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Detecting without a Pinpointer

gargreen18

Full Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2010
Messages
162
Location
Near Spokane, WA
Does anyone else do this? I have been for about 4 months now. I have never owned a pin pointer but I am beginning to want one. Specially because I get signals left and right at the park but I don't want to dig up their lawn. I have dug some plug at the park and always miss my target.

Anyway what is a good cheap pin pointer?

I have to go cheap because my wife thinks its a waste.

Thanks in advance.
 
A waste???

They all think it is a waste until the day you show em the nice 18K gold band with a diamond on it that you found in the park...Then the tune changes quick....

I would suggest the Cen-Tech by Harbor Freight Tools, or the Bounty Hunter or Teknetics pin pointers...$25-60 bucks...If you want the best, get the Pistol Probe, but be prepared to pay for it...

HH,
 
Best? Garrett ProPointer. Run you about $110 for factory refurb. Try Texaspremiumdetectors.com for refurbs.
 
I am still a beginner but once I got my pinpointer (Garrett), I wondered how I ever hunted without one.
 
Best? Garrett ProPointer. Run you about $110 for factory refurb. Try Texaspremiumdetectors.com for refurbs.

It's worth the little extra you pay because it is a quality product that works and is simple to use and high performance. Ask anyone here - the Garrett PP is the BEST value.
 
I have heard about both pinpointer (Garrett and Harbor Freight one). What makes one better than the other?

I know Garrett is a reputable brand but don't they basically do the same thing?
 
Re: Garrett ProPointer--It gets good depth, batteries last a long time, you can use NiMh 9v in it, you can super tune and de-tune it on demand, not too large so it carries well & even comes with a workable belt holster....
 
The Garrett pro pointer is very durable, reliable and waterproof while you have to very careful with the Harbor Freight one because its cheaply made. I went thru 3 Harbor Freight ones before I broke down and bought a Garrett.
 
just my opinion

have to agree...went thru one harbor freight and it broke fairly easily...not so with the garrett! plus i use the 'super tune' a lot and the 'detune' almost as much. it can root around in the hard dirt quite easily...heavy duty...well made. the harbor freight works but not the same depth (1 inch maybe or less) and way too fragile but....better than nothing.
 
I have heard about both pinpointer (Garrett and Harbor Freight one). What makes one better than the other?

I know Garrett is a reputable brand but don't they basically do the same thing?

I would almost rather have my garrett pro pointer than any other tool I bring along. I have tried the HF and the garrett makes it look like a pile of junk. The garret will most times tell you where to dig. I pinpoint with my ETRAC and drop down and pass the garrett. It will put you right on top of most targets. I would not MD without it.

MP
 
I bought an Eagle Eye pinpointer for $40 off of EBay. It probably has the same guts as the HF one. It is definitely better than nothing. The wand on mine broke off. The main problem is sensitivity. You need to be either touching, or almost touching the target. Also, the ergonomics are really bad. You need to constantly grip with a wide grip to keep it on. And it only detects while in motion. So your hands get really sore after a while, and you will likely break it in frustration.
The GPP is obviously better. Overcomes all of these problems. I have used it a bit so far, and it can detect objects deep enough for my purposes. And it is very accurate. Bad points: No volume control, so you'll get a lot of attention unless you wrap a balloon around the speaker or something. Also, I have noticed that it detects along the entire shaft. Sometimes this over detects, if for example, there is a target in a weird position in the hole wall or something like that. And obviously the price. With shipping it cost me about $150.
 
Does anyone else do this? I have been for about 4 months now. I have never owned a pin pointer but I am beginning to want one. Specially because I get signals left and right at the park but I don't want to dig up their lawn. I have dug some plug at the park and always miss my target.

Anyway what is a good cheap pin pointer?

I have to go cheap because my wife thinks its a waste.

Thanks in advance.


First of all you should be clear on just what a pinpointer does. It wont keep you from having to dig the hole , you still have to dig it before you can even use the pinpointer so you will still damage the grass. It wont keep you from missing your target spot when you dig either , you still need to be good enough to pinpoint the correct location with the detector before you dig. And once you are good at pinpointing with the detector and digging the plug , atleast 50% of the time if not more you probably wont need the handheld pinpointer because the target is right there anyway many times in plain sight. Im not saying dont get a pinpointer because they can be usefull , just that much of the time they are not needed and its just another thing to have to carry and put batteries in. Just sayin that unless you really want to spend the money ,...... it may be best to just work on your skill at pinpointing with the detector and digging the hole.....then you should be able to find almost any target as quick or quicker than getting the handheld out and using that.
 
I've been using my Garrett PP for about a week now and it makes MD'ing so much easier. Well worth the extra $$ for it. First one I've ever owned and if anything ever happens to it I will order a replacement Garrett PP
 
Does anyone else do this? I have been for about 4 months now. I have never owned a pin pointer but I am beginning to want one. Specially because I get signals left and right at the park but I don't want to dig up their lawn. I have dug some plug at the park and always miss my target.

Anyway what is a good cheap pin pointer?

I have to go cheap because my wife thinks its a waste.

Thanks in advance.

I bought a whites Bullseye II in feb and i would not be caught out in the field with out one,they are the biggest time savers,what i do is pin point my target with my coil then about 1-2 inches in front of where i think my target is i push my digging knife in the grass at about a 45 degree angle the i lift up on my blade about 2-3 inches then i can put the pin pointer probe in the hole and 98% of the time the pinpointer goes off. most of the time i dont have to dig any dirt I use the blade to push the grass back down,alot of the time the coin is in the bottom of the hole,with time and a little practice you can abstract a coin in just seconds,and that will add to your clad count at the end of your hunt. HAPPY HUNTING1
 
For what it is worth. I first got a cheap pin pointer and it was a waste of money. I then invested in a Garrett Pro-Pointer and it was worth every penny. I couldn't imagine hunting without it.
 
Hunted first 6 months thinking I didnt need a pin pointer....I got a free one when I bought my gti 2500. Cant imagine going out without it now.

Despite adding an extra step to the process it speeds up the whole business and helps in making nice clean recoveries
and also helps prevent damaging finds.

There really is no good argument for not using one. Some people are like me and use them on just about every target..others use them only if they are having a problem with recovery.
 
A pinpointer is a valuable accessory. It speeds up recovery time and eliminates 'ghost' signals - those you hear but cannot find. There is always something there. If you buy a cheap one, you will buy more.... they are poorly made and break easily. I recommend the Garretts or the Pistol Propointer (a PI ). Cheap is cheap, quality costs more initially, but is cheaper (and better) in the long run. RickO
 
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