True Temper clam shovel?

The Jester said:

There is no visible mark on the top like this?
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I can't tell. My pic was lifted from an online for sale posting. The blade and its handle portion does seem to have the typical shape of a TT shovel, like your pic.

TooDrunkToFish said:

I can't tell. My pic was lifted from an online for sale posting. The blade and its handle portion does seem to have the typical shape of a TT shovel, like your pic.

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I saw the ad as well. Tough to tell from the picture. Very similar though. Might be worth the look if you are close enough to the seller. Good luck.

Is the True Temper shovel a sought after clam digger?

Yes!

I was planning on picking up the shovel this morning. Then the seller tells me that another buyer wants to drive 120 miles to buy it tonight.

Sheesh

if another buyer wants drive that far to buy it, whether it’s a TT or not, he can have it.

Just out of curiosity, what’s a TT clam shovel worth these days? (I know, I know… whatever someone is willing to pay for it)

Roady said:

Just out of curiosity, what’s a TT clam shovel worth these days? (I know, I know… whatever someone is willing to pay for it)

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They are surprisingly worth more than I thought. I traded the one in the picture to a fellow Ifisher for a ClamHawk clam gun a couple years ago. And those aren’t cheap. The shovel was just collecting dust and my wife wanted a gun that was easier for her. Win win.

Large Edward said:

So...what is the deal with a True Temper clam shovel (gun)? It appears from the photos that they have relatively short, flat blades (which I like), but I can't tell anything else.....? I'm lucky enough to have 2 of these stainless shovels that I believe were made in Aberdeen, WA and that my family purchased maybe 20-25 years ago.

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True Temper clam shovels are the gold standard for digging in the surf. As you can see from Jesters photo, they become pocked like a golf ball which means the wet sand sticks to it when you pull the blade out of the sand. Since you don't "scoop" like you do digging in your garden but more like "slide" the shovel out forward as to not destroy the clam, the TT shovel takes a good chunk of the sand with it. Stainless shovels do not do that as they are to slick.

If you've dug a lot of clams in the surf with a shovel, the difference is night and day. There is a reason the successful commercial diggers will pay top dollar for a good TT shovel, they simply are the better tool for the job.


Clam

The Jester said:

They are surprisingly worth more than I thought. I traded the one in the picture to a fellow Ifisher for a ClamHawk clam gun a couple years ago. And those aren’t cheap. The shovel was just collecting dust and my wife wanted a gun that was easier for her. Win win.

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My mother bought me a Claminator last year, and I’ll never go back to a shovel. Even though that’s how I learned to dig clams in Alaska, as a kid. I’ve been contemplating selling mine, I can’t justify hanging on to it.

Clamman said:

True Temper clam shovels are the gold standard for digging in the surf. As you can see from Jesters photo, they become pocked like a golf ball which means the wet sand sticks to it when you pull the blade out of the sand. Since you don't "scoop" like you do digging in your garden but more like "slide" the shovel out forward as to not destroy the clam, the TT shovel takes a good chunk of the sand with it. Stainless shovels do not do that as they are to slick.

If you've dug a lot of clams in the surf with a shovel, the difference is night and day. There is a reason the successful commercial diggers will pay top dollar for a good TT shovel, they simply are the better tool for the job.


Clam

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Do they not make them any longer?

pcstockton said:

Do they not make them any longer?

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They don’t make the clam version. I’ve seen people cut away the sides of a regular shovel to make the shape of the clam shovel.

Large Edward said:

So...what is the deal with a True Temper clam shovel (gun)? It appears from the photos that they have relatively short, flat blades (which I like), but I can't tell anything else.....? I'm lucky enough to have 2 of these stainless shovels that I believe were made in Aberdeen, WA and that my family purchased maybe 20-25 years ago.

View attachment 1010562

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I've got a pair of the non-stainless version of those, which have some sort of slightly textured coating on them. But they're definitely the same style where the neck is welded to the blade, unlike the cheaper 1-piece Danielson style which have a folded/rolled neck opening for the wooden handle which accumulates crud and starts to rust more easily.

Clamman said:

True Temper clam shovels are the gold standard for digging in the surf. As you can see from Jesters photo, they become pocked like a golf ball which means the wet sand sticks to it when you pull the blade out of the sand. Since you don't "scoop" like you do digging in your garden but more like "slide" the shovel out forward as to not destroy the clam, the TT shovel takes a good chunk of the sand with it. Stainless shovels do not do that as they are to slick.

If you've dug a lot of clams in the surf with a shovel, the difference is night and day. There is a reason the successful commercial diggers will pay top dollar for a good TT shovel, they simply are the better tool for the job.


Clam

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Interesting. I always thought the point of having a stainless shovel was that sand doesn't stick to it which helps avoid eventual corrosion and pockmarking from rust suffered by regular steel blades that aren't maintained. When I take out a bite of sand with this shovel, the sand comes out with the shovel as expected. I've successfully dug plenty of clams in the surf over the years but it sounds like I need to try a TT to experience nirvana.

Some more context. The shovel in my pic was listed for $10. I live about a 30 minute drive from the seller, and was going to pick it up this morning. Then, when the seller contacted me, I volunteered to back out of the sale so that the other guy driving 120 miles can buy the shovel instead of me. The seller was thrilled. The other buyer is driving today and arriving tonight. Maybe he offered to buy it at a higher price than the original $10 listed price, and so that’s why the seller was happy when I backed out?

It’s still uncertain whether the shovel is really a TT and/or whether it’s even in usable condition (e.g., not bent or rusted out etc.)

another TT will eventually show up in goodwill, garage sale, or craigslist

some people are nuts.

Large Edward said:

Interesting. I always thought the point of having a stainless shovel was that sand doesn't stick to it which helps avoid eventual corrosion and pockmarking from rust suffered by regular steel blades that aren't maintained. When I take out a bite of sand with this shovel, the sand comes out with the shovel as expected. I've successfully dug plenty of clams in the surf over the years but it sounds like I need to try a TT to experience nirvana.

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When digging in the surf on clams close to the surface the point is to take a big chunk of sand out with a forward movement (shovel handle towards the show) and upward movement to then reach down to grab the clam. Stainless shovels don't allow the same amount of sand to be removed and thus require more hand digging. Watch a commercial or real good sport digger with a TT shovel and you will see the technique.

TooDrunkToFish said:

Some more context. The shovel in my pic was listed for $10. I live about a 30 minute drive from the seller, and was going to pick it up this morning. Then, when the seller contacted me, I volunteered to back out of the sale so that the other guy driving 120 miles can buy the shovel instead of me. The seller was thrilled. The other buyer is driving today and arriving tonight. Maybe he offered to buy it at a higher price than the original $10 listed price, and so that’s why the seller was happy when I backed out?

It’s still uncertain whether the shovel is really a TT and/or whether it’s even in usable condition (e.g., not bent or rusted out etc.)

another TT will eventually show up in goodwill, garage sale, or craigslist

some people are nuts.

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It is hard to tell if that is a TT or not. Could be but it might also be a clone which there are several out there. The one in the picture is a bit used and not in the best of shape. Typically the backside of the handle shows the most rust and I didn't see a picture of that side. A good TT shovel can go for over $200 with most being in the $75-$100 range if the rust isn't too bad. Used to be you could get them at estate sales for $10-$20 all day long but those days are long gone.


Clam

GPS said:

We're talking about these? Seems there are two blade lengths. I always thought the longer blade was the one to have. Are the shorter ones as good/better? View attachment 1010599

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When I was able to use the Clam gun I liked the short blade. Some of the commercials like the long blade, I went to a stainless steel tube for quite a while but now I can't do either. Getting old is getting old.

fop