Are Ingalls Handpicks and Viking Mattocks Suitable as Gifts?

Updated

Yes — Ingalls Archaeological Supply explicitly promotes its Handpicks and Viking Mattocks as gifts, stating they "make great gifts any time of year." The tools are professional-quality and purpose-built for archaeological use, which makes them a strong fit for someone who does fieldwork, studies archaeology, or has a serious interest in the subject. They are a weaker fit for a recipient with no connection to archaeology or outdoor digging.

What the Site Says About Gift Suitability

The product page carries the heading "QUALITY TOOLS SINCE 1985" and notes that Ingalls has been making these tools since that year. The gift framing comes directly from the site: "Handpicks and Viking Mattocks make great gifts any time of year!"

Two things support that claim:

  • Professional quality. The site describes all tools as "professional-quality products," not novelty or decorative items.
  • Purpose-built design. The Handpicks and Viking Mattocks are "specifically designed for archaeological use," so a recipient in the field gets a tool made for the work rather than a generic garden implement.

Who These Tools Suit as a Gift

Recipient Good gift fit? Why
Archaeologist or archaeology student doing fieldwork Yes Tool is designed for archaeological use and is professional quality
Avocational artifact hunter or hobbyist digger Likely yes Same functional match, assuming they use hand tools
Someone interested in archaeology but not doing fieldwork Maybe Attractive as a themed or collectible item, but it is a working tool
Recipient with no archaeology or digging interest No A specialized digging tool has little use outside the field

The deciding factor is whether the recipient will actually use a hand digging tool. If they will, the gift is practical and durable. If they won't, the tool is more of a curiosity than a useful present.

Sizing: The One Detail to Get Right

Ingalls tools come in four sizes based on hoe width, and the site directs buyers to the Handpicks/Patiches and Viking Mattock pages for detailed specifications. Because size is tied to hoe width, a gift buyer should check the recipient's typical use — finer work favors a narrower head, heavier digging favors a wider one. Getting the size wrong is the main way a well-intentioned gift becomes a shelf item.

A Related Option: The Books

Ingalls also offers two books written by Bill Ingalls, which can work as gifts on their own or alongside a tool:

  • Snakes, Rain and The Tet Offensive — an eye-witness account of Bill Ingalls' experience during the Vietnam War, with photos he took while in the army.
  • Addicted to Love — a fantasy fiction love story.

These appeal to a different audience than the digging tools, so they are worth considering if the recipient's interest is more in reading than in fieldwork.

Bottom Line

Ingalls Handpicks and Viking Mattocks are suitable gifts when the recipient does archaeological or related fieldwork, and the site itself markets them that way. Confirm the right size — one of four, based on hoe width — before buying, and treat the books as a separate gift track for readers rather than diggers.