mlitty
Forum Supporter
Being on a tight budget and yet desirous of a pinpointer to save time and minimize digging mess, I recently purchased a Tinytec Deluxe Probe.
The buying experience was smooth and pleasant. Fred Wagner, the business owner, is delightful and accommodating. He even worked with me to make sure that my Tinytec arrived in time for an upcoming, now passed vacation at the beach.
At this time each Tinytec comes with a free gift of several US $1 coins enclosed in the battery compartment when it arrives. Mine arrived three days after an 11pm order was sent via his online purchasing. I had ordered one for my Dad the previous Saturday night and his arrived on Monday, only two days later. It took Harbor Freight three days to tell me theirs was out of stock. Fred ships fast.
There are several models of the Tinytech. The Delux is the midrange model. Features include: (mostly from web site)
Fred knew I was buying this for my beach trip and warned me that it is not useful in the salty wet sand, but works well in dry sand. I did find both to be true, but found it unnecessary to use the pinpointer in the dry sand. It was just as fast if not faster to pinpoint with the coil and use the sifter.
So today at a tot-lot was my first real test of the Tinytec.
Audible Tone: Some have said that the audible tone is too loud and attracts attention. It is a bit loud, but I've found that it is very easy to "adjust" the volume by slipping a thin piece of cardboard in front of the speaker which is easily accessible from the battery compartment. I have one piece of manila envelope which has been cut to fit completely when folded in half. This provides three levels of volume, no cardboard, one layer, or folded for two layers. Mostly I've found the cardboard volume control unnecessary, and just store it in the battery compartment.
Auto Cut Off switch & Sensitivity: The unit turns on by dialing back the sensitivity dial. This model has a feature that, when enabled, turns the unit off when it is tilted in an upward direction, anything above horizontal. It does indeed work, but I've had difficulty using the unit when in this mode. It seem that the sensitivity is erratic when Auto-shut off is enabled. If I dial it back enough to cut out the erratic signal, it is so insensitive as to make no tone unless it is touching the target. However, if I disable the auto shut-off and then adjust the sensitivity, it works wonderfully. It has a range of about 2 inches, give or take a little bit. For closer targeting, simply dial back the sensitivity. I use the auto shut-off switch as an off switch. When carrying, I enable the auto shut-off and point it up (carried in a cargo pocket). When I need to use it, I disable the auto shut-off with a simple flick of the switch.
Pen Light: It has a nifty pen light feature with a pressure switch at a trigger location. I haven't had need of it yet, since I use a head-lamp when MDing at night, but it's nice to know it's there.
Clutched Sensitivity: The sensitivity dial is stiff to a point that I believe it would be difficult to bump it out of place, but mobile enough to easily adjust. I like it.
Conclusion: I could not be happier with my initial transaction with Fred. Buying the first unit for my dad was actually such fun that I looked forward to dealing with Fred when buying my own.
Once I discerned the limitations of the auto shut-off feature, my initial frustrations smoothly transitioned into serene pleasure with the consistent and reliable performance of the Tinytec Deluxe. Within a few minutes of learning the unit, I was avoiding many digs by finding targets on or just below the surface. An all of my digs were cut short by nearly eliminating the need to sort through shovel full after shovel full of dirt. I'm finding much faster with less digging which means more finds in less time with cleaner holes.
I can't wait to use it tomorrow. If you're on a budget and can adapt to the volume and auto shut-off quirks, this is a great unit. If you need vibrate, there's an Ultralux model with vibration.
If you have experience with a Tinytec, please post here with your model and your experience.
Update: I took the Tinytec out this morning in a light rain at a pre-civil war house I've permission to search. Only the rod is waterproof, so I tied a shopping bag over the control box. Again, the performance was consistent with my first experience with the Tinytec. With the auto shut-off enabled, the performance is erratic. With the auto shut-off disabled, it performed like a champ, cutting search time down significantly. So once again, I used the auto shut-off as an off switch, carrying it upright to engage the shut-off. I'll write more if there's any change in my experience of the TinyTec Deluxe.
Update: Another few days in the field. More details. The button for the light is right in front and fell off some time during my Sunday search. I didn't use it, but I was bummed. I might contact the manufacturer and see if the waranty applies, then again I'm pretty lazy when it comes to those things.
I tried it today at a play ground in the wood chips, leaving it with the auto off engaged as much as possible. It performed well for the most part. There seems to be a bit of ground chatter when the auto-off is enabled that does not sound with the feature disabled.
I may have also noticed why I was having problems with the consistency of use with auto-off enabled. The unit seems to be set to turn off when in a horizontal or upward position. However it will cycle on and off if it's close to horizontal and moving/wiggling. If it's pointing straight down, it does ok. If you're close to horizontal, disable the auto off.
I also notice that I need to readjust the sensitivity every now and then, but I think that's probably normal.
I think that's all for my review. I can't see that there's anything more I could add. If anyone wants to know any more, let me know.
UPDATE: There've been some questions about durability. I do some light prying and poking, but my soil here is very sandy. No issues. The case doesn't look overly sturdy and I'm not ultra confident in the way the probe attaches to the box. I put a few strong zip ties around the box to reinforce the attachment just in case. If I need to probe deep, I push a hole in with my gardening knife and then slip the probe into the slit/hole and wiggle around. It works well enough.
It may be a little unorthodox to reply to questions this way, but I'm trying to keep all of the review related information at the head of the thread so new readers can see it all at the top and all in one place.
The buying experience was smooth and pleasant. Fred Wagner, the business owner, is delightful and accommodating. He even worked with me to make sure that my Tinytec arrived in time for an upcoming, now passed vacation at the beach.
At this time each Tinytec comes with a free gift of several US $1 coins enclosed in the battery compartment when it arrives. Mine arrived three days after an 11pm order was sent via his online purchasing. I had ordered one for my Dad the previous Saturday night and his arrived on Monday, only two days later. It took Harbor Freight three days to tell me theirs was out of stock. Fred ships fast.
There are several models of the Tinytech. The Delux is the midrange model. Features include: (mostly from web site)
- Audible sound with red LED indicator
- 51mm wide scan side sweep for wide scan
- accurate pinpointing with the tip.
- Auto Shutoff/Battery Saver Circuit with Bypass Switch
- White light with pressure button switch- Use as a penlight
- Probe shaft is waterproof from housing to tip
- Friction Clutch on the Thumb Wheel to eliminate accidental misadjustment
- Full Owner's Manual with postage-paid Warranty Registration card.
- Unbeaten 25-Month Factory Defects Warranty
Fred knew I was buying this for my beach trip and warned me that it is not useful in the salty wet sand, but works well in dry sand. I did find both to be true, but found it unnecessary to use the pinpointer in the dry sand. It was just as fast if not faster to pinpoint with the coil and use the sifter.
So today at a tot-lot was my first real test of the Tinytec.
Audible Tone: Some have said that the audible tone is too loud and attracts attention. It is a bit loud, but I've found that it is very easy to "adjust" the volume by slipping a thin piece of cardboard in front of the speaker which is easily accessible from the battery compartment. I have one piece of manila envelope which has been cut to fit completely when folded in half. This provides three levels of volume, no cardboard, one layer, or folded for two layers. Mostly I've found the cardboard volume control unnecessary, and just store it in the battery compartment.
Auto Cut Off switch & Sensitivity: The unit turns on by dialing back the sensitivity dial. This model has a feature that, when enabled, turns the unit off when it is tilted in an upward direction, anything above horizontal. It does indeed work, but I've had difficulty using the unit when in this mode. It seem that the sensitivity is erratic when Auto-shut off is enabled. If I dial it back enough to cut out the erratic signal, it is so insensitive as to make no tone unless it is touching the target. However, if I disable the auto shut-off and then adjust the sensitivity, it works wonderfully. It has a range of about 2 inches, give or take a little bit. For closer targeting, simply dial back the sensitivity. I use the auto shut-off switch as an off switch. When carrying, I enable the auto shut-off and point it up (carried in a cargo pocket). When I need to use it, I disable the auto shut-off with a simple flick of the switch.
Pen Light: It has a nifty pen light feature with a pressure switch at a trigger location. I haven't had need of it yet, since I use a head-lamp when MDing at night, but it's nice to know it's there.
Clutched Sensitivity: The sensitivity dial is stiff to a point that I believe it would be difficult to bump it out of place, but mobile enough to easily adjust. I like it.
Conclusion: I could not be happier with my initial transaction with Fred. Buying the first unit for my dad was actually such fun that I looked forward to dealing with Fred when buying my own.
Once I discerned the limitations of the auto shut-off feature, my initial frustrations smoothly transitioned into serene pleasure with the consistent and reliable performance of the Tinytec Deluxe. Within a few minutes of learning the unit, I was avoiding many digs by finding targets on or just below the surface. An all of my digs were cut short by nearly eliminating the need to sort through shovel full after shovel full of dirt. I'm finding much faster with less digging which means more finds in less time with cleaner holes.
I can't wait to use it tomorrow. If you're on a budget and can adapt to the volume and auto shut-off quirks, this is a great unit. If you need vibrate, there's an Ultralux model with vibration.
If you have experience with a Tinytec, please post here with your model and your experience.
Update: I took the Tinytec out this morning in a light rain at a pre-civil war house I've permission to search. Only the rod is waterproof, so I tied a shopping bag over the control box. Again, the performance was consistent with my first experience with the Tinytec. With the auto shut-off enabled, the performance is erratic. With the auto shut-off disabled, it performed like a champ, cutting search time down significantly. So once again, I used the auto shut-off as an off switch, carrying it upright to engage the shut-off. I'll write more if there's any change in my experience of the TinyTec Deluxe.
Update: Another few days in the field. More details. The button for the light is right in front and fell off some time during my Sunday search. I didn't use it, but I was bummed. I might contact the manufacturer and see if the waranty applies, then again I'm pretty lazy when it comes to those things.
I tried it today at a play ground in the wood chips, leaving it with the auto off engaged as much as possible. It performed well for the most part. There seems to be a bit of ground chatter when the auto-off is enabled that does not sound with the feature disabled.
I may have also noticed why I was having problems with the consistency of use with auto-off enabled. The unit seems to be set to turn off when in a horizontal or upward position. However it will cycle on and off if it's close to horizontal and moving/wiggling. If it's pointing straight down, it does ok. If you're close to horizontal, disable the auto off.
I also notice that I need to readjust the sensitivity every now and then, but I think that's probably normal.
I think that's all for my review. I can't see that there's anything more I could add. If anyone wants to know any more, let me know.
UPDATE: There've been some questions about durability. I do some light prying and poking, but my soil here is very sandy. No issues. The case doesn't look overly sturdy and I'm not ultra confident in the way the probe attaches to the box. I put a few strong zip ties around the box to reinforce the attachment just in case. If I need to probe deep, I push a hole in with my gardening knife and then slip the probe into the slit/hole and wiggle around. It works well enough.
It may be a little unorthodox to reply to questions this way, but I'm trying to keep all of the review related information at the head of the thread so new readers can see it all at the top and all in one place.
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