Out of all the people who buy this spade the most popular is without doubt the metal detecting community. This is the perfect spade for metal detecting. It’s extremely strong but also very lightweight so you can carry it for hours and not feel fatigued. It can handle all types of ground conditions from very soft to hard ground that has frozen solid because of winter weather. The Roughneck Mini Spade can even handle clay.
Unlike other spades such as the small fold away army style spades that are supposedly perfect for metal detecting, Roughneck mini spades do not bend easily under pressure. Have you ever used a fold away spade for metal detecting. If so you will be aware of how unsuitable they are. They are far too small, and as a result every time you need to dig a hole you have to get down on your hands and knees, unless of course your around 6 years old and can use it standing. Great for a kid but not for an adult. Also, in any kind of soil that’s pretty stiff they have a tendency to bend under the pressure and the rivets that hold the spade head to the shaft will come loose.
The Roughneck Mini Spade has no rivets, it’s an all in one piece of steel until it’s half way up the shaft, and then it’s bolted, which means it’s much more suited for real life use and abuse and does not come loose easily. And being made from steel it won’t bend easily under the pressure of hard ground digging. This spade will last you many years, and for the price it’s on sale for it’s a no brainer. The only mini spade that can rival the Roughneck is the Draper Mini Spade, which is almost equally as good.
