Stealth has 1/2" holes or RTG Aluminum has 5/8" holes which one for saltwater?

[southfloridabeachhunter]

Stealth has 1/2" holes or RTG Aluminum has 5/8" holes which one for saltwater?

I am torn between getting the Stealth 6.5 or 8" stainless steel scoop or the Aluminum RTG 6" with Stainless Steel Tip. I will be using this for saltwater up to my waist in South Florida and wet sand. Do I need another scoop for dry sand on the beach? Also is the 5/8" holes in the RTG too big? Does things slip through them? Is the Stealth 8" better than the 6.5"? I spoke with the people at Stealth and they say the RTG's are made of aluminum and can bend and are not as solid as the steel ones. Does anyone who has the RTG's have any problems with them? Thank You

 

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[Sandman]

Re: Stealth has 1/2" holes or RTG Aluminum has 5/8" holes which one for saltwater?

Ok, here's the deal on scoops. You will need the larger basket on your scoop to be sure you get your target on the first scoop before the next wave fills in your hole. That PI is going to go deep and you need a scoop to match it. The Stealth is the best or at least in the top two. Those smaller holes up front and back are for catching the earring studs and small charms. Scoops with big holes lose the smaller items easier. Here's a pic of the smaller Stealth with an earring stud trapped before sliding past the magnets to the larger holes. This is the older design and the newer one is minus these smaller hole upfront. You have to pay for higher quality or your going to be wasting money.

For just searching the dry sand I like a screen type basket for fast sifting, but is is hard to carry two scoops with you all the time.

 

[stevemc]

Re: Stealth has 1/2" holes or RTG Aluminum has 5/8" holes which one for saltwater?

I agree, I have the RTG all stainless 6" for at least 15 years, never had a problem with it, but my buddy with a 8" SunSpot can out dig me easily. I am digging and digging to get the target and he just scoops his up fairly quick. If I was going to get a new one, which I will, I would go with a SunSpot 8" or something just like it, like a Stavr scoop. You scoop up with a 25% wider scoop. No brainer. If they had this when I bought my RTG, I would have bought it then. But the RTG stainless is a bullet proof job, cant break it, but the Sunspot type is a whole lot larger. But it is a different method of using it, you dont push it in with your foot and lever it back and out with your weight on the handle, you just push it in with your foot, and then just lift straight up. Kind of reach down and slide it straight up. Less work than the RTG scoop, and you get more sand out, and you most likely get your target. If you lever it back with your weight and brute strength, you will break something, it is not meant to be used that way. Just push it in at an angle and as it goes in, move the handle straight up, but not pull it back hard. Takes some getting used to.

 

[Sandman]

Re: Stealth has 1/2" holes or RTG Aluminum has 5/8" holes which one for saltwater?

Sunspot offers a lift handle too for lifting the handle straight up. I just hop the handle up with my left hand in little hops and at the top is is usually clear of material except the find.

 

[Soup]

Re: Stealth has 1/2" holes or RTG Aluminum has 5/8" holes which one for saltwater?

I have been using the stealth 6" and it works great. I wish I would have gotten the bigger one now, but it still works fine. It can take a beating also, the areas where I go are rocky and a lot of coral. Nate has the bigger one and loves it. He had an issue with it warping but they replaced it for him. I would recommend the stealth to anyone. just my 2 cents.

Rob

 

[stevemc]

Re: Stealth has 1/2" holes or RTG Aluminum has 5/8" holes which one for saltwater?

For the dry sand Rielly's sells a 1/2" wire mesh scoop. That will sift the dry or slightly wet sand. Wet sand is a pain, you scoop it and dump it and wave your detector coil over it, and then kind of break it apart until you find it. A shovel would work best in the wet sand. Or any scoop.

 

[dewcon4414]

Re: Stealth has 1/2" holes or RTG Aluminum has 5/8" holes which one for saltwater?

Steve..... any good videos out there that shows how you lift those straight handle scoops? How about leaning into them in the water... mine is the angled RTG and even that seems to have you drinking water some times.

Dew

 

[Sandman]

Re: Stealth has 1/2" holes or RTG Aluminum has 5/8" holes which one for saltwater?

Steve..... any good videos out there that shows how you lift those straight handle scoops? How about leaning into them in the water... mine is the angled RTG and even that seems to have you drinking water some times.

Dew

Here is a video of Ron Lord that OBN made which shows the Miller scoop with the curved handle. I think a Sunspot Stealth with the curved handle like on the Miller would be great, but it wouldn't float upright near you. With the straight handle you can "drink water" if you lean too far forward. Some hunters swing the basket upwards which puts strain on the wrist instead of just hopping the handle straight up. I thought of bending a fence post for a handle so it has a loop like the Miller scoop. Excellent Video OBN !!!

 

[stevemc]

Re: Stealth has 1/2" holes or RTG Aluminum has 5/8" holes which one for saltwater?

Someone a while back posted a link to a wooden plow handle for one of these scoops. Seems like a good handle. Hickory with a curved handle end. Just the last foot or so is curved. That would help to keep your mouth out of the water. Go back a month or so, it should be here.