A Survey of Sand Scoops Field tests with pictures of a dozen different sand scoops for metal detecting

(Click on metal detecting to return to the main metal detecting page or on main site to browse 70 other topics ranging from exotic kaleidoscope designs to the strange world of lucid dreaming.)

 
Sand scoops are such great time savers that many people consider them an essential accessory for metal detecting. During a recent outing to the beach the members of the club I belong to let me test several different models to see how they worked. Here's what they look like and my impressions of them:

I found the handle of this metal scoop to be too high resulting in wrist strain. Also, even dry sand didn't sift through very fast.

The low profile handle on this plastic scoop made it comfortable to use. The wide mouth grabbed a lot of sand. But, the thick, blunt leading edge caused drag and even the driest sand was extremely slow to sift out.

Like many sand scoops, this model 1/2-inch hardware cloth for the screen. It was light and easy to use but the handle could have been lower. Dry sand falls through the screen quickly and even damp sand passes through without too much shaking. The problem with this and the first two scoops is that you have to bend far down to use them.

Essentially the same sand scoop as above but with a longer handle and oriented so that instead of pushing the scoop into the same, you drag it toward you. The angle of the handle is set so that the scoop digs itself into the sand. The handle is long enough so that you can use it without having to squat in a deep-knee bend. The down side is that to sift the sand out, it has to be rotated 180-degrees. This may not sound like a big deal, but that's twice the number of movements needed to use the first three scoops and could get to be a hassle after several hours of digging.

This is the same idea as the above scoop, except that the handle has been bent back so that it can be used in either drag or push mode. It's an interesting concept but I found that by trying to make it do two things, it did neither very comfortably.

Now we're getting into the Cadillacs of sand scoops. The full-length handle on this one allows the user to push it into the sand with a foot, eliminating the necessity of bending. It works well, but it also weighs three times as much as the others. The question to be answered is: "Is it easier to carry the weight or use something lighter and do a lot of bending?"

The model above also allows the user to detach the sifting head for use as a conventional sand scoop.

BUT!!! My favorite sand scoop was.....

....this strainer from a deep fat frier. The wire handle was much too weak to use, so the basket is held cupped in the hand. Imagine using a cereal bowl to scoop dirt and you'll get the idea. What I liked about it was that the fine wire used to make the screen allowed damp sand to fall through almost as fast as dry sand fell through hardware cloth sifters. This was the only sifter that worked quickly in wet sand. Also, by holding it like a bowl, the wrist was much closer to the center of pressure (drag from the sand) so strain was minimized. Finally, the bowl-method of holding it allowed the user to scoop sideways, which is a more natural movement for the wrist than the pushing or shoving motion of scoops with handles. Now, if I just didn't have to bend down to use it.

Return to Metal Detecting Page