I needed a good spade that could fit into a large bag, so i though a good quality fold away spade would do the trick. I had a look around on eBay and came accross a spade that seemed to be just what i needed. I went ahead and bought it. When it came i made time to go out and do some metal detecting, i really wanted to use this spade, it folded up to about 9 inches, and when fully extended out it was about 26 inches.
It seemed like a good quality spade to begin with, but after about 1 hour it was totally useless. I came accross some roots while digging, and i thought this high quality spade, with it's serated edge would slice through roots like butter! How wrong i was..The spade just gave way, bent all the way over on itself! I bent it back to it's original shape but it was too late..The joints that attach the spade head to the shaft have now come loose, so now it's unusable. I made contact with the seller on eBay, told him how long the spade lasted and he gave me my money back, and rightly so. I wouldn't mind if i had had the spade for a week or two, then it broke, that would be fair enough, but after an hour!
One word of warning: Do not buy a fold away spade. All of the ones i have seen on eBay have the same joints that attach the spade head to the shaft, there not strong enough to last, in some cases not even an hour. Get yourself a proper spade. I managed to get another spade from eBay, which is very good, the spade head and shaft are all in one, so there's no joints that can pop or weaken under pressure. It's been excellent to dig with.
Here is my bent spade! Bear in mind that it's meant to be straight.
14 comments:
What spade do you use or reccommend?
I want to start metal detecting.
Hi there, I actually bought my mini spade from ebay. I paid around £12 all together. Its a great spade, well worth the money. Its called the DRAPER 57569 - MINI SHOVEL / SPADE - FIBERGLASS HANDLE. Its a mini spade not full size, so just what i needed, perfect for metal detecting. It has been made well, never bent under pressure, and thats saying something as im a pretty heavy handed guy, specially when digging for treasure. The spade is great. I leave it in the boot of my car as you never know what it might be needed. Goodluck on choosing the right spade for your needs, and goodluck with your metal detecting. Peter
Is the Buffalo Spade anygood for metal detecting?
Hi, Hi-5, no pun intended lol.
I beleive the buffalo spade is specifically made for metal detecting. I think some metal detector companys throw it in for free if you buy a specific metal detector. I'm not sure how reliable or durable it is because i haven't actually used it. It must be ok though if the detector companys are stocking it. If i were you i would buy a mini Draper spade like mine. It was made for the construction industry, which is why it's so strong. Or look for some pictures of the buffalo spade online to check if it looks strong, and is not connected by joints or rivets that will give way pretty easily.
Kind regards
Peter
I use a draper myself when detecting, very good quality spade
Buffalo Round Point is given away with some metal detector purchases. dont be put off by that. the spade is reliable
I need to get a lighter spade. Mine is made from hardened steel, no chance of it bending! It's like something used in the 1940's. Solid but a pain to carry when metal detecting
them fold away spades are no good. waste of money
buffalo spade very good
Someone said the Garrett Ace 250 was useless........What! Are you using a real ace250 ? if so they are far from useless. Its the best detector in that pricerange handsdown
METAL DETECTING SPADES - USE A JCB DIGGER! LOL
a knife can be just as effetive as a spade
buffalo spade
Draper metal detecting spade
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