Affordable pinpointer ?

Charlie P. (NY)

Gold Member
Feb 3, 2006
13,004
17,108
South Central Upstate NY in the foothills of the h
Detector(s) used
Minelab Musketeer Advantage Pro w/8" & 10" DD coils/Fisher F75se(Upgraded to LTD2) w/11" DD, 6.5" concentric & 9.5" NEL Sharpshooter DD coils/Sunray FX-1 Probe & F-Point/Black Widows/Rattler headphone
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I have a Fisher F-Point that came "free" with my detector. I use it frequently and it does what I need. But there seem to be few others who find them suitable. Worth $30 but they cost twice that. You might find someone who would part with theirs.

An older pinpointer I have called a Merlin SXL Pro is a much better pinpointer but is not waterproof and is kind of klunky. If you see one used it would be a good choice. I think they were originally stud-finders. But it has lights (search and alarm), vibrates and beeps. They come up on ebaY occasionally.
 

Sandman

Gold Member
Aug 6, 2005
13,398
3,992
In Michigan now.
Detector(s) used
Excal 1000, Excal II, Sovereign GT, CZ-20, Tiger Shark, Tejon, GTI 1500, Surfmaster Pulse, CZ6a, DFX, AT PRO, Fisher 1235, Surf PI Pro, 1280-X, many more because I enjoy learning them. New Garrett Ca
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Pinpointer.PNG This is what I've used for years. No batteries and water proof. But I have a inline pinpointer on my Sov GT that has a 7" range.
 

Phantasman

Gold Member
Nov 24, 2006
15,885
24,037
NE Tennessee
Detector(s) used
Nokta Simplex, Land Ranger Pro, Quick Draw Pro, Deteknix XPointer
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
If something happened to my XPointer ($89), I'd immediately buy another one. I had the cheaper ones and this one is perfect.
 

wvmountaindigger

Jr. Member
Oct 19, 2014
66
9
Mountains of West Virginia
Detector(s) used
White's VX3, Sun-Ray DX1 Probe, White's XLT, Sun-Ray XL1 Probe, White's Coin Master Pro, White's Coin Master 2900 Trooper, White's Coin Master 2DB Series 2, White's 120mm Bullseye Pin Pointer.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I have a friend that uses the Cen-tec from harbor freight for about $20 and some change and swears by them.
 

airscapes

Hero Member
Nov 13, 2013
973
555
Philadelphia PA
Detector(s) used
DFX 950, U13,6"Exc & 4x6 Coils, Coinmaster GT 4x6 & NEL Hunter coil, TRX Pin Pointer, CZE-T200 FM Transmitter, Sangean DT-400W and ER6i in-ears.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Whites TRX is at the top of the heap and worth the extra money. Buying a pinpointer is no different than a MD.. after all it is a hand held MD and will be used almost as much as the main machine. Don't waste money to have something NOW save and buy one and be done.
 

bowwinkles

Bronze Member
Nov 3, 2012
2,082
2,434
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Whites has put the TRX on sale for less than one hundred dollars. Details on their site. That should fit a few budgets.
 

G.A.P.metal

Gold Member
Jul 5, 2010
6,468
7,387
"Kan-a-we-o-la" Head on a Pole N.Y. Seneca Territo
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Deus, 11" Low Freq. , 9" X35 Coils, MI 6 Pointer...
Land or Sea Pointer
King Of Spades 40" KS-D SA and 40" KS-S-SA
L
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Whites has put the TRX on sale for less than one hundred dollars. Details on their site. That should fit a few budgets.


Only $99.00 after you buy a White`s Detector
 

ivan salis

Gold Member
Feb 5, 2007
16,794
3,809
callahan,fl
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
delta 4000 / ace 250 - used BH and many others too
try harbor freight .. not the best but its only about 20
 

Indian Steve

Silver Member
Oct 23, 2011
2,794
4,450
Stuart VA
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
6
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Harbor Freight is better than nothing....... just barely. Get a good one. You won't regret it. steve
 

Pinball

Sr. Member
Dec 18, 2014
287
328
Ashland, Ohio
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
You can find 25% off coupons online for Harbor Freight so the Cen Tech one will only be around $16 and thats with tax. Give it a try...if you don't like it then get a the new Garrett AT for your Birthday or Christmas. Watch the youtube videos about adding the vibrating motor and new switch from Radio Shack. There are also videos comparing the Cen Tech with other pin pointers. Good Luck
 

McKinney_5900

Bronze Member
Jul 30, 2010
1,140
930
You can find 25% off coupons online for Harbor Freight so the Cen Tech one will only be around $16 and thats with tax. Give it a try...if you don't like it then get a the new Garrett AT for your Birthday or Christmas. Watch the youtube videos about adding the vibrating motor and new switch from Radio Shack. There are also videos comparing the Cen Tech with other pin pointers. Good Luck


Don't forget shipping cost.
 

FollowTheBeep

Jr. Member
Jul 15, 2014
52
36
Bloomington, IL
Detector(s) used
Racer, ACE 250, Propointer AT, Cen-tec pinpointer
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
The Cen-tec is definitely better than nothing. I've used mine for several years. I had to replace the switch and sometimes it works better than others (it doesn't like really cold weather) but it has cut down recovery time. I am planning on upgrading soon but will keep this one as a backup and for the kids to use when they come with. Good luck with your hunting and remember that the more time you spend hunting will result in wanting to spend more time hunting... Lol
 

RobRieman

Silver Member
Nov 12, 2012
3,282
1,915
Cincinnati Ohio
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
White's V3i / Minelab E-trac
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
There are a couple that are slightly cheaper but if I were you and can afford it, spend the extra for a good name brand with support and has a good track record.
 

Pinball

Sr. Member
Dec 18, 2014
287
328
Ashland, Ohio
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Sorry I forget not everyone has a Harbor Freight just down the road like myself.
 

g-olden years

Silver Member
Nov 10, 2010
3,139
945
California
Detector(s) used
Bounty Hunter Tracker IV
Have successfully used Harbor Freight pinpointer for four years. It's worked very well on targets & located the tiniest items. Cost about $25, then later I replaced the switch once myself by buying one locally for $5, simple to do. Harbor Freight shipping is cheap for such a small item, & also if you spend over a certain amount, they often have free shipping. Have Fun! Andi
 

DonDigger

Full Member
Jan 11, 2013
247
193
Galveston Bay Area
Detector(s) used
Teknetics, Whites
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I've used several pin pointers in the past few years but the Xpointer by Deteknix has worked the best for me.
 

Oct 5, 2014
31,886
35,425
Massachusetts
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Garrett: AT Pro, AT Gold & Infinium; Minelab: Explorer SE, II; Simplex; Tesoro: Tejon & Outlaw; White's: V3i
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Please save yourself the headache and money, purchase a good pin pointer from a reputable company - do the research on the ones mentioned above.
 

Auriemma

Hero Member
Jul 24, 2014
525
483
SE PA
Detector(s) used
Minelab: Sov XS; Sov XS2 Pro ; XS2a Pro ; E-TRAC; Profind 25, Garrett PP AT
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The CenTech PP is made cheaply, but actually has better sensitivity than the BH PP. I've had them both.

I'll stick to my Minelab Profind.
 

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