Serious Detecting 8.5 in Plastic Sand Scoop for Metal Detecting and Gold Prospecting

The Serious Detecting 8.5 in Plastic Sand Scoop is a compact, all-plastic hand scoop with 1/2 in drain holes, sold in black or orange. It has no metal parts, so it gives no signal of its own: you can pass your detector coil or pinpointer over a loaded scoop to confirm the target is inside before you sift it out. It suits beach and park detectorists who want a small, light recovery scoop, and prospectors who want a quick tool for moving material and checking it with a detector.

Who the 8.5 in plastic scoop is for

This scoop is for detectorists who want a small scoop that rides in a finds pouch or jacket pocket, for dry sand at the beach, sandy tot lots and loose soil. It also suits prospectors who move small amounts of material from cracks and banks, and anyone who wants a low-cost spare or a scoop to hand to a kid or a new detectorist.

Look at a different scoop if you need more volume per scoop, if you hunt packed wet sand and the surf line, or if you need to hold onto fine gold. A larger plastic scoop or a steel scoop from our sand scoops for metal detecting collection moves more sand and cuts harder ground. For catching gold flakes, use a gold pan, not a drilled scoop.

Key features and what they mean in use

• All-plastic, non-metallic build: the scoop does not set off your detector or pinpointer, so you can check a scoop of sand or gravel for the target before you empty it, and the scoop will not rust after saltwater.
• 8.5 in overall length: short and light, so it fits in a pouch or pocket and works in tight spots between roots, rocks and playground equipment.
• 1/2 in (12.7 mm) drain holes: dry sand and fine soil fall through quickly while coins, most rings and larger relics stay in the basket. Anything smaller than about 1/2 in, including gold flakes, most small nuggets, earring studs and thin chains, can drop through.
• Black or orange: orange is easy to spot if you set the scoop down on the sand or in grass, and black shows light-colored targets well.

What is in the box

• One Serious Detecting 8.5 in plastic sand scoop in the color you choose

Where it works well and where it does not

The 8.5 in plastic scoop works best in dry and damp sand, loose soil and sandy tot lots, where the plastic edge slides in easily. In hard-packed wet sand, gravel and rocky ground, plastic flexes, and a steel scoop or a digger is the better tool. It is a hand scoop, so expect to kneel for each recovery.

Gold prospecting use

For prospectors, the scoop is a quick way to lift material from a bank or stream bed into a gold pan or onto a classifier screen. Because it is non-metallic, you can also check a scoop of material with a gold detector to see whether a nugget is in it before panning. Do not use the drilled basket to sift for gold: fine gold and small nuggets wash through 1/2 in holes. Keep the material, and do the separating in the pan.

Specifications

• Overall length: 8.5 in
• Hole size: 1/2 in (12.7 mm)
• Material: heavy-duty plastic, no metal parts
• Colors: black, orange

A plastic scoop pairs well with a pinpointer from our pinpointers collection: scoop, check the scoop, and only sift when you know the target is in it. For more panning and sluicing gear, see our gold prospecting equipment.