Deep Coins Which Would You Choose Pi Or VLF ?

[deathray]

20 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Let’s say you hit a place that produced multiple finds that were very valuable to you. You used all the best VLFs until there was nothing more to be found. Yes, a good PI could reveal more of those finds. Yes, you will dig junk in the process. A PI is what every single serious hunter turns to if they are convinced a site still holds valuable finds that a VLF can’t produce. It’s up to you to decide if the price in junk dug is worth what you are after.

As a nugget hunter, I look at the incredible amount of what I think is just junk that relic hunters dig for a few good finds, and have to smile. Non-ferrous junk is no better than ferrous junk as far as I’m concerned, and I’d be tossing most of the “treasure” that relics hunters show in the trash bin. Pretending a VLF is better because it digs a worthless beat up brass shell casing instead of a nail? All I have to do is define square nails as desired relics, and all the sudden my PI finds almost no junk at all! 

I’m not trying to take a swing at the relic hunters here. I’m just pointing out that digging junk is part of this game, no matter what type of detecting you like. Want gold jewelry, you better be digging aluminum. Relic hunters better at least dig all non-ferrous, even if most of it is junk. While passing some valuable ferrous relics, I might add. I use PIs almost exclusively, and I certainly dig many pounds of junk, but I also dig pounds of gold. Seems acceptable to me. 

Yeah, BUT... it usually only takes me seconds to recover that brass casing, move on to the next, while the PI guy almost always takes longer.

[IronDigger]

I to see all the variable conditions I would face, as in most detecting having both P.I. and a good vlf is a good idea all depends on the conditions. On my first trip I am going to just take a vlf and get a general understanding what conditions we will be hunting. I can always leave it there and bring a p.i. next time I go which would be the following year. Thanks for all the comments..

[Steve Herschbach]

2 hours ago, deathray said:

Yeah, BUT... it usually only takes me seconds to recover that brass casing, move on to the next, while the PI guy almost always takes longer.

It's not either this or that, an argument over what is right or wrong, it's use the appropriate tool for the situation and the desired targets. As long as a VLF is making a person happy giving them the finds they want, then by all means it should be the preferred tool for most people in most situations.