Detect-Ed Stealth Shovel, Carbon Steel Metal Detecting Shovel

The Detect-Ed Stealth Shovel is a full-length carbon steel digging shovel for detectorists who hunt parks, fields, and wooded ground where a hand digger is not enough. It comes in two builds at the same price: a one-piece fixed shaft for everyday use, and a two-piece version that splits in half for a backpack or suitcase. Both share the same 33 inch length, the same T-handle, and the same serrated blade, so the choice comes down to how you carry it, not how it digs. It is one of the lighter full-size options in our metal detecting shovels, diggers and picks.

Which version should you buy?

Choose the one-piece version if the shovel rides in your car or hangs in the garage between hunts. It has no joint to clean and it is the lighter of the two at 1.6 kg (about 3.5 lbs.). Pick the two-piece if you fly to hunts, hike in, or want the shovel strapped to a pack. It breaks into two 42.5 cm (16.7 inch) halves and locks together with a hex connector, and Detect-Ed rates it as strong as the fixed shaft. The diference is about half a pound: 1.85 kg (about 4.1 lb) assembled.

If most of your digging is beach sand, neither version is the right tool. A sand scoop from our scoops and diving tools moves wet sand faster and sifts as it goes. For hard rock, caliche, or bedrock crevices, the Detect-Ed Stealth Prospecting Pick is the better companion.

How the Stealth Shovel digs

• Carbon steel blade. Carbon steel holds an edge and resists bending better than the stainless or mild steel used on cheaper shovels, which matters when you are levering out a deep target rather than scooping loose soil.
• Serrated, pre-sharpened edge. The concave blade is sharpened from the factory with serrations down both sides. The pointed tip funnels roots toward the center of the blade so they slice on the push instead of stopping you cold.
• Foot plates. Wide plates above the blade give your boot a solid step, so you cut a plug with your leg instead of your back.
• Narrow tip, wider shoulders. The blade runs 75 mm (2.9 inch) at the tip and widens to 130 mm (5 inch) at the last serrations over a 235 mm (9.25 inch) blade length. That profile cuts a neat, round plug you can flip back into place, which keeps you welcome on manicured lawns and sports fields.
• T-handle. The T grip gives two-handed leverage for prying and a comfortable hold for carrying between targets.

Field use

Parks, lawns, and sports fields

Step the blade in on three sides of the target, hinge the plug back on the fourth, recover the find, and fold the plug home. The narrow tip keeps the hole small and the sharpened edge leaves clean grass roots that knit back in a few days. This is the shovel to reach for when the plug has to look like it was never dug.

Wooded ground and old homesites

Root-laced soil is where the serrations earn their keep. Push through with the foot plate and let the leading edge work small and medium roots. Thick roots still call for a saw, but the Stealth Shovel gets through the mat that stops a round-nose spade. A pinpointer such as the pinpointers we stock will shorten the dig once the plug is out.

Travel hunts

The two-piece packs into a carry-on-sized bag or the side pocket of a detecting backpack. Assemble it in the field, and give the hex joint a quick rinse and dry after muddy hunts so it keeps locking cleanly.

What's included

• Detect-Ed Stealth Shovel, one-piece (DE-048-FL) or two-piece (DE-049-TP), depending on the option selected

Specifications

• Brand: Detect-Ed
• Model: Stealth Shovel
• Material: Carbon steel
• Handle: T-handle
• Overall length: 33 inches (850 mm), both versions
• Two-piece packed length: Two sections of 42.5 cm (16.7 inches)
• Two-piece joint: Hex connector with locking mechanism
• Blade width at tip: 2.9 inches (75 mm)
• Blade width at last serrations: 5 inches (130 mm)
• Blade length, tip to foot plate: 9.25 inches (235 mm)
• Edge: Pre-sharpened concave blade with serrations
• Foot plates: Yes, both sides
• Weight, one-piece: 1.6 kg (3.5 lb)
• Weight, two-piece: 1.85 kg (4.1 lb)

Why buy from Serious Detecting

Serious Detecting stocks genuine Detect-Ed gear, and our team digs with these tools, so we can tell you which version suits the ground you hunt. Browse the full Detect-Ed collection for shafts, pouches, and packs that pair with this shovel, or compare it against every digger we carry in T-handle shovels and diggers. Free shipping over $99, 30-day returns, and a price-match guarantee on every order.