Pinpointer reviews

X

Xray

Here are my reviews of the two pinpointers I own, a Wizard Vibe Probe and a Seben Force V. I realize there are other pinponters, maybe some can contribute their own reviews of theirs and this topic can be made a sticky, as questions about them are asked quite commonly. No forum sponsor [that I am aware of] sells these, so out of respect for them I will refrain from any links to these products. People know how to google and search ebay, or you can pm me for info where I got mine. Sucessful metal detecting, like many other things, is all about options, knowledge, experience and having the right tools on hand to do the job quicker, safer and more responsibly .. And having a good pinpointer can actually contribute to all 3.
These two are for people who would like a full featured PP without going over $50.
Pay more, you might get better, you might not. I haven't had the chance to try any others, but I am happy enough with the performance of both of these to not consider looking elsewhere [And it seems the price on other models certainly does go up from here].
These two are options. The ones sold by the forum sponsors are options.
Do some research, consider the features and price range that suit you best, then make a move.
I did have an Automax Precision V2 .. Was it ? Got it for "free' with a detector purchase, and that thing was so big and bulky I mean I have seen smaller baseball bats ... That I never even tried the thing and instantly ebayed it.
But ... Some may not mind the bulk and like it. If so, please do contribute your opinions.

A handheld pinpointer is just a small metal detector. It alerts you to the presence of metal, depending on model, either visually via blinking LED, by audio via built in speaker, or by vibrating - Good for noisy environments and/or those who hunt with headphones. I personally would prefer one with all 3, and one of the models here does have all 3, and one just two.
How far, you wonder, do these little detectors detect ?
That depends on three things - The unit itself, whether or not the unit has adjustable sensitivity, and the size of the metal object.
Once again, I would recommend a unit with adjustable sensitivity, though [assuming the PP has a decent detection range] this is not criticle.
You can look for most units to alert you to a single coin sized metal object from half an inch up to two. Any less, and it would be nearly useless, and any more and it would defeat its purpose. You already know via your metal detector there is metal there, you already know the appoximate location via your detectors pinpointing function ... Now you want to find exactly where that object is - And sometimes this can be hard to do, even for the most experienced of detectors.

Various factors such as angled flat targets, coins on edge, can upset the accuracy of your machines pinpointing. Coins, trinkets and relics, sometimes underground for a century or more, tend to take on the hue of the ground in which they have been entombed in, making them nearly impossible to visually spot. The target might be an inch to the right, and inch to the left, and inch deeper, inside the holes walls ... And this little pinpointer can save you the trouble of finding it the heard way, possibly damaging the target from probing and digging, or not finding it at all.
When it alerts you, you know you are close to something metal.

Perhaps obviously, the larger the mass of the metal target, the greater the detection range will be. For example, the fender from a buried 50 Chevy would likely cause the PP to alert nearly half a foot out. Same with a sewer cap. So, if you get alerted to the presence of metal and you dig another two inches and haven't found anything and its still alerting, its very safe to assume that you are dealing with a large metal mass.
Might it still be something good ? Perhaps. But not a small metal object - And if your major interest is just solitary coins, you might just as well fill the hole back up right then.
Thats the basics and yes, you do want one.
Absolutely.

All opinions are mine and mine alone, as are the mis-spellings.


#1 Wizard Vibe Probe

And here we have the Wizard. Full featured with selectable audio/visual/vibrating alerts [actually the red LED blinks for a target no matter what, but it is useless in the day time]. Has adjustable sensitivity via a thumb wheel which doubles as an on/off switch. Has a fine tuning calibrater, and finally has a bright LED light mounted in front, which actually comes in handy for illumination in dark holes.
Measures about 10.5 " long and it fairly lightweight. It is not bulky, and can easily be carried along with a lanyard attached to it, then to a belt loop.
Is powered by 1 9v battery, and seems to have a decent battery life.
Its adjustable senitivity is spot on, detecting a coin sized object from .5 to about 1.5 inches.
My first one I got last year. On the second day I had it I snapped its skinny little PVC neck in half. Good old JB weld to the rescue, I patched it up and got a year or so life span out of it. Its performance in the field is great ... Just resist the urge to aggresivley probe with it.
It started malfunctioning months later, probably something I could have fixed, but in a fit of rage I smashed it on a sidewalk, jumped on it, cursed it, the whole nine yards. So ended the life of my first pinpointer.

So I got a second one the beginning of this season. Worked great for a week, then all of the sudden it no longer gave audio alerts, which is my prefered method.
Opened it up figuring a clipped speak wire, no. Thought of the possibility of replacing the teeny little piezo speaker, but it is enclosed in a form fitted encloser and is apparently molded into the unit, so it is not replaceable.
Oh well, so I go with vibrate [which does eat up the battery quicker].
A few weeks after that, it would not stop vibrating. No metal in sight, and vibrating away. Tried a fresh battery, no joy. Tried the calibrating knob, nothing. Smacked it, opened it up, blew compressed air on it, still the same. Thought maybe some metal lodged in its tip, so I ground it off, still vibrating for nothing. Oh well, so I live without a pinpointer.
Picked it up a few days after that, it just sat there, but all of the sudden it was now working right. It did not vibrate until it got close to metal. So I am back in business .... Alas, a few days later its up to its old tricks, and is now in constant vibrate mode again.
So I don't know what to say about that, hopefully just a bum unit.

Another annoyance, and it happened on both units, is the sensitivity wheel, theres a teeny screw holding it on, and this evetually works itself loose and the wheel falls into the unit, and you are no longer about to adjust sensitivity or turn it on and off.
So you must open it up, and hopefully find that little screw, and screw it back in tight.

Yet another thing I do not like is the battery is in the handle [grip] part, and once its in, there no good way to get it out when it needs to be changed. It is wedged in there very tight, and the only way to get it out is to bang the grips edge on something, and hopefully the battery will come out before you break something.
The long battery wires and cap also have a tendancy to .. lets say, disengage from the unit after a while, requiring you to open it up and do some soldering.

Pros
* 3 different alerts
* Adjustable sensitivity
* LED light comes in handy
* Water resistant, and the ability to probe deep holes with ease.
* Great performance
* Low price

Cons
* Cheaply constructed
* Has issues which might amount to design flaws
* Gun shape sometimes draws looks of concern from passersby, and cops do not like to see it laying in the back seat.
* What is listed above

I would recommend this unit, and chances are you will not be as hard on yours as I am mine. In fact I'll likely get my 3rd one next spring, only this time I will not throw out my receipt.
I paid about $35 for this one, prices will vary from that to close to $50.
 

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Seben Force V

After two Wizards, looked to see what else is out there. Found this German made product, specs looked good, was under $50 so I gave it a go.
Just arrived the other day, so my opinions are limited, and obviously I can't say much about its durability or reliabilty at this point.
It is small, body is 4 inches the probe is 3. Is built very well and solid, and has molded finger indents on both sides. Detection range is spot on with this one also, with its ajustable sensitivity about the same as the Wiz, .5 to nearly 2 for coin sized objects.
Operates also on a single 9v, and here is my first gripe.
You must shove, and I mean shove, this battery in with pressure that will turn your thumbs white. Not good, really. Especially from German engineers sheeesh.
Worse yet, once in, the batteries contacts failed to make contact with the units contacts, requiring me to take the battery back out.
The fix was easy - I just bent the units contacts out a bit, forced the 9v back in and presto. But something like this you would think would have been caught early on in quality control - And I suspect that this problem will reoccur as those clips get bent back away from the battery.
On to operation. The unit requires you to hold in that little button that says "hold/press". It then is active while you are pressing it, and will alert you visually or via audio [no vibrate for this one] to metal.
This was somewhat of a negative suprise for me, as I am used to theWiz, where you just turn on a switch and it will alert without further intervention.
I am getting used to it though, and have found positive things about it.
One, you don't have to worry about turning it off, as it goes off when you let go that push button. Two, I know with the wiz sometimes I would put it down and it would be right next to my digger or detector, which of course caused it to sqeal [or shake] away. Not so with this one.
Thumb on the buttom, its ready - Thumb off, its off.
My one major gripe against this unit is its short neck. If it had an extra inch even, preferably two, it would be dang close to perfection. As it is, I see it being kinda awkward in some deep, narrow holes.
Another gripe that I fixed with a quick mod is there is nothing to attach a lanyard to. I like to hang these things on my belt loop [and for this I have found those retractable key ring things to work great .. But they don't seem to last more than a few months]. So I had to make my own connection, and screwed in a little threaded eyelet to attach my coiled lanyard to.
Other than that, and if you can live without vibrate, this thing is the real deal.
Under $40, shipped, too.
There is no where in the USA that I am aware of where you can get these things.
*Update* After a couple months of use and abuse I can state that this is a ruggedly made product and also battery life is great, still running on the same 9 volt.
After using it under different conditions from holes to woodchip playgrounds I can highly recommend this unit, if you can find it ... And my only complaint about this unit is still its stubby neck, which can be a drawback in deep, narrow holes ... On the other hand, it is much harder to snap than long necked ones, like the Wiz above.

Pros:

* Rigid conctruction, built to last and resist impact [a definite + for me]
* Great performance in the field, very sensitive, not overly so
* Adjustable sensitivity
* Compact and light
* Also has the LED for lighting in bright holes

Cons

* Stubby neck a bit too stubby
* No vibrate
* No lanyard connection without mod

Thats it folks.
 

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Most Seben (perhaps all) are not made in Germany, mainly Chinese or Turkish products imported and labeled with the Seben name. Price is just over $25 from mdetectors.com but you have to add the delivery costs.
 
Might well be, as my unit has no country of manufacture on the unit itself nor did it come with a box or even any documentation. I sure couldn't find it at that site. In any case it is a well designed and contructed unit, not typical of what one has come to expect of a made in china electronic item.
I have freinds and family in Deutschland and know very well that they are experiencing much the same hemmorage of manufacture as us.
 
For what it's worth, 9V batteries vary in size depending on manufacturer and country of origin. No idea as to why it has never been standardized like the other cells.
 
XRay, Great commentary on the probes. I'm getting one soon, was considering the Seben, but will probably get the Vibraprobe. Like the fact that it can go underwater, although dont expect to use it much underwater, but who knows.
auseeker...
 
I use a Vibra-Probe 460 which I got used for $65. The 560 pictured is the same configuration and runs $120.

I've found it to be a very sturdy piece of equipment. I has an auto on/off function, so no dials or switches to break. Tilt it up to turn it on. Two minute shut off if it hasn't hit metal in that time period. Waterproof, with a single 9 volt in the handle. Overall length approx. 14". Comes with belt loop holster.

Strong enough for abuse. Have dropped it several times with no effect. I can probe aggressively with no fear of breaking the tip.

I couldn't afford a new one, but am very happy with my used unit.
 
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