The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldnt live without?

[Monty]

The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldn't live without?

When I first started MDing I was overwhelmed by the amount of nifty tools or gadgets I could buy to make my hunt more successful. Didja' buy any that were absolutely crap? I did!
#1. Handy Dandy giant garden trowel from Wal-Mart. Saved myself a bundle, yessiree by buying this tool instead of a real digging tool. First time out the metal handle that was spot welded to the blade bent almost double. Not to worry. I just bent it back into shape and SNAP! Yep, broke right off at the weld rendering a perfectly good $3.95 digger into crap, or should I say crappe?

#2. A set of coin probes. No need to dig a plug when you can probe the site with one tool and expertly extricate the coin with the other! Whoopee! Only problem is that I have probed dozens of sites and never found one coin yet! I can't tell a rock from a coin , or a bottle cap , or a 1942 Buick! Oh, and when you put it into your shirt pocket point up, don't look down. Yes it will poke you in the eye! And yes, if you put it into your pocket point down it will poke a hole in your pocket! Crappe!

#3. A extra large, deep penetrating coil for your Whizomatic detector. Forgot to mention it weighs ten pounds when suspended from the end of a pole! Developed tennis elbow in ten minutes and would "pin point" a fine point about the size of a five gallon bucket. Excellent if you have wheels for it and a pair of posthole diggers or perhaps a backhoe.

#4 A "digging" knife made of fine pot metal imported from Pakistan. The description speaks for itself. The edge can be finely honed to the sharpness to cut warm oleo. When the wooden handle is left in the sun it exudes a sticky substance with the odor of rancid butter....or is that a byproduct of cutting warm oleo?

And many many more I am sure. Would like to hear your fantastic buys. Monty

 

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[EDDE]

Re: The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldn't live without?

stud finder
ace 250
leash relic shovel
the 5 cheap to unbreakable garden trowels
a leash hand digger i broke

 

[boogeyman]

Re: The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldn't live without?

Make / build my own! Exactly what I want, good materials. If it does break it's repairable. Why pay $50 for a tool I can make for $9 and do a better job to boot?

 

[BuckleBoy]

Re: The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldn't live without?

When I first started MDing I was overwhelmed by the amount of nifty tools or gadgets I could buy to make my hunt more successful. Didja' buy any that were absolutely crap? I did!
#1. Handy Dandy giant garden trowel from Wal-Mart. Saved myself a bundle, yessiree by buying this tool instead of a real digging tool. First time out the metal handle that was spot welded to the blade bent almost double. Not to worry. I just bent it back into shape and SNAP! Yep, broke right off at the weld rendering a perfectly good $3.95 digger into crap, or should I say crappe?

#2. A set of coin probes. No need to dig a plug when you can probe the site with one tool and expertly extricate the coin with the other! Whoopee! Only problem is that I have probed dozens of sites and never found one coin yet! I can't tell a rock from a coin , or a bottle cap , or a 1942 Buick! Oh, and when you put it into your shirt pocket point up, don't look down. Yes it will poke you in the eye! And yes, if you put it into your pocket point down it will poke a hole in your pocket! Crappe!

#3. A extra large, deep penetrating coil for your Whizomatic detector. Forgot to mention it weighs ten pounds when suspended from the end of a pole! Developed tennis elbow in ten minutes and would "pin point" a fine point about the size of a five gallon bucket. Excellent if you have wheels for it and a pair of posthole diggers or perhaps a backhoe.

#4 A "digging" knife made of fine pot metal imported from Pakistan. The description speaks for itself. The edge can be finely honed to the sharpness to cut warm oleo. When the wooden handle is left in the sun it exudes a sticky substance with the odor of rancid butter....or is that a byproduct of cutting warm oleo?

And many many more I am sure. Would like to hear your fantastic buys. Monty

LOL! I fell victim to #2. Then I lost all of my probes over time. Nothing says "I was here before you and I worked this site out already" like a lost coin probe.

Actually my Pakistani knife has done quite well for the 12 or so years that I've used it. 8 buck auction purchase and I couldn't do without it.


Regards,


Buckles

 

[Gypsy Heart]

Re: The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldn't live without?

Too funny....but I feel sorry for you boys that lost your probes ....but My stud finder worked like a charm .....Pakistani knife snapped in half....the plastic digger and relic bag (big enough for four pulltabs) that came with detector were useless....

 

[BuckleBoy]

Re: The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldn't live without?

Too funny....but I feel sorry for you boys that lost your probes ....but My stud finder worked like a charm .....Pakistani knife snapped in half....the plastic digger and relic bag (big enough for four pulltabs) that came with detector were useless....

Just goes to show that the guys that come up with the marketing schemes (*FREE* stuff!) AND the guys that write the instruction manuals have never actually used a detector...

 

[EZrider]

Re: The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldn't live without?

Fell victom to most here, one thing is the probe though. In grass park areas, shallow coins surface to say 1 in deep there handy. They are nice to mark the pinpoint spot as well as pining back the sod flap. In some stats and some parks you cant use a digging tool to dig a plug only a probe/screw driver.

 

[boogeyman]

Re: The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldn't live without?

Too funny....but I feel sorry for you boys that lost your probes ....but My stud finder worked like a charm .....Pakistani knife snapped in half....the plastic digger and relic bag (big enough for four pulltabs) that came with detector were useless....

That's my other gripe they give you a pretty much useless goodie bag with the brand name in huge lettering across it. Now my way of thinking is, They should be sending me a check every month for advertising Don cha think?

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

Re: The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldn't live without?

I fell victim to an folding army shovel. It is no longer with us - or me - it broke.

Of course, I may have helped it break, after about the 5th time it came unscrewed and jammed my hand while I was digging and it was folding back up - fast.

Darn thing couldn't swim, either.

B

 

[Cynangyl]

Re: The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldn't live without?

rofl Oh my goodness Monty I laughed myself silly! I can so picture the whole thing. I was reading throught he replies and chuckling and then came across Beth's story of the shovel and totally lost it! roflmao Couldn't swim...imagine that!

 

[Pepper2004]

Re: The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldn't live without?

ditto on #2.

My down fall was\is aprons. I probably own 10. Finally found one that does the job in a hardware store in another state. Even now every time i see an apron i have to check it out and try it on. Mr. Pepper gives me THE look and I put them back on the shelf.

Monty, you had me rolling with laughter and Mrs. O I had a mental picture of that shovel trying to swim....rofl....

 

[Monty]

Re: The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldn't live without?

Yeah I fell for that "$150 worth of free stuff with my order for a detector". I figure the $150 free stuff was really worth about five bucks. I got one plastic pouch that looked neat, fitted to a wide nylon belt about size 28 when I am about a size 38! Then one of the cotton pouches both straps let go when I tried to tie them together. And that Pakistan butter knife was a freebie too. Last time I ordered I asked the to take the $150 off the price and keep the "free" stuff. I got neither as a result! About the best thing you can do with all that free stuff is toss it into the trash can immediately after getting it. But I guess you could sell it on EBay because some folks will buy anything (thanks Burdie)! Monty

 

[Eu_citzen]

Re: The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldn't live without?

I have been victim of the number 3 with my GTI 2500 and the 12.5" imaging coil.

I have a 14" for my DFX and the weight is not to bad I can swing it for multiple hours without any problems.
Pinpoints excellent to.

#4 a digging knife but a tactical army knife works excellent only I can't use it as it scares the $hit out of people


I did got some cheap garden shovels the small ones with plastic handles and it still holds strong!
I just sharpened it. lol

 

[ivan salis]

Re: The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldn't live without?

oh a "top quality" chinese made combo ---digging item / pickhead type item--bought in a "surplus" store with good feelings by my cousin as a gift for me (yes he really does like me)-- when we went detecting togerher-- he took the "gift" and to show me just how useful it would be went to dig the first item we found ---- upon it first use this wonderful bit of total crappe went SNAP and broke its "plastic" screw type" tighting lock down nut thus making it 100% totally useless --- my cuz was less than happy -- he said *&^%$ five bucks wasted!! P O S --while flight testing it -- it did not fly well nor swim either as it landed in the river never to be seen again---(I then passed him my trusty beat up ole "gator digger" to dig with) ---- trust me it was funnier in person, guess you had to be there --- Ivan

 

[La Beep]

Re: The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldn't live without?

Don't really know if this qualifies as a tool or not, I say yes because I did not have to dig!

I had a dog once who loved to go detecting with me. Once I found a target and knelt down to start digging my silly dog would run over and take over the digging for me. Now I know you thinking whats the down side to this --- a target digging dog..... But be in the wrong place when she take over a have a face full of dirt, Place your detector in the wrong place and it would get buried, Most disturbing was she would not stop at the target, just sling it out with the rest of the flying dirt so you would have to re-search the trailings to find your target. And last but not least never could train her to refill her own holes.....

Maybe I should start breeding and training them... Who wants one?

 

[NGE]

Re: The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldn't live without?

Probes and knives for me, probes bend and knife broke. Custom made knife, on my 2nd. one now, (lost first one) I am a retired autobody man (42 years) I had been saving all my worn out autobody metal finishing file blades, so I just formed blade shapes, with extra long tangs, went out to woodpile, got a couple birdseye maple tree branches (for the handle) bent on a slight left angle (the tang) so finished knife would be suited for a right hander. Going on 15 years with same knife. Probes, don't use 'em, have Sun Ray probe on my Minelab XS. Now, about my digger. While it is not custom made, it has been altered. I went down to my local Home Depot and bought a 4 inch trencher shovel, cut the handle down to about 3 ft. long, and put a "D" grip on the end. It works great, I don't have to try to get down on my worn out knees, and worry about how in God's name I was going to get back up. The shovel makes nice 4 inch diameter plugs, or how big ya need 'em. Because of the angle of the blade, when making plug it provides a plunging step.

 

[Monty]

Re: The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldn't live without?

notgettinany, I was given one of those trenching shovels and have been wondering what the heck I was going ot use it for. Mine seems kinda' flexible toward the tip. Have been thinking about cutting it off a few inches to perhaps strengthen it and do something similar to yours......when I get around to it . Monty

 

[Highmountain]

Re: The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldn't live without?

I've been a sucker for a lot of that, but I trumped them all in the 1990s. One was, I think, called a 'Gold Spear'. A person could push it into the ground and when it made physical contact with gold particles it would buzz, blink, ding, something of that sort.

Unfortunately the pushing it into the ground in traps and other likely spots tended to break the probe off the top with the instrumentation if you put any pressure on it. But that's okay because the chances of physically contacting a nugget in a glory hole with a 1/2 inch diameter probe is zilch. Zilch to the tune of $895 US dollars a decade ago.

Then there's the hotshot Keene Engineering drywasher that allows a person to put moist material through the grizzley because it blows hot air and dries it. Big name-brand company manufactures this piece of hockey. After no time at all no air at all comes through the bottom because the moist, cementicious sand particles plug every pore. Can't remember whether that double-extra-heavy device cost $795 or $1495 plus shipping.

I'd rather have confined myself to a few Pak knives and busted shovels.

Jack

 

[Monty]

Re: The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldn't live without?

Jack, you poor soul! You musta' had gold fever really bad! I can't top that! Monty

 

[Highmountain]

Re: The absolutely most worthless MDing gadget you just couldn't live without?

Jack, you poor soul! You musta' had gold fever really bad! I can't top that! Monty

Monty:

A unique situation I was trying to get around where the tools 'normally' used didn't fit the conditions. A correspondent in Texas had a Gold Spear he claimed he'd used under a somewhat similar circumstance so I decided to try it without doing a lot of heavy thinking ahead of time. I'd put out requests for anyone with experience with the thing on several TH forums of the day and the only responses came from people who'd used it in soft mud [Georgia comes to mind] and seashore, and were looking for larger objects than I expected to find. None reported the problem with the 'box' at the top breaking off. I'd have probably figured that one out if I'd been more skeptical. Gold fever, thinks I, is in the eye of the person using the phrase. What I had was the need for a tool that probably hadn't yet been invented [though it has now].

As for the drywasher, I don't believe I could have anticipated the problems with it. I trusted the supplier/designer that it would do what they claimed and didn't give enough consideration to the difficulties of getting it to and from a location as severe as the one I had to take it to. If heavy thinking ahead of time could have avoided the purchase that probably would have been the direction it had to come from. But the clogging of the pores to allow it to function as a drywasher was systemic and probably would be so in all conditions. The solution is to drywash only when the material is entirely dry.

Probably every person on this forum has spend a lot of money on equipment. I happened to pick a couple of white-elephants because of my tomfoolery, not because mine was a particularly severe case of 'fever'.

Thanks for the reply,
Jack