Description
You are kneeling over a solid signal in a wooded park and the plug will not lift because a root net is holding it. Prying tears the turf and bends cheap trowels. The Lesche Digging Tool is the answer detectorists have carried for decades: a 12 in / 30.5 cm heat-treated steel blade with saw teeth down one edge to cut roots and a smooth sharpened edge on the other to slice a clean plug, built in the U.S.A. by W.W. Manufacturing. This is the right-side serrated model, item #48, the version for right-handed diggers, and it ships with its belt sheath.
At a glance: Genuine Lesche Digging Tool and sod cutter, W.W. Manufacturing item #48, serrations on the right edge when the blade points up and the handle is in your hand. 12 in / 30.5 cm overall, heat-treated steel blade, 1.1 lb / 0.5 kg, red ribbed grip with steel hand guard, black nylon belt sheath included. Made in the U.S.A. For right-handed users. Left-handed users need the left-side serrated model (#49).
Why the right-side serrated model, and which hand you cut with
The two Lesche hand tools are identical except for which edge carries the saw teeth, and the choice is not cosmetic. When a right-handed digger cuts a plug, the wrist naturally draws the blade around the target counterclockwise, so the right edge of the blade leads through the ground. Put the serrations on that leading edge and every stroke saws through roots as it goes. Put them on the trailing edge and the smooth side hits the root first while the teeth ride behind it doing nothing. That is why the right-serrated #48 is the right-handed tool.
Left-handed diggers cut clockwise, so their leading edge is the left side, and they want the left-side serrated model (#49). We carry both. You will find at least one large dealer telling you the left-serrated tool is for right-handed people; that is backwards, and it is the kind of detail that decides whether the tool works for you or fights you.
Against a plain smooth-edge trowel the serrated Lesche wins on root-bound ground, which is most parks, house lots, and woods sites east of the Mississippi. Against the CKG and Motley hand diggers we also stock, the Lesche is the heavier, plainer, American-made original: one steel blade, one grip, one guard plate, and a design that has not needed changing. If you want depth markings or a lighter travel tool, look at those. If you want the tool most veteran detectorists reach for first, this is it.
Specifications
| Model | Lesche Digging Tool, W.W. Manufacturing item #48 (right-side serrated) |
| Overall length | 12 in / 30.5 cm (manufacturer) |
| Blade | Approx. 7 in / 17.8 cm cutting edge, 1.75 in / 4.4 cm wide (dealer-reported); saw teeth on the right edge, smooth sharpened edge on the left |
| Steel | Heat-treated steel blade (manufacturer) |
| Weight | 1.1 lb / 0.5 kg (manufacturer) |
| Handle | Red ribbed grip with steel hand-guard plate between grip and blade |
| Included | Black nylon belt sheath |
| Best for | Right-handed diggers |
| Made in | U.S.A. (W.W. Manufacturing Co., family owned since the 1950s) |
How it digs
Push the point in at the edge of your target, saw around the plug with the serrated edge leading, then lever the plug out on its hinge. The guard plate keeps your knuckles off the dirt and lets you drive the blade with your palm. Use the smooth edge to trim the plug walls so it drops back flush. The 12 in / 30.5 cm length reaches most coin and relic depths without switching to a shovel, and the sheath keeps it on your hip so both hands stay on the detector and pinpointer.
Frequently asked questions
Which Lesche digging tool do I need, right or left serrated? Right-handed diggers cut counterclockwise, so the right edge leads: buy this right-side serrated #48. Left-handed diggers cut clockwise and should buy the left-side serrated #49.
Does it come with a sheath? Yes. The black nylon belt sheath is included in the box.
What is it made of? W.W. Manufacturing lists a heat-treated steel blade, 12 in / 30.5 cm overall, 1.1 lb / 0.5 kg. We publish only what the manufacturer states.
Will it cut roots? That is what the saw-tooth edge is for. Keep the serrated edge leading through the cut and it works like a small saw.
Is it the same as the sod cutter? Yes. Lesche sells this tool as the Digging Tool and Sod Cutter; the smooth edge is the sod-cutting side.
Who it is for
Right-handed coin, relic, and jewelry hunters digging plugs in root-bound parks, yards, and woods who want the original American-made serrated hand digger with its sheath. Left-handed diggers: choose the left-side serrated model instead.
What's included
One Lesche Digging Tool, right-side serrated (W.W. Manufacturing #48), with the black nylon belt sheath. Nothing else is needed to put it to work.
History Seekers is a small American business, and everyone here detects. We dig plugs with these tools ourselves, which is why we bothered to explain the handedness instead of copying a catalog line. Browse our full range of metal detecting shovels and digging tools, and if you are not sure which hand you cut with, call us at 256-284-2247 and we will talk it through. Every plug you open is a chance at a find, and the story is more important than the artifact.
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