What kind of portable river sluice box do you use and why?

[GoldHunter24k]

In the market for a sluice box and I was wondering what the consensus was. Looking for something fairly portable and less than 10 pounds

Here are the ones i've been looking at. Not looking to spend more than $100 or so or I will just make one myself. Would LOVE to spend around $50 and the Angusmackirk looks pretty good for the price.

I've also heard really good things about the Letrap

Stream Sluices - Production Sluices from Angus MacKirk Mining and Manufacturing Equipment

Le Trap Sluice Box - Bank / River Robber Sluices

Sluice Box: Buckabilly Sluice Box Gold Prospecting

Keene Folding Sluice Box a52p (SOLD OUT)

CALIFORNIA SLUICE BOX - SLUICE BOXES

This one looks real nice too

http://coloradogoldsticks.com/catalog/i32.html

 

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[mellowyellow]

My buddy here sells a type of sluice as well that worked really well at EF... His name on here is shovel humper. He's very honest and nice guy. Throw him a message if u want. Just another option. It's a realllllly light weight one with zero classification needed.

 

[GoldHunter24k]

Cool i've give that a shot, thanks. Any idea on the dimensions/price? Sounds like just what I'm looking for

 

[mellowyellow]

Oops, didn't notice you ha the link for those sluices ... California sluice company or something. I bought the jr sluice and keep it my car for just in case I find myself near a water way... Why not! Love that little guy.

 

[GoldHunter24k]

Oops, didn't notice you ha the link for those sluices ... California sluice company or something. I bought the jr sluice and keep it my car for just in case I find myself near a water way... Why not! Love that little guy.

The black plastic one with the ridges? i think it said it was around $50. not bad

Also the last one colorado-something or other.com looks really well made for $125. Might give the Keene a run for its money.

 

[Jason in Enid]

I use the Keene A52

 

[mellowyellow]

Also gold hunter Keene makes a few different type of sluices as well. I believe he just put out or comin out with a new folding full size light weight box.. Talk to Pat, tell him what u are looking for Ina sluice and he will point u in the right direction.

What Eva u get as long as that bad boy catches the fever, and does not wash it out of the butt your good to go.

 

[Hemisteve]

I use the A52 with the Low/Hi riffles (Great box, gets it all if you have it set up right) but have been really looking at the CalSluice #2b over/under for direct shoveling. Classifying material takes a lot of time away from running paydirt.

 

[mellowyellow]

Here's my sluice A52 I added a few clamps in the side to hold my pry bar and shovel. I also added more black matting on the front for better visuals on gold. Kinda lets me know where I stand in the area where I'm diggin. If i don't see gold starting to fill the black mat after 3-5 buckets I'm out to the next spot... Over kill prob but that's how I roll, lol.

 

[GoldHunter24k]

Looks real nice MY. Is that the extra ribbing you added on the flare? Do you strap that to a framepack or just carry it with the handle?

 

[Aurabbit79er]

Very good Mellow, you got gold fever.

Goldhunter24k I agree with Mellow.
I have watched them in action at East Fork.
Straight forward design.

I have 2 keen A52s, 1 w/ dredge riffils, the other w/6" legs, and 1 EZ Sluice, and a homemade 32" x7"x3" all 1/4" LEXAN body and riffils.
It's cool to watch the turbulence behind the riffils. Again all materials from Home Depot.
I use it as a back pack sluice to test with when I can go out there for a few days.
Oh yea it's bullet proof. At least against small rounds.
In 22 years you collect a lot of stuff. Including my dredge that's 5 sluices.

 

[mellowyellow]

Yes on the flare I added a lot. Prob too much, lol. Go big go home! I used to strap it up into a framed backpack and bring everything!!! But, as time went by and more trips under my belt, I have reduced down what I bring thankfully, and now I just carry it by handle. I do wear a large backpack with tools, pan, classifier, ect.. One hand with 2 buckets and the other the sluice.

 

[Aurabbit79er]

Gold hunter24k here I am geared up just returned from Heaton Flats.

 

[mellowyellow]

Nice set up bro! Looking goooood

 

[tridge800]

I've got the Angus Mackirk Adventurer and Explorer and love them both..super lightweight, super easy to clean out and catches the tiny gold!! The Adventurer is great for sampling and the Explorer for a little better production over the Adventurer. Put my Explorer at the outlet of a correctly set up A52 and caught quite a bit of the very fines that the A52 blew out...Think anyone that owned an AM sluice can vouch for their quality and ability to catch the fines that others miss!!!

 

[mellowyellow]

See 24k ALOT of sluices out there... You know u and what u can carry or want to carry for the type of sluicing your doing. Decisions decisions...

 

[Aurabbit79er]

See 24k ALOT of sluices out there... You know u and what u can carry or want to carry for the type of sluicing your doing. Decisions decisions...

You described my pack Mellow.LOL

 

[NeoTokyo]

Whelp I have become very fond of the Bazooka Gold Trap, I have the Miner.
It is more expensive and heavier than you were looking for though.

As said before, the Keene A52 is an awesome sluice, I really enjoyed using it for how light and easy to clean up it was.
I have used it classifying down to 1/8" or so and I have used it unclassified with rocks about 2" in size going over the sluice, both ways worked great and I did not notice a loss of gold when I did not classify.
I did however try to pick out the larger rocks as they went down the front slick.

I have seen the Le Trap in person and it is a very nice sluice, I have seen a ton of video's of it working and have heard very good things about it.
One thing that I did hear though was that it could use something like an aluminum arm riveted to the top to make it stronger.
You could use two so that you have a platform to put some rocks ontop to hold it down.

The Angus sluices look pretty nice too but I have not read much about them, seen or used them yet.

 

[blynch35]

i have a keene a52 and it works great but now i use my bazooka i have the super prospector and super mini they all work great i use the super mini the most right now. it catches everything i panned my tailings still havent found one speck out the back.

 

[GoldHunter24k]

Hey Blynch! Thanks for the input. What are the main differences between the A52 and the mini? Portability? So you're saying the mini works just as good? I like the fact that these plastic types are easy cleanups. But i've also heard that you cant go wrong with a Keene. I've seen some Mad Miner boxes that are very similar to the A52 but have miners moss instead of the green carpeting that the Keene has. Have you any experience on which works better than the other? May 'swade my sluice purchases. I'm looking at accumulating at least two in the coming weeks.

The letrap really has me curious though.. Im thinking of doing a combination of Letrap and a keene sluice with the letrap on top spilling into the keene to catch any remaining fines. Ive got a nice peice of lightweight framed grating for a painters bucket that looks like it would sit on the top of a sluice box rather nicely to classify a bit. Found some grip tape for large steps and once i get one of the plastic sluices im going to line the inside of the middle grooves with the grip tape. Then maybe use a small piece of miners moss and deep V mat as backup near the top.

I like the idea of combining both letrap and keene into one setup.