Best sandscoop?

[metaldetecta]

Sorry if this is on the wrong form but I want a durable sandscoop that will last me as long as possible beach hunting. I had a fisher sand scoop and it got warped badly by the sand and now is not useable. Any recommendations would be appreciated. I am willing to pay $100 plus for a good piece of equipment.

 

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[Sir Gala Clad]

RTG, Stavr, Sunspot, TREX, Whats not to like.
All of these manufacturers have excellent reputations, good support, and proven designs. However, you do have to be leery of any new design, which has not been fully tested in the field.
I have used all but the Stavr which I am positive I would like based on their engineering, especially liking the use of low drag compression struts and variety of models.

Drunk Brother is spot on about looking which scoop is best for you from an engineering prospective.

As I live in a remote location where shipping costs are high, I make a cheap quick dirty non durable plastic model out of scrap to get a feel of how suitable the shape of the basket is for where I hunt and how well the hole pattern with sift.
For hunting all zones: Dry Sand, Wet Sand, Shallow Water,

I prefer an RTG all aluminum scoop with a six inch cylindrical enclosed basket. It is light to carry, easy to roll to break suction from digging, and as the tip is thick, you are less likely to be hurt if you loose control of the scoop under surge/wave conditions. It a great all around scoop, the best that I have used.

For hunting all zones: Dry Sand, Wet Sand, Shallow Water known for valuable or small targets:
The TREX is my scoop of choice. As I hunt with DD search coils, which are harder to pinpoint with, a wider basket is better. You are less likely to damage finds with an open basket design, and smaller targets are less fall through the closer 3/8 in rectangular grid pattern. Plus its stainless steel shield like tip easily cuts thru hard pack and shells.

For shallow water hunting or detecting near rocks: An edged stainless steel basket with a Vish Euro Tip works best. As you can get closer to a rock with this basket or use tip to scrape between rocks.
I prefer the Sunspot Classic 8 inch stainless steel basket with a one half inch drain pattern for this. It will take a little while to get used to the 90 degree angle handle as you have to bend forward when you dig.
Sifting is faster and less fatiguing with a straight up handle scoop, as you are sifting thru the bottom of the scoop where there are more holes than the end as you would with a 20 degree angle scoop. You can lift it up in short hops where the scoop will be completed sifted by the time it gets to the surface.
Also, you have tremendous leverage for prying when necessary with a straight up handle.
However, the real reason I switched to the 90 degree angle scoop and love it is that I can break the scoop free from the mud by just changing my foot position on the extended kick plate. This is not only an energy saver; you no longer have to worry about bruising / hurting the inside of your fingers as you no longer have to pull back on the scoop handle.
Shallow water hunting edge of first drop (quick sand like conditions):

I prefer the even more aggressive Vish Tip and 15 inch long open stainless steel tip of an early design of the Sunspot Stealth 720 for this purpose. I limit the use of this scoop to protected waters, as I was injured as I could not control it strong currents or wave surges. It needs to be return for reinforcement (at no cost) but I have held off doing so for fear that the added flat strips would add further drag strips.
Ironically, while the hope of finding gold duth maketh my heart grow fonder, I Sir Gala Clad hath not yet found even enough clad to pay for the return voyage.
As I don’t wish to spend the rest of my life in Geriatic heaven, I don’t even want to think about digging a full scoop of wet sand with this monster.

This brings me up to Stavr scoops which I covet but do not fully understand the specifications which are metric. I have no doubt that the Russian makes great scoops. I especially like the advanced use of compression struts which would have less water drag. He also makes a large variety to choose from. The next scoop I invest in will be a Stavr.

 

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[dewcon4414]

Order a scoop from overseas is a bit scary..... but Russian makes it easy and at a fair price. For my conditions i chose the M9 ..... light SS and added a Hoe handle with 2' dowel..... about $15. They are lighter than the Sunspot to carry around.... in the water it doesnt really matter, but on out.... they get heavy. I also prefer the aditional material on the tip.... the width and length is great. BUT you cant beat the ability to put different sized handles on the Sunspot. T-Rex.... well you best not be where there is a lot of shells or you will need something to dump them in out there..... and those babies ARE heavy.

 

[metaldetecta]

Thank you all for the feedback!