RTG 17 in Stainless Steel Hand Sand Scoop, 5 in Bucket, 12 in Fixed Handle

The RTG 17-SS is a 17 in stainless steel hand scoop from Reilly's Treasured Gold, made in the USA for dry sand beach detecting. It has a 5 in diameter bucket in 16 gauge 304 non-magnetic stainless, a 1/2 in welded wire screen and a fixed 12 in handle of 3/4 in stainless tube with a rubber grip. At under 3 lb it is the scoop you carry on a belt or in a bag for towel-line and dry sand hunting, where you kneel to the target and do not need a long pole.

Who the RTG 17-SS is for

Buy this scoop if you hunt dry sand and the upper beach, travel with your gear, or want a non-magnetic steel scoop that will not set off a pinpointer or the detector coil when you check the bucket. If you hunt wet sand and the water line standing up, the same bucket on a 28 in fixed handle (the RTG 28/5) saves your back; if you wade or work the surf, a long-handle water scoop with a bigger basket is the right tool. Both are in our RTG sand scoops collection. If weight matters more than steel, RTG's aluminum hand scoops are lighter again but will not take the same abuse from shell and rock.

Key features and what they mean in use

• 16 gauge 304 non-magnetic stainless: 304 does not rust in salt and does not pull on a magnet, so a pinpointer run over the full bucket reads the target, not the scoop. 16 gauge is thick enough to pry in packed sand without the bucket flexing.
• 1/2 in heavy wire welded screen, brazed to the bucket: sand falls through in a shake or two, and anything coin-sized or larger stays. Thin chains and small earrings can pass a 1/2 in screen, so shake over your hand or a finds pouch when the signal is faint.
• 5 in bucket: small enough to drop into a tight hole on a crowded beach, big enough to clear a coin-depth target in two or three scoops. Not the tool for deep wet sand holes that keep caving.
• Fixed 12 in handle, 3/4 in tube: no joints to loosen or corrode. The rubber grip keeps a hold when the handle is wet or sandy; grip color varies by batch.
• Under 3 lb, 17 in overall: fits a backpack or a long finds pouch and clears airline carry-on size limits in a checked bag.

What is in the box

• One RTG 17-SS stainless steel hand sand scoop with rubber grip

No belt holster or carry strap is included.

Where it works well and where it does not

Dry sand, towel line, playgrounds and volleyball courts: this is the scoop's home, and the welded screen clears dry sand faster than punched-hole buckets. Damp sand above the water line is fine; the bucket is small enough that packed sand does not clog it. Wet sand at the water line works but means kneeling in wet sand for every target, and a hole that fills with water needs a longer handle and a larger basket. Rocky or shell-packed beaches are where stainless earns its keep over aluminum. Gravel and inland dirt are not what the screen is for; a digger does that job better.

How it differs from the closest RTG scoops

The RTG 28/5 uses the same 5 in 16 gauge non-magnetic stainless bucket on a 28 in fixed handle, which turns it into a stand-up dry sand scoop at just over 2.5 lb. The RTG 33 is the 5 in bucket on a 28 in handle as well, in the same 16 gauge 304 stainless. The 17-SS is the one to pick when you want the shortest, lightest stainless scoop RTG makes and you are happy to kneel. For a beach-detecting overview, including how to pick between a hand scoop and a long-handle scoop, see our beach metal detecting guide, and compare all handle styles in our sand scoops collection.