Favorite Digging Tools

I have bought several digging tools that work very well for me. The first is one that I read about, but have not used yet. In the picture you can see it has very sharp serrated edges and it is curved. I got it at Lowes, but they also carry them at Home Depot and most likely other hardware stores. It's about $14.00. It looks like it will do a great job of cutting grass roots. It has a lifetime guarantee and looks indestructible.

The second tool I got at Home Depot for about $13.00. It's really great for packed dirt. It's not one I use where lawn damage could be a problem, but it gets down pretty deep quickly. You just have to be sure your not hitting right over the object you are trying to recover. The pointed end gets through the hard dirt and rocks quickly and the spade end is good for dragging the dirt out of the hole.I put one of those super magnets on the top with a screw for picking up iron objects from the dirt pile. It really can save some time.

The third tool I got from Kelly Co. It was one of those add $10.00 specials you get when you buy a detector. I got it when I bought my X-Terra 70. It works really well for cutting out half circles in the grass and then digging down towards the object you have detected. It's pretty tough, I have not been able to destroy it yet.

When in an area where neatness doesn't count, I still like a small spade, long handled shovel.

Give these tools a try, you'll like them and they hold up well.

Wow...that's quite an arsenal of tools. Do you carry a couple at a time or just select which tool fits what job and carry it alone.

How do you carry it...in a holster, in your belt....

I have my trusty knife i bought at the army/navy surplus store back around 1980. Still got it's leather sheath and carry it in my back pocket, virtually unnoticed. The blade is exactly 5" long so I can judge my depth pretty good with it.
Personally, I've never found a need for anything else.
Al

I also have that small pick. I have used it in frozen ground and thawed ground and its a great little hand tool I recommend it not only for TH but prospecting also. 

I carry the pick type and the Gator blade on my belt. If I'm just hunting lawns, I just carry the Gator. I have not used the new digger with the blue handle yet, but it should be great on the grass. Both edges are very sharp and it's made of thick stainless steel. Should really get through the roots quickly. I also keep a small spade long handled shovel in the truck. If it's not an area with a lawn and I need to go deep, it saves a lot of time.

My Favorite by far is my Lesche digger, cuts through roots,holds a edge and does'nt flex like some on the market

   Rifleman    I use the blue True value digger and I'll tell ya it works great. Be carefull though, use gloves it is sharp.

Wear gloves anyways.  I dug up a rusty razor blade two days ago!  Almost learned about it the hard way!

Love my Lesche, which is a lot like the gator, but only is serrated on one side.  Two things could improve the lesche.  It could be sharper on the serrated blade to get through the tougher roots (I was digging in the woods), and it could be serrated on both sides.

Give the "True Temper" tool a try. It's really sharp on both sides. Cuts right through the roots. If it were a couple of inches longer, it would be perfect. It a very strong tool also, made out of stainless steel and comes with a lifetime guarantee. At about $14.00, it's hard to beat.

Good hunting,  John K

I got a Lesche a few weeks back and I love it...I did have a Gator, up until last week as well, but it finally snapped in two...it seemed to have way too much flex in it...
Baggins

I sharpen the both sides of my Lesche every so often with a fine file to keep it sharp,they keep a edge pretty good.

I agree that the Leshe is the best tool out there. I just hate paying the price they want for one when I've had good luck with other tools. I agree that the gator is no where as good as the Leshe, but the true temper tool is a darn good value. I've noticed that my gator had bent ever so slightly. I'm thinking of running some welding beads down the length and across it and then grinding the welds semi smooth to increase the rigidness of the tool. If that doesn't work, I may end up buying a Leshe. I spent good money for my detector, coils and headphones, Maybe I'm just thinking too cheap when it comes to the digging tool. Digging is one the the most important parts of recovery.

Good hunting,  John K

I can promise you one thing.  You won't be sorry with the Lesche.   I have abused mine in every way I can think of and nothing has happened to it.

IT is one tough tool.  I know someone that has gone through 3 of those tools you have.  The blade is just too flimsy.

The Ames is a great tool until the ground gets really dry  I would like it a little better if it had a rounded tip instead of the split tip.

Good luck.

[Predator digging tools]

Predator digging tools are the tools made by George Lesche now. He used to make Lesche tools but it was the old divorce deal. There is no difference in the tools . He just lost the name and company.  I've got a Lesche with I sharpen with a file. Rob

Predator digging tools all the way boys and girls!!!

Here is what I use and it is fantastic. Combined with my Detectorpro pocket uniprobe There is almost no sign I was even there when I finish. The largest hole I dig is 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches wide on the surface.

Here is what I use and it is fantastic. Combined with my Detectorpro pocket uniprobe There is almost no sign I was even there when I finish. The largest hole I dig is 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches wide on the surface.

that thing looks a bit weird

Check out the video on it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/3in1-EZ-Dig-R-I...ssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Goldfinger]

I'm not sure that's the tool for me.  You have to know the exact depth ahead of time.  I'm not that good and get maybe +/- 2" on the 6" deep coins.  Then you have to be able to lever the tool out.

I bent this one levering a plug in my local hard pan clay/ glacial silt soil and I thought it was the ultimate possible.  I know I'd bend that shaft with the larger blade.

[X]

 I want bet money it can't be bent, but I have put a LOT of leverage on it so far and I haven't even slightly bent it yet, not all our soil down here is sand. I am sure if you just tried to pry up 6 inches of dry clay you would bend it. Having lived in Missouri for almost 20 years I know what clay is like when it has had no rain in weeks or months.

 Here is the method I found works best for me when I use it. When my detector tells me there is a good target, I use the Detectorpro pocket uniprobe to X the area, I then use the probe to find the depth. I remove the probe, and dig a hole the width of the "tiny" shovel, the uniprobe tells me when i am getting close to the target and also what side of the 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch hole the target is on, the Uniprobe easily detects 3-6 inches and is dead on accurate so you know exactly where the target is.

 Where the Ez-Dig-R earns its cost and really excels is in digging areas that you might normally not be able to dig with out fear of being kicked out. I have had city park personnel walk up and watch me digging, then turn and leave and never say a word to me. My surface hole is no wider then a hole a squirrel digs when he buries a nut, and I cut no plugs, so there is no grass to die and no mounds of dirt to give someone an excuse to yell "what the h3ll do you think your doing".

If I am detecting an area where I have no concern about the hole then I will use a regular garden trowel, or my Gator Digger.

The Ez-Dig-R for me is speciality tool I use that really excels when needed, it allows me to hunt areas I might other wise not be able to hunt, or not be able to hunt with out constantly looking over my shoulder.

Good luck and good hunting..............

The Lesche digging tool gets my vote.

The Lesche digging tool gets my vote.

I have a Lesche I bought 2 years ago when I first started detecting and haven't used it once since getting the EZ-Dig-R.

I don't do a lot of hard land hunting much any more so when I do I stick with my bayonet and screwdriver.  Water now I use the Sunspot scoop.