Susick Sea Shell Sifter Review

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Susick Seashell Sifter 1Odds are that if you’ve ever been to a beach, you’ve probably picked up some seashells and possibly brought them home as a souvenir.  And if you’ve spent any amount of time picking up shells, you’ve probably had one wash away in the tide just as you reached for it, or found yourself with sandy and salty hands when you were done.  But what if there was a gadget that not only prevented you from having to get your hands wet and sandy, but also prevented you from having to bend or stoop down to pick up the shells?  The Susick Sea Shell Sifter fills that need exactly.

The Susick Sea Shell Sifter couldn’t be much less complicated: it’s a 6″x6″ ABS plastic basket on the end of a 30″ aluminum pole, capped at the other end with a plastic handle.  That’s it.  Not surprisingly, the simplicity of its construction is matched by its simplicity of use.  Just scoop up a load of shells and sand, and either allow gravity to sift dry sand out, or allow the tide to wash wet sand through the meshwork of the basket.  That’s all there is to it.  The pole is long enough that an average-height person will need to do minimal bending to scoop up a load of sand, but short enough that it’s still easy to dump the contents of the basket into the included mesh bag.

I took the Sea Shell Sifter with me to the Outer Banks of North Carolina recently, and unfortunately, Tropical Storm Nicole was visiting at the same time I was.  It was rainy and windy,

Susick Seashell Sifter 3
A quick scoop of sand...

leaving only short windows of time where the beaches were fit for visiting.  Had the sole purpose of the trip been to collect seashells, the Susick Sea Shell Sifter would have saved the trip.  It was very easy to get out and scoop and sift sand without breaking stride, meaning that if one is torn between walking the beach for exercise and collecting shells, bringing a Sea Shell Sifter along means that one no longer has to choose one or the other.  This is especially handy if one is walking the beach with a partner who doesn’t want stop every few steps to pick some shells out of the sand;  and in my book, any gadget that can prevent a squabble with one’s significant other is money well-spent.

Susick Seashell Sifter 2
...becomes a basket of shells and sea glass.

While my seashell takings were rather meager on this trip, what I did get was strictly by virtue of the Sea Shell Sifter and its long reach.  It was quite easy to quickly scoop up a hunk of sand while the tide receded, and just as easy to sift it out it in the tide, many times without having to set foot in the water.

Overall, the Susick Sea Shell Sifter is one of those perfect gadgets that does one thing and does it well.  If you are an avid sea shell collector, or if you spend a lot of time at the beach and have any interest at all in picking up shells now and then, it’s a sound purchase, and at only twenty dollars, it’s certainly not going to break the bank.

 

Product Information

Price:$19.99
Manufacturer:RES Creations
Pros:
  • Long reach, sturdy build quality, should last for years of beachcombing, really improves the experience of sea shell collecting
Cons:
  • A unitasker by nature, not much use if you don't spend time at the beach

6 thoughts on “Susick Sea Shell Sifter Review”




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  2. Awesome!!!!

    I live in Cali and take frequent trips to the beaches in my area. This will be perfect for my next road trip! Great find!

  3. Just confirmed with Ron @ res creations that the handle is not aluminum but infact constructed of stainless steel. Please correct its misleading consumers looking for a quality product.

  4. Bought it in a shop on Sanibel Island-while on a two week vacation.
    It was fun to use-at first…cause after a while, you’re shoulders get tired from repeatedly lifting and pulling that scoop thru the water and sand – then having to dump out the contents to see if there’s any treasures. But, eventually, after a few days – your arms & shoulders get used it.

    The problem I have with it is:
    It’s NOT portable.
    By that I mean-it doesn’t breakdown/come apart so that it fits into your luggage, when it’s time to fly back home. It sure “looks” like the blue scoop can be removed from the pole; —-nope.

    There is one Phillips head screw that goes thru the pole and into the side of the scoop, and it also looks like there’s a bead of glue/epoxy, in around that end of the pole, where it goes down into plastic slot in the scoop…making the tool VERY secure for the beach use…but then, when vacations over & you’re packing up – that VERY secure feature won’t allow the scoop basket to be removed from the pole.

    It’s ok if you’re a local or are traveling by car- just toss it anywhere & go. But if traveling by plane-you best have luggage large enough to fit this beach tool, otherwise, you’ll be scrambling like we did to find a shipping box it’ll fit into & ship it home!

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