The Minelab Digger . . . . is this a sign of Minelab quality?

[E-Trac001]

Not sure if anyone else had had a chance to try out the Minelab-branded digging tool that I guess is supposed to look like a Lesche digger . . . . but I picked one up for $40 to go with my E-Trac.

I was a little surprised to see the large "Made in China" sticker in the plastic bag it came in as well as the stamping on the back of the blade but the proof would be in how well it performed in the field so off I went . . . . and after 30 minutes of digging plugs in a grassy yard, it wound up bending as shown in the picture.

Has anyone else had a similar experience with their Minelab digger? It was only used in grass and the ground was not that hard so having a tool bend like this was unexpected.

I had thought that with the Minelab logo it would be solidly built but I was quite disappointed. I've placed an order for a Predator which should hold up to anything it might see.

Thoughts?

 

[Nick A]

Haha, no surprise. I knew those looked shoddy. The only real Lesche is a Predator or a Lesche.

Lucky it bent rather than snapped... could have caused real injury.

 

[dirt doctor]

If you have a Slimline coil you can stick that digger in the ground and practice playing horseshoes with them .Hours of fun and eventually they will pay for themselves .

 

[mascard1]

If you have a Slimline coil you can stick that digger in the ground and practice playing horseshoes with them .Hours of fun and eventually they will pay for themselves .

That"s hella funny!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Rick(ND)]

These were freebie Minelab gave out with the purchase of a new Explorer or E-Trac. These were sent to the dealers to give out with the purchase of a new Minelab Detector in 2008 for free. Being they were freebies they will not be the same quality as the Lesche or Preditor diggers even though they are similar looking. This is the first one I seen bend, but sure some others have too as you can see that by the way they are made just like others that look similar, but not a Lesche or Preditors as they are well made and made to last.
Even the free Koss headphones are not made like the reg Koss ones you buy and they too dont last a long time either, but they are free.

 

[D&P-OR]

Tom Peterson used to say in his ads "Free is a VERY GOOD price!!---In this case, free is NOT a VERY GOOD price!!

 

[diggin jimmy hoffa]

The sheath is nice though

 

[JackyPT]

Made in Cina = garbage
Don

 

[gibsondan]

My Kellyco digger bent like that when the ground was still frozen from winter. Got a Lesche now. Hands down - a superior product. It's straight as an arrow after a lot of use.

 

[Andy Sabisch]

Like many of us, at times I have bought something based on price or perceived value and found out that the decision was a bad one . . . and usually when I am miles from home in a productive site watching my partners clean up . . . . .

Digging tools are a perfect example . . . spending a few dollars more for a proven, quality tool makes the whole experience better and improves your success based on being able to recover more per hour.

Years ago all I used was a military surplus K-Bar knife and actually wore the blade down an inch or so with the 1,000's of holes I dug. You could pry out rocks and hack through roots with no problems. Well, the family bought me a new one (brand new stock) as a gift and the first time I used it bent - go figure, is this what the troops get nowadays? I called K-Bar and they said that the specifications had changed and that the one I had was fine as far as they are concerned - which is why I still have it in the box it came in used just that one time.

I currently use a great digger from Texas Treasure Hunting Headquarters (do not think they are still produced) and 1,000's of holes later, the only thing I can see is that the metal has been shined from use - no bending, no flexing. The Lesche and Predator tools are made from the same mold . . . rugged, solid and made to hold up to the rigors we put them to.

There are probably other high-quality diggers - how about everyone listing what they use in this message - but getting one that will hold up and not frustrate the heck out of you is well worth the little additional cost.

Hate to the see the Minelab digger could not even stand up to grass . . . . . especially with their name and logo so prominent on the sheath.

Andy Sabisch

 

[Steve from Ohio]

I use a Sears mini spade.....it is about 3 foot long and can dig a nice deep hole faster than you can spit. Those little diggers just don't cut it.

With the E-trac, I need a deep digging tool. I can pull a 10 inch plug, find the coin and put the plug back and no one would know the difference.

I was detecting a schools football field and the janitor came out telling me to stop. He saw the clump of dirt I had pulled out plus the spade and was really upset.

I told him I had permission from the school board and that I was also cleaning up all the trash that was laying around. I also showed him how I dig and how I replace the plug. I did not show him the really old gold ring I had found a few minutes earlier.

After I had replaced the plug, he was amazed that he could not tell where I had dug. After that, he was OK with me detecting. As a matter of fact, he told me that I should go to the other school yard and detect there too.

The sears mini spade is a great tool and I can retrieve a target far faster than almost anyone else using small diggers. It's cheap at 10 bucks, lighter than a feather and is guaranteed for life. Can't beat it.

 

[tmanfromtexas]

MIne did that while I was digging in some clay. POS. But my etrac works fine and that is what I spent my money on so its all good. TMAN...

 

[Andy Sabisch]

Being a bit "gun shy" about bringing a digger larger than a Leshe or equivalent to a lawn site (school, park, church, ball field), I was wondering what other feedback you have gotten from people watching you - either officials or interested passerbys?

Is this the shovel you referred to from Sears?

Sears Mini Utility Shovel

Thanks

Andy

 

[diggin jimmy hoffa]

There are probably other high-quality diggers - how about everyone listing what they use in this message - but getting one that will hold up and not frustrate the heck out of you is well worth the little additional cost.

Andy Sabisch

I use the Lesche Hand Trowel, Lesche Samson, and for those really stubborn finds I pullout the big guns

HH
DJH

 

[Balf]

You guys are a bit harsh I reckon, you get a Freebie ( with the best detector known to man) and then whinge ( complain) when it bends. Mines still intact and working well on the hardest , most drought ridden country there is ( Australia)

 

[Andy Sabisch]

I think that is the point he was making . . . free is just that but when you pay $40 which is the suggested price for the tool, you sort of expect it to work better than it did. Having seen them, the digger is more of stamped metal than the hardened steel the other diggers people have mentioned are which explains the way it held up.

Just an observation

 

[Steve from Ohio]

Being a bit "gun shy" about bringing a digger larger than a Leshe or equivalent to a lawn site (school, park, church, ball field), I was wondering what other feedback you have gotten from people watching you - either officials or interested passerbys?

Is this the shovel you referred to from Sears?

Sears Mini Utility Shovel

Thanks

Andy

Hello Andy. Yes that is the one.

I have been in the local city park's baseball diamond and the park ranger came up to me when he saw the spade. He watched as I quickly dug up a coin and then said that he also was a detectorist and that it was really neat how I was able to cut a plug, pop it out, find the coin and then replace the plug and he could not tell where the plug was cut. He said that it the fastest way he's seen yet to dig a coin. And he was really impressed with how I was able to dig the coin and then not able to tell where I was digging.

I have been able to detect private homes and the spade really isn't an issue. They do ask if I will be digging up their grass and making a mess. When I show them how and why I use the spade, they understand. I even let them use my F-75 to sweeten the deal. I have yet to have anyone say no when I ask them if it is OK to hunt their yard if I offer them a chance to find stuff too. Here in Ohio in the city I live, the city was founded in 1809. Lots of older 1800's homes. People know there are old coins in their yards so a chance to find something is pretty high. They just love a chance to find some old coin.



Getting back to the spade........
The plug I cut is usually about 8 to 10 inches deep and about 8 inches square. I cut the plug on all four sides and pop it out is scan the plug with the detector. If the coin is in the plug, I then cut the plugs bottom half off and scan the bottom half with the E-trac. No coin? Then I know it is in the top half. I throw the bottom half back in the hole complete. I then use my pin pointer to find the coin in the grass being careful to keep the plug as complete as possible and not to damage the roots. Even in dry weather, the larger plug seems to stay together better due to all the dirt I am popping out. The plug pops out just like a cork.

After finding the coin or object, I then place the grass top half back exactly as I cut it out. I then heel the top in with my foot. Even if I find trash, it is not really a big deal because I have spent so little time digging it up.

With this little spade, I do not have to bend down much to dig and the plug is usually large enough to have the coin but not too large to look like a major excavation and get people upset. I do not need knee pads and I avoid the sweaty knees that I usually get with the pads. For the majority of the digging I do, I do not have to kneel down with this neat little spade. I've been able to expand the hours of detecting because I am not bending up and down as much. I carry it over my shoulder with my left hand while detecting and I also have a hook on my belt that I can hang it on. It is so light that I can carry it all day and not get tired.

The spade is small enough not to be too noticed and large enough to be usable. I found after quite a few years of detecting spending tons of money on digging tools, this is the perfect answer for me. All for 10 bucks.

 

[JohnTN]

I've been using some little shovels I make same as the Sears shovel just a different brand. I modify them to where I have the option of cutting a smaller plug but seems like our method of digging a plug is quite similar. I detected in Louisville with EddieB a couple weeks ago and he could not believe how neat of a little hole I could dig with the little shovel. I gave Eddie one of my shovels and the last day I was there he could not stop commenting on how great it was. I don't think that people really pay that much attention to the size of the digger used as long as it leaves no trace or mess.

 

[Rick(ND)]

Maybe they do and I am not aware of, but do know they were freebies given out with some of the new detectors. Now if he bought it from a dealer I feel it is wrong as it was to be a freebie, if he bought it from a person that got it as a freebie it would be like anything else a person gets as a freebie mainly cheap made and made in China. These diggers are advertising item is why Minelab name is on them like any other advertising items given away from companies. As far as retail of $40 some will post they are worth is the same as many stores will say a set of headphones retail for $99 and yet you can buy them for $9.95 and made in China. We see this everyday with inflated retail prices for some cheap China made item like some of the mail order company's that give you $295 retail of free items that really is worth $15-$20 at the most with a purchase of a item they sell which is probably marked up $30 for normal.

This is not intended for any one, but I had to say it Andy as it was intended to be a free advertising item and not made to be as good as the best diggers made and those that paid for them are the ones that got took and feel that is not a problem of Minelab, those that got them free with the purchase of a Minelab detector are out nothing and like most free advertising items we know they don't last forever and sometime don't even last the first time out with them.

 

[EddieB]

I like to add a few comments about the little shovel that John modified. It is about 27" long overall, the blade is about 8" L x 6' W, cut down to 4" wide and all I can say is that is makes digging alot easier. The Lesche digger can be left in the trunk! In a manicured lawn, you can cut a nicer cleaner cut plug than with the hand digger. It does not ripe the grass roots like the hand digger does. You can hook it on your belt behind you and that keeps your other hand free. Hey John thanks again for the shovel. HH EddieB