Cen-Tech Pinpointer from Harbor Freight Review.

Elixir

Elite Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2008
Messages
611
Location
Lehigh Acres, FL
I just want to say to whoever cant afford an expensive pinpointer and if there is a Harbor Freight in your area definitely pick one up, I did this past weekend and it helps soo much. I find all the coins in the tot lots that are blackened in the mulch muchhh faster. I love this thing, and for 18.01 thats the total with tax here in Fla, you cant go wrong, the only complaint i have is it doesnt have as much depth seeking as I would like.
 
+1 on that. Found one last week at our local store (did not even know we had one!). Bring a printed webpage and they honor the site price of $14.99.

I typically go out when the sun is coming up and can say the Cen-Tech does not like moisture. Had even electrical taped the case seam and the sensitivity dial stopped working about 30 min into it. That was just from "dampness" not actually getting wet. Let it dry out and works fine again. Ended up putting it in a ziplock bag with a hole for the probe to come out - still fits in the holster.

Really like holding the button down for "on" and the built-in light. Also, it's the entire second half of the probe that detects not just the tip. Was getting about 2.5" in-air directly off the tip and at least 1" into the ground. Can turn it sideways and "wave" detect like a wand.
 
Cen-tech Pointer

This has been discussed before but heres my story for the people hunting a pinpointer out there .
As most people know by now if you call Harbor Frieght tool company to order one of these it will be back ordered . I ordered mine on May 6th , 2008 and finally in July after waiting over two months I searched up a store in Kansas City that had one in stock so made arrangments to pick it up . Then I recieved a notice from Harbor Frieght asking me what date I wanted to end my back order and I sent it in told them to take my order off back order after August 1st . They had my credit card number on hold till they processed the order , Well I was updating my check book last night and saw that they processed the amount of the detector for Harbor Frieght on the 13th of August , but I had never heard anything from harbor Frieght about it . So this morning I called them and they said they mailed out my cen-tech detector on 12th of August . I just said ok and when ever it gets here I will have a spare one in case one breaks .
I would recomend trying to find a store near you instead of ordering on the phone cause you can figure on being back ordered a long time and if they send it to you , there will be shipping added to it .
I do like the detector I had already picked up , but there priced cheap and you get what you pay for . I have had to work on the wiring for the switch already it came loose so I went into it and soldered it so it would stay hooked up right . Just my suggestion buy from a store if you can .
 
I got one of these on Saturday. It worked fine then, but Sunday when I took it out to play it the tone would not stop no matter what the sensitivity was set on. Any thoughts or was it just to humid out for it.
 
This has been discussed before but heres my story for the people hunting a pinpointer out there .
As most people know by now if you call Harbor Frieght tool company to order one of these it will be back ordered . I ordered mine on May 6th , 2008 and finally in July after waiting over two months I searched up a store in Kansas City that had one in stock so made arrangments to pick it up . Then I recieved a notice from Harbor Frieght asking me what date I wanted to end my back order and I sent it in told them to take my order off back order after August 1st . They had my credit card number on hold till they processed the order , Well I was updating my check book last night and saw that they processed the amount of the detector for Harbor Frieght on the 13th of August , but I had never heard anything from harbor Frieght about it . So this morning I called them and they said they mailed out my cen-tech detector on 12th of August . I just said ok and when ever it gets here I will have a spare one in case one breaks .
I would recomend trying to find a store near you instead of ordering on the phone cause you can figure on being back ordered a long time and if they send it to you , there will be shipping added to it .
I do like the detector I had already picked up , but there priced cheap and you get what you pay for . I have had to work on the wiring for the switch already it came loose so I went into it and soldered it so it would stay hooked up right . Just my suggestion buy from a store if you can .

I had to resolder my
connections too!
 
I got one of these on Saturday. It worked fine then, but Sunday when I took it out to play it the tone would not stop no matter what the sensitivity was set on. Any thoughts or was it just to humid out for it.

I dont know, mine only has a continous tone if the sensitivity is too high
 
So far mine only makes a continous tone if the sensitivity is to high also , if I turn it down its quiet then . Mine was acting up when the switch was bad but fixed that and its ok now . Might be the wires on the switch of yours is loose too and if there touching could set it off all the time , but mine had shrink wrap on them and I don't think they could touch each other . Hope your able to figure it out .
Good Luck Harold
 
Mine worked okay again last night. I'm thinking they don't like humidity or moisture very much. I'm going to try the plastic bag thing and see if they doesn't resolve my problem.
 
I try to advise against buying these.. they are not reliable.. will break and/or malfunction in no time... invest in a good pinpointer, they will pay you back in reliability and ease of target location. RickO
 
I try to advise against buying these.. they are not reliable.. will break and/or malfunction in no time... invest in a good pinpointer, they will pay you back in reliability and ease of target location. RickO


RickO,

I agree with you on buying quality as you can tell by MD's I own. The reason I bought it in the first place is to see if I really wanted to spend the money on a PP. I have been detecting for years without one as when I started there weren't that many available and I just never got a round to buying one. I also think that if your new to the hobby or on a limited budget it's not a bad deal if it works for you.

And considering the cost variation between the different PP's it's hard to tell what will do the job for you and what is extreme overkill. In my mind I would rather buy something that is at a throw away price and see if indeed I need to invest my money in something more middle of the road or go top end.

Besides I live close enough to a HF that I ran down there for the fun of it. I have several tools from HF that are chinese knockoffs (what isn't anymore) that work great for the amount of use that I give them.
 
Ordered mine online about a month ago or less. It came today! The box was all bent up and the package was half opened, but everything was there and it works. Seems like a decent cheap little unit. Even has a little holster thing and a new 9volt battery included (thats worth a buck!).
 
I got mine working last night and it was great. I have never used a pinpointer before and this one worked like a champ. I did put it in a plastic bag and had kept it in the house overnight as it is quirky around humidity.

It sure made locating targets much easier. I found a tiny piece of metal in a hole that would have drove me nuts trying to find it with my CZ. If you are on a budget or just need a backup pinpointer I would highly recommend this one. After all it only costs about the same as 3-4 gallons of gas depending on your part of the country.
 
Hey if you open the case you will see a blue rectangle with a brass screw on top. Set your sens knob to about half. Then adjust that screw CCW until it stops beeping. Its a master control. I found mine doesnt foul anymore. Its just set to sensitive from the mfg.
 
Hey if you open the case you will see a blue rectangle with a brass screw on top. Set your sens knob to about half. Then adjust that screw CCW until it stops beeping. Its a master control. I found mine doesnt foul anymore. Its just set to sensitive from the mfg.

Thanks MetalmanMatt. I will give it a try. I left mine up at the camper today as I headed back home to prepare for a possible visit from a German fellow.

Although so far I would say if you can pick one of these up for $16.00 that is alot better than paying $75.00 or more (usually more) for one. I know when I was testing mine it help me locate a little (and I mean a piece a little smaller than a pencil eraser) piece in no time.
 
Glad to hear about the adjustment trick... many have just trashed it because of that... and Stagecoach, I see your point.... I went from the Bullseye to the Bullseye II to the DX-1 ... so I am used to good pinpointing and the time it saves... RickO
 
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