King of Spades 15-Inch Edge Long Handle Shovel with Rubber Foot Pad

The King of Spades with a 15-inch edge, long handle and rubber foot pad is a full-size, 65-inch relic hunter's spade made by W.W. Manufacturing (Lesche) in the USA. It is the tool for deep relic and cache digs in hard, rooted or rocky ground where a 30-inch detecting shovel runs out of leverage: the long handle lets you drive the heat-treated blade with your body weight, and the bolted rubber foot pad gives your boot a wide, secure step for hardpan and clay. It is heavy at 6.75 pounds and it stays in the truck or on the pack until the target calls for it.

Which King of Spades fits your hunting?

If most of your digging is park plugs and 6-inch coin holes, this is more shovel than you need; the 13-inch edge long handle is lighter and cheaper and still outperforms any hardware-store spade, and the 40-inch D-handle model is the one to carry all day. Choose this 15-inch version for Civil War camp and homestead sites where targets sit 12 to 20 inches down, for cache hunting, and for compacted farm fields and root-bound woods. The foot pad is the difference between this listing and the 15-inch without pad: skip it if you dig in soft loam, take it if you dig in anything that fights back, since the pad also protects boot soles from the sharpened step. Our guide to choosing a metal detecting shovel compares long-handle, T-handle and D-handle designs.

Using it in the field

Cut the plug with the blade held near vertical and let the weight of the spade do the work; the tapered edge is sharp from the factory and keeps its edge as the steel wears, so there is no filing. Use the foot pad side for your dominant foot and lever with the long handle rather than prying with the blade tip, which is what breaks lesser spades. Knock soil off the blade before it dries, and a wipe of oil on the steel after wet sessions keeps the rust-resistant finish honest. Because the whole tool is steel, keep it well behind you while you sweep; it will sound off under any coil.

What's included

• King of Spades long handle shovel, 15-inch edge
• Rubber foot pad, factory fitted

Specifications

• Part number: WWMFG-LH-S-15-F
• Overall length: 65 in (165 cm)
• Edge length: 15 in (38 cm)
• Weight: 6.75 lb (3.1 kg)
• Blade: heat-treated alloy steel, tapered cutting edge, rust-resistant
• Handle: steel tubing, straight long handle
• Foot pad: bolted rubber pad, replaceable
• Made in: USA (W.W. Manufacturing, New Jersey)

Why buy from Serious Detecting

Serious Detecting is an authorized Lesche and W.W. Manufacturing dealer, so this is the genuine King of Spades and not one of the imported copies, and our team digs Michigan farm fields and relic sites with these spades and can tell you whether the 13 or the 15 suits your ground. Orders over $99 ship free, with a 30-day return window and a price-match guarantee. See every Lesche digging tool we stock and the full range of metal detecting shovels, diggers and picks.