Best Digging Tool for South Florida Dirt

TampaTroy

Jr. Member
Feb 3, 2014
73
20
Tampa, FL
Detector(s) used
Garrett ATpro
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I got an Ames transplant tool ($10) and an Ames drain spade ($25) from Home Depot or Lowes. I'm sure they are not as sturdy as the specialty diggers like the Lesche but in the sandy soil around here they're doing just fine so far. I will probably modify the drain spade soon to make the blade shorter, sharper and toothier so it will chop through roots easier. I just couldn't justify laying out the $$ for expensive diggers so soon after buying the detector.

There are other ways to recover targets besides digging plugs though. I use a brass probe I made (again, using stuff from Home Depot) and a flat screw driver to pop shallow coins out of the ground. The probe helps to determine the exact depth of the object and I can even tell when I am punching through aluminum cans. I also have recently been experimenting with cutting a slit in grassy turf and feeling around with the pinpointer to find my target. It takes awhile but leaves zero trace.

However, I've only been MDing since February 2nd so you can take my opinions with a grain of salt.
 

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