A spade or a shovel? Ergonomics of coin exploration
Most of us are unfortunately not so lucky, that he lives next to his favorite spots. It happens more and more, that a weekend getaway is an escapade, podczas której pokonujemy kilkadziesiąt, and sometimes even several hundred kilometers to reach the chosen places. It is therefore understandable, that nobody spares themselves in action and searches for so long, how is this possible.
The issue of ergonomics during searches is ignored or marginalized by many searchers when discussing the importance of the detector, completely ignoring other aspects.. By focusing in this article on the search for numismatic items and colorful small items, the question of a backpack and additional equipment is omitted, but much more important, especially during sessions with detection lasting after 8-12 hours, is the right choice of a spade.
Many may be knocking on the head right now, because who normal will store a set of shovels for every occasion. Well, everyone, who has their own convenience in mind, health and achieved results. The selection of the equipment appropriate to the conditions guarantees quick and convenient picking up of objects, and this has a huge impact on overall effectiveness.
So is there one best universal spade for all occasions?? Unfortunately, even in the case of searches in the fields, no. The very style of taking objects has an impact on the selection. Many prospectors prefer rack-digging with a full-size spade. In theory, they bend down less, because the signal is kicked from a standing position, in practice, they shift much more soil, and for the interesting object they have to bend down anyway. Full-size spades with adequate strength weigh quite a lot. I advise against all aluminum constructions here, because their only use is to present themselves beautifully on a store shelf. Wooden handles are also worth setting aside, because such a spade has no profiling and is simply not very comfortable. Apart from the weight, the main problem for me with a full-size spade is the width of the working surface. A skilled seeker cannot have problems with efficiently tracking a small object, therefore it makes no sense to lose weight at all.
For this reason, personally, I prefer shovels as equipment for ordinary digging in plots. The immortal market Sun Garden for PLN 30 has very favorable proportions of the working surface, while being light and durable enough, to deal with slightly less favorable conditions if necessary. It is true that it cannot be kicked standing with one hand and foot, but with the right aiming precision we will pick up the object quickly even without an external pinpointer. It is very convenient to use such equipment by kneeling on the knee while digging, nevertheless, it is worth remembering about it, that the knee joint does not tolerate long-term cooling best.
Though it may be a matter of private preference, is a mass profit resulting from minimizing the spade and reducing the amount of transferred kilograms to a minimum will positively affect not only the condition and efficiency in the field, but also our back. Is it worth looking for an intermediate solution?? Several companies offer shovels with a full-size working part, however, in my opinion, for the reasons mentioned above, such a thing does not make much sense (on the other hand, it is perfect for hunting deep signals in the forest). Również nie widzę sensu pakowania się w pełnowymiarowe szpadle z węższą częścią roboczą lub teleskopowe – każdy z nich waży swoje, and successful coin hunting is expressed in the number of numismatic items, not in kilograms of shifted soil.
summarizing, it is sometimes worth considering a little longer about other elements of equipment than the detector. Reading on the forums of the war about it, whose detector is o 50 I play lighter and how crucial it is, I smile to myself. It doesn't matter how much the spade and the rest of the equipment weigh - it's as if the seeker felt only the weight of the detector, Usually it is completely different, especially in the age of taking a whole lot of unnecessary gear for the search. W tym przypadku zasada mniej-lepiej działa znakomicie. And there's so much to be gained from any piece of equipment, as on a well-fitting and reliable digging tool.