The Million Dollar Question - Gold Hog Raptor Flare 2.0 or Gold Cube?

[SoonerStateProspector]

So this is the Million Dollar Question - Raptor Flare 2.0 or the Gold Cube?

I'm considering buying one of these in the spring and just want a few opinions of both. I've run the Cube before but haven't had the chance to run the Raptor.

The pros of the Raptor - No classifying. 3 stage highbanker. You can run a LOT of material and it looks indestructible.
The cons - More suited for 3-4 people in full production mode. Weight of the highbanker for 1 person and having to run a trash pump. Price of the unit.

The pros of the Gold Cube - Weight. 1 man capabilities. Process up to 1,000 lbs/hr. Price of the unit.
Cons of the Gold Cube - Classify to 1/8. 12V battery connection/limited runtime.


C'mon folks. Give me your honest and truthful opinion.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[russau]

OR while out in the field use a small water pump. It don't take much to achieve water requierments. I haven't used a Raptor 2.0 so I cant comment on its ability's .

 

[winners58]

two different beasts, where you prospect determines your equipment needs, permitting?
with the raptor you can add a suction nozzle... the goldcube you can run just about anywhere...
how about a GoldHog multi-sluice feeding into a GoldCube...

 

[bcfromfl]

I agree that these are two very different pieces of equipment, for different purposes. Gold Hog used to make a "stackable" mini highbanker which was a more direct comparison to the Gold Cube, but I'm fairly certain that was discontinued.

As you noted:
Raptor Flare = high production, little to no classification
Gold Cube = concentrates cleaner, classified highbanker

The amount of material you can process using 12V is limited to concentrates, and wouldn't be prudent for anything else. I would opt for the Multi-Sluice over the Gold Cube if that was the sole purpose.

For what you describe, working alone, I would go with the Mini Highbanker with the Mini Extension. There's also the nifty clay claw add-on if you have sticky material.

 

[okbasspro]

you can use a solar panel on the cube and it will run all day on limited water. Now if you have 3 or 4 buddies that are not afraid of a shovel (unlikely when they see they are not getting rich) I would say gold hog.As said before location determines equipment. I see you are right down the road from me if you can wait (hard to do ) we can do a couple trips and you can run some of my equipment it could save you a lot of money by trying before you buy.

 

[SoonerStateProspector]

I'm really considering the Raptor because of the 3 stage highbanking system. You have the base model which is for sampling, then you add another sluice portion which makes it a prospector and then you add the extra flare and sluice and it's full production. Not having to classify would save me hours on the water and it has a 98% capture rate if tuned correctly. I'm planning on a Colorado excursion for 3-5 days in March or April and I may go back down to the K River Campground in February or early March. I have one friend who prospects with me but he's new to everything and he's only been prospecting for about a month. There's a GPAA Chapter 21/Oklahoma Chapter Christmas party on Monday if you're interested.

We should definitely meet up and get some time on the water. I'm in the process of building a sluice box but I'm thinking about just building a 48" highbanker with either Dream Matting or Gold Hog matting. I just need the ribbed carpet matting for quick inspection for gold and the adjustable legs for the highbanker and I'll be all set.

 

[Goldwasher]

You use a Raptor to source what you put through a gold cube!!!

 

[mike(swWash)]

Never heard of dream mats before but they look like a rubber version of the gold well design....and pretty expensive for a 3 foot section.
I'd be curious to see a side by side comparison for capture rates in the same sluice, at many different feed and water flow rates set up like this with one side being dream and the other gold hog.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=McK_UMsOUbE

 

[bcfromfl]

I'm really considering the Raptor because of the 3 stage highbanking system. You have the base model which is for sampling, then you add another sluice portion which makes it a prospector and then you add the extra flare and sluice and it's full production. Not having to classify would save me hours on the water and it has a 98% capture rate if tuned correctly.

I think you may be underestimating the capture rates of the other Gold Hog products. To be honest, the Raptor with the extra flare is only necessary for high production where 200+ mesh gold is present in large quantities...usually only on beaches.

If you are running the Raptor flare with extension by yourself, you're encumbering yourself with logistical issues and extra concentrates to process, when a smaller unit would give you essentially the same results. You also mentioned using it for 3-5 days. Keep in mind the Raptor w/extension takes quite a bit of time to set up and tune (especially by yourself), and is usually used in places where it will be set up for long periods of time.

Colorado (as well as other locations) does have fine gold, but you don't have to use the Raptor to recover it. If you compared the results you'd be able to achieve by yourself, using the Raptor, and using the Mini alongside, I'd bet money they'd be so close to identical you wouldn't care if there were a few colors more in the Raptor. Now, if you had three or four other guys, that would be something completely different, and the additional material would completely overwhelm the Mini.

You don't need eight or ten or twelve feet of sluice to capture fine gold -- that's only necessary when you step up the water flow when you have a high volume of material. It takes longer for fine gold to settle out when it's being jostled along with lots of other fine material. But for the amount a single person can first dig and then feed into a sluice, three or four feet is entirely sufficient. You can't dump a whole bucket in at once, but it can still be processed quickly and efficiently over that distance.

Let me throw something else out to you. I know you have your heart set on a highbanker, but given what you describe of your future outing, it's going to be a major hassle, and stand in your way of time spent shoveling and getting gold. If you're going to be near running water, I'd highly suggest the Gold Hog Stream Sluice. Watch the videos...it's extremely impressive. Setup takes two minutes, and you can get to work. If you're not in a spot to your liking, move it quickly and easily and set up in another spot. No gas, no noise, no fumes, etc. Enjoy your outing! Are you so willing to commit to one location to set up a highbanker, when you only have 3-5 days to spend?

Sorry for sounding like a Gold Hog fanboy, but I've watched all of Doc's videos, and his meticulous attention to testing, and I'm convinced. I think you owe it to yourself to shoot him an e-mail. He'll give you the straight scoop!

 

[goldhog]

Guess I’ll chime in… with the understanding of my prejudice of course… and a FUZZY Sunday morning brain…

By the way… This would also be a good question to post on our product forum.
There are members there with years of experience that own both the cube and the Raptor that give honest advice.

A KEY ELEMENT here is matching your NEEDS to the right equipment. Number of people, material run, transport / mobility / size needs.
The cube was one of the best products to hit the gold prospecting market in over 40 in my opinion. Yes, I own one and have run 100’s and 100’s of times. We still use it to do capture rate testing on our units and trust its performance 100%. Its main function is as a concentrator not a “production unit” that many individuals use effectively as a primary prospecting unit. Some add a small trommel conversion to the top. It also does VERY well on beach sands and is often the preferred choice for that. Again… cube = great piece of equipment.

There are lots of pros and cons both ways…

Main three I’ll address… Mining math… (may also be called production levels or TIME) and missed larger gold… and SIZE / transport.

We rarely run the cube in the southeast as a production unit due to REAL heavy clays and saprolite in many areas and the existence, albeit low and infrequent, of gold larger than 1/8”. This includes wire gold that will not pass through a 1/8” screen. I discussed this on our weekly live show last week. We ran the PLUS 1/8” dumpings of a prospector that was screening to 1/8” (not running a cube) and found two pickers / small nuggets in them. Again this doesn’t happen often but there is some larger gold. We also can’t use a metal detector to check tailings due to the large amount of “trash” in the area. We get 100s and 100s of “hits” and is wasted time. We also found fine gold that didn’t have time or aggression needed to be broken down while classifying.

Mining math… kind of hard to FULLY explain… and many “new prospectors” have a hard time dealing with it or fully accepting it. This also comes down to your individual NEEDS and how much pay you are wanting to… or can move in one hour. Look at your pile of pay / dirt. Let’s say you have 2 yards you want to run. (80 buckets). It’s raw pay pretty heavy with clays. If the pay runs $30 / yard which is good dirt for most… you want to be able to run it as quickly and efficiently as possible. $60 is the total gold in the dirt. (NOTHING will change that.) The dirt contains one or two pickers larger than 1/8” and the rest is smaller gold down to 100 mesh. Moving the dirt at a “moderate rate” with the Raptor I’ll run one FULL bucket every 60 seconds. I know I will be at a 98% capture rate. This means it took me about 1.5 hours to run 2 yards and get $58.80 or $39.20 per hour running. The guy next to me has a homemade power sluice, but he has to screen / classify to 1/8”. He claims his unit runs at 99%. But it takes him roughly 6 minutes to classify a bucket down to 1/8” (heavy clays) and another 4 minutes to run the bucket. That’s being generous… and about 10 minutes per bucket or 13.3 hours to run the two yards or $4.50 per run hour.

Size… yes the Raptor is full size highbanker and most run with a 2” semi-trash pump. It can be run off a small 1.5” pump such as a Keene of Jobe with higher psi and gph. But those can hit over the $500 - $600 mark. Most prefer to buy a cheap semi-trash for around $250. It’s NOT a unit you backpack in for the day. It’s a production highbanker and yes it will handle 1-2 people but also great for the days you have a bunch of friends join in. If we run at “full tilt”… I need 4-5 to keep it fed non-stop, dig pay, carry pay, and feed. So… try and visualize your needs and transport and be realistic.

Why you may want to start with a cube / multi sluice or other concentrator? Once you move up to a full size production unit you still have a great piece of equipment to process your cons. You won’t put it up on the shelf forever… you just now have tool for cleanup.
Just some random thoughts…
Doc

 

[okbasspro]

Well said DOC. Sooner check your pm.

 

[itspaidfor]

Both!

 

[ace4166]

I own both and would have to say I use both equally. My raptor flare 2.0 keep me and my girlfriend very busy. I run that through out the day then run my cons through the cube later on. They both work excellent in my opinion. I have to agree with everyone that they are both two different beast but they are both a must have.

 

[KevinInColorado]

One caution, there are lots of places that limit your equipment choices. Where exactly will you be going and is gas powered gear allowed? It is not allowed anywhere in metro Denver (which should be on your itinerary if you are visiting CO in March/April!).

Be sure to check out my newly reorganized website for digging info and links to BLM, etc. www.findingGOLDinColorado.com

 

[goldenIrishman]

Always, always, ALWAYS let the terrain dictate the equipment. While both are good systems, which of them is best suited to your situation? You're going to have to include available manpower in your calculations. As Doc stated (in his FUZZY condition ) Time is money and this is very true in mining. The more manpower required per labor unit the lower the margin is going to be.