You need a metal detector to give you a good target, but once you’ve found that signal, you’ll need more than your detector to retrieve it. You’ll need sturdy hand trowels, digging knives and shovels at your disposal.

You don’t want to try to get by with the rigid plastic hand trowels you see advertised for a dollar each. On the surface, this might sound like a great deal. You could buy a handful of these and keep them in your vehicle or in your metal detecting bag and you’ll always have one handy when you need one.

You should scratch that plan. I’m living proof those hand trowels won’t work for metal detecting. I used those for more time than I care to admit when I first started detecting. I could only dig three or four inches into softer soil with them. Continue reading →