What to dig with???

wvdave107

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Apr 7, 2017
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574
Location
Charleston, WV
Again, I'm not even new enough to the hobby to be considered new. Hoping for my first detector within the month....My question is, what is the preferred tool/ tools to dig with? I've scoured the web and YouTube and have seen many different implements and gadgets people use. I've seen garden knives, probes, shovels...etc...I assume it would depend on location and soil condition? Is it necessary to spend $40.00 + on specialty tools or would a trip to the local garden center for a quality hand spade and small shovel work just as well if not better? Any advice is appreciated...Thank ya'll in advance...
 
If you have nice soft black easy to dig in dirt just about any sturdy digger will do.
I hunt in red clay filled dirt with tons of rocks and it all turns into something like concrete in the summer months if we don't have rain.
I use a Lesche hand digger, other less sturdy types that might work fine for others won't last very long around here.
Well worth it to me since I have broken two of them and they pretty much have a free lifetime replacement warranty.
I also have a 31" Sampson shovel but only use that in the woods or other out of the way places because even though they make very precise small holes in public areas people can get the wrong idea.
 
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I use these shovels. Worth every penny. I got the Model 55 Barracuda :P
It's less than 3 lbs and extremely durable.

Not to mention you never know when it could be used in self-defense. Animal etc

https://www.predatortools.com/

Their sometimes on sale around 4th of july
 
Again, I'm not even new enough to the hobby to be considered new. Hoping for my first detector within the month....My question is, what is the preferred tool/ tools to dig with? I've scoured the web and YouTube and have seen many different implements and gadgets people use. I've seen garden knives, probes, shovels...etc...I assume it would depend on location and soil condition? Is it necessary to spend $40.00 + on specialty tools or would a trip to the local garden center for a quality hand spade and small shovel work just as well if not better? Any advice is appreciated...Thank ya'll in advance...

The problem with garden tools is that they're designed to DIG with. What you want is a tool that CUTS and then lifts a sod flap with minimal damage to the turf.

This is why Lesche gets such top marks. You can cut a flap and lift it out, and pull out dirt underneath it without having any problems.

I've used all kinds of implements and have found the Lesche to just top them all. In the meantime, if you're digging in sod (and it really only works in sod), buy a really THICK steakknife from the thrift store. it'll cut through the sod like butter, and have enough heft to not bend when you lift the flap. It'll work like a charm for a month or two, and for a buck, that's usually good enough. Just carry a spare.

Folks also use screwdrivers to pop things out, too.

Once you get a really nice digging tool (like Lesche), you'll never regret having it. The "pad" on the tool gives extra cutting leverage too, for tougher ground. And it just makes clean cuts. You can't get that with a hand spade.
 
If you have nice soft black easy to dig in dirt just about any sturdy digger will do.

I hunt in red clay filled dirt with tons of rocks and it all turns into something like concrete in the summer months if we don't have rain.

I use a Lesche hand digger, other less sturdy types that might work fine for others won't last very long around here.

Well worth it to me since I have broken two of them and they pretty much have a free lifetime replacement warranty.

I also have a 31" Sampson shovel but only use that in the woods or other out of the way places because even though they make very precise small holes in public areas people can be the wrong idea.



+1 Clay/ chert are terrible in July.

After a good rain make sure you get out to hunt. Easy digging with a lesche. Bring gloves and s towel to put ur plug soil on it in public places.

I hope you enjoy the hobby.. it rocks!


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It entirely depends on how deep you need to dig, low price machines won't get very deep... I would recommend a Lesche digger for targets up to 6 inches deep. It pays to get a good digger that won't break during a hunt. The gardening shovels don't work very well as you will encounter stones (sometimes very big ones) and strong roots if near a tree or in certain grass types...
 
Go big or go home! :D

serveimage



 
There are several threads about home-grown or modified tools for digging. Tractor Supply, Harbor Freight and other cheap tool places often have things that can be modified to work as well as a $40 tool for a fraction of that price. Here's one example:

https://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=244483&highlight=Harbor+Freight+shovel

Yeaaa....no.
I modded a small shovel in the same way, didn't work close to the ease of the Sampson digging holes in my dirt and bit the dust pretty quickly.
Again in easy dirt it would have probably been fine, under tough conditions it was nowhere near the value of a quality tool.
Pretty much a waste of money for me as would have any others of the same type I would be foolish enough to buy.
You get what you pay for is usually an actual, real thing and might really matter especially in some harsher conditions different hunters need to deal with.
 
I would definitely go with a Lesche. I've got the Sampson and I bent the hell out of it digging in dry packed ground during the summer one year. I had my brother cut off the end and take that goofy curved part out of it..... It's extremely tough now and nearly impossible to bend. They tend to make really nice cuts as well with little effort. Plus no one is going to mess with you when you're carrying one of those beasts around.
 
When I was in Ohio last week I could dig 2 feet deep with a Lesche and not even sweat! The soil was so loose and fluffy!
Getting back to Chattanooga I almost wanted to sit on a log and cry. Hard packed clay with chert.

Location a big deal when it comes to soil composition and what tools you need.


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Like many folks I started out with whatever I could find to dig with, little garden trowels, etc., and it was an exercise in futility in our Oklahoma red clay.

About a month into seriously hunting I got my Lesche digger and I won't hunt without it. Yesterday I finally ordered a Lesche Samson shovel to go with it. Yes, they are pricey but they work like they should and hold up like nobody's business. You can't go wrong using the right tools for the job IMO.
 
Lesche Digging tool is my tool of choice I tried the garden tools and they all failed.

Please only use a shovel on private property and in the woods. Folks get a bad impression when they see you using a shovel on public property. It can and has led to laws getting passed that prohibit digging in parks, playgrounds etc
 
I bought a stainless steel gardening trowel from Tractor Supply for $2.99 and modified it to cut through sod. Cuts ok but the problem is the stainless rod going into the molded rubber/plastic sleeve that creates the handle. It's not holding up to tough digging and I'm finding it to bend the more I'm using it. Gotta Lesche ordered and coming my way, should of done it right the first time.

Don't go the cheap route because you will get what you pay for and when it fails you will be out of business...
 
I bought a stainless steel gardening trowel from Tractor Supply for $2.99 and modified it to cut through sod. Cuts ok but the problem is the stainless rod going into the molded rubber/plastic sleeve that creates the handle. It's not holding up to tough digging and I'm finding it to bend the more I'm using it. Gotta Lesche ordered and coming my way, should of done it right the first time.

Don't go the cheap route because you will get what you pay for and when it fails you will be out of business...

Not that it says anything like this in the paperwork that I know of but this company guarantees their tools for life...as long as you don't mod them.
These are tough tools but not indestructible.
I pry way more than I should, my first Lesche I bent trying to pry up a piece of frozen dirt trying to hunt in the Kansas winter.
A few months later I caught it under a big branch and broke it at that bend point.
This one I put cuts on the opposite side of the regular ones thinking it would help.
It didn't but they wouldn't do anything for me because I modded it.
My second I broke trying to pry up a big piece of iron in rock hard dirt during a drought...that was stupid and totally my fault...again.
On other forums I have read about some hunters that bent the heck out of their Sampsons doing the same thing and asked about what they should do.
I told them all the same thing about my experience on that second one I broke and they all did the same and had the same exact experience.

Call them up and and ask the nice lady that answers the phone what you should do.
She never asks how old it is, how you broke it, nothing about any warranty cards or receipts, just the same reply to everyone...
"Send it to us and we will replace it."
And they do.

You are responsible for shipping one way and they pay the freight coming back.
Quickly too, they must get these things in the mail the day they receive the broken one.

The Predator company might do the same thing but you would have to call and ask them about that.

This is not like Craftsman either where you take in a well built tool from decades ago and they trade you out for some modern Chinese junk instead.
What you send to them you get back in return.

Well worth the money spent on these tools for me, when I use them they do what they are designed to do better than any others I have ever used and if I screw up again I know I am protected as long as that company stays in business.
Spending money one time on a tool that make my job easy...that is value to me and why these tools have such a good reputation.
 
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First of all , if you go with a digging trowel instead of a " shovel " you want something strong enough to handle it and preferably designed for detecting. Most anything else usually just wont last. Secondly , you dont have to pay a lot for it. This sabretooth digger is strong enough to handle anything you do to it , works very well , and only costs around $10. They are made by a few different companies and some under a different name , available at just about every detector shop or dealer in existence. You may at some point have to replace the rubber grip , but thats super easy. These diggers are my preference after detecting 20+ years , they will last pretty near as long as you do.

https://www.seriousdetecting.com/pr...nless-steel/?gclid=CKvXoKWWzdQCFQcaaQod2ywDfg
 
First of all , if you go with a digging trowel instead of a " shovel " you want something strong enough to handle it and preferably designed for detecting. Most anything else usually just wont last. Secondly , you dont have to pay a lot for it. This sabretooth digger is strong enough to handle anything you do to it , works very well , and only costs around $10. They are made by a few different companies and some under a different name , available at just about every detector shop or dealer in existence. You may at some point have to replace the rubber grip , but thats super easy. These diggers are my preference after detecting 20+ years , they will last pretty near as long as you do.

https://www.seriousdetecting.com/pr...nless-steel/?gclid=CKvXoKWWzdQCFQcaaQod2ywDfg

I got one of those from a detector dealer that was getting out of the business on sale.
Thought it might scoop the dirt out of a deeper hole a little quicker than my flat bladed Lesche.
Very strong,thick steel....and it won't pierce my soil when it gets a little dry around here.
Don't have a grinder but I will get one from HF or a garage sale someday and put a sharp point on it which should help a lot.
 
The Dolar Store and Walmarts sells small shovels, Home Depot too. Cost, about $10. Walmarts has a replacement guarantee, others might as well. Low profile.

Sturdy hand diggers from True Value are good if your soil isn't like mine...clay.
 
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