build quality
What do you dig with? Lesche, Hori Hori, Etc...?
- Thread starter TheIVJackal
- Start date
build quality
jthorne
Junior Member
Found this little Gem at Lowes
Pretty nice little digging tool for the price, has serrated cutting edge, and straight cutting edge, and 1 inch increments for measuring depth.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_368597-302-2332200_0__?productId=3646652&Ntt=true+temper
Pretty nice little digging tool for the price, has serrated cutting edge, and straight cutting edge, and 1 inch increments for measuring depth.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_368597-302-2332200_0__?productId=3646652&Ntt=true+temper
DixieLandMan
Elite Member
Used a Gator tool for 2 years and recently got a Lesche. I still use the both of them.
BeeMan458
Junior Member
Out of curiosity, how is it the contractor grade tools I made a living with, digging in the dirt, all day long, didn't cause me any trouble and it seems MD'g digging tools are held up as if they're better? Is it really that these are MD'g digging tools and it's passe to purchase contractor grade tools? "Oh, you use contractor grade tools?" Is this really a bias thing?
The point, none of my contractor grade tools broke under contractor grade service. I didn't have time to baby tools and I didn't have time to run around in the middle of the day replacing/repairing digging tools. Maybe after twenty years of weathering from being exposed to the elements in the back of a truck, the base of the handle finally gives in. But that's to be expected out of a wooden handle that has served faithfully for a couple of decades and rewarded by being tossed unceremoniously into the back of the truck, to be used again at morning light.
I used these tools to dig six foot and eight foot drain/sewer trenches, remove trees, dig foundations and install wood fence posts in hard Summer baked soils. These tools don't break in the garden, they don't break on the job and professionally, provided me with the money to survive into a nice retirement. What makes contractor grade tools inferior? Why the bias against quality, contractor grade tools? Why can't I go into Big Box hardware stores, buy their top end product lines like Corona and Kobalt and not made to feel like I'm bringing shame on myself....."Oh, you're one of those kind."
...
(it's an honest question as this type of bias doesn't make a person feel comfortable discussing tool choices)
Steve77
Elite Member
I agree with you BeeMan. It seems some bias runs pretty deep, and some egos are a bit swelled. I tend to be pretty objective about purchases. You don't always need to spend the most to have something great!
This is a hobby, a luxury, not a necessity so manufacturers can assume you have disposable income if you are spending on detecting. Some consumers will spend like crazy to have "The Best" of everything. I can't afford it.
Some of the people in this hobby are on a shoestring budget, like myself, and prefer to find the best value, which means not buying the best there is but buying something built adequately for our needs, not overbuilt, overhyped or overpriced.
I underestimated the Fiskars digger, even though I read good things about it. Then one day I hunted with a forum member who had one. I tried his out and needless to say I bought 2 of them before my next hunt. I loaned one to a guy who has been detecting 40 years, and he bought one too! I don't think anyone who has given a fiskars and a Leshe a fair shake can Honestly say the fiskars isn't a good tool.
I'm not saying that no one should own the "best", but if you want to enjoy the hobby on a more modest budget there are some good quality, great value options out there. The Fiskars digger is definitely one of them! I have 20 years experience in construction, and can abuse tools as good as anyone, but I haven't been able to even bend the tip on my digger.
This is a hobby, a luxury, not a necessity so manufacturers can assume you have disposable income if you are spending on detecting. Some consumers will spend like crazy to have "The Best" of everything. I can't afford it.
Some of the people in this hobby are on a shoestring budget, like myself, and prefer to find the best value, which means not buying the best there is but buying something built adequately for our needs, not overbuilt, overhyped or overpriced.
I underestimated the Fiskars digger, even though I read good things about it. Then one day I hunted with a forum member who had one. I tried his out and needless to say I bought 2 of them before my next hunt. I loaned one to a guy who has been detecting 40 years, and he bought one too! I don't think anyone who has given a fiskars and a Leshe a fair shake can Honestly say the fiskars isn't a good tool.
I'm not saying that no one should own the "best", but if you want to enjoy the hobby on a more modest budget there are some good quality, great value options out there. The Fiskars digger is definitely one of them! I have 20 years experience in construction, and can abuse tools as good as anyone, but I haven't been able to even bend the tip on my digger.
BeeMan458
Junior Member
I like to think of it as getting the best economic rate of return on my investment. In construction, one does not economically benefit, buying tools that constantly break.
Steve77
Elite Member
I agree. Tools are an investment. I buy the cheapest tool that has the featiresi need. Durable, reliable, comfortable, practical and foes every job I ask it to. names mean nothing to me.
Fieldhunter
Senior Member
I agree with Steve77, I have a Fiskars brand and it suits my needs as well, I did run a bead of gorilla glue across the front side (the back is welded) just for insurance but its hard to beat at $7 (walmart) vs the 6X cost for the other brands..
Steve77
Elite Member
Now if only we could find a pinpointer with similar value! I use 2 centechs. One is usually broke down and I use the other one til I get the broken one fixed. I'm afraid at $15 on sale it still isn't competition for the garrett Propointer. Some times you DO need to spend more money to get high quality. I am saving every piece of clad until I can afford to buy a Propointer.
BeeMan458
Junior Member
In a perfect world.
Last night my cordless mouse of several years......died. Last night I replaced this dead mouse with a mouse our son rejected. Last night I surfed the web with a rejected mouse and it's doing just fine.
Cost to get back online, zero.
T-Man
Elite Member
I had the fiskars for about 3 weeks. Was working really good and was happy with it until the handle just snapped off. Wasn't even putting any pressure on it at the time. Went out and bought the Garrett edge digger after that. Though not the sharpest out there, (spose if I had a grinder that could be fixed easily enough) It still does a good job and hold ups alot better. Was still cheaper then the leshe which I the bank acount didn't allow for at that exact minute though I could of probably waited until payday. (not enough patients for that) Over all happy with the Garrett.
where were contractor grade tools even mentioned
but if ya wanna compare then I do consider my lesche contractors grade compared to a fiskars, I've used many different digging tools over the years and out of all them my lesche has held up the best.......if I find something that transports easily and would out work my lesche then i'd buy it (my other tool is a 31' Sampson T handle)hunter081
Elite Member
I use a brand called Cane Corso. Digs very well, heavy duty and goes through roots vs
Better than any lesche. Only problem it's $4,000 and 158lbs
Diggers are easy to make. You can even split a pipe and flatten the end out. The end you don't split is the handle. I'll try and round up all my diggers and post a picture. The cheap ones work as good as the expensive ones if you don't try to pry a car out of the ground. Even worn out screwdrivers get a second life as a digger
BeeMan458
Junior Member
where were contractor grade tools even mentioned
Other conversations, other threads. I'm all about quality tools. I'm not all about digging tools for digging tool's sake.
If contractor grade tools can be had and do the job equally well, in my opinion, to encourage their use is a good thing. If someone is a Lesche rep, of course, it's reasonable to expect them to represent their company but if one is a certified nobody like me, it would be reasonable to represent anything that does the job expected of it and if one can find quality products at one-fifth or one-quarter the price, promoting that tool to others makes sense.
I have a Lesche digging tool, so I'm not commenting from a position of sour grapes. I have many other tools I use to dig in the dirt with. None of my non-Lesche tools have caused me reason to not like them.
(and yes, I've purchased a few flimsy tools that were a joke of a gardening tool and are better served in the garbage can.)
The funny thing, one of my digging tools, a wooden handle, claw/trench tool is a ringy-diggy sounding tool that has never caused me to get mad at it when digging the hard, red, mountain, summertime clay. Looks and sounds as cheap as the day is long. Must have paid six dollars, maybe less, for this tool and it works marvelously. Another digging tool of choice is a Corona, hand trowel. It comes with a lifetime warranty, is a single, cast aluminum trowel; No. CT3010. On Amazon, I see one complaint of a broken tip and another complaint, their hands didn't find the handle comfortable. This makes the complaint a personal one as I usually dig in the dirt with gloves on. Don't want to hurt my manly-man hands.
My little shovel is a Black&Decker trench shovel (BD1515) that I paid seven dollars for in a discount grocery outlet store.
We just recently received a Fiskars, garden knife, digging tool that we've yet to try out.
Our flashlight of choice is a JETBeam, JET-III M LED flashlight. Powerful enough to overcome the blinding nature of sunshine when trying to flashlight a ground hole in direct sunlight.
My digging pouch, manufactured by CLC Work Gear, 5833, is a cascading, triple bag, two "D" ring, contractor's nail bag. One for digging tools, one for finds and "D" rings to hold the no-name trench/hatchet thingy. The bag has extra pouches for additional tools such as a flashlight, pinpointer and an extra set of batteries. In my opinion, very metal detecting friendly.
So, for our digging in the dirt tools, we have a six dollar, no-name ringy-dingy claw (Garrett wants $32.00 for it's "Retriever Digging Tool" equivalent), an eight dollar aluminum trowel with lifetime guarantee, a seven dollar trenching tool (fiberglass shaft/tempered blade with ten year guarantee) and a yet to be tested Fiskars, 7079 garden knife ($9.00) for a total of $30.00 that will expectedly give us many years of trouble free digging vs the best price one can acquire a single Lesche digging knife for.
A full, four piece digging kit for less than the price of a single Lesche digging tool. In my opinion, that qualifies as value.
(Bag and flashlight are extra.)
Extractor
Elite Member
The difference is like night an day!
I'm not looking to turn this thread into an argument but, IMO
In general, a fair % of the people that have been doing this hobby / sport a while tend to use the professional grade digging tools or build their own custom tools. Most of the digging tools I use I have fabricated up myself because tend to brake the hardware / home stores products.
Steve77
Elite Member
Diggers are easy to make. You can even split a pipe and flatten the end out. The end you don't split is the handle. I'll try and round up all my diggers and post a picture. The cheap ones work as good as the expensive ones if you don't try to pry a car out of the ground. Even worn out screwdrivers get a second life as a digger
I know for prying, it is hard to beat a Stanley wonderbar, or a Vaughn superbar and they can do a little digging in a pinch. They are big and clumsy to carry around in a pouch though.
Ice Scratcher
Elite Member
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2012
- Messages
- 18,347
I cannot afford cheap stuff even with a lifetime warrantee, I cannot afford the time it takes to send it back for another, I cannot afford two, one for a back up, I cannot afford the gas to return it to the store, I cannot afford to keep buying replacements when the cheap junk fails.
It is not even about what is popular either.. A fiskars and even lesche will fail long before the hand digger I use...
http://www.bigboyshobbies.net/metal-detector-accessories/digging-tools/saber-tooth-trowel-12-inch
Never heard of a Sampson failure yet either, I'm loving my 31"...
If I can I try to buy local, buy once, and also buy USA made whenever possible..
Just my $.02
<*)))>{
It is not even about what is popular either.. A fiskars and even lesche will fail long before the hand digger I use...
http://www.bigboyshobbies.net/metal-detector-accessories/digging-tools/saber-tooth-trowel-12-inch
Never heard of a Sampson failure yet either, I'm loving my 31"...
If I can I try to buy local, buy once, and also buy USA made whenever possible..
Just my $.02
<*)))>{
Steve77
Elite Member
As you can see There is a lot of bias on this topic, not many people are objective. We all have reasons for the tools we use, maybe quality, price, country of origin, status symbol, peer pressure, marketing, experience, or even curiosity.
Don't fool yourself. Lesche Is not Indestructible, it is simply durable just like some of the other options. If you can't believe that search "Broken Lesche" from the main forum here. Everyone seems to think a broken lesche must have been abused, but a broken fiskars means all fiskars must be junk? Some people will never admit that any one else's opinion is correct.
I shop for US made whenever practical, but if the markup is unreasonable, I will buy what I can afford, and hopefully use the savings to buy american products unrelated to detecting. I also fabricate or modify using scrap, or discarded items that I can repurpose. Often I can build something in my spare time for nothing, and have better quality than I can buy at any price, and it's American made!
Don't fool yourself. Lesche Is not Indestructible, it is simply durable just like some of the other options. If you can't believe that search "Broken Lesche" from the main forum here. Everyone seems to think a broken lesche must have been abused, but a broken fiskars means all fiskars must be junk? Some people will never admit that any one else's opinion is correct.
I shop for US made whenever practical, but if the markup is unreasonable, I will buy what I can afford, and hopefully use the savings to buy american products unrelated to detecting. I also fabricate or modify using scrap, or discarded items that I can repurpose. Often I can build something in my spare time for nothing, and have better quality than I can buy at any price, and it's American made!
Dirtfishn350
Forum Supporter
Used the Fiskars until I could afford a Lesche. I really like the Fiskars except the V tip, still have it for backup. As for the Lesche it digs a nice plug, but it's hard to scoop out the dirt and PERSONALLY I like the serrated edge of the FISKARS better. I've been looking at the (RAZOR edge gator digger). Just me!
