Big Boys Hobbies

Why pin pointers? Seriously?

Buried said:
Ok, you make a good point in a way... I guess this is what I'm really looking for here...


What is the REAL difference between a 16 HF PP vs the 100+ G PP?

Please site some specifics.


a $15.00 timex and a $10000 rolex both tell time
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Both tell time, but how long does the $15 Timex hold-up compared to a precision Rolex? I've purchased cheaper PP's and they break or start to fail quick, whereas the Garrett's last a lot longer, and when they do start to fail you can send them back and have them either repaired or replaced most often for free. Why others pay for good equipment in this hobby is really non of your concern. Your attitude towards people that choose to purchase expensive items for whatever their reasons is what's concerning. Why do you care? Some of us have found the more expensive PP's to outlast the cheaper ones, and perform better, so why do you care if someone invests more in that? Talk about such a ridiculous mentality to come in here with, and then acuse others of being "elitest". :wow::roll:
 
The whole thing, and I'm not taking sides since I haven't been here long enough to have opinions formed.

You get this everywhere. Person A doesn't uses less equipment than person B does but they equally find the same amount of items. Person A wonders why Person B uses more expensive equipment than him. and over and over and over.

it all comes down to this, and if I offend anyone realize we're all grown ups here and put our pants on the same way, one leg at a time.

Who the eff cares what I use or what I choose to use. If you have a problem with my more expensive/cheaper/chinese/american/german/analog/digital/handbuilt/factorymade/blah blah blah item, just accept our differences and move on.

I don't understand why anyone in my town drives a V8 when the speed limit everywhere is 35, but guess what? It's not my money.
 
joee5 said:
lost mine in the Sandy flood but my Garrett PP saved hours of hunt time
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Sorry to hear that. Have you tried to send an email to Garrett? Not that they get a bunch of erroneous claims, but they might just send you one, and if you still have the serial number, or proof of purchase, it's very possible they might send you one for free. I sent back a defective one earlier in the year, and they sent it back fixed along with a new one. I couldn't believe it. Ended up selling the extra one on eBay. Try it. Ya never know.
 
Biggest difference for me between the Garrett and the harbor freight model was the sensitivity. The GPP beeps and vibe rates slow at first and then increases the closer you get to the target. Also the size played a role for me, the bigger box was bulky on the HF. I like the holster that comes with the GPP too, in and out pretty easy. I don't know, it just seemed more durable overall, I didn't really like the switch on the HF and the fact that it doesn't vibrate I didn't like too much either. I have a hard time hearing both models when I have my phones on. Hope this helps. Is it worth the extra hundred bucks between the two models? It is for me, but everyone is different when it comes to having bells and whistles. None of that stuff might matter to other people, I'm a gadget guy so I like having all the bells and whistles lol.
 
What others have said, with the pp lots of times you don't even have to dig a plug, just locate and pop coin out real quick.
 
One Step Farther

I use an old cell phone case with belt attachment to carry the pointer. Some slight modifications and an old case made re usable for a new purpose. And it was already paid for!
 
ronfin said:
Both tell time, but how long does the $15 Timex hold-up compared to a precision Rolex? I've purchased cheaper PP's and they break or start to fail quick, whereas the Garrett's last a lot longer, and when they do start to fail you can send them back and have them either repaired or replaced most often for free. Why others pay for good equipment in this hobby is really non of your concern. Your attitude towards people that choose to purchase expensive items for whatever their reasons is what's concerning. Why do you care? Some of us have found the more expensive PP's to outlast the cheaper ones, and perform better, so why do you care if someone invests more in that? Talk about such a ridiculous mentality to come in here with, and then acuse others of being "elitest". :wow::roll:
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My HF PP has held up fine over a year. Spent a few bucks to upgrade the switch and added vibration. Covered the base of the probe with some E6000 to add a bit of reinforcement. As with any piece of tech, it's how well you take care of it.
 
Bank2collect said:
So I suppose this is over kill also:laughing::laughing:
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Man that thing is a beauty!! Buzz Does GREAT work!! Sorry just had to chime in and comment on great work when I see it!! I have 2 by Buzz! :D
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I won my Garrett Pro Pointer and I gotta say This thing is a life saver!!! If I didn't win mine I would totally buy one for the money! Its worth every penny! Love mine and its going on 3 years old now!!
 
SoKyHunter said:
My HF PP has held up fine over a year. Spent a few bucks to upgrade the switch and added vibration. Covered the base of the probe with some E6000 to add a bit of reinforcement. As with any piece of tech, it's how well you take care of it.
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I sprayed the end of mine with some truck bed epoxy to help buffer the friction it was getting in the rocky-like dirt. Just didn't hold-up as well as I had liked it too. Also tough to see rocks or old foundation bricks at night when you're probing a plug. Hit a few that it didn't like.
 
pinpointers are really handy at night, for digging small holes, or when you swing a heavy machine. I rarely use mine (a simple sherlock), normally I bring with me a plastic scoop along with my digger, and because I use the Vaquero and compadre most of the time, being light machines work nice at pinpointing targets

I would like to try a Treasure Mate or the garrett PP in the future
 
I really appreciate all the helpful replies that everyone has posted.
I do have a homemade pin pointer that I use very very rarely, like on tiny pieces of metal that I cannot find. Really what it boiled down to was the comparison of a cheap pin pointer vs a really expensive one. And from what I have gathered, it seems like the better name brand pin pointers are able to pin point deeper targets and are handy when it comes to getting better at accuracy.

With my targets being about 6 inches and above, I guess for now a cheap pin pointer will work, but when I upgrade my machine, and can really hit the deep stuff, perhaps a better performing pin pointer may be what I need.

And I think I need to clear something up, when I made the comment "Not everyone is "elite" -- I was referring to the fact that not everyone is elite -- which means, experienced.

This place is called Friendly Metal Detecting Forums for a reason, it is full of very friendly and helpful people. Name calling, talking down to people, and being all around negative never helps anyone. We're here to have fun, share finds, share ideas, and really enjoy this hobby.

Thanks again for all the input!
 
I just read this entire thread and want to tell everybody, THANKS! I've detected off and on for 20+ years and have never used a pin pointer because I thought they were too expensive (still think that) and thought the HF couldn't be as good (still think that)....but this thread has convinced me to start cheap and move up if I see a need.

For everybody that mentioned digging and digging then finally filling the hole up because the find "disappeared", it's like y'all were watching me this morning. lol

I'm on the way to HF this week! Thanks again.
 
Missouri Dave said:
I just read this entire thread and want to tell everybody, THANKS! I've detected off and on for 20+ years and have never used a pin pointer because I thought they were too expensive (still think that) and thought the HF couldn't be as good (still think that)....but this thread has convinced me to start cheap and move up if I see a need.

For everybody that mentioned digging and digging then finally filling the hole up because the find "disappeared", it's like y'all were watching me this morning. lol

I'm on the way to HF this week! Thanks again.
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I also still think top brand pinpointers are too expensive. I think: new coil vs pinpointer and the winner is new coil

I would start with the cen-tech, change the switch and it will beep for less than 20 bucks
 
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