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There are many high-quality pinpointers on the market. Many of them have amazing features that make metal hunting a lot easier and faster.
But, we are looking for a pinpointer that is sensitive enough to detect small gold nuggets.
The best pinpointers for gold are the White’s Bullseye TRX and the Minelab profind 35. They can detect small gold nuggets. their competitors couldn’t do that even if their probes are touching the gold.
To get this result, only the Garret carrot, Profind 35 and 25, deteknix and the White’s Bullseye TRX pinpointers were compared.
Table of Contents
White’s Bullseye TRX
The White’s Bullseye TRX is waterproof (IP68 Certified) and can be used to look for gold in creeks.
Before giving more information about this pinpointer, watch these videos to know why it is the best pinpointer for gold prospecting.
It can be powered with either a 9 V battery like most of the other pinpointers. Alternatively, it can run on two AA batteries (included).
Each one of the two battery types has its own adapter. You know that you need to replace the batteries when the LED blinks.
And, when you hear 3 cycles of a two-tone alarm. This is the low battery indicator.
When a target is detected, the pinpointer will produce repeated beeps. Their frequency will increase as you get closer to the buried metal.
And, if you are too close ( approximately ¼ of an inch), the tone will become continuous.
It also starts to vibrate when it starts to beep. You can choose to turn OFF the sound and use only the vibration so that you don’t annoy the bystanders with the beeps.
Or you can turn OFF the vibration and the pinpointer will emit only beeps.
It is recommended to choose only vibrations or beeps. Because if you use them both, the batteries will drain faster.
Targets around the probe will be detected but the tip of the probe is more sensitive. This will help locate the target easier.
The ground balancing is automatic like most of the other pinpointers and metal detectors.
You only have to do is to touch the ground with the tip of the White’s Bullseye TRX and press the power button.
After a few instants, it will be balanced and the ground minerals will be canceled to avoid false signals.
You can also ratchet down the pinpoint probe to shrink the detection field so that you locate the buried metal faster.
So keep in mind to keep the probe away from any metal object when you turn it ON. Because you ratchet it down accidently.
When you detect something, press the button. That way the range will shrink.
You can also test this feature by placing a piece of metal in front of the probe. Slide back and forth and when you press the button, it will only be detected within that field.
The package includes holster with a lanyard loop that can be attached to a 3 inches belt.
A ruler (from 1 to 8 inches) is imprinted on the outside casing of the pinpointer to help you measure the depth of the holes. But, to me, it is completely useless.
I don’t care how deep a metal object is buried. I just put it in my pouch and keep going.
One thing I like about the shell is that it is replaceable. Different colors are available.
It is recommended to pick a clearly visible color: something distinguishable from the color of dirt and mud.
After a while, the outer casing will wear out, so being able to replace it instead of buying a new pinpointer will save you a lot of money.
This pinpointer and all the pinpointers on the market have a boring disadvantage (I hope engineers solve this problem).
The user has to adjust all the settings using a single button. So one button is used for turning the LED ON/OFF, to select the audio mode and to adjust the sensitivity…
The Bullseye TRX has A LED light to illuminate the spots you are searching.
If you happen to forget your pinpointer in the hole and then resume metal detecting, an alarm (a long beep every 15 seconds) will be emitted after 5 minutes of inactivity to help you find it.
But, this alarm will be turned OFF after 5 minutes of beeping.
The battery cap is orange which a clearly visible color. It would be better if the entire pinpointer were orange.
Minelab PROFIND 35
What is special about Minelab PROFIND 35 is that it is the only pinpointer that has discrimination.
It doesn’t distinguish between gold and other metals. But, it can distinguish ferrous and nonferrous metals.
This feature will save a lot of time. Because you can ignore trashy items and focus on finding gold (and other nonferrous metals).
Just turn the discrimination and you will hear an interrupted beep for iron and a continuous beep for the rest of the objects.
It has five levels of sensitivity. Higher levels will help you detect smaller objects.
However, you may get false signals and drain the battery faster if you choose something other than the third sensitivity level.
Like its competitors, this pinpointer is waterproof (up to 10 feet). It has a LED flashlight, a lost alarm. It can vibrate and/or emit audio signals when it detects a buried metal.
If you want an in-depth review of the Minelab PROFIND 35, you can read this article.
Falcon gold tracker
Its shape is different from the other ones. The probe is linked to the control box via a cable.
It can detect very tiny gold pieces but its detection field is limited (a couple of inches). And it is bulky. It is heavier than the other models. It weighs 12 oz.
And it runs on two 9 volts battery. You need to remove four screws and the side plate to replace them.
The probe is waterproof, the cable is 5 feet long. Another particular thing about it is that it is fitted with a headphone jack.
The other pinpointers are static, which means that they can detect metals without having to swing them.
But this one is a motion detector. You have to move the probe slowly over the target area to detect buried metal objects.
From this perspective, it is closer to a standard metal detector than to a pinpoint probe. For more information about the Falcon gold tracker, you can check its user’s manual.
Garrett propointer AT
The Garrett propointer AT or the Garret carrot is the most popular pinpointer that detectorists buy. But it is not the best for gold.
As you saw in the videos at the beginning of this article, it could hardly detect small gold nuggets.
This pinpointer has a scraping blade to help scratch the surface of the ground. It is powered by a 9 V battery.
It has a LED flashlight to illuminate hole and see buried metals clearly. It has a ruler to measure the target’s depth in inches and in centimeters.
The Garret carrot is submersible up to 10 feet. This means that you can wash it after each hunt without damaging the electronics.
But you should inspect the battery cap and make sure it is free of any sand or debris whenever you replace the battery.
This way you preserve the O-ring, which keeps the pinpointer waterproof.
For an in-depth review of the Garrett carrot, please visit this article.
Can pinpointers detect little nuggets of gold?
Pinpointers are mini handheld metal detectors with limited range. Their limited detection range is an advantage because it helps us find the exact location of the buried metal.
But as the object gets smaller, this range will shrink. Big objects could be detected few inches away. Smaller ones will not be detected until the probe touches them.
And sometimes, the item is too small that the pinpointer can’t detect it even if it is in direct contact with it.
This is a good thing if these items are some rusty little pieces of iron. Because we don’t want false signals to ruin the hunt.
But for gold, it is a different story. Even small pieces have high value. So, the pinpointer needs to be sensitive enough to detect the little gold flakes.
What if they are grouped?
The pinpointer won’t be able to detect multiple small targets buried in the same hole even if they have a big mass when they are melted and combined together.
For example, a pinpointer will detect a gold nugget that weighs 5 grams without a problem. But, if you divide it into very small pieces and place them close to each other, they won’t be detected.
If one tiny piece of gold is undetectable, a group of tiny pieces (even if they are packed tightly) of the same or smaller size won’t be detected.
Once you melt them and they become a single piece. And the metal detector will be able to detect the gold nugget.
What about Melted and refined Gold?
This type of gold is easier to find. Because they have sizes big enough to be detected by pinpointers.
They can be gold bars, rings, bracelets…but gold chains are difficult to detect (except the clasp).
A gold chain is similar to small pieces of gold flakes. Each individual loop is not detectable by a pinpointer and the whole chain too.
How to solve this problem?
Adjust the sensitivity as high as possible so that you could detect smaller objects. However, higher sensitivity does not mean necessarily better results.
Because you may get false signals. If this is the case, you should lower it. These false signals could be caused by minerals and trashy soil.
The second solution is to use gold panning tools. That way you will be able to recover most of the gold flakes in the area.
Conclusion
The best pinpointers for gold prospecting are White’s Bullseye TRX and the Minelab PROFIND 35. If you are still confused, pick the TRX. Since it is the most popular for this goal.
That doesn’t mean that the profind is bad. It is actually awesome and unique because it is the only pinpointer with discrimination on the market.
Since any pinpointer and metal detector has a limit to how small an item could be detected. So with you pinpointer, get a gold panning kit. This way, you won’t miss the tiny gold pieces.
Don’t forget to tell me in the comments below how much gold did you find using the Bullseye TRX. Good hunt!