Gold Well Vortex Sluice

I hope so Wingmaster. I'm always looking to see what others are doing. I don't discount anything without checking it out. I recall telling Fredie Hurt from the gold show to get a dredge and suck out that glory hole and get the gold washing out his shovel. He said I'm not a recreational miner. Well Mel and Justin did just that. They recovered over 30 oz
 

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Clay I came up with the money. Took me a while as you know how it is with a retired cop. After seeing it in action I just had to have it. Talked to the inventor to get some secrets on running it. He is a ok guy. Gave me a idea on a bucket mod to keep grass out of my water. Made one yesterday and works great. Picture attached.

image-2465556156.jpg

I bring dirt home and run it here so water is not a issue. The only time I haul water to a site if its way too wet for drywashing
 

Viper it's apparent you don't have a Gold Well and have never used one. If you had you would pay any price for one! When I did my solid black sand test I could not believe how good the unit processed the material. If I dumped that amount of black sand into my carpet high banker the carpet would have clogged up instantly and I would have lost the fine gold I recovered with the Gold Well. Send me some of your tailings straight out of your unit and I will find gold you missed. It's apparent you have some type agenda against this unit. Do you fear it for some reason. Are you a fan and supporter for some other unit. I started this thread for a exchange of information on the use of the Gold Well not for you to rant about the mfg's pricing. Any business has its up's and downs getting started and they all make mistakes. I really don't care about those issues and as I said that is not the intent of this thread. I'm getting a little tired of your rants and it is distracting from my hopes for this thread. As I said go start your own thread on that subject matter it's no longer welcome here. If you have some constructive input on the use of the unit by all means post it. As I try different tests I will post results good or bad. I'm sure I have a lot to learn on what I can do with this unit and I hope to pass this on to the prospecting community over time. Good luck on your new thread. I'm sure every intelligent person on this site can't wait to read the same rant over and over.
 

If cleaning gold out of black sand is your goal, a simple Bazooka Goldtrap Supermini for just over $100 is all you need. Simple, light weight and amazing at keeping 100% of the gold in my tests while ejecting almost all the black sand. No need for overpriced, heavy gear. Sorry dude but this is another voice saying you got a fun toy (like a Porsche) but it's not the smart way to get the job done (like a Ford). Enjoy your luxury toy for what it is but don't try to convince serious miners that it is a good value.
 

Kevin. I'm just doing some personal testing and I am a serious miner as any who know me would tell you. I'm open to looking at all methods. I did look at the Bazooka and was not impressed it looks like a cheap unit that would not hold ip to heavy use. Of the many serious prospectors I know not one of them use it. We buy equipment for my club that works. We would not consider a unit that wont hold up to heavy use by hundreds of members. Not the case with the Gold Well. Why do you think I'm testing it now. We are considering buying several after my tests. A lot of the club members want this unit. Why? because they can see with their own eyes how good it is. How do you think I ended up buying one? One of the most experienced Arizona miners turned me onto it. A man who I listen to. Why because he gets the gold and knows what he is doing. If the Bazooka works for you great. Start a Bazooka thread.
 

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In all fairness out here in Arizona we don't have running water on the claims. So a straight sluice will not work. We need heavy duty stuff we adapt to the desert environment. It's all rock and sand out this way. Not many nice flowing streams. I intend using the Gold Well in this environment and my tests at this point is aimed in that direction. Oh I'm just a poor retired Police Sgt on a pension. When I buy something it has to last. It's not easy getting money out of my tight butt. I bought the Gold Well because it works for me and will last my lifetime. I was looking at it next to my mini highbanker today and the highbanker looked cheap next to the Goldwell. I'm happy and in the long run that's all that matters. I just get tired of all the negativity. Some of you have your own agenda with your equipment so you put down something new. Are you threatened for some reason. Do you fear something better. I don't care I'm just reporting my experience with this unit.
 

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sgtfda said:
Viper it's apparent you don't have a Gold Well and have never used one. If you had you would pay any price for one! When I did my solid black sand test I could not believe how good the unit processed the material. If I dumped that amount of black sand into my carpet high banker the carpet would have clogged up instantly and I would have lost the fine gold I recovered with the Gold Well. Send me some of your tailings straight out of your unit and I will find gold you missed. It's apparent you have some type agenda against this unit. Do you fear it for some reason. Are you a fan and supporter for some other unit. I started this thread for a exchange of information on the use of the Gold Well not for you to rant about the mfg's pricing. Any business has its up's and downs getting started and they all make mistakes. I really don't care about those issues and as I said that is not the intent of this thread. I'm getting a little tired of your rants and it is distracting from my hopes for this thread. As I said go start your own thread on that subject matter it's no longer welcome here. If you have some constructive input on the use of the unit by all means post it. As I try different tests I will post results good or bad. I'm sure I have a lot to learn on what I can do with this unit and I hope to pass this on to the prospecting community over time. Good luck on your new thread. I'm sure every intelligent person on this site can't wait to read the same rant over and over.
Click to expand...

Sgt., if you do a search for "Gold, Well", you'll see there have been numerous
threads about the sluice. The manufacturer took such a nasty tone with
people that it he "burned a few bridges" with potential customers. I can
respect your zeal about how it has performed for you, but perhaps a read
of some of those past threads might explain why the company name has left
a bad taste in a few mouths.

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/g...ld-well-drop-riffle-vortex-sluice-action.html

No question the sluice is very good with fines, etc., but it is also out of the
price range of most prospectors. I use a 30+ year old Keene A52 that I've modified
to allow me to use whatever combination of riffles/expanded metal, v-mat, etc.
that I choose. It's very efficient at capturing very fine gold, and after all these
years I'm still satisfied with the performance.

I'm retired, and any day that I am up to it I'll be out chasing down flood
gold on one of the local creeks. No chance of ever catching enough of this
little stuff to make the expense worthwhile, and living on SSDI doesn't leave
an extra dime for new gear.

Here's the current prices:

Goldwell Vortex Drop Riffle Sluice Box - Gold Rush Trading Post

Guess what I'm saying is folks know that it is a highly efficient sluice, and
LP13 has certainly educated us all on how the sluice functions. Debating/arguing
about the issue further is simply buying hay for a dead horse.

Glad you're pleased with it though, and would love to see a good video of it
running as a clean up sluice.
 

Thank you for your input Diz! I wanted to have a thread on my experience with the unit. It was out of my reach price wise but I wanted it do bad I sold stuff to get one. I'm not going to last forever and try to enjoy life. If it makes me happy ill do it. Hell you need something to do when your retired. If we ever meet out there I let you give it a go. I understand not everyone can afford it. But I look at my detecting buddies who buy a new Minelab every time one comes out. Why. Because they pay for it with the gold they get. Your not talking a couple hundred but thousands for those units. They moan about the price but do it.
 

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My buddy has a gold cube and next time out ill run his tailings and see what he is losing. I don't know. Plastic does not do well out in the desert. Next time I see the inventor ill ask him if he considered a lighter color for desert conditions. I believe that's why Keene changed the puffer from black to gray the black ones were warping from the heat. My buddy hides his cube in the shade when using it in the field
 

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Diz I bought my unit from a dealer. I did look at the Mfg site at
Http://www.hmresearch.net/#!online-store/c1efi
And the price was a bit less. So I guess I paid a little more. I don't mind the dealer helps our club with small donations now and then and is trying to get his Gold Shop off the ground. I guess everyone is struggling these days including old retired guys like us.
 

For my next test I have a big pile of tailings from my other units in the back yard. I going to run all that dirt to see what I missed. This will be interesting. The tailing are from a mini sluice, big gold wheel, blue bowl, green bowl and regular sluice. This will be interesting. I will post the results. I'm also going to be running tailings from Freddie Hurts Porcupine Creek mine from the Gold Show. Can't wait for that so I can bust his butt about it. Glory Hole gold!
 

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Please Note, It has come to my attention bacpacker57 &
another member in this thread are "one in the same"

bacpacker57 has been removed from this thread & Banned for 2 Years.
IF I ban bacpacker57 for Life,
the member here who created the ID would be banned for life also,
so let this be the only Warning , Alternate ID's thinking only one can be banned, Are Wrong
it can get Worse :laughing7:

it can be a total Cleaning out of all IP's used by this member
& all accounts to date

All of them :unhappysmiley:
 

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jeff of pa said:
Please Note, It has come to my attention bacpacker57 &
another member in this thread are "one in the same"

bacpacker57 has been removed from this thread & Banned for 2 Years.
IF I ban bacpacker57 for Life,
the member here who created the ID would be banned for life also,
so let this be the only Warning , Alternate ID's thinking only one can be banned, Are Wrong
it can get Worse :laughing7:

it can be a total Cleaning out of all IP's used by this member
& all accounts to date

All of them :unhappysmiley:
Click to expand...

Contrary to what some may think we are not stupid and I am not computer illiterate. If someone thinks they can signup and use an alias to attack a member or thread and they want get caught they are wrong, I have given long bans to some who tried and were caught.

It is like telling a lie sooner or later they slip up and forget to do something or who said what and you get busted. The longer it goes on before your caught the longer the ban is.

The sole purpose of using an alias is to break our rules and we will not tolerate it. An alias by itself violates our rules.

Sent from my new Galaxy Note3
now Free
 

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Jeff I suspected as much. Thank you both! As you know over the years I've only tried to help my fellow T hunters and now prospectors. When I post it's from the heart and you know it's me. I have no agenda other to enjoy this hobby
Thanks again!
If any of you out there wanted to post on the subject but did not want to deal with the harassment from the Trolls. Feel free to do so now. If you have used the Gold Well and have some tips for me. Please pass them on
 

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I for one like reading reviews of equipment like this. Could I ever afford one at this price? I doubt it. However I believe the inventor has the right to sell it at whatever price he wants. Is it any better than the other brands? Enough so to justify the higher price? I would have to see comparisons side by side with other brands in different water flow situations and whether classifying is necessary. And is it best at capturing all sizes of gold? Reviews by people who have used multiple brands are the best source of information. I know a lot of you have a favorite for faster deeper water and a different one for slower shallower water. Bottom line is how well does it catch gold and in what conditions? Then people have to decide for themselves if it is worth the price. I don't think going negative on posts helps anybody.
 

Keith keep in mind out here in Arizona desert not much water. You adapt the equipment for desert use. I look forward to hearing from those who use the unit in wet conditions. I use this unit the same way I use my small highbanker. With all my equipment I classify to 1/4 inch unless the material is wet then 1/2 inch. This applies to drywashers also. I'm sure you have seen the Alaska guys doing their thing. I hear that Gold Well vortex plates much larger will be seen on equipment up that way. Ill be paying attention to that. With this vortex thing taking off I would not want to be a miners moss dealer. Sort of like a pager Mfg when the cell phone came out. Did the cost stop anyone from buying the expensive cell. Hell no I'm selling my carpet units while I can still get something for them. You can understand why some are upset. I guess it depends how deep your into the hobby or making a living mining. If you mining for a living a few hundred is nothing. You want what works best. For me I want the advantage Plus I'm a bit lazy and my carpet unit is a pain. With the GW I do a clean out in 15 seconds. I hate carpet and it sucks up all my fine gold into the rug. I know burn it. Yea that stuff is expensive. Ill save over the years just on carpet. As you see more than one way to look at things. In the long run it cost less and is faster. My time is worth something. I look at all angles before I spend my money. What will it cost to use over time. In this case i found something that meets my needs, works and will outlast my lifetime. In the long run I think I made the right choice.
Let me see in the last 4 years I paid. Sluice $220, mini highbanker $380, gold wheel $600, blue bowl $90, black magic $150, green bowl $120 plus pumps hoses carpet. So for me personally what would I have saved if the Gold Well was out back then. I can use it for all the things this other stuff does. If you new to the hobby what is the cheapest way to go? Learn from my mistakes. I won't be posting more on the cost thing. Hell I spent my money. Ill be posting on how it's working for me and some tricks I pick up along the way.
 

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You did post about a lady prospecting right beside you but that doesn't seem a fair comparison, you did say yours done a lot better but then you say she was adjusting and messing with it the whole time, this tells me its not the equipment that's doing better as it would seem she didn't know what she was doing as someone that knows how to run their equipment doesn't have to adjust and mess with it the whole time. I too would like to see a fair comparison with someone that knows what their doing as I don't mind paying good money for something better just not going to spend more for something just to say I have one and pay more than something that works just as good. I just don't see many being used anywhere on any forums and there's a lot of people that have the money and don't mind spending it on something that's better, I do know that some people will say something is better just because their not willing to admit they paid more than they should for something that isn't any better or just to say its better cause not many can afford to have one and they do.
 

Hey wing my best comparison would be me. I now process material in 15 min that would take me a hour before. Getting more finer gold than before Your right about the girl and it did not help when she kept kissing and hugging her new new boyfriend. Or my yelling. BUTT CRACK! And she would stop to pull her pants up. Guess I cheated a little. Over time info on the GW will come out both good and bad. Looking forward to your input. Keep a eye on this technology. In time I bet you will be using some variation of it. If your ever out Arizona way look me up ill let you give it a go. What's funny no one is tighter than Az prospectors. I see the units out there now here. 3 club members have one now and the others have that green look in their eyes as they watch them being used. I'm not selling these units just trying to open a dialog on the best use of this new technology and over time we will see more comments and tips on its use. I'm learning too. In the past I held onto my pager for years but in the end gave in. I'm now typing on my Iphone. Guess I learned to embrace new technology. There is hope for this old **** after all. Who knows down the road my GW will be worth a ton because it was a early model. Just like the green bowl i have Keene put out years ago. Blue bowls daddy.
 

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On my unit I have a Johnson 2200 bilge pump I run at about 1500 gph. Found at this point for the material I'm running this flow works best. I suspect in a slow moving stream you would have trouble with the water flow unless you use a boost pump. In a sense this is not a regular sluice. I could be wrong about slow moving water. The only time I've seen washes with running water out here was a flood after a storm and I'm not putting my unit in that. I use my unit as a highbanker in a water tub. Now my dutchhunter friend found a water hole with gold in it near the Superstitions close to a dirt track i can get to In this case ill just set the pump in the hole and run it that way. Ill just put the pump in a bucket to keep the mud out
 

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