Gear guide
Metal detecting shovels
For lawns and fields where you may dig, a serrated digger cuts a clean plug and leaves little trace. In parks, check the tool rule first. Long Island state parks, which require a permit, cap digging tools at 1.5 in wide by 6 in long.
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The picks
Three serrated diggers, one 39-inch shovel and two folding ones. Each frame shows what the listing title names.
1. SUNPOW double-serrated shovel
A digger with teeth on both edges, to saw through roots and sod around a target.
2. CKG serrated digging shovel
A double-serrated blade, sold in carbon black and called lightweight in its title.
3. LRLXE double-serrated shovel
Its title names the same double-serrated edge and heavy-duty build as the SUNPOW.
4. DIOVPLX 39-inch serrated shovel
Tall enough to dig standing up, for fields and relic sites where the owner allows larger holes.
5. iunio 35-inch folding shovel
A folding carbon steel shovel, 35 inches long when open.
6. Mastiff Gears shovel and hoe
It folds and works as either a shovel or a hoe. It comes with a MOLLE canvas sheath.
The frames show the facts each Amazon listing names, checked Oct. 17, 2026. We have no maker spec sheet on file for these products.
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Serrated digger or long shovel
A serrated digger is the everyday tool. You cut three sides of a plug, fold it back, recover the target and close the flap. Serrated edges do the cutting in turf and roots.
A long shovel moves more soil, faster, and saves your back in a plowed field. It also leaves a bigger hole. Folding models pack smaller, and the hinge is the part to check.
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Tool rules in state parks
Some states write tool size into their park rules. In Washington, detecting is allowed only in posted parts of approved state parks and in approved campsites. There, digging tools are limited to ice picks, screwdrivers and narrow probes, plus sand scoops used only on sand.
Ohio sets no size, but limits where you detect: sand beaches, and mowed areas except mowed areas of golf courses, rental facilities and campgrounds. Its rule also requires that any disturbed ground be returned at once to a condition as close to undisturbed as possible.
| Land | Rule | Text |
|---|---|---|
| Washington state parks Allowed with limits | Metal detecting is allowed only in posted areas of approved state parks and in approved campsites, during posted open daylight hours. Approved campsites are the user's own or unoccupied ones. | WAC 352-32-235(1)-(2) (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 17, 2026 on app.leg.wa.gov |
| Washington state parks Allowed with limits | In the posted detecting areas, digging tools are limited to ice picks, screwdrivers and probes no wider than 2 in. Sand scoops may be no larger than 6 in wide by 8 in long, with perforations at least 1/2 in wide, and only on sand. Holes may be no deeper than 6 in and are refilled at once, with the surface restored. | WAC 352-32-235(6)(c) (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 16, 2026 on app.leg.wa.gov |
| New York, Long Island state parks Permit required | Metal detecting is allowed by permit only, in designated areas of listed parks. Jones Beach, Sunken Meadow, Hither Hills, Montauk Point, Napeague, Orient Beach, Valley Stream and Wildwood are among them. | NYS Parks, Long Island Region Metal Detecting Permit Guide (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 16, 2026 on parks.ny.gov |
| New York, Long Island state parks Permit required | In designated areas, by permit only, no digging tool may be larger than 1.5 in wide by 6 in long. Dug ground must be restored at once. | NYS Parks, Long Island Region Metal Detecting Permit Guide (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 16, 2026 on parks.ny.gov |
| Ohio state parks (Division of Parks and Watercraft) Allowed with limits | Metal detecting is allowed on sand beaches and mowed areas, except mowed areas of golf courses, rental facilities and campgrounds. | OAC 1501:46-7-08 (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 16, 2026 on law.cornell.edu |
| Ohio state parks Ground must be restored | Any disturbed ground must be returned at once to a condition as close to undisturbed as possible. | OAC 1501:46-7-08 (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 16, 2026 on law.cornell.edu |
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Care in three steps
Wipe and dry it
Knock off soil and dry the blade after each hunt. Wet soil left on carbon steel rusts it.
Touch up the teeth
A few strokes of a file keep serrations biting into roots.
Check the hinge
On a folding shovel, clean grit from the hinge and check that it locks before it binds.
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Questions
Answered from the texts and listings on this page, checked Oct. 17, 2026.
A serrated digger suits lawns, fields and private land where digging is allowed. Add a long shovel for plowed land or relic sites where the owner allows larger holes.
Check that park's rule first. Washington limits digging tools to ice picks, screwdrivers and small probes, plus sand scoops on sand. Long Island caps digging tools at 1.5 by 6 in. Neither text names a shovel.
Always. Ohio's park rule requires that disturbed ground be returned at once to a condition as close to undisturbed as possible. A refilled hole also keeps a site open to the next hunter.
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