The amount of water they use correlates to the amount of material they are capable of processing. The Keene comes with a 2200 GPH pump. The Hog doesn’t come with a pump but seems happiest with about 4000 GPH.
I went with the Piglet and used it all last season. Even without the extension, it handles a shovel load every 10 seconds. That’s over a cubic yard per hour. It’s definitely a higher capacity piece of equipment and has been proven to have very high capture rates. Cleanouts are faster and easier with the Piglet as well. Adding the extension makes it a beast. There’s no way that the Keene will hang with the Piglet in terms of yardage, but you do need to factor in the cost of a pump if you don’t already own one. Unless you go gas-powered, the big 3700 GPH electric bilge pump required for the Piglet uses lots of amperage and requires a big deep cycle battery.
They are fairly different machines. It just depends on what you want them to do. If budget is a concern and you have no other equipment, the Keene might be the best choice. If you want to run as much dirt as you can shovel and have been doing this for a while, the Gold Hog may work better for you.
It’s also worth noting the advertising used for these pieces of equipment by their respective companies. Reading descriptions on the websites for each, the Mini Max looks more like it’s aimed at someone who is new to prospecting.
