Check this digger out!

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laidback4sho

laidback4sho

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Aug 31, 2014
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Laconia, NH
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Kray Gelder

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Feb 24, 2017
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Georgetown, SC
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Dang Man, I would hate to scratch it up in the dirt. Hope you don't lose a digit with that bad boy.
 

PirateLabs

Sr. Member
Feb 21, 2017
251
411
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A16nYh-WU+L._SL1500_.jpg

Here is a photo of the $18 Hori Hori on Amazon. They say it is stainless steel in the ad.
 

boogeyman

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Jun 6, 2006
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Out in the hills near wherendaheckarwe
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And yes, this is a true Japanese steel. It's DSR1K6, which is a Daido brand Japanese steel, designed for cutting and for holding an edge.

DAIDO BRAND | DAIDO STEEL

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From someone who grew up with Japanese. Simply put Japanese folks are extremely serious about blades & gardening no doubt! Most times they were the only ones that had grass & flowers in the neighborhood! When I was a kid you'd go by junky scissors by their standards and they were better than any Wiss scissors out there. Heck! They've only had a few hundred years of practice! Anyone who's had dicondra knows what a pain it is, yet they never had any problems. go figure!
 

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laidback4sho

laidback4sho

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Aug 31, 2014
623
897
Laconia, NH
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Hey let me ask...

IS the knife magnetic ?

And if so... How so ? super slap to it pull ?

Or slight ? medium ?

? ? ?
Ok, I just checked. This thing is highly magnetic! Almost sucked the magnets right out of my hand.

I also checked, using magnets, to see how far down into the handle the tang went. This is what I got...

These are magnets from an old hard drive. I was right - the tang goes as far into the handle as is possible. 20170405_014240.jpg

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laidback4sho

laidback4sho

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Aug 31, 2014
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Laconia, NH
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And the black handgrip on this knife feels like a mix of rubber and plastic. Not really a soft rubber and not really a hard plastic, but somewhere in-between. Feels good actually.

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laidback4sho

laidback4sho

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Dang Man, I would hate to scratch it up in the dirt. Hope you don't lose a digit with that bad boy.
Yeah, I'm anxious to see how it holds its own against the abrasiveness of the dirt and the rocks. As for losing a digit, that's highly possible actually. This thing is factory-sharpened to an almost razor's edge. It's so sharp, that I could easily draw blood if I just lightly brushed it against my finger.

It reminds me of a Roman short sword in a way. I wouldn't doubt its ability to handle some serious hand-to-hand combat. And it seems to have enough mass to be able to sever limbs if swung in a fit of rage.

A garden tool fit for a warrior.

That reminds me of something I once heard.

Long ago, a young Buddhist monk asked his teacher why he was teaching him martial arts when they always professed to be a passive, peaceful people. To this, his teacher replied, "It is far better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war."

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ARC

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Aug 19, 2014
37,284
131,758
Tarpon Springs
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JW 8X-ML X2-VP 585
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From someone who grew up with Japanese. Simply put Japanese folks are extremely serious about blades & gardening no doubt! Most times they were the only ones that had grass & flowers in the neighborhood! When I was a kid you'd go by junky scissors by their standards and they were better than any Wiss scissors out there. Heck! They've only had a few hundred years of practice! Anyone who's had dicondra knows what a pain it is, yet they never had any problems. go figure!

Make that a thousand years.
 

ARC

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Aug 19, 2014
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Tarpon Springs
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The method of hardening the steel that is so typical of Japanese swords was first used in 6th century.
 

jadocs

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Jun 8, 2016
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I just ordered one myself. It will replace my Garrett digger on my LCE. Thanks for the link.
 

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laidback4sho

laidback4sho

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Aug 31, 2014
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Just used mine last weekend and man, this thing is strong. Not only will it cut a plug as smoothly as butter, but it'll pry a plug out of the ground as well. I don't think I'll be breaking this thing any time soon. It'll need sharpening after playing in the dirt, but I don't know of any steel that can take on rocks and sand and still keep a razor sharp edge. I'm more than satisfied with its performance. And that's after using a Lesche digger.

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laidback4sho

laidback4sho

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Aug 31, 2014
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Just a quick update: been using my hori hori for over two months now and it works now just as good as it did when I bought it. In fact, I haven't touched my Lesche at all. Haven't needed to. This thing will pry rocks out of the ground every bit as well as the Lesche and still hasn't broken. Glad I got this thing.

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laidback4sho

laidback4sho

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Aug 31, 2014
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Laconia, NH
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Careful buying this one read the reviews. They say its crappy and 1 guy said it broke on him. Thats why I didn't buy the 19$ one.
Yeah, the one I bought said it was an upgraded version of the 800 series, with better steel. It's the 880 series, if I recall correctly. Stronger steel.

While mine has lost its razor sharpness, due to the abrasiveness of the dirt, it's still much sharper than the Lesche after the same amount of digging.

I will say, though, that the hard plastic sheath was somewhat brittle. I was able to break it with not too much use. So I now carry my hori hori in a leather sheath. The tool itself remains as badass as ever.

Not sure how durable the 800 series is, for 20 bucks, but I do know the upgraded 880 series for just over double that amount is a tool that you only have to buy once. That is, unless you lose it or someone steals it.

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PirateLabs

Sr. Member
Feb 21, 2017
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Careful buying this one read the reviews. They say its crappy and 1 guy said it broke on him. Thats why I didn't buy the 19$ one.

They gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars though?? The reviews I read were all positive except one. Several others were very critical of the cheap sheath but the rest said it is very strong and works well. I only read the reviews on the first page however. I have 3 diggers I am using now and do not really need another one at this time anyway...unless I break them, ha ha.

Bill
 

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laidback4sho

laidback4sho

Hero Member
Aug 31, 2014
623
897
Laconia, NH
Detector(s) used
Currently:
XP Deus v4.1
Minelab Equinox 800
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Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
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laidback4sho

laidback4sho

Hero Member
Aug 31, 2014
623
897
Laconia, NH
Detector(s) used
Currently:
XP Deus v4.1
Minelab Equinox 800
Fisher Gold Bug 2

Previously:
Garrett GTA 500
Garrett Ultra GTA 1000
Garrett GTAx 1250
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The difference in the 800 and the 801 is the quality of steel and about twenty bucks. But for that price, you get your money's worth for sure. You know what they say - you get what you pay for.

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