My sister bought me an ice pick from Amazon at the same time that she bought one for herself. One of those with a cover. I hit a block of ice with it and the tip immediately blunted.I then bought a really expensive stainless steel ice pick from Amazon. The kind with an axe on the handle. It came used, with a box full of holes and a blunted tip. I asked for and received a replacement. This one seemed new but the tip was, once again, blunted.I gave up on Amazon went to a hardware store and found this ice pick. It is carbon steel. The shaft looks and feels like the ice picks I've known all my life. Most importantly, the tip was SHARP! It went through the block of ice like butter. I am extremely pleased.I did a specific search for it here on Amazon and there it was - buried beneath the other less than stellar ice picks. Bought one for my sister. She is a happy camper and so am I.For the sakes of everyone on Amazon looking for an ice pick, Minnesota Ice Picks should come up high on the search list. Or really at all. I repeat - I had to know what I was looking for in order to find them. Pity.