the learning curve can be kinda difficult for some people. and I mainly think it because the fluid bed. they don't understand how it's supposed to work. that everything should be nice and liquefied in there so if you stick your finger in your should be able to go clean through it easy.
and yes when it's running right there should be stuff bubbling out the back of the bazooka. that 1 tripped me out the first time to. but I let it go cause everything else was running how these guys said it should. then another person brought it up and vala my question was answered and yeah.
but the bazooka is an amazing unit. so easy to clean and set up once you understand it. noClassifing and just fun.
but if you still find you don't like it might I make a suggestion.
the calsluice #2b it's designed after the top runner and has some of the same qualities the bazooka does main 1 no classifing and good retention of smaller gold. I'm betting the bazooka has better retention just because the calsluice everything has to drop down into the mat and riffle system.
where as the bazooka everything is forced down into the trap buy gravity, and the material already in the bazooka. it acts like a catchers mit. once you watch the video all the way through you'll see andunderstand what I'm explaining.
but I'll post a link to the calsluice.
http://www.calsluice.com/
many people who have had problems with the bazooka go to the calsluice2b. personally I think they'd have been better with like a le trap. and just add a punch plate ontop. pretty much set up just like the calsluice #2b but drop riffle. the biggest problem I see with it is the flow the really fine gold really doesn't have time to drop through the punch plate.
oooo. that's another thing. I've seen many people say they just shovel into the le trap sluice and it holds everything really well. but I still think there loosing some cause the rocks and such would nock it out. but ive never used a drop riffle and from what ive herd there extremely good. If you go the calsluice #2b it's a good sluice.
or the le trap I can show you an easy way to use that with classifing that wI'll make it so your shoveling right into it but still classifing at the same time. I used to do it with my Keene. easy set up and worked well
but seriously don't get hung up on gold hog. personally I think there to expensive for what they are. the gold cube is made for beach sand k. so it's made to hold the ultra ultra fine gold all the way up. and for the price of the gold hog high banker you could pay for the gold hog and the Lil monster Tromel that goes with the gold cube. the way the gold cube works is it pushes everything underwater. so any gold that may be floating ontop the water cause the water retention can't float cause its pushed under. not once but 2 3 times.
personally I'd say get the gold cube and the gold banker. it's not the Tromel, but the gold banker is made to catch nuggets and works great for river, rocks, clay, mud yuck silt clay stuff that I have here nasty like swamp mud. sand and pretty much everything. I mean if your serious about a highbanker then gold cube is the way to go. for pickers and nuggets all the way down to gold you can't see unless you have a loupe. it's made especially for gold that small. even gold hog uses and sells them cause there that good.
I'd check them out before deciding and the gold cube and gold banker kit would save you money.
so that's my 2 cents