Anyone tried a plastic spike/knife as a digging tool?

[Lasivian]

I ran across this:

http://www.fernknives.com/cold-steel/delta-dart/2186/index.html

And thought it might be a good replacement for my screwdriver. I've scratched alot of coins in my diggings, and it'd be a shame to scrape something valuable.

Thanks

 

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[Charlie P. (NY)]

Years ago I used a plastic backpacker's trowel. Was good in that I could wave a scoop behind the coil to see if it contained the coin. Was bad in that it was lousey in digging anything but soft. moist dirt. Rocks, roots, dry soil, even tight sod - fogeddaboudit.

Would be the cat's arse in sandy soil.

 

[Farmercal]

If it will cut through a 1/2 inche piece of leather, don't you think it could also do damage to a coin?

 

[Sandman]

Forget the plastic. Instead use the screwdriver gently. Don't stab it in the ground to probe for the coin. I've used a brass rod with a handle that worked well and didn't scratch coins, but then had to change tools to pry it out which takes time. Course we're talking about just grass here.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I don't have a good image of it, but my probe is a steel rod rounded at the tip - like half a ball bearing. Doesn't scratch . . . badly. Anything pushing the dirt itself against the coin will cause scratches. Probe softly.

I'm no good at popping coins out with it unless they are less than 1/2" deep, but it comes in handy at times.

 

[Cynangyl]

around here when you buy a tent with plastic stakes you immediately go buy metal stakes to replace it since the plastic ones will either not go into the ground or they break when they do so the plastic tool would probably not be a good tool to use.....now when I lived in NW Washington I think the plastic would have worked nicely....wetter climate there and softer ground. Good luck with whatever you decide to use!

 

[spez401]

I actually have a couple versions of that plastic spike... they are often referred to as the "CIA letter openers". Post 9/11 I showed a couple to the Capital Police officers at the local courthouse. They were very unhappy that they didn't set off metal detectors or show up on x-ray equipment. (I accidentally took one in my backpack on a trip to vegas 6 months after 9/11 and they never saw it. I only found it when I got to my hotel room - after 3 enhanced security checkpoints)

They are hard/strong enough to hammer through a 2x4 pine block, so are probably hard enough to damage a coin (though not quite as bad as a metal screwdriver). I'd stick with the regular digging tool, screwdriver. Those little letter openers are a little too expensive to be wrecking as a digging tool. Go to sears, get a Craftsman screwdriver and wear it down to the nub... then bring it back and exchange it for a new one for free (Craftsman has an unconditional replacement warranty for "non-power" hand tools -screwdrivers, wrenches, etc)

 

[Lasivian]

I picked one up last night and tried it out this morning.

I think it's pretty good. The sharpened point dug quite well even in tough soil, and my pinpointer doesn't detect it like it does a screwdriver.

We'll see how long till I break it, heh