Folding spade metal detecting
Updated: October 2026
You have seen a cheap survival shovel with a military word on the title, and you are wondering if it can come out on a detecting day. A folding spade metal detecting tool from this amazon.co.uk shelf is usually what someone already owned, not a farmland spade. Permission and the find come before the shovel. Most folders here are shorter than the spades detecting shops sell for clay. Peter F. updated this from amazon.co.uk listings on 19 October 2026. We did not test plugs. The rows sit on the [folding spade comparison](/hub/digging-tools/folding-spade). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You have seen a cheap survival shovel with a military word on the title, and you are wondering if it can come out on a detecting day.
You have seen a cheap survival shovel with a military word on the title, and you are wondering if it can come out on a detecting day. A folding spade metal detecting tool from this amazon.co.uk shelf is usually what someone already owned, not a farmland spade. Permission and the find come before the shovel. Most folders here are shorter than the spades detecting shops sell for clay. Peter F. updated this from amazon.co.uk listings on 19 October 2026. We did not test plugs. The rows sit on the folding spade comparison. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Open length | Weight | Blade | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  ADTSADDTO ADTSADDTO 23 inch folding shovel | 23 inch | 998 g or 1,180 g | High-carbon steel | 9.2 | about £12.99 | View offer |
 Epic Militaria Epic Militaria NATO-style folding shovel | n/a | 1.2 kg | Alloy steel | 9.2 | about £21.95 | View offer | |
 Gerber Gerber Gorge folding shovel | 41.9 cm | 771 g | Listing disagrees | 8.8 | about £24.99 | View offer |
On this page
Why a survival shovel turns up in detecting baskets
Some UK buyers of the Epic Militaria folder and of the 23 inch ADTSADDTO say they have used it for detecting. That is a use report. It means the shovel in the car was short and hinged. It does not mean the listing was written as a detecting spade, or that the next person will cut a clean plug in clay. NATO on the Epic Militaria SKU6558K, at about £21.95 and 1.2 kg, is not British Army issue. The origin line is China, and the open length is not stated. One reviewer could not fold it after beach sand filled the threads. A beach permission and a sandy hinge are two separate problems. Owning the shovel is lawful. Detecting on that beach still needs the landowner.
The Xtremeauto, at about £13.99 and 23 inches, draws the opposite comment: a detectorist doubts it for stony soil and plugs, beside other reviews of the head bending. The Gerber Gorge, stated at 41.9 cm, is described as a tool you use on your knees because it is small. Liking a folder for the hobby is not the same as it being long enough. A mown park and a few shallow targets are a different day from pasture clay.
The length you are not seeing
Where this set states a believable open length, the digging folders sit around 41 to 61 cm. The Meehoo states 46 cm. The Eidoct states 41.5 cm. The 23 inch titles are about 58 cm. The 24 inch PLACHIDAY states 24 inches in a bullet. The longer ADTSADDTO claims up to 81.2 cm, with three weights and only four captured UK reviews. Detector Distribution describes a Swagier folding spade for detecting at about 930 mm and about 2 kg. That tool is outside this set. It is the length these 23 inch shovels are not. Other detecting retailers put purpose-made folding spades near 93 cm as well. You stoop with a 50 cm shaft. You kneel with the Gerber. A 93 cm shaft is how you lift a plug without lying on the turf.
The Ycnpeatt at 23 cm is a pocket trowel, not a plug cutter. If you already own a short folder, use it for shallow sandy targets, and take a longer detecting spade to clay. The plug only matters after you are allowed to cut it. How to read a stated length is on the folding spade buying guide.
A neat plug, if you are allowed to dig
Cut turf only after you are allowed to. The plug puts the ground back. UK detecting guides describe a simple sequence: cut three sides, hinge the fourth, lift only the soil you need, fold the turf back, and tread the edges so they meet. Metal Detecting Guide, on 24 September 2026, splits long spades for farmland from hand diggers for parks and beaches, and describes that cut. Their long-spade examples are not these ASINs.
With a 23 inch folder you will do it on your knees. Seat the lock first, as on the how to use a folding shovel page. Keep the hole as small as the target. If the turf tears because you are levering a short blade, stop. Do not jump on the hinge.
Permission, scheduled sites and treasure
You need the landowner’s permission before you detect, including on a public footpath and on a beach. Norfolk and Suffolk guidance says that plainly. A right of way is a right to pass, not a right to dig. Detecting on a protected place without consent can be an offence. Under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, section 42, using a metal detector on a scheduled monument without consent is an offence.
If you find treasure, report it within 14 days. GOV.UK and the Treasure Act 1996 put that duty on you, and failing to report is an offence. The report goes to the coroner. In England that usually runs through a finds liaison officer. In Wales, GOV.UK points you to Amgueddfa Cymru. In Northern Ireland, follow the local route on GOV.UK rather than an English office. The 14 days start at the find. Human remains, and anything that might be ordnance, are a stop. Do not dig them out to see what they are. Call the police and leave the hole. A cable or a pipe is the same kind of stop. Who to skip on strength sits on the best folding shovel page.
Common questions
Can I use a 23 inch survival shovel for detecting?
You can use it for shallow targets where you are allowed to dig. UK reviews of the 23 inch ADTSADDTO and the Epic Militaria include people who did. You will stoop or kneel. About 58 cm is not the 90 cm class detecting shops sell for farmland. The Xtremeauto is also 23 inches, and a detectorist in the captured reviews doubts it on stony soil, while other reviews describe bending. A short shovel is what you had. It is not a clay specification.
What length do detecting spades usually state?
Purpose-made folding spades for detecting are often near 93 cm. A Swagier is described at about 930 mm and about 2 kg, and it is not in this set. Believable lengths on these amazon listings cluster around 41 to 61 cm, with one claim of up to 81.2 cm on a listing that also prints three weights. The Gerber states 41.9 cm. The Ycnpeatt is 23 cm. For pasture clay, look outside this set. For a permitted sandy beach, a short folder is a smaller job.
How do I cut a plug?
After you have permission, cut three sides, leave the fourth as a hinge, take out only the soil you need, and tread the turf back so the edges meet. Do that with the head locked, on your knees if the shaft is about 50 cm. A pick makes it easy to cut too much. If the blade is too short and the turf is tearing, stop rather than levering the hinge. Guides describe this cut for parks and for farmland. Their long spades are not these ASINs.
Do I need permission on a public footpath?
Yes. You need the landowner’s permission to detect. A footpath or a beach does not remove it. Norfolk and Suffolk pages say so. A right of way lets you walk. It does not let you cut a plug. Ask before you go, and leave if the answer is no. Scheduled monuments are a further ban unless consent exists. If you are unsure who owns the verge, you are not yet allowed to dig it.
What is a scheduled monument?
It is a protected archaeological site. Using a metal detector there without consent is an offence under section 42 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The ban is about the place, not about which folder you carry. Owning a shovel is lawful. Detecting on that ground without consent is not. If you arrive and find you are on a scheduled monument, pack up. One plug because the signal is strong is still the offence.
How soon do I report treasure?
Within 14 days of the find. GOV.UK and the Treasure Act 1996 require a report to the coroner, and failing to report is an offence. In England the usual route is a finds liaison officer. In Wales, use the Amgueddfa Cymru route GOV.UK points to. In Northern Ireland, use the local route on GOV.UK. The clock does not wait until next month. If you are unsure whether a find is treasure, report it and let that process decide.
What if I find human remains or something that might be ordnance?
Stop digging. Do not lever it out to identify it, and do not bag it as a find. Call the police, leave the hole, and keep people back if you suspect ordnance. Human remains are a police matter too. A cable or a pipe means you stop and contact the utility. The folder does not make those finds safer. The next tool is a phone.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest. Last checked in October 2026.
- GOV.UK, General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, Report treasure (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Treasure Act 1996 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, The Countryside Code (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Lake District National Park, outdoor toilet tips (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE, manual handling in agriculture (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Hilka, folding boot shovel 84720099 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Gerber, Gorge (retrieved 19 October 2026)