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Bazooka Sluice Box order

Sounds like a month
 

Yes it takes about 1 month from order to shipping. Well at least it did for both of mine that I ordered from them. I bought my last one off local classifieds, still kinda feel bad about the price. It was in perfect condition, he only wanted 50.00 I gave him 60.00 but maybe should have paid a little more since he was selling to pay for car repairs.
Be patient it's well worth the wait. I am surprised that no one contacted you. I must have been extremely lucky. I emailed them and received a call within about an hour. I guess I'm the exception to the rule. ��
 

Man I wish I would have read more here before ordering mine. Sounds like a nightmare and I ordered mine on sept. 19th. After reading about it taking over a month to ship I would have never bought mine. Sounds like they might have some major issues going on. I just hope mine comes before Christmas.
 

Hang in there...you still made a good choice. As others have said, despite the frustration with the delivery lead times and customer service, the Bazookas are 100% worth the wait. I feel like I'm working with one hand tied behind my back when I use a regular riffle and carpet setup.
 

Definitely worth the wait. Took 3 weeks for mine. And as others have stated, no reply to my email. But yeah, despite all that, I'd buy again - the Bazooka is that good.
 

I ordered mine 8/13/16, and it shipped on 9/12/13. A month is about right.
 

As a former one-man manufacturing business owner (who eventually grow into gray hair mode) I'll be the first to tell people it is a struggle to keep up with orders when demand is high. On the manufacturing side, I always had issues with distributors and other manufacturers as well as the phone ringing off the hook with customers wanting to know where their product is or when it will be delivered. The easy solution was to stockpile materials, but who in their right mind is going to drop big bucks in capital to do so, or even have the space? Small business is tough- even tougher when you have a great product! I am sure those gents will fulfill their commitment! I am plan on ordering, but I have no clue which one to get!
 

My problem is not the time it takes to get my order. My problem is having the time to use the product. I wish I had more of it.

My decision which one to get was largely motivated by finances. I had less than $200 to spend, so decided to go with the 30" Prospector model, as it still had the ability to "produce" more than the Sniper models, but was small enough and light enough to lug around. I really do wish they would add a page to their website dealing with "philosophy of use" to help people decide which model would meet their needs best--why are the different models in existence. What does each one excel at? Why would I choose one over another?

ETA: I'd much rather wait for a quality product, than to have them ship it earlier, and have quality control issues because they are rushing to get the product out.
 

Last edited:
Au Chit said:
As a former one-man manufacturing business owner (who eventually grow into gray hair mode) I'll be the first to tell people it is a struggle to keep up with orders when demand is high. On the manufacturing side, I always had issues with distributors and other manufacturers as well as the phone ringing off the hook with customers wanting to know where their product is or when it will be delivered. The easy solution was to stockpile materials, but who in their right mind is going to drop big bucks in capital to do so, or even have the space? Small business is tough- even tougher when you have a great product! I am sure those gents will fulfill their commitment! I am plan on ordering, but I have no clue which one to get!
Click to expand...

Good perspective, thanks for chiming in. Also, welcome to tnet :)

To learn which one would work best for you, best thing would be to meet up with some Bazooka owners to see them in action. Where are you based?

Your choice should be based on the local conditions where you'll be digging and on how hard you want to be able to work.

I'd be happy to discuss selection guidelines with you if you want to share more about your prospecting situation(s).
 

The sizes available are to deal mainly with available water. You always want to run as much material as possible. The amount of water available will dictate the size of sluice you can run. And the size of feed. The smaller the bazooka gets the "less" productive it is compared to other Bazookas. In good water a sniper will still run circles around a keene.
Within those parameters there is still large variance of capability. It would be impossible to send a cheat sheet as so much changes based on the digs and the digger.

It won't be long before we don't have the "how long did it take to get your Bazooka?" threads.

The new question will be " Hey where did you get a Bazooka ?"

I wouldn't buy one unless the sluice and the cash were swapping hands simultaneously.

There are people reading this comment and wondering what it means....read it again and think about it.........and that is what it means.

It's too bad!! If you already have one consider yourself lucky!!
 

I really hope you end up wrong about that GW :(
...and I'm glad I have the 3 different ones I have! #ready4anything
 

Au Chit said:
As a former one-man manufacturing business owner (who eventually grow into gray hair mode) I'll be the first to tell people it is a struggle to keep up with orders when demand is high. On the manufacturing side, I always had issues with distributors and other manufacturers as well as the phone ringing off the hook with customers wanting to know where their product is or when it will be delivered. The easy solution was to stockpile materials, but who in their right mind is going to drop big bucks in capital to do so, or even have the space? Small business is tough- even tougher when you have a great product! I am sure those gents will fulfill their commitment! I am plan on ordering, but I have no clue which one to get!
Click to expand...

Call me crazy, but this sounds like a business "having it's cake and eating it too." When demand is high and the money is pouring in, I believe small business owners in their right minds SHOULD invest big bucks in capital in order to manage that growth and accommodate future growth. What's the alternative? Pocketing the money as you respond to fewer and fewer emails and send sluices out in 3 months instead of the measly 1? Hoping that the orders slow down so things aren't so crazy?

The folks at Bazooka claim they are moving the things hand-over-first in such-and-such number of countries...I can only assume those are paying customers. They don't have to shrug their shoulders or pray for an answer on how to fill orders in a reasonable timeframe or respond to customers' inquiries; it's simple...invest the proceeds from this growth in hiring people, developing an inventory, securing space and obtaining more efficient equipment. The Bazooka has certainly not been an overnight phenomenon - they've had plenty of opportunities to avoid this. I understand "growing pains" but it seems some folks feel that poor customer service and slow delivery times are totally acceptable...and inevitable in a small, growing business. Personally, I disagree and I don't believe that business model will last very long...here's hoping Bazooka get it figures out before it's too late.
 

I agree, you aren't crazy.

At the same time, I've seen small manufacturing businesses really get burned and even collapse when they borrow to grow. It is very risky; a lot of banks won't lend to small biz at this size so you have to borrow against your house, etc...scary stuff.

As far as the wait times, it's no different than waiting for Ford to build a truck you ordered. A little patience for a premium product that fits your exact request is fair. Now if it was just a Chevy...lol! :P
 

Goldwasher said:
The sizes available are to deal mainly with available water. You always want to run as much material as possible. The amount of water available will dictate the size of sluice you can run. And the size of feed. The smaller the bazooka gets the "less" productive it is compared to other Bazookas. In good water a sniper will still run circles around a keene.
Within those parameters there is still large variance of capability. It would be impossible to send a cheat sheet as so much changes based on the digs and the digger.

It won't be long before we don't have the "how long did it take to get your Bazooka?" threads.

The new question will be " Hey where did you get a Bazooka ?"

I wouldn't buy one unless the sluice and the cash were swapping hands simultaneously.

There are people reading this comment and wondering what it means....read it again and think about it.........and that is what it means.

It's too bad!! If you already have one consider yourself lucky!!
Click to expand...

That sounds ominous. Hope he or someone else continues the business.
 

I hope things get resolved Goldwasher. It sounds like it is beyond a quality issue.
 

IMG_0031.webpI really hope mine I ordered comes in after reading that. But after I ordered and found tnet.com I really wasn't wanting to wait a month plus(if it even shows up)I grabbed this Schmidt sluice off eBay and it came in today. I thought I would share it with you guys.
 

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Dustinmx760 said:
View attachment 1363937I really hope mine I ordered comes in after reading that. But after I ordered and found tnet.com I really wasn't wanting to wait a month plus(if it even shows up)I grabbed this Schmidt sluice off eBay and it came in today. I thought I would share it with you guys.
Click to expand...


Wow, that looks like a straight up copy. Got any more photos to share?

I wonder how much weight the 'original' patent holds? It seems like the owner of BGT bought the fluid bed patent form the original guy who was granted the patent. But the only thing that design and the current BGT design really share is the fluidizing tubes. It seems as if a new patent should have been applied for as an improvement on an existing patent.

Goldwasher, it sounds as if you think BGT may not survive. That's too bad. I bought a BGT supermini, after I made a prosector clone. I love them both and they both work well. I could imagine quite a few ways the manufacture of them could be streamlined with an investment in some heating equipment, cnc cutter (laser, router, waterjet, IDK?) and molds. I hope they survive and succeed.
 

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