Lesche Digger vs. Trowel

[ollievon]

I'm struggling whether I should invest in a Lesche digging shovel (Piranha or Raven), but also wondering if bringing either to a park may draw unwanted attention. All of you in the forum understand the need of a tool like this (dried out turf during summer months, nasty roots, etc.), but I'm concerned that it might give others the wrong idea since it looks more like I would be digging bigger and deeper holes, as opposed to my Gator hand trowel.

Thoughts?

 

[Ice Scratcher]

Dried out turf, hot summer days = water scoop!!

<*)))>{

 

[Jay Sav]

I agree with ice. I don't like cutting plugs in the summertime .. Time to hit the swimming holes. I would choose the lesche any day over any other trowel. Just keep it sheathed when not using it, and if approached by cops or anything, always refer to it as a "garden tool"

 

[GroundSweeper]

I use a fiskers which pretty much looks like a big ol dagger

Have not had any problems using it. I do not swing it around or anything, keep a low profile.

 

[airscapes]

I have the lesche and would not want anything lesser..
As to summer time, I have not owned my MD long enough to know for sure, but once the bugs get going, I won't be using the MD to do any turf hunting.. Seems to me that is a fall-winter-spring thing.. Besides the heat and insects, you can not go around digging plugs in the middle of July/August without killing the grass.. at least in the philadelphia area. I guess if rain is perdicted that afternoon or next day you could but I wouldn't do my own lawn then so certainly won't go to a park. You can not go wrong with the lesche, use it in the garden to plant everything and is worth having just for that.

 

[silverchef]

Big shovels in the park are BAD ideas. The regular lesche works great. Do your parks have some wooded areas? I would hit these with a big shovel when it gets dry. I use the sampson t handle shovel or piranha in the woods and works great. Lots of good stuff in the adjacent woods

 

[beeryboats]

I'm new to the hobby and was wondering what tool to buy. I might start out this weekend, if my AT Pro shows up tonight, just using a small hand shovel the wife uses in the garden.

 

[Surf Master]

No problem down here

Up North its a No No, those guy's in Ct told me to leave the shovels home, bought a lesche hand digger for the trip, never did get out land hunting, so it depends were your hunting, Earl

 

[SafeMode]

Maybe it's because of my area, but I never had an issue with a "big shovel". I don't even consider this big, and when I walk I keep the T handle under my armpit and grasp the foot foot rest with my hand. You can't really tell I'm walking with it as it is vertical with my body.

I used this pic twice today, sorry for those who had to endure it twice

 

[matthias]

Hey there. Generally anything that can be labeled a shovel should not be used in public because of the immediate perception of on-lookers as to what you are obviously going to do with it. I use a Lesche digger in public and keep the sheath in my finds pouch so nobody can see I'm carrying a "big knife" until I kneel down and quickly take it out to dig a plug and put it back. I have a Samson 31" T-handle shovel which is awesome but I only use it in the woods or on private property with permission. When summer weather dries out the dirt and the grass turns brown its time to not hunt public or school property because no matter how clean you dig your plug one of two things is bound to happen. 1) At night, critters like coons and skunks will find your plugs and dig them up while looking for food. In the morning your plugs are destroyed and look terrible. 2) When commercial lawn mowers pass over dried out plugs they can easily rip them up into the mower blades chopping them in a million pieces thus totally exposing all your digs. This can easily happen even when you dig a three sided plug. I've had both these scenarios happen to me during my first couple years of detecting. I was devastated seeing the damage I was responsible for. When conditions are like this its time to hunt in the woods, water, sand beaches or private property. This has been my experience. Hope it helps. GL and HH. Matt

 

[ollievon]

Again, and why I love this forum, thanks for your input and opinions! So, since I will be hunting woods almost the entire summer a Lesche Sampson or Piranha seems the way to go.

I have a Gator digger trowel which I got from Kellyco when I got my Minelab, it's ok, but the grip is tearing at the top from all the pressure of pressing down (just like all my other trowel handles).