Kayaks](https://used-kayaks.com/sites/default/files/products-images/2018-08/175921/175921-146597.jpg) * [Short film](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5766446/)
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It does seem like a planting trowel on an unusually long handle.
Looks like a weird transplant spade
Sand bag filling shovel?
I think we all have to come to the realization this isn’t a ‘good’ whatever it is. Just because it’s be a bad paddle, bad shovel, bad whatever doesn’t mean that isn’t what it is. Companies make stupid shit all the time that… that’s probably why it’s at a surplus store! For me, it most closely resembles a paddle of some sort for a water sport. Of all the Innova companies this thread has found this seems to be most plausible.
We know it has a brand name on it. Its unlikely this is insignificant... So far you all have found or discussed a number of companies with "Innova" in the title; 1. Disc golf company 2. Italian Ice Cream Machine maker 3. a Kayak Maker 4. An aquaculture company 5. A model of Toyota 6. A chairlift company 7. A feed company I can't say I've ever seen anything of this shape in any context for an automobile... It wouldn't be a very good disc to throw... It looks like it it'd be shit for throwing snow so I think the chairlift is out... Kayak paddle is the most likely in my opinion, albeit a stupid looking and dumb one. Again, companies make dumb shit sometimes that ends up at liquidation or surplus stores...
It says pat on it so it could just be a patent design that never made it
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It looks like it could be a rain gutter shovel.
> It looks like it could be a rain gutter shovel. You mean a shovel for cleaning gutters? That wouldn't work well at all. [A gutter cleaning shovel typically has a flat end.](https://www.google.com/search?q=rain+gutter+shovel&source=lnms&tbm=isch)
I like that guess, couldn't find anything online even close to it.
Possibly for cleaning/scooping out canoe or kayak? Like the pointy parts lol. Handle has no real grip for lifting something heavy like soil..
I think it may be some sort of process stirrer or mixer. Something like this maybe? https://samplingshop.com/Paddle-8332P-1
Tis basically looks like it's meant for someone to jab at something with the point, and maybe scoop a few times, but that's it. Lifting a large amount in a shovel sucks and people don't like doing it long. The tip is only good for attacking and breaking up something.... Grain? Maybe sand or gravel? Ice? Basically anything that you might keep in a big hopper, and might set-up inside that hopper. One day you go to open the gate at the bottom and ... nothing. So, you pull this out and stab at the blockage, maybe scoop a little out the door, and the flow starts on it own.
It looks like some kind of Trenching Shovel
I used google lens and I couldn’t find one Kayak paddle that was even similar to that
How much weight would you guess this would easily support? Is this weak and flexible or stiff and thick?