Got myself a new trowel

[Ray in CA]

And no, it's not a Lesch. I was at Home Depot looking for a particular tool that I had seen a friend use for metal detecting several years back and came across this interesting looking trowel for under $10. It appealed to me because of the "stirrup" like handle at the top, which should make it easier to push down into the ground. It has serrated edges for cutting small roots and a wide blade which should make it ideal for cutting plugs in the park grass. I have no clue how durable it will be, as it is made in China, but for ten bucks hey, it's worth a try. Besides, the rubber grip on my current trowel is pretty much useless and I need a quick replacement. In a few days I will let you all know whether it was a good investment or a waste of money.

Ray

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A Handbook of Civil War Bullets and Cartridges - Grab it through Amazon!

[Charlie P. (NY)]

As you say, for $10 worth a try.

I 'd be careful prying out plugs with a cast blade. Depends a lot on your soil.

Good luck and keep us posted.

I found a great finds bag at Lowes - a carpenter's belt pouch (& belt) I dyed green.

 

[Coin Shooter]

It looks pretty sturdy! We await your review.

 

[Tin Nugget]

I truly hope it works for you. I spent well over 100.00 on different style diggers from Lowes and Home Depot before I bought my Lesche about 4 years ago and none of them held up. I wasn't easy on them though. Now I am still using the same Lesche, still prying up rocks and hunks of clay, cutting roots etc. I have leaned on it with both hands, never a waver. So, in all, I figure I spent around 150.00 - 200.00 or so including the Lesche trying to find a digger, on the other hand I probably saved about 500.00 since I have not had to replace the Lesche like all the others I bought.

 

[TimC (North Alabama)]

I've got one just like it and it works great, you can guide with one hand while applying pressure with the other. Hope you enjoy it as much as I.

 

[Ray in CA]

Okay folks, my preliminary report is that this tool works great for bare soil areas. Right now the dirt where I am detecting is compacted but very moist due to all the rain we got. For now I can basically push the trowel down into the ground with one hand and make a good sized hole about 4-5 inches deep while holding my detector with my other hand. I'll have to wait to see how it works when the ground is completely dry. As for my front lawn, which is a lot of crab grass, it doesn't work so well, probably because the blade is not sharp at all. I imagine it will fare better on wet park grass than my front lawn, but unless it gets sharpened I don't think it will work well for grass when it is dry.

I will eventually get a Lesch as my main digger, but for now during the wet season I think this one will work for me.

Ray

 

[Keppy]

As you say, for $10 worth a try.

I 'd be careful prying out plugs with a cast blade. Depends a lot on your soil.

Good luck and keep us posted.

I found a great finds bag at Lowes - a carpenter's belt pouch (& belt) I dyed green.

I will have to go to Lowes and check that finds bag out................................................==Jim==

 

[dirtyJohn]

I bought the exact same trowel at Home Depot and snapped it the first time out when I put some weight on it. Don't think that knob on the end means you can lean into with both hands. I did and it snapped and took a nice chunk of skin off for my trouble, ouch!

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

As you say, for $10 worth a try.

I 'd be careful prying out plugs with a cast blade. Depends a lot on your soil.

Good luck and keep us posted.

I found a great finds bag at Lowes - a carpenter's belt pouch (& belt) I dyed green.

I will have to go to Lowes and check that finds bag out................................................==Jim==

AWP brand. $9.99 and another $5.99 for the belt. I dyed the canvas green with RIT dye and added a buckle a friend sent me from Great Britian. The hammer loop I slip a rock hammer in when heading into the woods and wilds for fossils (and tree roots).

I keep a notepad in the upper pocket, a baggie in the next lower pocket for good finds, third is for "ordinary" treasures/keepers and the trash goes in the biggest/lowest pocket. My F-Point slips in one of the side loops (I had to add a hole for the probe tip.

Works great.