Lesche Sampson T-Handle Shovel ......18" Mini or 31" ?

davemercier said:

I went with the 36" length, after testing my height with a yard stick, and i've found it to be perfect for me. I'm 5' 11" tall, wear 30" to 32" inseam pants and the shovel will still clear the ground in one of those T handle holsters by about 3". I really like the no bending over much as i'm also 67, but it's really not an issue either way. I suppose getting up and down all day would trash me pretty good though. I've only dug plugs for a couple of hours at a time so far.

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Even before I got the shovel and had to get down to dig every plug start to finish it didn't cause me any problems, sure I was tired after about 2 1/2 hours, but most of that was likely from the heat and humidity.

So the advantage I like about the shovel is not merely being able to dig standing up, but that I can dig plugs a lot faster with the shovel than the handheld digger.

I'm going to see if I can make a homemade shovel holder using a piece of large diameter PVC pipe I have sitting around, I'll post a thread with some pics after I get around to making it.

Silversmith45 said:

How do you people retrieve your targets without getting down to do it?

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I can sometimes retrieve targets if they are shallow finds, or if when you flip a plug and use your pinpointer it's easily reachable.

oaktree said:

Have them both - I like the smaller shovel when I'm in a park or somewhere more crowded. I love the bigger model if I am in a field or a large park where I can easily flip the plug over while standing with the bigger shovel. You will love the Lesche, they cut so well and are extremely durable!

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So far I haven't had a problem using the 31" shovel in public, but the parks in our small town have been pretty empty when I've gone to detect.

I had a chance today to try out the serrated edge on a roughly pencil size root going thru the hole I was digging and it worked !

Lesche Sampson T-Handle Shovel ......18" Mini or 31" ?

Silversmith45 said:

How do you people retrieve your targets without getting down to do it?

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Dig the plug, scan with detector to see if the target is in the plug or in the hole.. If still in the hole, shovel out more dirt and keep scanning with the detector until it’s out. Then bend over and pick it up. If in the plug, I just bend over with my pinpointer to quickly locate it. I rarely get on my knees, and I limit the amount of time I’m bent over as much as possible by doing most of the work with the long handled shovel. I even use my feet to rake the dirt back in the hole and roll the plug back in place. This method is a little awkward at first but it gets easier with practice.


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Rattlehead said:

Dig the plug, scan with detector to see if the target is in the plug or in the hole.. If still in the hole, shovel out more dirt and keep scanning with the detector until it’s out. Then bend over and pick it up. If in the plug, I just bend over with my pinpointer to quickly locate it. I rarely get on my knees, and I limit the amount of time I’m bent over as much as possible by doing most of the work with the long handled shovel. I even use my feet to rake the dirt back in the hole and roll the plug back in place. This method is a little awkward at first but it gets easier with practice.


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Neat ideas ! Thanks for sharing, the faster we can retrieve a target, the more more targets we can get to !

How do you like the shovel? 31”?

I have the 31 and just bought the 18”

Love and use my lesche hand digger mostly.

I like my 18 mini. Works great, is small enough to slide into my pouch and does not call attention to itself like larger shovels do.

GroundSweeper said:

How do you like the shovel? 31”?

I have the 31 and just bought the 18”

Love and use my lesche hand digger mostly.

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I have not used my Lesche in years after getting a Sampson. Maybe once, in a pristine landscaped yard. Not a Lesche slam at all. I just can't imagine getting on my knees that much anymore.

Rattlehead said:

Dig the plug, scan with detector to see if the target is in the plug or in the hole.. If still in the hole, shovel out more dirt and keep scanning with the detector until it’s out. Then bend over and pick it up. If in the plug, I just bend over with my pinpointer to quickly locate it. I rarely get on my knees, and I limit the amount of time I’m bent over as much as possible by doing most of the work with the long handled shovel. I even use my feet to rake the dirt back in the hole and roll the plug back in place. This method is a little awkward at first but it gets easier with practice.


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Exactly!