Sand / Beach Scoops?

[Valens Legacy]

My grandfather used one before and made a modification to how it attaches to the handle.

He drilled it out to a 1/4 inch through the pole/handle and inserted a pin with a clip on it so he could take it apart for the car. Works very well.

[nickelNdimed]

16 hours ago, Joe D. said:

   Steve G. makes some nice one piece, and milti-section carbon fiber scoop handles! Scoops can be tricky, but i would stick to stainless steel for durability! Aluminum bends and wears easily!

   If i recall, Steve H. got one he really likes, from Nokta/Makro i think, under $100! It's somewhere on the forum, but i can't find it! Good luck!!👍👍

The new Nokta seems similar to the Quest Scoopal, tempting but I don’t think they will last based on what I have read. 
 

If I mostly beach hunting and would be shopping differently for stainless scoops and carbon poles with a different budget.  

[nickelNdimed]

16 hours ago, tvr said:

My opinions are: The very coarse thread of the sheet metal type screw they use works well. My concern with a fine thread, is that with salt water, silt and dissimilar metals, you might have a bind where you could break a machine screw and then need to drill it out to be back in business. When traveling I don't want to carry a drill too. If you drilled a thru hole and then used a nut and bolt, that could work.

Edited to add: I used a spray truck bed liner to spray the handle. The bare aluminum did two things I did not like, when wet, it left grey stains over my hands and what ever I was wearing that it rubbed. and it heated up in the sun. The spay on truck bed liner took care of those issues and gave more grip when pulling up a full load of heavy sand, clay and shell.

Yeah, I’ve read the same about the staining. I’ll keep that in mind. Maybe use gloves or coat it like you did later. 
 

They don’t have the Blade in stainless and travel form, just aluminum. And the Pro stainless travel only in 5”

I think I am down to aluminum, travel handle RGT but torn between the Pro 6” and the Blade....

Blade has 7.5” width instead of 6” round, 12” depth instead of 11”,pointed edge instead if blunt, 9/16 holes instead of 5/8” , and it weighs a  little less!  Not sure how it weighs less... hopefully not thiner material.  

Pro 6” might pack easier?  Edge might be a little more durable?  Also $40 less. 
 

Wish I could see them side by side before purchasing but unfortunately not.  

 

[nickelNdimed]

13 hours ago, Valens Legacy said:

My grandfather used one before and made a modification to how it attaches to the handle.

He drilled it out to a 1/4 inch through the pole/handle and inserted a pin with a clip on it so he could take it apart for the car. Works very well.

Yeah, I was thinking worst case if the screw setup fails, I can drill through and use a stainless bolt or some sort of pin and clip setup.

Honestly some sort of spring detent ball type setup would be nice. 

[Rick N. MI]

Nokta scoop is nice having adjustable angle for your handle. That's the first one I've seen that has that. It does look weak though where your foot pushes. I have a heavy duty stainless sand scoop and the back is rounded where I push. A brace on the back would be good. I have another lighter stainless scoop but haven't used it enough. No brace on the back. I saw an aluminum scoop that had a nice brace on the back for pushing. Expensive though on ebay Hybrid Metal Detecting Sand Scoop. 

 

[tvr]

7 hours ago, nickeldNdimed said:

I think I am down to aluminum, travel handle RGT but torn between the Pro 6” and the Blade....

Blade has 7.5” width instead of 6” round, 12” depth instead of 11”,pointed edge instead if blunt, 9/16 holes instead of 5/8” , and it weighs a  little less!  Not sure how it weighs less... hopefully not thiner material.  

You could call them and ask about the thickness and their thoughts on durability. I had the chance to stop in their shop about 5 years ago. Friendly and helpful, even though I had bought their scoops years before. They said they could make the 6 inch round with smaller holes, just let them know. I have put a couple of dings in the 6 inch travel scoop at the bottom of the tip from prying on rocks. A very little light hammer work straightens it up.

Try contacting or calling them.

[tvr]

7 hours ago, Rick N. MI said:

Nokta scoop is nice having adjustable angle for your handle.

I saw that. Would like to hear more feedback from users, but looking at it, it just had the look of one that would bend when stepped on to sink it deep into a clay or wet shell filled sand environment. I'm sure it would do OK in the soft dry sand if there aren't rocks or shell layers to deal with. Also seems like a short nose before you get to the top rim and shaft holding stuff that would hinder burying the scoop deep. Here is a picture:

[tvr]

7 hours ago, nickeldNdimed said:

Honestly some sort of spring detent ball type setup would be nice. 

My opinion is a spring detent type of mechanism is likely to pull past the ball with a deep heavy load in the scoop and the suction around the scoop from the surrounding wet sand, unless all the pull on the handle is from lower than the spring detent level. If you are over waist deep in the water, getting a pull from that low on the handle is not likely.

[kac]

Nokta scoop looks almost like a hybrid of a sand scoop and wire basket. Looks really nice but I have no clue how durable it is.

First scoop get something reasonably priced, for beaches not too small, found larger the better here for sand. Gravel and rocks the wire basket RTG seems bit better but not really scooping and more like rolling rocks out of the way and shaking heavy gravel out.

Lot of guys here with way more beach experience than me that may have better advise.

[Rick N. MI]

Still looks like that wire mesh needs bracing on the back for your foot to push on. Maybe it's supposed be pulled instead of pushed. My scoops are pushed in from the back.