Gold Well Vortex Sluice

[sgtfda]

Last spring a dealer gave a Gold Well Vortex Sluice demo at out Gpap outing at the Congress Group Claim. I was very impressed. Bought one yesterday. The club was having a event at Cordes Station and we put it through its paces. Used some dirt from Lynx Creek. Some nice gold in the dirt from pickers to flour. The unit caught every speck. Tested all the tailings with nothing lost. Today I ran some solid black sand from a claim wash. The black sand in the wash was 5 inches thick. Did not expect to find anything but filled a bucket for this test. The unit handled the black sand with flying colors. Even retrieved some flour gold. The unit is not cheap but I'm glad I bought it. Won't be using the carpet sluice again! The are videos on you tube showing the unit in action including our Gpap outing test. Take a hard look at this one.

 

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[KevinInColorado]

Great to hear it really works, just a shame they are so expensive. $300 right?

What sort of classifying is involved in using it?

 

[sgtfda]

It was more than that but it is worth every penny. I'm a tight ass too. I just had to have one after watching our first test. Had to wait till I came up with the money. I ran 1/4 inch screened material but you can run larger. Next il doing 1/2". Just like a drywasher. They do best on 1/4" but you can go larger. I won't touch my carpet sluice now. I've tried them all and never seen anything like this. I do use a Johnson 2200 pump into 1" lines. I had the waterfall box put on my unit. Gives you perfect water flow. I'm the second one in our club to get one. I don't like missing gold. It's hard enough as is. I don't regret spending the money. Spent enough on all the other stuff. I got the 6"x 36" unit. Don't let the size fool you. It handles the material as fast as you toss it in.

 

[russau]

well with the price of gold now-a-days you should pay for this device quickly! right??

 

[KevinInColorado]

Wow.
Sounds like They have a long way to go before they are competitive with some of the best gear out there then. Of course everyone gets to pick their own tools and toys ;-)

 

[sgtfda]

This is all good! I have Ismael Jones personal modded Minelab 2000. One of a kind. Found gold the 5000 missed. Now I have the Gold Well. Too expensive for everyone to buy. Gets all the gold. I like having equipment that works that others don't. It's a advantage. When I did the test a member set up a carpet mini highbanker next to me. We each had same amount dirt. I was done in 15 min. She messed with her unit all morning. On our club digs guess who will get the most gold the fastest. Plus I can run everyone's tailings and dirt from the panning tubs and get everything missed.
I had a huge man garage sale. Bought a Sig 380. Twice the cost of other 380's but the best. Bought a life membership in the roadrunners club
Bought the sluice. Made enough from my sale to get the three things I wanted. I'm happy. I'm a retired Police Sgt. Learned over the years tomorrow never comes, enjoy life while you can. I almost got nailed a week ago. We had a club outing at the Congress Group claim. I had a gun I wanted to test and my friend had a jeep he wanted to test. Down the wash we go over all these huge rock. My friend is nuts. Well we get away from the club event far enough. He gives me a small plastic container to shoot at. I set it up in a wash. Bang! Hit it on the first shot and down the wash it goes out of sight. So I walk down to get it. It landed near a bush next to a hill. I bend over to pick it up and hear Bzzzzzzzz. I look up right into a killer bee nest with a zillion angry bees. RUN! Thank god I can run faster than Glenn. Next day I ordered the sluice. I'm not saving my money for someone else to enjoy.

 

[KevinInColorado]

This is all good! I have Ismael Jones personal modded Minelab 2000. One of a kind. Found gold the 5000 missed. Now I have the Gold Well. Too expensive for everyone to buy. Gets all the gold. I like having equipment that works that others don't. It's a advantage. When I did the test a member set up a carpet mini highbanker next to me. We each had same amount dirt. I was done in 15 min. She messed with her unit all morning. On our club digs guess who will get the most gold the fastest. Plus I can run everyone's tailings and dirt from the panning tubs and get everything missed. I had a huge man garage sale. Bought a Sig 380. Twice the cost of other 380's but the best. Bought a life membership in the roadrunners club Bought the sluice. Made enough from my sale to get the three things I wanted. I'm happy. I'm a retired Police Sgt. Learned over the years tomorrow never comes, enjoy life while you can. I almost got nailed a week ago. We had a club outing at the Congress Group claim. I had a gun I wanted to test and my friend had a jeep he wanted to test. Down the wash we go over all these huge rock. My friend is nuts. Well we get away from the club event far enough. He gives me a small plastic container to shoot at. I set it up in a wash. Bang! Hit it on the first shot and down the wash it goes out of sight. So I walk down to get it. It landed near a bush next to a hill. I bend over to pick it up and hear Bzzzzzzzz. I look up right into a killer bee nest with a zillion angry bees. RUN! Thank god I can run faster than Glenn. Next day I ordered the sluice. I'm not saving my money for someone else to enjoy.

I love that last line! Be careful out there...you are a wise man: tomorrow is uncertain, more so than most realize! Also I can definitely appreciate the fun of having something relatively unique, especially when it also works really well! That has been part of the fun of having the Bazooka Goldtrap Prospector over the last year or two - it gets a lot of attention and has really great capture results too . So good and easy in fact that I just got the SuperMini model. It just came today so I'm really excited to get it out to the stream!!

 

[Leonard F.]

Sorry to deviate from the subject of this thread...

Kevin, why did you decide to get the Bazooka Super Mini, when you already have the Prospector? I am curious because I am trying to decide which Bazooka to get.

 

[KevinInColorado]

I wanted something for the little creeks I sometimes hit that are too small for the prospector. Up to now I've used my old Angus Mackirk (which I do love) for those low and slow creeks but with the supermini I will have something that fits in a large daypack and doesn't require classification.

Also means I can go out exploring and sampling with minimal gear to carry (no buckets or classifiers). Nice since when doing true prospecting...ie searching for gold rich ground where no one has been (at least not in a long time) it is nice to run samples bigger than a pan or two, the supermini will work well for that. I'll use my shovel as a walking stick, put everything else in the daypack and be hitting the trail/creek. Since some places the best way to explore a creek is by walking in the creek itself, having a hand free means a lot too...gotta fight off the brush,etc overhanging the creek ;-)

All that said, the Prospector is definitely the main size most people will want as it is easy for one person to use while still sucking down the paydirt as fast as you can shovel it!

 

[keitha43]

So good and easy in fact that I just got the SuperMini model. It just came today so I'm really excited to get it out to the stream!!

I would be interested in hearing your review of that model after using it a few times. I thought I saw some posts that it might be able to be used in slower water than the bigger models.

 

[KevinInColorado]

I would be interested in hearing your review of that model after using it a few times. I thought I saw some posts that it might be able to be used in slower water than the bigger models.

Took it (the Bazooka Goldtrap Supermini) out today for a first run. Put a test pan below it which caught lots and lots of black sand....and not one spec of gold. Wow! All the gold was in the sluice.it hardly needs any water to work just fine. Of course in low water you have to push the bigger rocks over the grizzly but much quicker to shovel into it and push rocks along than classifying or panning would be. Produces a silly/small amount of concentrates so finish panning is just a moment's work after you empty the sluice directly into your pan.

 

[sgtfda]

The original w w w gold well llc dot com website is no longer operational. The new website is H M Research dot net. I find it rather odd, this guy months and months ago came to these forums with this idea and now the dot com site is down. Prices are still through the roof and he made mention it cost very little to have the vortex's machined yet they still want to drag everyone over the coals to own one of their sluices.

I also balked at the price tight ass that I am. That was until I used it. I value the opinion of my prospecting club members (Gpap) and they not only taught me how to prospect but turned me onto this unit. Best move I ever made. Im the club treasurer and thank god i got involved with the club. Ive learned so much from those guys I don't care what issues the Mfg may have. I have one and won't give it up. Not very often do you find something perfect. In life there are Chevy men and those that drive a expensive sports car. I guess I'm not a Chevy guy. I enjoy the best. I personally hope I'm the only one with one.
Thought I was being nice by sharing my experience with the unit. Seems you have some kind of issue. I'm not interested and I'm moving on.

 

[Clay Diggins]

Thanks for the review Sarge. Real reviews by real prospectors are rare these days. I've seen these at Gary's shop and I was impressed at the quality of manufacture. Glad to hear they catch gold too.

Most of the sluices I see wouldn't hold up to a full season of real mining. I'm glad to see someone is making quality equipment for serious miners. I'd guess this sluice would survive several full seasons of hard work. Looked at that way they are probably less expensive over their lifetime.

Say hey to Glenn for me, haven't seen you two for a few years, maybe we will meet up this season? Tell Glenn sorry about the bees but now that we all know just how slow he is (he's really slower than you? even with the cigar?) he will probably start getting invites to prospect from other people besides you. I've got a few troublesome wild donkeys down in the Castle Creek area he could help out with.

Heavy Pans

 

[sgtfda]

Clay your one of the guys who's opinion I respect! That's how I ended up with this unit. As you know there are those who it pays to listen to. Guys that know their stuff. It did not take me long to figure out who those guys were. That's how I ended up with your map program. I've learned to embrace new technology. Glenn who is into off road racing and jeeps that go anywhere took me for a spin in his new toy. My advice don't get in a off road vehicle with him driving. Period! My butt usually puckers when I approach danger. That's how I got in trouble with the killer bees. It was already puckered from the jeep ride. You right about the Gold Well and I'm sure ill get many years out of it. I'm friends with some of the Alaska show guys and I hear they got wind of it up that way. Hope all is well with you. For you new guys when someone like Clay speaks up pay attention. He knows his stuff and is the real deal.

 

[wingmaster]

You would think it should at least come with the stream flare as I don't think you would be able to run very good without it, so that would put the 6x36 at $550. I also wonder how well it would work in a stream as its harder to get the flow needed, lots of other sluices will still work fine without perfect flow you just have to run the material a little slower.

 

[sgtfda]

Viper your correct about using a Johnson 2200 pump. Their not cheap either. That's what I bought and that's what I use. Only those that buy quality items have the right to ***** about the price. My watch was $2000. I ***** all the time. But it's a Omega Speedmaster. The watch that went to the moon. The only one that could take the g force of the rocket. my Caddie did not come with accessories. I had to pay for them. You see a pattern here? The idea of this thread is a discussion on something new and how it works. We all know how the cheap stuff works and your sounding like a broken record. I really don't care what the Mfg did with pricing. I care about how it works. I did find a problem. It runs the dirt so fast I'm now out of dirt and I need more. This will be a problem. I'm going to the Dutch Hunters Rendezvous in the Superstitions this weekend at Dons camp. A lot of those nutballs are friends and interesting people in person.
Note. If there is anyone out there who has a Gold Well I would like this thread to be a place where we can compare notes. If your interested in how it works your welcome here. If you want to ***** about the price start your own thread.
Oh! Forgot I paid $800 for my cat and she stole my pink gold pan!

 

[sgtfda]

What happens if you run dirt with a lot of black sand in a unit that has carpet? It clogs up fast. I intentionally ran 99% black sand as a test through the Gold Well. I fed it faster than normal trying to clog it up as part of this test. I could see the vortex holes working the sand. After the bucket was empty I let the unit run for 5 min to see what happened to the black sand in the holes. The results was 1 scoop of cons with to my surprise some flour gold as you can see in the attached photo. I needed to prove to myself the unit does not clog up even with solid black sand. I know what my carpet unit would do. Clog up and lose fine gold. I do have a pro Mack mini highbanker for sale cheap.

 

[sgtfda]

There is one little problem with my idea of a thread for Gold Well owners. Their not talking. Only to their prospecting buddies They want it to be their secret. Well we will see.

 

[wingmaster]

I really don't think that is the problem as most here and elsewhere are nice people willing to help when they can. They might not share their location but are more than willing to share knowledge and their experience with equipment.

There is one little problem with my idea of a thread for Gold Well owners. Their not talking. Only to their prospecting buddies They want it to be their secret. Well we will see.

 

[Clay Diggins]

I don't know the guy that makes the gold well and I didn't get involved in the mess he made on various forums when he introduced it. I'm guessing he just doesn't understand marketing and pricing. If he's hopping around on the price the trick would be to catch one at the lowest price.

A lot of folks who invent stuff just don't have the greatest social skills - I must be the exception.

The goldwell guy really blew his product introduction. Inconsistent pricing and a combative attitude just doesn't sell products, no matter how good those products are.

Sarge may be out there alone using the goldwell but he certainly seems to be a happy camper. The prospecting market is pretty small with a lot of different sluice offerings so it can be pretty tough on a new product. If it's as good as Sarge says, and I'll bet it is, there are probably others using it now.

When it comes to tools I need for the job I could really care less how nice the person is who invented or made the tool. It's all about the functionality and quality of build for me. It's just a bonus to deal with someone who is pleasant.

I don't have a dog in this fight because I don't have enough water to run one of these things. Sarge is still a young guy with a Glenn to carry his water and buckets so he can run a wet setup.

My winter camp is near Wickenburg, maybe I'll stop by and meet the guy. If he growls I'll just growl back.