Pinpointer

[KS_Mike]

Okay folks ... I've thought about buying a pinpointer. Are they worth having?

I've heard that they are not really beneficial ... and I've heard others who say they are great to have.

So what's the scoop ... what's everyone's opinion. Are they worth purchasing?

Second question - how far away from the target does the pinpointer need to be in order to work?

Thanks

 

[Rick(ND)]

Well a good pinpointer is well worth it as you will find your targets faster, so you can find more targets in the time you are out. A good pinpointer will also help you dig a smaller plug or in some case no plug at all as you can just pop it out of the ground with you screwdiver type probe.This will help you to get in well manicured lawns also.
Now what is a good pinpointer?? One that will get a signal on a target 3 or more inches away. The 2 good ones I can think of that I know work excellent is the Sun Ray probes and the UniProbes. The Sun Ray is made for the detector you use and hooks up between the coil and the control box to a switching box, so the sound will come right though your headphones. What it really is is a 1 inch coil, so it will give you the same tones and signal you coil does, but will fit right in the hole or you can find the target if it is not too deep without digging a plug. These are also a disc probe like you coil is. The only problem with them is they are not made for every detector so some can not use them. Now the Uniprobe make one that is a pocket one too, but for a little more you can get the ones that are built in to a high quality headphones which is the best buy. Now these have a toggle switch too that you turn on if you want to use the probe as the probe will come on while shutting off the audio of the detector. Now being these are not run though the detector they will work with any detector, but are not a disc probe like the Sun Ray is, but I feel it will give you more depth.
Now I have tried the cheap probes and see you have to either touch the target or get within a half inch to get a signal from the target, so they don't do much for me as I have to dig more and keep ruining the probe though the dirt until I get a signal while the better ones I can get a signal if it is 3 or 4 inches away.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

I agree with Rick,I use two different in line probes on a Minelab and Fisher.I use a Whites Bullseye hand held that doesn't have the sensitivity of the other two,but it works very well with any unit.Mike would you have a TV without a remote?

 

[DFX-Gregg]

Buy a pin pointer! As far as which one that is up to you but how about 10 good reasons to have one....I would recommend one but mine is an auto max4, works OK but to big, so I am sure someone else can help you.

10 reasons
1. Speed of recovery > This allows you to save time and move on to next target.

2. Great to check hole for coins left behind

3. Dig up a pile of wood chips and try to sort through it!

4. Allows for a smaller plug to be cut> Use the tip of the pin pointer to "sniff" around and often locate without extra digging.

5. Can also be useful for surface coins.>Sometimes when you get a reading on the surface a quick scan of the ground will save pinpointing time with the coil.

6. Allows you a little room for error when your pinpointing with your coil and you are slightly off.

7. Heres a good one>>>How about if you decide to do a little night hunting or stay just till it gets dark...ever try this yet without a light or pin pointer???<<<<Not fun!!

8. Cutting down on the effort it takes to recover an item allows you to continue hunting when otherwise you might have already tired out.

9. (Disappearing targets) Or sometimes a coin is sitting sideways and just out of the plug you cut, the pin pointer picks it up just off to the side and saves you from possibly passing and thinking the target disappeared.

10. Finally a great reason to buy is because once you hunt without one....like I did years ago....then hunt with one.... as I do today, you will know that it is an essential part of be successful!

 

[KS_Mike]

What's a remote?

 

[Ron from Michigan]

I was the last holdout in our group not to use a pin pointer.Why would anyone want to fuss with another contraption to strap on your belt or hold while searching.They work and very well if you use one after a week your spoiled.The last competition hunt I attended most searcher's used pin pointer to help recover quicker.

 

[JT in Virginia]

I love the Automax pinpointer I got with the metal detector I purchased from Kellyco. I've read a lot of people trash the Automax but I wouldn't leave home without it. It may be a little big but it works great. I can pinpoint pretty well with the stock 10" coil on my Quattro and the Automax does the rest. Just hook it on your belt and you're good to go.

 

[Bob in Iowa]

Once you use one, you'll feel lost without it. My hunting buddy doesn't have one and it takes him twice as long to find a target as it does me with a pinpointer. I'll watch him digging around in the dirt pile, then the hole trying to find his target, then I'll go over and find it within seconds. I just bought a White's Bullseye II 120mm, it's a nice unit that has either vibrate or buzz tone and a little LED so you can see into a dark hole. It's about the size of a cell phone, in fact I carry it in a Bucket Boss cell phone case with a hole cut in the bottom for the probe to stick out. Lifetime warranty, you can't beat that.
I used a Whites Pro Point for 8 years until it gave out.

 

[Jeff in MI]

It's a lot BIG and a lot AWKAWRD. I have one for a backup, but I prefer the Whites' Bullseye. The Bullseye fits in the pouch or shirt pocket and works just as good. The Automax does works well, but the long probe part breaks easily. Friends of mine have had theirs break. Mine still is in good shape, and I will use it if I have to, but that's about it.
Also, the last few times I have been out, my pinpointing has gotten so good, that I didn't evem need a probe.

HH, Jeff in Flint, MI

 

[JT in Virginia]

You have a good point, Jeff. I'm going to check out that Whites Bullseye. I would like to have something smaller.

 

[Neil in West Jersey]

[quote JT in Virginia]You have a good point, Jeff. I'm going to check out that Whites Bullseye. I would like to have something smaller.[/quote]

I have been without a pinpointer for about a month now and I am going out of my mind sifting through dirt piles looking for small, flat buttons I dig up frequently. I also stabbed the 1899 Barber quarter I dug up last weekend because I was unable to pinpoint it. (see my post on this forum).


I would avoid the White's Bulleye. I went through 2 in the last 12 months, both with the same problem. Since they switched from the toggle switch used on the Bullseye 1 series to the "double sealed" button used on the Bullseye 2 series, there have been many problems. The activation button wears out very quickly. The dealer told me he has seen many units with the same problem. White's replaced both defective units with new ones, but I sold the third on eBay. Today I received the Vibra Probe 560. It is a little bigger, but it is getting great reviews.
[attachment 57221 vibra_2.jpg]

 

[jmaryt]

hello!
have been hunting for 30 years,and have never felt the desire,or need to use one!..i have scratched a few coins over the years,but i emphasize VERY FEW!,,i think the secret is KNOWING how your detector pinpoints,and being very careful when digging!..now i also realize that i may be lucky i have NOT scratched more over the years,but to be perfectly honest,i just have NOT scratched many at all!.i really just cannot justify buying one!..in other words,my DETECTOR is my "dead nuts" pinpointer!

(h.h!)
regards!
j.t.

 

[jmaryt]

may i also add this note!..i have ALWAYS used white's instruments,and consider them to be the BEST pinpointing detectors in the field,based on personal use!

 

[Tin Nugget]

when you are trying to pull a small button out of the dirt that has been there for over a hundred years and now looks like every other bit of dirt in the pile. It definitely speeds recovery time. I don't need it often but definitely worth having on the hip. Using the same VibraProbe for 4 years. Has held up well. HH

 

[goldenapples]

[/quote]I would avoid the White's Bulleye. I went through 2 in the last 12 months, both with the same problem. Since they switched from the toggle switch used on the Bullseye 1 series to the "double sealed" button used on the Bullseye 2 series, there have been many problems. The activation button wears out very quickly. The dealer told me he has seen many units with the same problem. White's replaced both defective units with new ones, but I sold the third on eBay.[/quote]

That was probably me that brought it ( it was brand new nothing against you), Good pointer for about three month than they start wearing out, False readings by just touching the probe, things like that.

 

[Steve(MS)]

I have 3 pinponters and I use the Bullseye mostly. The one I have is an old one and I had to replace the button to a toggle switch, yes it will false by pressing the tip and sometimes falses but I have dropped it on the ground from time to time and used it for at least 9 years. It still works and does the job for me.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

That has proved it's self many times.

 

[jmaryt]

i understand your point of view,and i am sure it does what it is supposed to do very well.however,IF you are using a 5.3 coil in the trash which i am doing,then because of the great pinpointing ability of the white's instrument,it really isn't necessary to use one!..i can find what is there very quickly to eliminate the need for one!..as far as i am concerned, it is just something extra to get in the way while hunting!

regards!
(h.h!)
j.t.

 

[jmaryt]

again!..in MY view your best pinpointer is your detector!..the one you know well!

(h.h!)
j.t.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

JT,A pinpointer is needed even with a small search coil.If you used a pinpointer for a couple of weeks you wouldn't hunt without one.You ever dig down a foot and lose your target,which the halo is gone and your unit won't read the target a pinpointer can tell you in one second if target is good and in the hole or even deeper.Without a pinpointer you are going to find a lot more ghost targets.