Advice on a pinpointer

[Guest]

The vibraprobe 580 is the best for tiny nuggets. I tested this against one of the brands mentioned here. The min detection size
was a 1 grammer. The 580 would pick up a .2 gram nugget. The vibraprobe is also a pulse induction probe and though its large
in size and I am thinking it has to be this way due to the circuitry and wiring requiring some space it works really well. In fact
for nugget shooting I would suggest the 580 over any other vlf pin pointer due to its sensitivity. The VLf pin pointers are better
for coin shooting. This conclusion came after I completed some tests for a fellow member.

 

[BigBeav]

I had them both , the Garrett is somewhere between Marlborough and Rainbow Beach so I have to use my Minelab now which is just as good . What ever one you buy you will be happy with , they are a must

 

[BigSam]

Picked up a garrett pro pointer at Reeds Prospecting in Perth whilst here for work...$160, cheapest I've come across, the service there was great and I can certainly recommend them to anyone.

 

[nuggetino]

Glad to hear the good report about the vibra-probe 580. Just bought one on ebay for 190 posted. Got ripped off on the postage. I'm sure someone in the US would be willing to ship at realistic rates if you looked around. I bought the vibra-probe because it has tip sensitivity only. Hopefully will save some time finding targets coz I'm one clumsy clutz when it comes to pinpointing over the coil.

 

[Bingo]

Picked up a garrett pro pointer at Reeds Prospecting in Perth whilst here for work...$160, cheapest I've come across, the service there was great and I can certainly recommend them to anyone.

I ordered a Garrett pro pointer from Reeds on monday.

$166.50 delivered to Melbourne...easily the cheapest i've come across and feel better buying it from a proper shop rather than some muppet on ebay.

I should receive it in the morning...australia post tracking says it's been sorted through their process facility...can't wait to try it out!!!

 

[Guest]

Picked up a garrett pro pointer at Reeds Prospecting in Perth whilst here for work...$160, cheapest I've come across, the service there was great and I can certainly recommend them to anyone.

I ordered a Garrett pro pointer from Reeds on monday.

$166.50 delivered to Melbourne...easily the cheapest i've come across and feel better buying it from a proper shop rather than some muppet on ebay.

I should receive it in the morning...australia post tracking says it's been sorted through their process facility...can't wait to try it out!!!

Its a good pinpointer

 

[johnh001]

You will find that the tuning technique with the garrett works as well.

Have used it a few times now when the target doesn't register, being a little to deep.

I just slide my little garden spade along the handle until it registers then back it off but still holding it against the pro pointer, rescan the ground and you get another inch or so of depth.

Very happy with the pro pointer, saves a lot of digging.

It will automatically ground balance if you turn it on when placed on the ground, careful not to do it near the target or you may balance the target out of the pointer.

 

[Pilsner]

I just slide my little garden spade along the handle until it registers then back it off but still holding it against the pro pointer, rescan the ground and you get another inch or so of depth.

yeah, I always use my wedding ring, just curios when I will lose it this way. Good that I have a detector to find i again

 

[Wintersnake]

Will any ol' pinpointer do ?

The price range is quite broad from $30 - $140. The minelab being on the expensive end but is it worth it? After all to my knowledge you only use them to find exact location once you've done a bit of digging already.

I seem to spend more time searching the hole and mullock I just dug than detecting some days.

 

[silver]

They certainly speed up your recovery rate,...I use Garrett pro pointer $135 give or take a bit,.... never tried it on gold in the field though,.. certainly good on coin and treasure though.

 

[condor22]

I have the Minelab, works well in the Goldfields

 

[nuggetino]

No not any pin pointer will do. I can't comment from experience on them minelab and garrett (though I've heard plenty of good about both) but just in case you are also looking at the vibra probe 580 and potentially other models not intended for gold detecting I would advise against purchasing. The reason being that in heavily mineralized ground (where gold is often found) the 580 is far too sensitive to iron stone and just makes it impossible to isolate a target. Tried a strong magnet to sift out the ironstone first but that's even more time consuming and defeats the purpose of carrying this pin pointer.

 

[AngerManagement]

A new Minelab or Garrett for $140 ?

Seen a few fake Garrett's for that price...

They all have pros and cons.....

Some work well in some places and not so well in others. Then some have features that may or may not be useful... And some functions are more gimmick that useful.

 

[Ramjet]

I have a Garrett pro pointer. It has been fine for about a year. I have read a lot about them 'falsing'. Mine has recently started to do this. Just chirps away randomly. Put a new battery in it yesterday when it was beeping and it still did it. Not all the time. Thinking of getting some other pin pointer before it dies.

 

[TTKooAu]

I have a Garrett pro-Pointer as well, tough as nails......yep, mine chirps sometimes for no reason, with no regard for battery life.... sometimes the vibration just stops too and I only get the chirping, then for no reason I can tell it will comeback to life again, vibrating it's head off. The rubber on off switch was the first thing to go, got soft and kept falling out, so I replaced it for $1 with a blind grommet 1/2" from the auto electrical..... cheaper than worrying about the warranty....Still a very handy tool, and I am pretty rough in it. I've worn the end of it quite rounded as you can see.... plenty of meat around the tip.

 

[AngerManagement]

The good thing about the Garrett is that out of warranty it can still be worked on and repaired...

The ML Pro Find is all glued and thus disassembly is some what tricky, if not almost impossible. Hence get a replacement under warranty.

There are a number of reasons why the Garrett will suffer 'falsing' and Vibration playing up or failing.. There is no one fix for all.

As per my post in the Sponsor area, feel free to ask in that topic, as I do not want to be seen to be hijacking a topic.

However repairs where possible, out side of warranty, or mods is what I enjoy doing. Next to actually having a swing and a good coffee (My other passion).

 

[silver]

I put good quality(lead containing) electrical tape(black) over the little speaker hole when I got mine so that I didn't have to worry about water getting in at all(in any scenario except diving,..would never do that)no matter what. Still working well, gets thrown about between old mate and I(he still hasn't bought one for himself), hits the dirt hard on occasion, and still only needs a new battery on rare occasions. GARRETT PRO POINTER. " DA DAHH ".

 

[Ramjet]

Here is how one guy fixed his falsing problem. I may have a look at doing this with mine.

[video=480,360]http://youtu.be/90YfULEKbi8[/video]

 

[AngerManagement]

Just be warned...

Heat shrink is only part of the problem...

The wiring is insulated as it is coil winding, other wise it would short out when wound on the ferrite.

Dry Joints, that is why bumping can set it off, and a few other things.

Also the O-ring around the led never truly seals, hence water ingress.

And depending on how careful you are, many break the switch when trying to pull apart...

Hence I have about 50 on hand LOL...

 

[ProspectorPete]

Hey AngerManagement, do you or anyone else here know much about the Whites Bullseye TRX? I'm possibly looking to get a PP before the end of the year and it's really only the ML & Garrett that generally get a mention, is that for good reason?

Edit: sorry should have looked better in this section, found the review further down.