Last week I found a deep scratch in my Minelab Profind 35 on the side of the tip about 1/2" long. Kind of deep but not all the way through. Looked like some glass or sharp steel got it. I took some of that thick stretchy water proof electrical tape on it and wound it tight up from the tip. Seems to work ok for me. Hope it works out, don't want to buy a new pinpointer.
Next time buy a tip protector, or send me a PM. I'll give you a knocking deal on one. You'd not have gone through the cheapie, if you'd put one of these on...