Need a scoop: Stealth vs Stavr

[brncofan]

never had a strvr b4 stealyh would be better i think or the xtreme

 

[All Clad]

Ok, back on track.

Thanks for all the replies. I assume since these are all great scoops, there isn't much to talk about from a technical standpoint.

I went with the Xtreme, which is at a phenomenal price for the package deal.

It may lack a few refinements in the handle based on what I read, but should be miles better than an ash shovel handle...

$100 is nothing to blow off.

 

[Azmodeus]

Really it doesn't matter, you brought OBN into this , ill ask him, Chuck made his own CF shaft, Xtreme sells after market Anderson & Trident, don't know what Stavr makes or sells , you tell me, does it really matter, all my scoops except 1 in SS have Ash handles, however i do like the Anderson, i do wonder if i would like the Trident , what are the differences between the Two? Ps its 220 am here , going to bed, 129 pm low tide to catch, running a Excal Blue , with pp, skullies, and Nel 12x13 Tornado today, the depositors dont come till Mid June, fresh drops are not there , fly over in your jet , and seed my beach with 24k gold, you can drop off a new AQ to boot, cya all tomorrow night.

I have both handles and love both. The new Xtreme Trident is textured for a better grip. Maybe a copied design I'm not sure, but it's a superb handle just like the scoops. All of these guys listed here really make superb products so I wouldn't say you could go wrong with any of them. My friends and I for the last several years used nothing but Sunspot/Stealth scoops and handles and never once had a problem with any of them. One thing I will say, and why I have an Xtreme now is because 3 or 4 months ago I went to buy a new Stealth and was having problems designing what I wanted on the build-a-scoop page of the website. I tried to call, no answer. I sent 3 emails over the course of a week and a half and got no response what-so-ever. 2 weeks later and when I did finally get a response, it didn't even answer any of my questions or provide me with an invoice I asked for to buy a scoop. After that e-mail I was just starting to get irritated but still wanted a new Stealth so I got on here and messaged (Chuck is it?) around the same day he changed his forum name to Owl Engineering. I wrote a few paragraphs about my experience trying to buy a scoop from the website and my email to them and asked if he could help at all. Never got a response back from that either, even to this day. Customer service is a big part of me purchasing something and that's why I have an Xtreme now. Not stirring any pots here, just stating my personal experience that I've had and why I made my choices.

 

[zeemang]

Stavr has worked well for me for years, that little screw is not an issue, that handle will be stuck in there after a few soaks anyway...

 

[Surf Master]

Azmodeus

Thanks for letting me know, i will try Trident on my next order , i think they are also 1 inch longer, yes customer service play's a big roll in who i do business with, i get to personally talk to John , and has time in his day to listen to your needs , great guy , as soon as these ash handles brake, i will order some Trident Cf handles from Xtreme, thanks for letting me know about the Tridents which i havn't tried yet, happy hunting, Earl

 

[Steve]

Stavr has worked well for me for years, that little screw is not an issue, that handle will be stuck in there after a few soaks anyway...

I have mine sealed in the scoop. Makes a world of difference.

 

[Surf Master]

All Clad

Good choice, all good scoops in this thread, sorry for the temporary hi jack , from your choice i can see , you learned , and saw the light through the storm, good luck with your new scoop, chime in from time to time, and let us know how you like it, Earl

 

[CTCurt]

Hi,

I normally sit back and try not to get into the middle of these debates , but enough is enough.

First I am not retired and am now currently designing new products for metal detectors. These products will be released soon.

I did sell the Stealth product line to a great company in LA which is owned by a great guy. It is not an "Asian company".
I am a consultant to them.

I started building scoops 35 years ago and never stopped making improvements.

Yes, there are many copies and I am glad to say that they have defects that I will not reveal the details of here since I am not a consultant for these companies. Why should I help them?

A few Stealth innovations:

First with: Pointed front for easier digging
First with: CNC laser cut mounting tube
First with: Corner gussets
First with: U-Bolt clamping
First with: Laser cut parts
First with: Calling our scoops X-treme
First with: Top mounting tube plugging into the top for stronger mount
First with: Handle clamp (quick release)
First with: Underside screw to secure Carbon Fiber handle
First with: Large under the handle hole for knocking out frozen handle (sand)
First with: Free gloves with scoop
First with: Bottom rear angle relief to make it easier to retrieve your target
First with: Slotted hybrid sifting for catching small items
First with: Hybrid design
First with: 1 3/8” diameter handle for better floating and grip
First with: A true Carbon Fiber handle
First with: Hollow Carbon Fiber handle which is the lightest
First with: Over sized end cap for better gripping
First with: “Fish Scale” grip on a Carbon Fiber handle
First with: Lifetime Warranty
First with: A marked handle for orientation
First with: Internal Ribs for extra strength
First with: Double folded top front
First with: “ToePad”
First with: Design innovations you may not see but make it light and strong

It is costly to innovate due to the time spent and building proto-type "ideas" which sometimes end up a failure.

A few thoughts about the Carbon Fiber handle:

I was the first with it and still have a much superior product. Why? "They" (the company that tried to copy the handle) say they fill with foam to make the handle float

Anyone who knows anything about physics knows that the weight of the displaced water dictates as to how well it floats. The filling of foam ADDS weight. Why use foam? It is simply a way to cut costs. We turned a special end cap to seal out the water. It is much easier to fill with foam and slap on a rubber cover. Stealth also has an exclusive "fish scale" texture which minimizes your hand slipping. SO, copies are rarely the same as the original IF the original is built to the highest standards. Copies MUST be cheaper to sell against the name brand. How do you make them cheaper???? We all know.

There are members here who receive a free scoop and talk them up. Receiving a free scoop does not mean the scoop is good or bad but it is just part of the decision-making process to know they received a free scoop.

So, just a few points to consider when deciding what to buy.

Best of luck to all
Chuck

Thanks for chiming in Chuck.....

 

[Surf Master]

Azmodeus / All Clad

Thanks , i checked out Xtreme's site, John is making new scoops not out of 304 Stainless , but higher grade 314 marine grade stainless , i will be buying some new scoops

 

[Ice Scratcher]

i will be buying some new scoops

<°)))>{

 

[Surf Master]

Gotta

Keep up with Robo Cop , however ill never beat his Excalibur count, maybe OBN 's got him.

 

[itsaring!]

Ok, back on track.

Thanks for all the replies. I assume since these are all great scoops, there isn't much to talk about from a technical standpoint.

I went with the Xtreme, which is at a phenomenal price for the package deal.

It may lack a few refinements in the handle based on what I read, but should be miles better than an ash shovel handle...

$100 is nothing to blow off.

Which one did you get? The rounded fronts are the sand scoops. The V front is for rock/shell. All we have is beach sand like you are talking about. The round front moves more sand. Can't speak for rock diggers because we don't see any rocks in Florida. Only rock you find is at Home Despot

 

[itsaring!]

Thanks , i checked out Xtreme's site, John is making new scoops not out of 304 Stainless , but higher grade 314 marine grade stainless , i will be buying some new scoops

Only problem is they aren't priced out. I know the way we polish a stainless boat prop in Florida is drive the boat through some sand and your stainless prop comes out looking new

 

[itsaring!]

I seen crackbadger posting something cool on this thing call Utube...2006, Outatime was second 2007. Surf digger in Jersey and Me (joe beechnut) were third (2008) with Metal detecting video's!....Now there is so many it's insane.

Remember first seeing yours and GravediggerMax. Max's original vids crashed and he had to reload what he had. Seemed to remember you video'd Max's digging retrieval method once? All about speed! Crackbadger i remember when he got something like nine gold in a day. Also remember his bank change drops riding a scooter with big ziplock bags to the bank

 

[Cfmct]

Which one did you get? The rounded fronts are the sand scoops. The V front is for rock/shell. All we have is beach sand like you are talking about. The round front moves more sand. Can't speak for rock diggers because we don't see any rocks in Florida. Only rock you find is at Home Despot

You can throw a rounded scoop in the garbage up here in CT if you dig in the rocks... they are worthless... I used a modified Stavr scoop in the rocks.. beefed up front end of scoop modified by fsa46 awesome welding Frank and save my Stealth 720i for mud and clay digging.

It amazes me how this thread turned a personal hit job on a former sponsor... it won't happen again let this be a warning to all... keep your personal BS off the threads or plan on going on vacation we are tired of this.

 

[OBN]

Sunspot 720 in action this past Thursday.


Someone asked about my cam setup...
I run a Go Pro hero, Then a cell phone mobile charger with a USB female plug, and that goes under my dry suit and the cable runs out the neck seal. Four hours of nonstop recording, a bigger micro sd card I get 10 hours easy. But most of my hunts are 3 to 4 hours.

 

[OBN]

Remember first seeing yours and GravediggerMax. Max's original vids crashed and he had to reload what he had. Seemed to remember you video'd Max's digging retrieval method once? All about speed! Crackbadger i remember when he got something like nine gold in a day. Also remember his bank change drops riding a scooter with big ziplock bags to the bank

Yes in 2008 and 2009 I was running around videoing several hunters. I did my first video in the winter of 2007/2008 then decided I would shoot others to learn more about the hobby. Max liked the one I did of him so much he started the next year doing his own, he really knew how to draw everyone in, one Kool operator and good person.

 

[Cfmct]

Sunspot 720 in action this past Thursday.


Someone asked about my cam setup...
I run a Go Pro hero, Then a cell phone mobile charger with a USB female plug, and that goes under my dry suit and the cable runs out the neck seal. Four hours of nonstop recording, a bigger micro sd card I get 10 hours easy. But most of my hunts are 3 to 4 hours.

Nice Joe.. did you find the owners yet?

 

[All Clad]

Which one did you get? The rounded fronts are the sand scoops. The V front is for rock/shell. All we have is beach sand like you are talking about. The round front moves more sand. Can't speak for rock diggers because we don't see any rocks in Florida. Only rock you find is at Home Despot

The X1? The pointed one.

Beaches we hunt are sugar sand perfect. So no real need for pointed, but if it helps on the shell build up near the shore line, why not.

 

[Surf Master]

All Clad / OBN

Surf Master X1 that you chose has the max drainage , perfect choice , i have the X3 less drainage , i find in the wet, and water it's great, but taking it to dry sand it is not the best, the X1 is best for DO ALL , good luck with your scoop , happy hunting . Joe congrat's Ring Daddy, your THE MAN