My Hunt for a Decent Sand Shovel
Alright, let’s talk about sand shovels for metal detecting. For ages, I just used whatever cheap plastic thing I could find, or sometimes just a small garden trowel. Man, that was a mistake, especially on the beach. You spend half your time fighting the wet sand, the plastic scoops bend or snap, and the trowel just moves tiny amounts. My back would be killing me after an hour.
So, I decided I needed a proper tool for the job. Something specifically made for sifting sand and getting down to the target quickly without making a huge mess or breaking on the first tough scoop.
Looking Around and Figuring Things Out
I started looking around online and in some detectorist forums. Saw loads of options. Big ones, small ones, long handles, short handles, plastic baskets, metal baskets. The plastic ones reminded me too much of the cheap beach toys that always broke, so I kinda ruled them out pretty quick. I figured metal was the way to go, probably stainless steel so it wouldn’t rust up too bad after dipping it in saltwater.
Then it was about the holes in the scoop part. Too big, and small finds like thin rings or coins could fall right through. Too small, and the wet sand would just clog it up, making it useless. I looked at pictures, tried to judge the hole size. Also thought about the handle. Long handle means less bending over, which sounded good for my back. Short handle gives you more control maybe, better for precise digging around a target.
Picking One and Giving It a Go
In the end, I went for a stainless steel scoop with medium-sized hexagonal holes. It had a fairly sturdy-looking weld connecting the scoop to the handle shaft. I chose one with a medium-length handle – sort of a compromise. Long enough to save some bending, short enough that I felt I could still handle it easily in the sand.
First time I took it out was down at the local beach after a storm. Perfect conditions, lots of churned-up sand. Found a signal pretty quickly, a coin probably. Instead of kneeling and carefully digging with a trowel, I just jammed the new scoop in, angled it slightly back, and pulled up a big chunk of wet sand.
Using the Thing
Gave it a few shakes right there in the shallow water. The sand just poured out through the holes, leaving the coin sitting right there in the bottom of the scoop! It was so much faster. Later on, I hit a patch with some annoying buried rocks. I was a bit worried about banging the scoop, but I gave it a few decent jabs to loosen the sand around my target. The shovel took it fine, no bending, no broken welds. That felt good, knowing it wasn’t made of flimsy junk.
- The Good Stuff: It digs fast. Sifts wet sand way better than I expected. Feels really solid. Definitely saves strain on the back compared to a hand digger. Stainless steel cleans up easy, just a rinse in the water.
- Could Be Better: It’s heavier than a plastic scoop, obviously. Carrying it all day, plus the detector, adds up. Also, while the holes are mostly good, I do wonder if I’ve lost any really tiny targets through them. Haven’t seen it happen, but the thought is there. Maybe the handle could have a slightly better grip too, gets a bit slippery when wet.
Final Thoughts After Using It Awhile
Look, getting a proper metal sand shovel was a game changer for my beach detecting. No doubt about it. It makes digging targets in sand, wet or dry, incredibly faster and easier. I spend less time digging and more time swinging the detector. Sure, it cost more than a plastic toy, but the time and backache it saves? Totally worth it. It feels like a real tool for the job, not something that’s going to break when I need it most. If you detect on beaches or even loose soil in parks, I’d seriously say get yourself a decent metal scoop. Makes the whole thing much more enjoyable.
