It isn't really an exploit as it causes your stamina to drain at a very rapid rate. Where as, if you use the shovel, you will be able to dig for much longer (and ultimately faster) than with one of the other tools.
I'm really enjoying the mod so far but I am having one issue. Whenever I go to search for a recipe by name in my crafting list, the game will freeze for 2-3 seconds. Anyone else experiencing this and is there anything I can do aside from upgrading my computer to alleviate it.