King of Spades 40 in All-Steel Shovel with 13 in Straight Blade and Foot Pad

The King of Spades 40 in All-Steel Shovel with 13 in Straight Blade and Foot Pad (SKU WWMFG-KS-S-F) is the foot pad version of W. W. Manufacturing's 40 in D-handle spade. It is built in the USA from heat-treated, aircraft-quality steel tubing with a straight, tapered 13 in cutting edge, and it ships with a rubber foot pad already fitted to the blade step. At 6.1 lbs and 40 in overall, it is the model for anyone who drives the blade with a boot all day: relic hunters in hard-pan fields, landscapers edging and trenching, and contractors breaking compacted clay.

Who this shovel is for

Buy this version if you dig standing on the blade. The pad spreads the force of each stomp across the sole and stops the thin steel edge biting into your boot, which matters by the hundredth hole. Detectorists working permission fields, old homesteads and clay too hard for a trowel get a tool that cuts a clean plug and still pries out a deep target.

Look elsewhere if your targets are a few inches down in a manicured park: a hand digger does less damage and is quicker, and our shovels, diggers and picks collection has those too. If you want to dig upright with your weight behind the blade, the same line comes with a 63 in long handle. If your sites are wooded and root-laced, a serrated blade saws through roots this straight edge has to chop; both are in our Lesche and King of Spades digging tools.

Key features and what they mean in use

• 13 in straight tapered edge: slices a three-sided flap in turf rather than tearing it, so the plug folds back and heels flat when you are done. The taper keeps a working edge through soil abrasion; W. W. Manufacturing calls it virtually self-sharpening.
• Heat-treated aircraft-quality steel tubing, blade and handle in one welded steel assembly: no wooden shaft to split and no rivets to work loose when you pry against a rock or root ball.
• All-tubular D-handle: a full-hand grip for twisting and levering, with the force spread across the palm.
• Rubber foot pad: bolted to the blade step at the factory, with a wide flat face for your boot. A replacement pad is sold separately on this site.
• 40 in overall: short enough to control kneeling at a plug or working in a bed, long enough for leverage on a deep hole.

Using the King of Spades for metal detecting

This is a relic, cache and hard-ground shovel. The straight blade cuts a vertical wall, so plugs come out clean and go back flush, which is how you keep a permission. The 13 in edge is narrower than the 15 in model, so it fits between tree roots and inside a tight plug. Expect to dig bent over or on one knee with a 40 in D-handle; that is the trade for a tool that fits in a trunk and swings easily through brush. Plug technique and site etiquette are covered on our metal detecting tips and FAQs page.

What is in the box

• King of Spades 40 in shovel with 13 in straight blade
• Rubber foot pad, factory fitted

Where it works well and where it does not

Works well in compacted clay, rocky fill, caliche, old pasture and sod, and for edging beds and borders. Works less well in root-heavy woodland, where a serrated blade is faster, and for moving loose material, where a scooped garden shovel carries more per throw. It is not a pry bar: dig around a large rock first, then lever.

How it differs from the other 40 in King of Spades models

All four 40 in models share the same 13 in tapered blade and the same steel. The base model has a plain D-handle and no foot pad. This model adds the foot pad. The shock-absorbing models swap in a cushioned D-grip, with or without the pad. If you need a wider cut, the 42 in model with the 15 in edge is the step up, and the 63 in long-handle versions let you dig standing. Compare every model in our D-handle shovels and diggers collection.

Why buy from Serious Detecting

Serious Detecting is a family-owned, authorized Lesche and King of Spades dealer in Michigan, so every shovel ships with the manufacturer's guarantee behind it. We sell these tools to detectorists and landscapers both, which is why the sections above say when a hand digger or a longer handle is the better buy. Browse the rest of the Lesche range.