Carrot at the Beach

[BallsDeep]

Considering the Garrett Carrot. I have never used a pin pointer at the beach, usually kick the sand around till I find what I'm after. I can see the value but afraid that it will just end up expensive unused gear in the garage. Am I missing the boat on this? what are y'all using and is it really that much of a time saver? oh, and any tips to keep from losing the damn thing would be helpful LOL

 

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[sphillips]

Have a GC and use it all the time searching the sides and bottom of dug holes in dirt and when pinpointing very small things, like diamond ear ring studs, in the sand. I'm lost without my pointer and find it a real time saver in dirt and in sand. Gone through half dozen pointers in past few years; lost 2 out of back of truck, had 3 Fisher F pulses all fail, even bought a Chinese knock-off to compare to GC, it doesn't. I find the Garrett Carrot one of the best all around pointers that is waterproof on the market.

Ditto

 

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[Xraywolf]

I currently have 2 pinpointers, the carrot and the one from the makers of Simplex.
That one is nice but it is a behemoth, dwarfs the carrot, which I considered large until now. It has the coil attachment which I can see coming in handy in certain situations but have not used it yet.
Am tempted to try a minelab but a slew of negative reviews about its durability and ergonomics always makes me think twice. Deus pinpointer looks nice and would be a no brainer if I has a Deus [used to], but I think its overpriced for someone who doesn't have a Deus and it was pretty much tailor made for deus owners.

Carrot has seen nearly 5 years of rough use and still going strong. Had to do 2 speaker replacements, very easy and cheap. I'm thinking sand/dirt/moisture must be creeping in and eventually fries the little piezo speaker.

 

[bigscoop]

At the beach, if it's going to fall through the holes in my scoop then I don't want it anyway.

 

[lookindown]

Love my Garret Carrot...absolutley dont need it at the beach.

 

[BallsDeep]

Fired off a couple questions to Kellyco, here is the reply.

"Here is the answer to your question posted on March 25, 2021 regarding Garrett Pro-Pointer AT Waterproof Pinpointer.

Question:
I have a Minelab 800, will this pin pointer pair up to the Minelab wireless headphones? also I see another Garrett Pin pointer, what's the difference?

Answer:
It will not pair with the 800, Z-lynk technology is different than Bluetooth. At this time there is not a pinpointer that will pair with the wireless headphones. One Garrett pinpointer has Z-lynk, one does not.

Thank You,
Kellyco Metal Detectors"

bummer too as I was really wishing I had one with me this weekend, spent some time fighting a couple holes.

 

[Hddeuce03]

I don't like the falsing the carrot gives, so I use my Minelab pointer.

Matt

I'm guessing you didn't ground balance it? A lot of people don't realized that the Carrot's can and should be ground balanced at saltwater beaches.

 

[ShovelTech031]

I primarily hunt beaches and find the Carrot to be a real timesaver. I have a "finds pouch" on a belt which already has a holster loop for the carrot. At first I was a bumbling mess with finding the carrot on the belt, taking it out, using it, and then returning it to its "home" back on the belt. But after only a few trips sticking with the same procedure and placement - I can now draw and return it easily - almost with my eyes closed. It's the same with any pursuit requiring muscle memory - practice, practice, practice!

 

[DigToChina]

Fired off a couple questions to Kellyco, here is the reply.

"Here is the answer to your question posted on March 25, 2021 regarding Garrett Pro-Pointer AT Waterproof Pinpointer.

Question:
I have a Minelab 800, will this pin pointer pair up to the Minelab wireless headphones? also I see another Garrett Pin pointer, what's the difference?

Answer:
It will not pair with the 800, Z-lynk technology is different than Bluetooth. At this time there is not a pinpointer that will pair with the wireless headphones. One Garrett pinpointer has Z-lynk, one does not.

Thank You,
Kellyco Metal Detectors"

bummer too as I was really wishing I had one with me this weekend, spent some time fighting a couple holes.

Ask yourself if you really really need the sound. The GC has the option of turning off the sound and relying on the vibration only. The vibration increases as you get closer to the target and you can zero in with sensitivity (wrong words but can’t remember what it’s called at the moment). In the four years I’ve had mine, I’ve never once used it with sound.

 

[sphillips]

I currently have 2 pinpointers, the carrot and the one from the makers of Simplex.
That one is nice but it is a behemoth, dwarfs the carrot, which I considered large until now. It has the coil attachment which I can see coming in handy in certain situations but have not used it yet.
Am tempted to try a minelab but a slew of negative reviews about its durability and ergonomics always makes me think twice. Deus pinpointer looks nice and would be a no brainer if I has a Deus [used to], but I think its overpriced for someone who doesn't have a Deus and it was pretty much tailor made for deus owners.

Carrot has seen nearly 5 years of rough use and still going strong. Had to do 2 speaker replacements, very easy and cheap. I'm thinking sand/dirt/moisture must be creeping in and eventually fries the little piezo speaker.

Did you do the speaker replacements yourself? Mine is still going strong after 4 yrs but would like to know how to swap the speaker when the time comes.

 

[Xraywolf]

Did you do the speaker replacements yourself? Mine is still going strong after 4 yrs but would like to know how to swap the speaker when the time comes.

Speaker swap is simple, guess you'd have to comb through my posts but I detailed the process some months back

 

[sphillips]

Speaker swap is simple, guess you'd have to comb through my posts but I detailed the process some months back

Will do, thx

 

[rykroll]

If you have a scoop why do you need a pin pointer? I’ll never understand

 

[Xraywolf]

Lately [last few years] I have been using a scoop only in water, on the sand using a PP is easier and more productive.
For one thing, most of the sand doesn't sift well if at all, wet sand for instance. PP much better in those instances. Most targets I find are well under 6" and, combined with the detectors PP function, its a snap to locate and retrieve items. Besides being quicker and easier, gives your arm a break from having to lug around a scoop.

This topic has come up before and some guys say they can't or won't bend over, so for that reason are tied to the scoop. Nothing much to be done about that, I will say that I am more of a squatter than a bender. I see some vids of guys scooping at the beach and they'll scoop, dump, kick the pile around to try to visually locate the target, rescan the pile, rescan the hole, scoop again, dump, kick pile around with foot, rescan, finally locate target, scoop, shake, retrieve target. That is laughable to me and a huge waste of time, plus it looks stupid. I do take along a 5 in 1 tool I use for any light digging that I might have to do, some sand is pretty compact plus I don't care to plunge my hand in the sand very often.

 

[PortATXHunter]

What Xraywolf says.

Here is what I learned in the last six (6) months of beach hunting as a newbie. At first, I thought a pinpointer would be essential. I have witnessed people hunt the beaches many different ways. For reference my detector stays in my right hand (I rarely let go of it) and all the scooping/digging is done with my left.


Pros:
- helps find targets in wet sticky sand if no water source close by (you waste time walking to the water)
- great if you are struggling to find really small targets (that can be lost if you just shake your scoop)
- the small light is useful at night or in low light situations
- can be used in shallow or deeper water in combination with a floating sand sifter / sieve to speed recovering targets
- can give it to a family member or friend to search a dumped scoop while you move on to the next target
- may be essential in other types of detecting

Cons:
- may become a crutch and slow you down since it mostly adds an extra "process" to target recovery
- not very effective in surf or water
- causes you to bend/squat which may be bad on your back and/or add time to recovering targets
- wet sand is sticky and transfers to your hands which can cause blisters from the scoop handle
- can lose it if not tethered; if tethered can get tangled

I recently stopped using my Garrett carrot except for hunting at night (for the light). I found that for wet or clumpy sand the "dump, kick, and sweep" method works quickest for me for most areas of the beach (looking out for incoming waves of course). Shaking the scoop when possible is much faster when in dry sand and is preferred if you are in/near the water. I normally use my partially water filled hole to shake since my scoop can almost be submerged.

BTW, I still keep my pinpointer holstered on my belt if I need it or want to give it to my wife or kids to search the pile I dumped while I move on to the next target. Obviously, you need to do what works best for you and your conditions through the lens of how a minute saved "here and there" can add up when trying to cover as much beach as possible in the time you have to hunt. Caveat is I am still learning a lot from these great forums and books on the subject.

 

[BallsDeep]

very well said and great observations. The carrot definitely helped me sift through a small split shot spill in the dry sand last week