Looking to get a new shovel, what should I go with?

Feel like I've just been accused of something lol. And while I am kinda bad at pinpointing, I'm not digging craters or anything? And I've dug plenty in public areas, never once had anyone take issue to me digging holes?

(well correction: there was one irate middle school football coach who threatened to call the cops on me but I could have been carrying a spoon to dig with and that guy likely would have reacted the same. Honestly given how intimidating looking the serrated shovels are, he might have reacted worse had I had something like a sampson.)

Anyway, so long as it goes back neat, does it even matter how large the hole is?

"Anyway, so long as it goes back neat, does it even matter how large the hole is?"

About the hole going back neat. Yes but no. The public kinda look at the attacks made with a 12" bladed shovel, making the hole.
 
"Anyway, so long as it goes back neat, does it even matter how large the hole is?"

About the hole going back neat. Yes but no. The public kinda look at the attacks made with a 12" bladed shovel, making the hole.

I've gotten what I needed from this thread, and don't want to start a useless argument but I was under the impression that the largest shovels mentioned in this thread were a good 3-4 inches shorter than a foot. And honestly I've had more people take an issue with me because of my age than my choice of digging implement. For whatever reason, people seem to have a real strong collective instinct to call the police/confront me when they see a teenager metal detecting, I've even had it happen where I'd be searching someone's yard I got permission for, and random passersby would call the police on me. Twice actually.
 
For a good metal detecting shovel at a great price try the Rootslayer Nomad shovel. The inverted V design of the tip works really well on roots. $40 shipped too. I did break my the blade on my first one, but it took about a year or so and many, many, many holes to do it. I bought another and it’s still going strong. I feel it has about the perfect sized blade.
 

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For a good metal detecting shovel at a great price try the Rootslayer Nomad shovel. The inverted V design of the tip works really well on roots. $40 shipped too. I did break my the blade on my first one, but it took about a year or so and many, many, many holes to do it. I bought another and it’s still going strong. I feel it has about the perfect sized blade.

That looks fantastic and it's vastly cheaper than the rest, definitely going to look at that. Thanks!

Edit: upon looking at it the end of the handle is a little weird but I can probably live with that
 
As long as the plugs are neat, the public perception only matters if you’re digging in public. If you’re like me and spend a lot of time digging in the woods or fields, there’s definitely a benefit from a blade slightly larger than a Sampson IMHO. The wider foot area doesn’t tear up the bottom of your shoes and the extra width & reach comes in handy too. Besides, for those really concerned about perception when digging in public, it would probably be a better idea to avoid long handled shovels altogether and just use a hand digger if you’re able. No?


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I've gotten what I needed from this thread, and don't want to start a useless argument but I was under the impression that the largest shovels mentioned in this thread were a good 3-4 inches shorter than a foot. And honestly I've had more people take an issue with me because of my age than my choice of digging implement. For whatever reason, people seem to have a real strong collective instinct to call the police/confront me when they see a teenager metal detecting, I've even had it happen where I'd be searching someone's yard I got permission for, and random passersby would call the police on me. Twice actually.

"I've gotten what I needed from this thread, and don't want to start a useless argument but I was under the impression that the largest shovels mentioned in this thread were a good 3-4 inches shorter than a foot."

Show me a pic again of that shovel you use in a full hilt circular dig. Tell me it is less the 12 inches in any spot. The Home Depot shovels are short, but very wide in the spade.
 
"I've gotten what I needed from this thread, and don't want to start a useless argument but I was under the impression that the largest shovels mentioned in this thread were a good 3-4 inches shorter than a foot."

Show me a pic again of that shovel you use in a full hilt circular dig. Tell me it is less the 12 inches in any spot. The Home Depot shovels are short, but very wide in the spade.

I mean when I originally posted the picture I gave some dimensions, the blade is 8 and a half inches long, a little over 5 and a half wide, and the plugs I make with it are generally fairly rectangular, at most I'd say around 7 inches across? I'm honestly just confused by this whole discussion.
 
I mean when I originally posted the picture I gave some dimensions, the blade is 8 and a half inches long, a little over 5 and a half wide, and the plugs I make with it are generally fairly rectangular, at most I'd say around 7 inches across? I'm honestly just confused by this whole discussion.

Yeah people are weird about shovels. I actually find bigger plugs has less chance of killing grass, less chance of animals digging them back up, less chance of them getting sucked up in a lawn mower, and so on. But i am also from the middle of nowhere so i guess i get population being a bunch of pricks about a guy with a shovel.
 
That looks fantastic and it's vastly cheaper than the rest, definitely going to look at that. Thanks!

Edit: upon looking at it the end of the handle is a little weird but I can probably live with that

Yeah the end of the handle is a little strange. You get used to it though. It’s more like a knob. The lesche sampson has a version with a round knob at the end of the handle.
 
I just went to their website and it looks like they're using round stock for the handle now, very similar handle to the sampson.

OP, i have a Lesche 31" T Handle Sampson Shovel -Double Serrated, and their smaller Lesche Mini Sampson 18 and like both a lot. The foot stomp area on them are not very large, so sometimes I find it a little troublesome if there is a rock or something in the ground before I realize it. But i'd not hesitate to get either again. Attached a pic of my trio.

Also saw Garrett has a new one out; https://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=292979 was posted about here.

There are a lot of shovel options for sure.

They've been using the round handle since their inception. I was one of the first people to buy from Gravedigger and I have 2 of their shovels. Both are indestructible. I have a Predator Phoenix as well.

If you're hunting in heavy roots Gravedigger is the way to go. The Nemesis will dig nice plugs.
 
I'm very happy with my Predator Ranger. It digs a nice plug and I would definitely recommend it.

That said, I do a lot of my detecting with just my handheld Lesche digger. The Ranger will dig a nicer plug but on most lawns, parks and schools the sight of a shovel, even a small custom shovel like those being discussed tends to worry certain people. It can really bring out the Karens.
 
They've been using the round handle since their inception. I was one of the first people to buy from Gravedigger and I have 2 of their shovels. Both are indestructible. I have a Predator Phoenix as well.

If you're hunting in heavy roots Gravedigger is the way to go. The Nemesis will dig nice plugs.

100% agree. Love my sidekick
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I'm also looking into getting a shovel for detecting. I normally just use a handheld Lesche digger, but my detecting friend let me borrow his 31" Lesche Sampson, and it makes life so much easier. The narrow blade is nice because it cuts through the ground like butter and goes really deep. I haven't tried any other detecting-oriented shovels, but the Sampson seems to do the job well, so I will probably end up buying one. It's just the right size to carry in your other hand while detecting without being cumbersome.
 
I had the 18" Sampson first and then later got the 31". Pretty happy with it. That said I'll probably get something with a larger blade from Predator Tools or Grave Digger later down the road for use in heavily wooded areas and farm fields. Also considering the Garrett shovel. I think it's good to have options to suit the situation.
 
Don't know if you have purchased a shovel yet but I just received a Predator tools Model 24 phoenix shovel and I love it the plugs it digs are perfect, when you put the plug back in the hole you cannot even tell there was even one dug
 
A little late to this thread but.....

My woods and field shovel on the left.... my parks and permissions shovel on the right.

Wouldn't trade either of them!!!

 
Here in central Texas, you can't dig more than a couple of inches without hitting rocks. Are any of the above shovels better for this kind of digging? Currently, I just use my hand digger.
 
Here in central Texas, you can't dig more than a couple of inches without hitting rocks. Are any of the above shovels better for this kind of digging? Currently, I just use my hand digger.

I just started using the predator tools model 24 phoenix shovel and have had no issues with rock but i am thinking about also purchasing a predator tool shovel called the lady bug it is similar to the phoenix shovel but it is a little shorter and does not have the serrated edges am thinking about getting it just for when i am hunting in areas with more rocky terrain and because of it not having the serrated edges i think it would work even better in rocky areas

I really love the phoenix shovel though both are made by predator tools

i also just started using the predator tool hand digger called the raptor it was a bit pricey for a hand digger but well worth the cost it is also shaped like the phoenix and lady bug shovels and it has no serrated edges
 
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