What type of pan to get?

[HuntMN]

Some friends and I are going to do some gold panning here in the northwoods, most of the gold to be found in the state is small-grain type of stuff. I think the biggest nugget I've heard of yet to come out of this state is maybe 1/4" diameter.

Anyway, we're going to do some river/creek panning to see if we can find some small stuff. We're not serious prospectors (at this point anyway), we just thought it'd be fun to try out; but if there is any chance we could get decent findings in our pan, we'd like to get the best pan to do so with.

I noticed there are a variety of pans on the market: ones with smaller riffles, ones with deeper riffles, ones that have a 'Y' shaped channel on the back.

They are all similarly prices, but which one will work the best for finding small nuggets and grains like we mostly have here in Minnesota?

 

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[jog]

I am not a pro either,last year did some panning in a river in Oregon.Used a pan similar to the green one you are showing us there,worked really well and even the smallest of flakes showed up(specs).Tried another pan that had the rifles in it but also had a small depression in the bottom corner.(square indent) Did Not like this pan at all.It would not let the fines separate out.When you do decide on a pan, use a scotch bright pad to scuff the inside of the pan.You don't want it to be smooth and new(slick).
Also read somewhere that they have done a lot of testing on what colors work best,the green tested way above the others for gold visibility.

Good Luck HH.

 

[EggyOG]

It really depends on how much material you want to pan. The key to any pan is learning how to use it efficiently. Someone with good technique can use pretty much any of the modern plastic pans and not lose much of the small stuff we have here in the Midwest. The real question becomes how much material do you want to process. If you would rather toss back a cool one while shooting the bull and maybe pan out a few buckets, pretty much any of the cheap pans will work. If you want to work a little bit more material, it seems the square pans will work a little faster. If you want to really move a lot of material in an area where only pans are permitted, the Pyramid Pro Pan will outpace pretty much everything else out there. If there is a pan that works faster, I don't know what it is. The problem is the price. It is $140, but it works at almost the same pace as a sluice (at least in our slower moving Midwestern rivers).
If you want to see the different pans in action, come to the Gold and Treasure Show in Sheboygan Falls, WI on March 28-29. Every pan you had pictured, plus some others, will be available there to try out.

 

[jeff of pa]

I'm New to panning Only gold I found
was in sample bags

Have tried the First two pans

And only liked the first (Green)

 

[bigfish31]

I find the green pans are tougher, and don't crack as often.

 

[Mick93]

The ones like the green pan usually have three catch traps that work very well at catching the gold and are a little more forgiving for the beginner as well but as the others have said its all in learning the technique and practice. I always use the green type.

 

[baggerman]

I am in the same boat you are. I have a green Garrett pan but want to move more material so I will go to the gold show in Salem, OR the end of this month to look at other pans and sluices. Not really sure which I want so I hope to be able to talk to a bunch of folks there before I lay my cash down.

 

[jeff of pa]

I am in the same boat you are. I have a green Garrett pan but want to move more material so I will go to the gold show in Salem, OR the end of this month to look at other pans and sluices. Not really sure which I want so I hope to be able to talk to a bunch of folks there before I lay my cash down.

Buy a GPAA Pan I think they are $3. or $5.00 with the Coupon from the door.

I'm not sure of the Garrett pans size

but the Green GPAA Pans are Nice.

Whites Pans are slightly Bigger but Dark Blue.
Dosn't work well on my eyes as Green Does

 

[baggerman]

The garrett pan is very large. Where do I get a coupon?

 

[jeff of pa]

The garrett pan is very large. Where do I get a coupon?

they will hand it to you when you pay at the door

 

[Markinnsprings]

Got my green pans from GPAA. Been using them for over 10 years now. No complaints at all.

 

[Goodinplenty]

I have only been panning for about a year (noob) but I have tried several different pans and my opinion is the green garrett 14 inch is by far the best and easiest to use. Not to mention the lifetime warranty. I met a professional miner who swears by them and tells me he was prospecting in a canyon in windy weather and the pan blew down stream and was gone. He later contacted Garrett telling his story and they sent him a new one, pretty good deal. My vote is Garrett gravity trap pan.

 

[kiwi jw]

Hi there, I have both the large green Garrett & the black one in your pics. I always use the Garrett as it can handle a descent amount of material & can pan it down to cons pretty quick. I have had it for years & it is still going strong. It is pretty tuff. Mind you I run dredges, highbankers & sluice box's which are the go if you want to move a reasonable amount of material & get a reasonable amount of gold. Less back breaking & a LOT quicker.

Happy golding

JW

 

[golddigger14s]

Of the photos you show I would go with th Green one. If it's new scrub it good with soap/comet to get the oils off.

 

[Stryker_FO]

as to a good panner can use any pan........

but the Garret pans are pretty good I have the 10" and the 14" and they both work awesome.....

That black pan you see is a tourist trap pan... they overall dont work that great and those ridges to catch the gold tend to make the gold slide off to the sides and you end up losing some...... Even a good panner will with that garbage pan

Get either the Garrett, the GPAA pan or any of the pans similar to those basic models.....

The Trinity pan is a pain to use I would not reccommend it to a beginner

There is also the Square pans they work great just take a little time to get used to.. I had one but gave it to the claim owner I work for since he absolutely loves those dang things and his last one got ran over by the dozer or something of that matter..

 

[utah1066]

CK it OUT not bad price,s http://www.goldsluiceboxes.com/sluicestore/Equipment/Highbankers

 

[russau]

all the pans are good! all you need to do is get one and work with it untill you can save the really fine stuff. then you dont need to try out all of the other pans cause youll know how to do it!

 

[kiwi jw]

Hi there every body, My ten cents worth.
A gold pan is a gold pan & they will all retain gold. It comes down to your panning ability, nothing else. Remember a pan isnt an item for bulk processing but used for prospecting (taking samples here & there to find the presence of gold) or for cleaning up your concerntrates from the days run with a bulk processing unit like a dredge or trommel or sluice box etc....A gold pan isnt going to make gold appear in your pan.....the gold has to be there in the first place. Just like a metal detector.....you have to walk over gold & wave your coil over it. It wont make gold appear in the ground.
A large gold pan is generaly used (depending on your ability to handle the amount of material in it) to clean up the inital material from your production unit & then a smaller finishing pan is used to deal with the black sand concerntrates & finer gold. This is usualy the procedure for your hobby gold fossicker Then of course there are things like the blue bowl or spiral wheel etc. to re run cons for the very fine to micro gold. Then there are acids & mercury & other nasty chemical proccedure but this is generaly out side the bounds & praticality of your hobby miner.
Getting back to pans. There will always be people trying to make a buck by re inventing the wheel & producing pans that are the latest & greatest & recover MORE gold. Remember....the gold has to be there in the first place as I said before. You could pan just as succesfuly with a fry pan or a hub cap. It is just comes down to your panning ability.

Happy golding

Kiwi JW

 

[russau]

also what can be said or it can be taken this way is: the new designs can mask the poor panning skills or it can enhance what skills you do have. once you learn to pan and save fine gold, you dont need these "improvements" a smooth lipped pan will work for you! speed isnt whats important here. its the ability to get all the gold. big gold isnt a problem saving. its the fine stuff and you cant pan it fast or youll lose it! most of the gold is the fine stuff. the nuggets are just the icing!

 

[mnsrchr]

HuntMN,

I'm from MN too and always wondered if there's any gold to be found? I've only been in MN for 11 years but never really had the time to invest in any type of prospecting. I usually just lurk and unfortunately live vicariously through everyone elses stories. Good for them though!

Since you're from MN, check out www.k-bid.com. It is an online auction in MN. There is an auction that ends April 7th that has a bunch of gold dredging and panning equipment, sluices and MD's.

I apologize if I am out of line posting the URL for the auction. It just looks like some items that people are looking for and since there's no real "gold fever" in MN, I thought I would share with anyone reading this. I'm still debating on whether to bid on some pans or something just in case the kids and I get curious enough to give it a go.

Good luck Hunt, I'll be looking for your find stories!