Draft Summery PinPointer Testing Report
Hey guys, here is a rough Draft Summery of my PinPointer Testing Report. I along with some metal detecting buddies and a few Techs from the University’s Technology Lab took part in the testing and contributed to the report. This Summery Report is written in Layman’s Terms; however the full report to be summated for publishing will contain more technical details as well as the technical data on the pinpointers/detectors tested.
Note:
The only In-line Probe Tested Was the DX-1. It exceeded or matched the performance of all Frequency Based Hand-held PinPointers. In all but one test it exceeded the performance of all Frequency Based Hand-held PinPointers.
Pinpointer Testing
My groups testing has found the claims made by this video are pretty much dead on. Thought we found the performance of the tested frequency based pinpointers to be slightly better then portrayed by this video.
Frequency Based Pinpointers Tested:
White's Bullseye II, Garrett ProPointer, Automax Precision V4, Treasuremate and Bounty Hunter Pin Pointer
Pulse Pinpointers Tested:
Vibra-Probe 580 & DetectorPro Pistol Probe
Findings:
In our testing we found that most frequency based pinpointers performed very well and were all very comparable to each other in performance. Air testing reached dimes at about 1 to 1 ½ inches, nickels at about 2 inches and quarters at just under 2 ½ inches. And we were able to reach an Eisenhower Dollar at just about 3 inches with most of the frequency based pinpointers in the fairly moist and rich New Jersey soil.
As for the Pulse Pinpointers tested, we all found that the DetectorPro went much deeper then all of the pinpointers tested, including the DX-1. We found that the Garrett ProPointer and Treasuremate went slightly deeper than the other frequency based hand-held pinpointers and were able to reach an Eisenhower Dollar at 3 inches, but they both failed to detect the dollar at 4 inches. The DetectorPro greatly outperformed all others by locking onto the Eisenhower Dollar with ease at 6 inches! The Vibra-Probe 580 locked on at 4 inches but missed at 5 inches. Though the Vibra-Probe 580 didn’t match the awesome detection depth of the DetectorPro, it has some advantages over the DetectorPro. The main two being, it’s Tip-only Detection and most important to me, it’s completely water proof. I also found it much easier to hold and work with due to its design. The DetectorPro was somewhat bulky and awkward to hold.
Technical Note:
Pulse Induction often reaches deeper targets than frequency based detectors/pinpointers and they also operate much better in extreme ground conditions. We found that both pulse pinpointers outperformed the frequency based pinpointers with coins and relics. We also found that they worked very well on small targets. In our testing both Pulse Pinpointers were able to reach a small 14 k Gold Earring Back at 2 ½ inches that all of the frequency based pinpointers missed completely in good ground.
Conclusion:
All of the frequency based hand-held pinpointers performed very well. Some had advantages over others, but these was nothing earth shaking. The Garrett was a little loud, but this was offset by its great performance and sturdiness. The Treasuremate is very well made and performs with the best of the frequency based pinpointers, but its control knobs were easily hit and often had to be reset during use. Though the frequency based pinpointers do not match the pulse pinpointers for depth and performance in difficult ground, they all worked very well and should meet the requirements of almost any metal detecting needs.
The Pulse Pinpointers were able to reach deeper targets, but is 6 inches to an Eisenhower Dollar really needed? In my opinion it is not. But if you need a pinpointer to perform better in difficult highly mineralized ground or if you hunt in the surf or wet saltwater sand, a pulse pinpointer would best fill your needs.
If you’re interested in raw power and detection depth and want the advantages of a pulse pinpointer, but don’t need a waterproof pinpointers, then the DetectorPro is for you. When it comes to raw power and detection depth no other pinpointer comes close. This includes the Sunray DX-1 Probe on the White’s MXT, M-6 and DFX Detectors.
We found the Vibra-Probe 580 was only exceeded by the DetectorPro for raw power and detection depth. However, the Vibra-Probe 580 has several advantages over the DetectorPro such as; the Vibra-Probe 580 is completely waterproof (waterproof to a depth of 100 feet) making idea for metal detection on the beach or in the water. And we found that the Vibra-Probe 580 was the most accurate/precise of all pinpointers tested due to its tip-only detection. We all really like this feature. All of the people contributing to this report agree that the Vibra-Probe 580 was unsurpassed for comfort and ease of use due to its handle design and was also unsurpassed in user-friendly designing.
A Personal Note:
This report represents the findings of our testing. I do understand completely that opinions and personal preference may differ, and there are always variables to any research project.
Best Regards,
Silver Hawk