Pinpointers HELP please

my suggestion is a choice between the Garrett or the Minelab. If you choose Garrett then buy two because you will need at least one more to use while the other is sent in for repair (money not an option). or one Minelab. Both are very popular and work well when they are working. Garrett has very good customer service and the opinion is still out on the new Minelab customer service.
 

my 2 cents ,, even though you say money is no issue . this same question was asked last week and 2 people said go to Harbor Freight and buy a cen-tech pin pointer , i went to web site and they have 2 models ,, a 16 dollar and a 40 dollar.
i am pretty sure the quality will not be the same , but with regulations the way they are today most companies have to follow the same guides so items are pretty close to the same .
i have heard the Garretts are best but also heard they break down alot. but as with anything you get good and bad...so for 16 dollars its worth a try i think .
 

cen- tec

the 16.00 dollar beautie

will get you there for the cheap you can always up grade later....
 

I have the garret pro pointer and love it but also heard good things about the centech .
 

I still think a pin pointer is a waste of money if your detector already has a pin pointer built in. I consider it micro detecting, soon they will make even a smaller pin pointer to assist with the pin pointer :laughing7:
 

There is a huge difference between the Propointer and the Cen tec. I had a Centec, an automax and a whites bullseye when I bought the Garrett. I tested them all against the same target and the Garrett Propointer won by a mile. Don't waste your money like I did on the cheapies.
 

Garrett :headbang:
 

I wish I had a dollar every time somebody buys a harbor frieght then after a month they come in here & say I just bought a Garrett propointer...& wow is it great....Save your 16 or whatever they cost & just buy a Propointer....You will not regret doing so!
 

bowwinkles said:
my suggestion is a choice between the Garrett or the Minelab. If you choose Garrett then buy two because you will need at least one more to use while the other is sent in for repair (money not an option). or one Minelab. Both are very popular and work well when they are working. Garrett has very good customer service and the opinion is still out on the new Minelab customer service.
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Ive had my Propointer for 20 months now & havnt had a problem yet!
 

buy a garrett you won't regret it.
 

I also heard that the Garrett Pro Pointer was a good one.
I've started playing with the new one I just bought...out in the garden practicing...pretty cool tool!:thumbsup:
 

SusanMN said:
There is a huge difference between the Propointer and the Cen tec. I had a Centec, an automax and a whites bullseye when I bought the Garrett. I tested them all against the same target and the Garrett Propointer won by a mile. Don't waste your money like I did on the cheapies.
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Now you have my curiosity up. You say the Garrett won by a mile. My question is HOW? They both pick up a dime at 1" as proven on actuat tests in the T Net technical section video. They both have problems. The circuit boards in the Garrett break down frequently according to actual posts hear on T net. The power switch on the Cen Tec gives out. The difference here is you have to send the Garrett to the factory for repairs which cost for shipping. You can replace the Cen Tec switch with one from Radio Shack for about $2.50. The Centec has a sensitivy adjustment knob. You have to tape a nickle to the Garrett to change sensitivy. The probe on the Garrett is shorter. The Garrett list for $160. Sure you can find discounts because it is so overpriced. The Cen Tec cost $ 18 or less with 20% discount coupon you can find on line or in practally any mag. So tell us How did you come to your conclusion ? Frank...

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kayden said:
I wish I had a dollar every time somebody buys a harbor frieght then after a month they come in here & say I just bought a Garrett propointer...& wow is it great....Save your 16 or whatever they cost & just buy a Propointer....You will not regret doing so!
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Well, little dog, you got it wrong again. I have been using my Cen Tec from Harbor Freight for close to 2 years. Yes I replaced the power switch. It cost about $2.50 at Radio Shack and took about 15 min. to replace. It still works as good as the Garrett. From the posts here on T Net, I can see that the boards on the Garretts are having problems. Check out post #17.Another thing, how can you save 16 by spending 160? Frank...
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I've had a Garrett for a few weeks now. I'm quite impressed with the build quality.

Only problem I have had (and I hear others having) is that it may randomly go into oscillations and just start signaling wildly in an ever quickening loop. Only fix seems to be to turn it off and back on. It only happens if I leave it on for 10 minutes straight, so it really isn't an issue for me.

I have considered trying the Minelab unit out.

WM
 

I had the Centech (modified) and now also have a Garrett PP. One big difference and I mean BIG difference is that the Garrett will sense a coin in the plug ,even in the middle of a plug whereas the Centech doesn't(at least in my experience).Other than that the (modified)Centech does a good job, especially for the price. Would I put my Garrett down and go back to the Centech at this point? NO WAY:laughing7: but I will keep the Centech as a reliable back-up.
 

For every one person that comes out here bashing the Garrett for "breaking down" there are 99 others who have never had a problem at all. The Garrett is very well made. I don't know if it is just the same guy/gal coming out here bashing the Garrett but I would take that information with a grain of salt. Every product out there has their lemons so I don't think Garrett's are prone to breakage more so than any other product. Hands down the overwhelming favorite out here is the Garrett. When the Garrett first came out there were few other options available that were even close. Now there are other pinpointers that are also of high quality. The Minelab appears to be pretty good. The Vibra-Probe is also recommended by those who own them.

The Centech "works" but is not anywhere near the quality or capability of the Garrett (despite what the resident Centech evangelist Frankn will tell you). If you don't have the money then the Centech is ok. But it has some major flaws. The biggest of which is that it doesn't tell you when you are getting closer to the target. The Garrett (and any other quality pinpointer) beeps/vibrates faster as you get closer to the target. I personally would not buy a pinpointer that does not do this. I can't overstate how important this is. The Garrett leads you directly to the target. The Centech just beeps if it senses something (anything). For large targets the Centech can sound off everywhere in the hole. At that point it becomes completely useless. Is the target to the left, right, lower, who knows? With the Garrett you can quickly whisk it around the hole and at some point it will beep faster telling you exactly which direction you need to go. The Centech has other flaws: quality, not water/mist/humidity resistant, requires manual tuning, cumbersome (doesn't fit well into pouch), crappy button, and so on. More than likely, anyone pushing the Centech as being better than the Garrett has never actually tried the Garrett. I have both. The Centech works but that's about all I can say about it. If my Centech broke I wouldn't buy another one.

Good luck. You can't go wrong with the Garrett but there are other good pinpointers available as well. I would research the Garrett, Minelab, Vibra-Probe, and any others that are recommended that beep faster as you get closer to the target. If it doesn't beep/vibrate faster, it isn't worth your money.
 

ZR2guy said:
I had the Centech (modified) and now also have a Garrett PP. One big difference and I mean BIG difference is that the Garrett will sense a coin in the plug ,even in the middle of a plug whereas the Centech doesn't(at least in my experience).Other than that the (modified)Centech does a good job, especially for the price. Would I put my Garrett down and go back to the Centech at this point? NO WAY:laughing7: but I will keep the Centech as a reliable back-up.
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The Cen Tec should pick up at the same distance as the Garrett, even in the plug, mine does. There is a sensitivity adjustment on the inside. It is a blue pot on mine There is an adjustment screw on it which will jack up the sensitivity. The outside knob is for fine tuning. I installed a bright blue LED on mine which lights when it finds the target. I love how simple it is to mod them, something you can't do on the pro. Frank

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