Here's some personal background info. Like many on here, I started the hobby in the 1970's. I never used a pin pointer until recently. I'd center the target with the detector and if I didn't find it immediately I'd stand up and center it again. I'm a little older now and my knees sound like Rice Krispies as I get down to dig and stand back up. My lower back doesn't always appreciate the up and down thing either. A while back I bought a used detector that had a Sunray probe attached. I developed a technique where I never put the detector itself down. I'd center using the coil, kneel, dig, and if I didn't see the target immediately I'd flip the switch and use the Sunray probe. The sounds from the probe came through my headphones just like those from the big coil. In reality I was switching from the full size coil to one that was 1" in diameter. The probe told me where the target was regardless of whether I'd flipped it out of the hole or shoved it aside while providing an audible tone and screen data. One hand for the detector and the other hand to dig and pinpoint. I knelt down once and stood up once per target. It was great. Then I traded detectors. Since the Sunray was specific to the detector I traded off I included it in the deal. In return I got a great detector and a pinpointer that only sounds off when it is almost in contact with the target. Now I'm back to centering with the detector, kneeling down and digging, trying to pinpoint via handheld pinpointer, standing back up to center again, kneeling and digging, etc. I have already priced a Sunray for my current detector. My wife is delighted with her Garrett ProPointer as a backup to her Ace 250. The Garrett unit costs about $125. I can get a Sunray for my detector for less than $200. To me, it's worth the extra money.
You didn't say what make and model of detector you use. If Sunray makes a pinpointer for it that's what I'd suggest you buy. If not, I'll have to join all the others who recommended the Garrett.
Storm
