Minelab pinpointer/ test video..........

Notice how well it does, also notice at 3 or so minutes it starts getting real sensitive. Also any denomination bill in America is 6 inches long.
[youtu.be]

It makes me think the minelab is more Garrett then I even imagined - wow imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Bryanna

Bryanna - Nebraska

Current - New to me but not new MXT Pro and T2 SE2 - Previous Minelab Sovereign GT, Minelab Safari, Whites DFX, Whites Eagle Spectrum
Smile its a good for you!

Jack - Does the Minelab start in max sensitivity? I don't hear that mentioned.

Well, those first measurements are more than my Garrett and more than what Goodmore stated on his Minelab (though my Garrett didn't get as deep as his).

Thanks
Albert

Set it and it and it doesn't change until you change it again. Nice pinprointer and well have to wait and see beyond that. I had three Garrett Pinpointers. They all went back to be desensitized, you could hold them over your head and they would be going off lol. Airplanes and flying saucers I guess....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2012 11:47AM by Jack Flynn.

I meant in the video, were those inititial readings with sensitivity on high?

I do know the Minelab remembers the settings, very nice!

Great point, we all need to check these numbers when we first turn the unit on. I think I'll turn mine on when I first start digging to get it a bit more sensitive but I'll pay attention to the post 5 minute mark and falsing.

Albert

This for sure goes against what few reports of less depth of the Minelab compared to the PP so far. More test reports are needing to derive conclusions from others. I'd also like to see them done outside away from EMI, as my PP seems to get less depth in the house and I think is auto adjusting on power up lower because of that. Also, some tests of coins in the ground depth wise might show one or the other gets more depth with a ground load. Good report. Keep it up!

PS- I'd like to see some PP depth measurements super tuned against the Minelab too. It's so easy to super tune the PP using my thumb and not needing two hands that it's worth comparing that.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2012 05:47PM by critterhunter.

Yes it was on high when first first turned on. I'm satisfied after this mornings hunt. Works as shown in the video.

Well tomorrow is the official release date. I'm off to bed and I won't be able to post again until after work tomorrow.

I spent the full 169.00 on my new Minelab Pro-Find. My seller quoted me the price and I forked over the money. Whether I could have negotiated a better price is not the point.
Minelab lists their pinpointer for about 40.00 than Garrett. Is it worth it?

The holster has a sewn loop in the back for a belt no wider than 1.75 inches. I use a Military web belt that is much wider. I have since purchased another Garrett Holster.
My entire reason for purchasing the Minelab was for vibration only mode. It is a shame the vibration is not enough. On targets barely in range I could not tell if the unit was vibrating or not. Back to the beep! If you wear gloveswhen you dig you will be severly disappointed with the vibration.
The on/off switch is better on the Minelab. I think it will hold up better than the rubber button of the Garrett.
No need for the Sensitivity switch. I don't think anyone will ever turn it down.
I turn my pinpointer on and off after each target. I don't care about no warm up time or any super tuning for that matter. To me my Garrett gives better responses on targets in the hole. The depth might be close to the Garrett, but the Garrett seems to act more aggressive with the better vibration.
I was hunting with DirtAngler and he had the same conclusion. In fact he went back to the Garrett.
Over at finds in the GTX forum someone said it isn't worth the powder required to blow it up.

I used it on a three hour actual hunt. I dug probably twenty five targets. In MY OPINION save your money and buy the Garrett.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2012 09:29AM by goodmore.

Goodmore - Thanks for the report. I wonder why people are getting different depth? Seems like your depth is less than in the video above.

A friend of mine was going to pick one up for me next weekend, he got his a couple of days ago. I asked him to compare it to his Garrett and I'm awaiting those measurements. If they aren't more, then I'll do as you suggest!

MDing (including PPers) is more art than science in a lot of ways. This may be blasphemy on NASA Tom's site but humor me. There just is not a perfect MD or PP that everyone will love better than all others. I hear a lot of talk as if that were so. I have 5 PPers and can use any one I want. I normally carry 2- the Garrett and an F-Probe. I use one for long and one for short range. This works best for me. The right tool for the job = knowing what you are doing (while getting the job done quickly and properly). The Minelab seems to me to be a step in the right direction. Let's see how it does in distribution and wide use.

Past(or)Tom
Using a Legend, a Deus 2, an Equinox 800, a Tarsacci MDT 8000, & a few others...
with my beloved, fading Corgi, Sadie

Here is another, very quality done video, by Gonehunting over at Finds. He shows the Minelab gets slightly more depth than the Garrett.

[www.youtube.com]

Here's my remarks from elsewhere about the Gonehunting video you just posted a link for...

Great video comparison, thanks. I've got a few questions, points, but please don't think I'm knocking the video because it was more than we could ask for and I appreciate that as I'm sure others do....

First, the Garrett sounded a bit sick, like a platic vibration when it made sound. How used and abused is it? I can say my Pro Pointer doesn't vibrate like there is a broken plastic sound like that. Some having reported less performance after being dropped badly or such and the sound gets sick like it appears (?) in the video. I've dropped my Pro Pointer from about 6 foot unto hard cement about three different times getting my holster belt from a high shelf. I'm careful about that now, but my point is the thing still sounds and works like day one. That tells me a lot about it's build quality.

Second, I'm pretty sure I get much more than 1" on a dime with mine. Some have already reported on the web their Pro Pointer is getting more depth for them than the Minelab. Not sure which way to believe it. Either some Pro Pointers are better at depth than others, or some of these Minelabs are not getting the depth of others. It has to be one or the other because of the mixed depth reports. I will say thus far keeping a running tally in my head more have said the Pro Pointer is getting more depth for them than the Minelab, but that's just an impression as it's not like I've been keeping score on a note pad, so I could be wrong but that seems to be the impression I've got thus far from various sites. Roughly maybe 2 or 3 more reports of the Pro Pointer getting more depth than the Minelab maybe. Not a scientific thing, of course, so the reverse could be true in opinions.

Third, I really wish you would have supertuned the Pro Pointer to see if it'll get more depth than the Minelab on it's highest setting, and then also compared them both super tuned. Super tuning (or de-tuning too) is so easy on the Pro Pointer that I do it one handed. I used to have a washer tied to a string hanging from the back of the Pro Pointer. Now I use something better and even easier, but the washer thing as real easy too. All one handed, used, and put back in the holster without needing to use my right hand (I'm right handed).

Fourth, I've heard some say the Minelab isn't as loud nor does it vibrate as strongly as the Pro Pointer. Any opinion on that? I like to pull one ear muff off a bit so I can hear the Garrett better, so less volume is a concern to me. I prefer both sound and vibration, so the switch to turn off the audio isn't an issue for me. Some put tape or something over the speaker to get rid of the audio if they don't want it, but I found that if you put your thumb over the speaker it shuts it right up too if I ever wanted to do that.

Final thing. I'd like to see some in ground tests, as one might get more depth than the other with a ground load.

Not knocking your video. You did an awesome job so thanks a bunch. Just hoping others will do some videos that touch on more of these things so I (and others) can see if it's worth the jump from the Pro Pointer.

I'm glad to see you appear to have tested them away from any house or EMI, because I find my Garrett seems to get less depth in the house and think it's a EMI issue when it auto adjusts at power up. People also have to watch to make sure they do the tests right after power up, because I hear both units drift and get more sensitive the longer they have been on. Most of us are using it right after we turn it on, so that's the most important aspect during depth testing.

Unless I see clear and severe depth advantage I'm not spending the extra money. Couldn't be happier than I am with the Pro Pointer, and I'm not the biggest Garrett fan either but I do think the AT Pro is a fantastic value for a land/water machine and will add one to my line up one day. They caught my attention when I saw how good the Pro Pointer was.

One day a friend brought his new "gift" Pro Pointer from his wife on a hunt. When he told me how much she paid for it (north of $100), I chuckled to myself and thought "No pin pointer is worth that much money, she got taken." That was until I used that thing in the field that day. Wasn't long before I had one. Gone were the days of other pin pointers that were more hassle to tune than to just dig the target without one. That's another thing I'm curious about the Minelab. Is it going to prove more "touchy" in the field? I guess time will tell. Sure, on rare occassions with bad soil the Garrett will false on the ground matrix, but an easy fix is to turn it on with the tip touching the ground and it auto adjusts to it.

Did you notice at max setting both Minelabs in the two videos are about 1 & 1/2" of depth on a coin. Well, in the second video he gets just a hair maybe over an inch and a half, but he's using a silver dime so that could be the difference and tells me both Minelabs are pretty even depth wise.

Here's another post I just made elsewhere after checking my Pro Pointer's depth in normal operation and super tuned in response to the video...

OK, just tested my Pro Pointer with a ruler on a clad dime. Keep in mind it's been used and abused and dropped, although it seems to work like the day it was new. The battery isn't new like yours and probably has about two months of use on it. Don't know if these things have voltage regulators to make that a non-issue. Also keep in mind this was in my backyard, and I have a power line running right over head. A clad dime also isn't as conductive as a silver one, so all these above things could shorten the numbers for the Pro Pointer perhaps a bit. I did the test in the grass, as cement can have rebar under it and alter things.

I powered up and did both tests right after, so no drift of higher sensitivity could take place as others elsewhere have noted with both these pinpoints I believe. Some say they get more sensitive the longer they are on due to drift. Normal hunting conditions means using right after powering up, so that's how I did the test.

Normal operation- 1 & 1/4" on the clad dime. That's 1/4" deeper than your test of your Pro Pointer that showed 1".

You said the Minelab got 1 & 1/2" for your first test which you didn't say but I think was 4 clicks up from lowest gathering by how many beeps down you went later on (4)? I think you did beep it four times when you lowered it, and then the longer beep tells you you can't go any further down but still doesn't equal another setting drop? That means the Minelab is only 1/4" deeper at it's 4th highest setting.

Your highest setting, which I believe was 5 clicks up based on the beeps I heard (?) was a just A TAD over 1 & 1/2", so the Garrett was only roughly a tad over 1/4" less in depth than your highest setting. That 1/4" difference could easily be due to me testing near EMI, or the fact I'm using a clad dime instead of a silver one, or that my Garrett has been through the wringer while the Minelab is brand new maybe, or the battery thing?

Supertuned- 3". Wow! That's more than I thought I'd get. Judging from your video the Minelab also got 3" about in depth super tuned, so it appears super tuned they are equal. That's probably the clincher for me, because I don't want to mess with various sensitivity buttons. If I need extra depth I just super tune and it appears it matches the Minelab supertuned. Keep in mind I was using a clad dime too while you were using a large token, so the Pro Pointer probably would have gave me more than that 3" even.

Also keep in mind for both these pin pointers that these are air tests and not with an actual coin in the ground. Besides having the potential for a halo, the very ground load could push the pinpointer more towards the edge of sounding off, so I suspect at least for normal unsupertuned operation the depth of both pinpointers might be a bit more.

One more reminder, my battery being a few months old (that should only make a difference is the Pro Pointer doesn't use a voltage regulator), my clad dime (versus silver), my proximity to EMI producing lines right over head, and the fact that I still used the clad dime for the super tuning versus that large token could have all altered these tests for me, not to mention my Pro Pointer has had a rough life while the Minelab is brand new.

At this point, the lack of more depth of the Minelab super tuned (and probably less depth if I had used a large token as my target too), combined with what I've heard of it's weaker audio and vibration (from some), I think I'll stick with the Pro Pointer until I see more that says otherwise, which very well may happen.

I'm a Minelab guy so I'm not knocking the thing. I just haven't seen anything yet that shows me more depth here when super tuned, and the slight 1/4" increase at the 4th and 5th setting non-supertuned isn't going to make me take the leap yet. Detuning is as easy on the Pro Pointer as super tuning so I'm not worried about being able to do that with a button too much.

I await more Pro Pointer/Minelab video comparisons, as many variables can alter results. Your video was an EXCELLENT head start on that regardless, so I thank you again for doing it. Once again, thanks for taking the time to make the video and also to answer some questions. I'm sure many will like what they see for various extras such as being able to turn off the audio and take the jump for that reason alone maybe.

We need others to test the Pro Pointer with a silver dime for comparisons to mine, as well as using a large token as the target when super tuned to judge more either way here on the Pro Pointer's exacting performance under more similar conditions, but I think it held it's own nicely even with some possible handicaps in my tests.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/2012 12:17AM by critterhunter.

If you keep looking around the forums for different opinions you will find them. My Garrett is beat. Your Garrett is not. I had mine on for two minutes. All these things might and probably do come into play on depth. But a quarter inch here or there is irrelevent.

Minelab is selling a probe with a sensitivity adjustment that you will never use.
Minelab is selling a vibration only mode that you can not feel.
Minelab is selling a holster that will not fit on many utility belts.

Didn't they just offer a top of the line detector with features that are questionable?


Everyone seems caught up on this 1/4 inch thing. Big deal. They are selling useless features for more money than Garrett charges.

Find out for yourself. 150.00 isn't much to spend.

I guess I'll be waiting on Whites next pinpointer.

Man, I hate it when two threads are going on the same topic. 1 & 1/4" appears the norm for most Garretts on power up from what I've gathered skimming the web. Some are reporting more depth (on a dime) than this, but I suspect perhaps the unit has been on long and got more sensitive. Also, need to test it with a silver dime like the Minelab was in the video. And, the less depth of some Garretts might be to use and abuse like dropping or something or EMI, but 1 & 1/4" is very respectable and appears to be the norm for most on a clad dime (for me) in my book.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/2012 12:47AM by critterhunter.

I've had my GPP for at least 3 years. I beat the heck out of it. It's been underwater past the speaker three four times and I have to keep the switch held in with my thumb (like it that way). It sounds worse than the one on the video.

It has a used battery in it that came out of my cz and it gets 1-1/8 inches on a clad dime, just tested it. I can hear it even with traffic 50 feet away and headphones on. I can feel the vibes thru gloves. My next PP will be a Garrett, but this time I'll take better care of it.

I just did my Pro Pointer super tune re-testing using a large copper or brass token to try to match the size of the target used on the Minelab in the Gonehunting video, where as before I posted that I used a clad dime as my target and still matched the 3" he got when we both super tuned.

Anyway, with the token looking to be about the size of the one he used in his test, I'm now getting about 5" in depth most of the time (of course measured with a ruler as I did before). I turned off/on the Pro Pointer several times and re-did the test. Sometimes it would begin to sound off at about 5 & 1/2", sometimes it would sound off at about 4 & 1/2", and most of the time when turning off/on and testing it was 5".

I did this test as I did my prior tests in this thread by doing it outside away from EMI as best as I could in my backyard, although there are power lines above me. As noted before my battery is probably two to three months old already if that makes a difference as I don't know if the Pro Pointer has a voltage regulator in it to stabilize the voltage conditions. I also did this test today as I did with the other test before by laying the Pro Pointer on the ground in the grass on it's side pointing right at the tip of the ruler, so that the Pro Pointer is being "washed" in the ground load, as ground loads might change conditions maybe.

I also did the test, as before, right after turning it on, as these pin pointers are prone to drifting after a little bit of time and getting more sensitive. Most people are using a pin pointer right after power up under normal hunting conditions so I feel that is important when testing.

I'm sure depths of both these pin pointers can change when actually used to find targets in the ground, but the air testing is a good way to judge the raw power of both in terms of sensitivity as a general rule of thumb.

By the way, whoever mentioned that these pin pointers drift out of tune faster when they are hot is right. It's hot out and my Pro Pointer was in the hot garage and felt very warm to the touch. I let it set powered up a few times to see how fast it would start to false on it's own just sitting there and it was much faster then what I usually experience in the field. Often in the field I'll leave it laying for quite some time while digging in a hole and it doesn't very often start falsing from drift being on. An easy way to avoid those issues is just to turn the darn thing off until you need to use it again on a hot day if it's drifting faster. Better for the battery life anyway.

Which brings up another question. I wonder how good of battery life the Minelab is going to get compared to the Pro Pointer? Right now I get close to a year I think out of a 9V in my Pro Pointer. Somebody should do some amp draw checks on both of them, both without a target present and also when sounding off. That should be a good indicator of battery life. I may check my Pro Pointer's amp draw here sooner or later and will post what I find under load and non-load conditions. The Minelab should have the audio and vibrate both on so we are comparing apples to apples here in terms of component load.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/03/2012 06:08PM by critterhunter.

Here is a very nice comparison video between the Pro-Find and Pro-Pointer:

[www.youtube.com]