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There might be some merit going with a pulse induction pinpointer like the Fisher F-Pulse for prospecting, especially on highly mineralised ground.  Problem with many of the VLF units is that they tend to sound off on ground mineralisation when run at higher sensitivity levels, requiring re-tune or lower sensitivity to remain stable.  From what I have seen the F-Pulse has good sensitivity to small targets vs other PI pinpointers currently on the market (ie. can be run at high sensitivity without being affected by surrounding mineralisation).

If I had to go with a VLF I would recommend an XP Mi-4 due to including a pitch audio mode as well as the regular "beep" audio which is more accurate on smaller targets, plus it outstrips pretty much every other pinpointer on the market for features, has higher waterproof rating than most, and all parts are fully replaceable.  I currently use the XP Mi-6 which is the wireless version for the Deus, the Mi-4 has most of the features of the Mi-6, just minus the wireless capability.

The Garrett AT Propointer which I also own is a great pointer for coin shooting, though it does lack outright sensitivity to small targets compared to say the Mi-6, TRX and F-Pulse (there are several tests online proving as such).

I have also used the Whites TRX in the past, and whilst it is a very sensitive pinpointer, and the higher settings can achieve good results on bench tests, it does get very unstable when dealing with highly mineralised soil.  Unfortunately mine was one of the earlier ones that had poor audio levels, a not so bright LED, and the vibration unit failed after a year or so ( possible water ingress through the speaker hole membrane).   

You do have to remember that your typical pinpointer is really built in mind for coin/relic hunting and not specifically for sub-gram gold pickers, probably better off with a plastic scoop over the coil for the real small stuff. 

I am a little surprised that no manufacturer has come out with a high frequency pinpointer specifically for gold prospecting other than the Falcon MD20, I guess there just isn't such a high demand for a product to make it worthwhile.

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Goldpick pretty much nailed it.  I will add a bit:

A pinpointer for small, odd-shaped objects (e.g. native gold) is not necessarily the best pinpointer to use for coins, and vice-versa.  I have both the Garrett Carrot and White's Bullseye TRX and they have different characteristics.  The tip of the Carrot has higher sensitivity around the edge (about 1 " from tip) than it does for the front of the tip.  This is a well known feature.  The TRX is more forward sensitive at the tip, but still does have some longitudinal senstivity.  In my hunting style I much prefer the forward directional sensitivity of the TRX for coins but the side sensitivity of the Carrot for small, odd-shaped targets.

There is a thread here somewhere (wish I were a better at searching this site than I am...) in which Carl Moreland talks about the tip sensitivity of the Fisher F-pulse (Teknetics Tek-point) PI pinpointer.  What I gleaned from that is that most pinpointers, including those First Texas PI's, have sensitivity maps more like the Carrot than the TRX.  I hope I'm not mis-representing what he said.

Here's a thread where the F-pulse is discussed (including a couple comments from Carl) but I don't think it's the one I'm remembering:

 

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On 11/2/2019 at 11:43 PM, phrunt said:

I have a Garrett Carrot AT and love it, I bought a Whites TRX as reviews claimed it to be great so I thought it might be even better than my Carrot and was disappointed with it. It's not near as sensitive as my Carrot and less depth on coins too.   The Carrot will pinpoint reasonable size gold, 0.5 of a gram and above it does reasonable on getting better the bigger.

must be something wrong with your trx, send it back to whites. my trx hits on small gold the carrott doesn't even know exists. I can get about 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch depth on gold that is 0.1 gm.

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BTW, you may want to look into the Nokta/Makro Pulsedive pinpointer.  It actually is two detectors in one -- a standard gun-barrel style pinointer but also a small coil hand-held detector.  It specifically targets underwater detectorists but might be a good addition for dry land gold hunters as well.  I've noticed that gold detectorists with large coils (e.g. operating PI's and ZVT's) are often in need of a small detector to lower down in their deep holes to pinpoint small targets.   As you can read here, sometimes standard IB/VLF detectors are modified to do just that.  Would the pulsedive solve this issue, and for a very reasonable cost dual-function device?

There are several posts on this site regarding the Pulsedive.  If you just use the built-in search engine and just the word 'Pulsedive' you'll find them.

 

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It seems all the brands have their issues. I am happy with my Profind35 but considering I have recently got into beach combing/bobby pin removal services and needed to buy a pp now I would get an F-Point but if was sorting through piles of dirt the Pulse Dive might be a better option. Not sure with is more sensitive to tiny bits.

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I think the TRX often gets a bad rap due to the horrible users manual that does not mention how to set and use its features. Yes it does react to highly mineralized soils but it has a ground balance feature. I used it for 2 months before I found out about it. It has 4 power settings but you have to go to Whites website or YouTube to find out how to set them. It also performs better if you use the rectangular 9v battery as opposed to AA batteries. Still, overall it is the best performing pointer I have used. I like it so much I just ordered another to have as a spare. 

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21 hours ago, phrunt said:

I have to either use it how it is and accept it works but isn't as good as my Carrot, or throw it out.  I'll just use it as a backup unit.  I quite like the tip is sensitive for finding coins,

I believe you can replace the internal electronics by removing two screws, pulling out the old unit and dropping in a new one. Might be worth an email to the service center, they might send you the replacement unit under warranty. 

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4 hours ago, Smithobx said:

(White's TRX) also performs better if you use the rectangular 9v battery as opposed to AA batteries.

Wow, that's news to me.  Going to have to try that out.  Two AA's is so much cheaper I've gone that route since buying mine.  They even deliver them with two AA's (and no 9V).

 

 

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