Pinpointers

[palzynski]

2 hours ago, pavelka72 said:

I read your messages and it was interesting to note that no one wrote about the response speed, but this is what determines the speed of reaching the target, along with sensitivity.

regarding Chinese fakes, the answer is simple - treasure hunting is limited in China and there is no "school", no practice. "Experts" who produce these useless sticks for your money do not even understand what they are copying)

Quest pinpointer - these are also Chinese guys and they do the same, for example, the magic holster was stolen.

This was true 30 or 40 years ago , Chinese were just copying other countries products. But times are changing and they are now design and manufacture their own products . Dont underestimate them.

For example the Quest Xpointer Xmax was the 1st pinpointer featuring a digital display  . The idea was copied a little later by other MD brands btw ..

 

 

 

[pavelka72]

23 minutes ago, palzynski said:

This was true 30 or 40 years ago , Chinese were just copying other countries products. But times are changing and they are now design and manufacture their own products . Dont underestimate them.

For example the Quest Xpointer Xmax was the 1st pinpointer featuring a digital display  . The idea was copied a little later by other MD brands btw ..

 

 

 

you could argue with me if you had the knowledge.

the Chinese don't understand what they are copying. the coils are wound incorrectly, there are no stabilization circuits (that is why false alarms appear and sensitivity drops when the supply voltage decreases). I am not talking about defects. Do you think that these devices cost 15-20 dollars just like that (given that there were at least 2 intermediaries between you and the manufacturer? No, they are assembled from garbage and are practically impersonal in the manufacturer's name.

Regarding quest max - the input part and the coil design are stolen from TRX, they only installed a next-generation processor, which differs by one letter. I wrote about the holster above. So your ideas about what the Chinese stole 30-40 years ago are wrong, nothing has changed. Except for the technologies that allow them to make beautiful and cheap devices. When there is no school, experience...

Regarding the display in the pinpointer. A dubious advantage for a device that works in the dirt. If you dig, I don't need to explain this to you.

[phrunt]

I had a snoop around and the magnetic holster is patented to Sphinx that is used on the 03 pin pointer, the patent wasn't in English so I translated it to read it.

Sphinx 03 magnetic holster patent

I put the translated patent on my Google drive, so it does appear Quest did copy this feature for their pinpointer and let's face it, they have a dubious past with First Texas taking them to court and winning in the past for patent infringement when they stole the T2 so it's little surprise their current pin pointer is based upon the TRX.  You'll note Quest don't have a magnetic function patent on their pinpointer.  Whites was an easy target to make their pin pointer seeing they no longer exist, Garrett would have to try do something about it, but seeing they're not even using the design maybe it's not worth it.

It's the reason I haven't bought a Quest V80 when it has a lot of attributes I like it in a detector and its very cheap here compared to competitors but they have a bad history of copying other products and I guess that may not have changed.   They're also not going to sell their new flagship V80 in the US as there is some possible patent issues there too.

As for Chinese manufacturers we can't tar them all with one brush, although they are the major source of counterfeit detectors, if I want a fake detector I can look to China to buy it, right from entry level to the most expensive detector on the market they have a copy.  They also have some brands that are completely independent of this making their own detectors and have a reasonable range of entry level to low-mid level detectors available at cheap prices.

[phrunt]

7 hours ago, palzynski said:

For example the Quest Xpointer Xmax was the 1st pinpointer featuring a digital display  . The idea was copied a little later by other MD brands btw ..

Quest didn't come up with that either, I had a pinpointer with a screen years ago I bought from a Chinese generic metal detector manufacturer to test it out, it was only very cheap.  The screens a novelty for sure but pretty pointless as it gets covered in dirt.  This is now one of the many generics with screens, but this started years ago well before Quest and now Nokta did it.

The screen to me is a silly idea and more a value add feature to make a pin pointer appear better, I prefer the App for configuration by far.

[palzynski]

8 hours ago, pavelka72 said:

you could argue with me if you had the knowledge.

I have an engineer degree and 25+ years detecting , so I suppose I have a minimum of knowledge lol ...  

What is your detecting experience btw ?

 

 

[Bob S.]

On 9/6/2024 at 12:25 PM, MD4V.org said:

The original, the Garrett Carrot.

 

Yes Sir, me too! I've been using the Garrett pinpointer since they were dressed in black. Still own it and it still works perfectly. I switched to the "Carrott" AT Z-Lynk because I liked the idea of it being wireless with their MS-3 headphones and waterproof... And the fact I could operate in three sensitivities with audio or vibrate. I also love the big rubber on/off thumb button. Waterproof makes muddy cleanups easy. For me, Garrett's Z-Lynk is the best wireless system I've used. Pairing is fast, easy, and reliable. No perceivable latency. Not remembering in detail, but I did have occasion to return it under warranty for some small reason. The factory returned the innards in a new housing, no charge! Maybe when you nearly wear out the tip, they reward your loyalty! That's customer service.

One thing that has always bugged me on the Carrott though, and other pinpointers as well, is the battery compartment cap. The tight waterproof thread fit makes the tapered not-well-knurled cap hard to remove, especially if you have older fingers. But if you really like and enjoy using something, you find ways to circumvent issues. TIP: I keep a 1/4" wide rubber band with me in the pouch pocket where I store my spare rechargeable 9V battery. I just wrap it around the diameter of the black cap and it unscrews easily. It makes for easy changes in the field. Fact is my rechargeables last a long time in the Carrott.

Hats off to the person first calling Garrett's pinpointer a "Carrott"... The double "R's", "T's" and color works nicely!

[phrunt]

7 hours ago, palzynski said:

  What is your detecting experience btw ?

He makes the Sphinx 03 and all their other range of pinpointers and security scanning stuff.  They make a massive range.

I do believe his names on the paperwork for the Magnetic functions patent amongst others.

I like this one, real spy type stuff.

The SPHINX VM-611RD-2.0 OKO inspection detector of radioactive and metal objects is designed for simultaneous detection of radioactive and nuclear materials by their gamma radiation, as well as objects made of non-ferrous and ferrous metals, during personal search, baggage and correspondence control at checkpoints and checkpoints of any civil and military facilities with wireless transmission to the OKO STREAM base unit.

I hope Pin pointer manufacturers put more effort into their pin pointers in the future, some like the Carrott are great trusty reliable things, but quite basic.   The Minelab's don't deserve the Minelab name.  As detectors reach full potential they may focus more on their pin pointers and start to make some technological leaps.
 

[pavelka72]

9 hours ago, palzynski said:

У меня есть диплом инженера и более 25 лет опыта в поиске, так что, полагаю, у меня есть минимум знаний, лол...  

Кстати, какой у вас опыт в поиске?

 

 

then it makes sense to use this knowledge in relation to the topic of discussion.
I think that you will agree that the abrasive that accompanies you during any search (soil, water) will very quickly make the transparent plastic of the display unusable.
And also, as an engineer with a diploma, you will agree with the opinion that the window under the display in a device that experiences heavy loads is a weak point.

[palzynski]

On 9/13/2024 at 8:56 AM, pavelka72 said:

then it makes sense to use this knowledge in relation to the topic of discussion.
I think that you will agree that the abrasive that accompanies you during any search (soil, water) will very quickly make the transparent plastic of the display unusable.
And also, as an engineer with a diploma, you will agree with the opinion that the window under the display in a device that experiences heavy loads is a weak point.

Here is my Xpointer Max display after 2 years use . As you can see it is perfectly readable . I agree that Quest could improve the display with something brighter in the sun though .

I mainly use the display to check the battery level before going detecting as I hate running short of battery in the field 

The only thing I dont like on this pointer is the ON/OFF button which is hard to push but hopefully it gets softer with the time  . Apart from that I am very happy with it , the best I have used so far ..