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Trowels

A metal detectorist needs nothing more than a good trowel. Carrying a digging tool is the only way to get down to whatever treasure our metal detector located, so it is vitally important to carry one. These small hand tools are essentially the same, but each brand will have its own variations and improvements over the others. Kellyco is proud to offer a wide variety of trowels, from hard plastic, to a stainless steel cutting blade that allows you to cut the perfect plug. Please let us help you buy a high-quality trowel at a great price!

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What Is a Trowel?

Most people have heard of or seen a trowel, but for those who have not, it will be explained. Trowels come in all kinds of designs for a variety of tasks. There are gauging trowels, finishing trowels, drywall trowels, brick trowels, and gardening and digging trowels. Kellyco sells digging trowels for the sole purpose of treasure hunting. You will also see soil knives mixed in with the trowels, as they are both hand tools used to dig. Traditional trowels generally come with a durasoft handle and either a heavy duty high carbon steel blade or a heavy duty plastic blade. These trowels generally come without a sheath unless they have a metal blade. Soil knives are built with soft grip handles and either stainless steel or a high carbon steel blade with serrations, helping you cut through roots and other organic matter easily. Soil knives generally come with sheaths, as they are very sharp.

How to Use a Trowel

Trowels are very simple to use, however there is some level of technique involved if you are trying to preserve a yard or lawn. Most of the time you will be using a trowel, it will be to prevent the metal blade of a shovel from hitting your coin, jewelry, or relic. However, in many ground conditions it can be hard to get the heavy-duty plastic blade through the grass and roots along the top of the plug. That is why trowels and soil knives are used very well in conjunction with one another. Once you have made your initial plug with a soil knife (detailed below), you can use the trowel to dig any further in the soft soil and you will not harm your buried metal object.

Using a soil knife is very quick and efficient once you have done it a few times. To use your soil knife, simply pinpoint where your object is and stab the soil knife into the ground by it. Cut a circular plug using the serrated teeth of the blade about ¾ of the way around the circle. Then flip the plug out of the hole, keeping ¼ of the roots intact on that side. This is an excellent way to remove metal targets without harming the grass.

What Is the Best Trowel?

Determining the best trowel for each individual metal detectorist is impossible, as everyone has different preferences and budgets. That being said, there are several things to keep in mind. The first consideration is whether you want a trowel, a soil knife, or both. The second consideration is what type of blade you want. Do you want a heavy duty composite blade or a stainless steel or high carbon steel blade? A third consideration would simply be the price. Is it worth spending more money on more serrations or a higher quality steel? There are several different digging tools on the market, and a few of them will be highlighted below.

The Garrett Edge Digger with Sheath is one of the best values you can find for a soil knife. The serrations are of great quality, and the carbon steel blade makes this thing near impossible to damage. The Radius line of digging tools is excellent as well, with high-quality construction at a great price. If you are looking for some durable products that are made in America, consider the Grave Digger Line of digging tools, as these are built to last a lifetime.

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