flakmagnet

Slightly off topic but heck a story is a story right? A friend years ago build a new house for his retirement up in Allegheny above Grass Valley in Ca. I called him when I was in the area to say hello and he invited me up to lunch. When I arrived and he asked me to park on the dirt road in front of his house because a load of gravel had just been delivered to cover his new driveway and down a hillside to his lower yard. He was showing me the driveway when an old timer who was walking down the road stopped giving the new driveway the once-over. "Did you guys run that stuff through a trommel?" he asked, indicating the gravel. My friend, who didn't know anything about mining or prospecting, answered that he'd just bought it from a gravel company who had a huge pile of it in their work yard. The old fellow shook his head, "too bad…" and continued on down the road. A month later - it was in the late Fall- my friend called me at my home in Los Angeles. It had been three days of pretty heavy rain up in the Sierra's and he told me that when the weather cleared and the sun came out, he went outside to see how the gravel had held up and picked up nearly two ounces of gold gleaming in the freshly washed driveway gravel. True story.

…a sure fire way to discourage claim jumpers...

There is no gold more beautiful than Australian gold. Nice story Reg.

I also remember when, in 2012, I posted a 1.9oz nugget I had found that two weeks later a one-ouncer certificate arrived in the mail. One of the nicest things I've ever been given.

Ouch. That one hits hard. For those of you who never had the pleasure of meeting or hunting with John B., we have lost a good one. This guy had one of the best senses of humor you could ever wish to be around. He also had a razor sharp mind, was highly experienced at finding all sorts of stuff. Meteorites, gold, tall stories, and so much more. I can't pretend I knew him well but I do know the several times I got to hunt with him and sit with him in the evening made a lasting impression on me. His famous pointy finger was no joke, he knew his stuff and generously shared what he had learned. Godspeed friend.

Kinda li Kinda like Frankenstein?

Good points Steve. The time has long passed where out of courtesy we don't name names when there are manufacturer problems. Some of them don't give a damn, but their potential customers will. It gives buyers clearer purchasing options. Stating the issue respectfully and in detail and yes, being specific about the manufacturer, is part of the reason Detector Prospector exists at the level it does. Opinion only, of course...

Yes, I know that…(I was the backer of the original Hipstick and also put JP in touch with the inventor, Chris Porter.)

I'm ready friend...

This is because the Hipstick's inventor has given the manufacturing rights to Jonathan Porter. And when you say "the Swingy Thingy is beneficial for lighter detectors, it's not putting it to your hip, more so your shoulders" that is the exact opposite of what the hipstick was invented for; to take the weight off the shoulders when using the heavier detectors. I think most of us are in pursuit of something better, it's just that not every new iteration of a product is better.

Hi again, if you hook any hipstick onto your pants belt, you are opening yourself up to - as you mentioned - saggy pants. The whole premise of them is to take direct pressure off the shoulder and direct some of it downward toward the hips. That's why they are such a smart concept. But they also presuppose a pack or harness belt to help keep the direct pressure off the hips as well (and your pants up around your waist). All the best...

Last question; Isn't the purpose of both units to redistribute the weight off the shoulder and down onto the hips? If that is true then both units will exert downward pressure. If you are wearing the belt clip on the belt for your pants, they both will be pushing downward on your pants. I always thought these hipsticks were meant to be worn with a harness that had its own belt and would therefore not result in a falling pants calamity. Anyway…it all remains to be seen I guess. Take it easy...

Yes I agree there. I was just interested in your other statements because I have read previously that you didn't like wearing a Hipstick and as far as you have described, you don't own this new one…so your post is just sort of your opinion based on not much experience and may be potentially a bit misleading for people who do not know.

How exactly is it a nicer looking design..and much better…? The genius of the original design was it's simplicity, it's lack of weight and that it worked.

Nice one! And beautiful as well. Happy for you.

That makes more sense...

What does this post even mean? All your "questions" are essentially the same and engender a similar response. Trying to understand your intent here. Why post a comment like this?

Over the years I've made no secret what my absolute favorites are, and they still reign at the top imho: 1. Anything Jonathan Porter has produced. His instructional videos covering a number of detectors released over the last decade or so which Jonathan shot, edited and narrated himself - an incredibly time consuming and expensive pursuit - are hands down the best instructional detecting videos ever made. Whether they are on YouTube or not, I don't know, but they exist on DVD's and actually the widespread pirating of them is what I understand ultimately led JP to stop gracing us with his efforts. Our loss for sure. Happily he still visits this site on occasion and always furthers whatever discussion he drops in on. 2. The Goldhounds: https://www.youtube.com/@goldhoundsnuggetrecovery1630 these gents made a bawdy, smart and personable series of gold detecting videos that were laced with all sorts of valuable on-camera experiences that were generously shared with us…their exploits were so captivating that they ultimately had to stop putting their videos out because so many people tried to find or follow them into the remote and difficult Queensland locations they explored. Another huge loss for the gold detecting population as a whole.

Thank you JP, you always make sense.

Good for Rob. Integrity is everything.

Happy Birthday and good hunting.

Another reminder of how important getting hearing aids can be: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/01/03/hearing-aids-regular-use-mortality-risk/ These days the stigma of wearing hearing aids is pretty much passe. If your hearing is suffering you have almost an obligation to deal with it…and it's getting easier all the time. Your family and friends will thank you and you will thank yourself. I know from first-hand experience what a difference they make in the quality of life.

Happy New Year to you Caleb and to everyone on this amazing forum. This is a pretty big year ahead for many reasons.

That seems strange that they won't stay in your ear as the hearing aids I have seen (a bunch of them), usually have different sizes of the part that goes in your ear. Some of them even have little rings that tilt outward acting like sort of a brake on it slipping out…it's hard to describe but you get the idea. Is it that perhaps you have a large ear opening or something? Anyway I am sure a competent audio person will be able to figure something out, don't let that stop you, it's too important... Happy New Year by the way...

Hearing aids are notoriously ridiculously expensive. That is another reason I have been happy (since 2012), with Costco.