Vibra-Probe Pinpointers are built like tanks! I love this old poinpointer!!!!!

[Johnny Cache Hunter]

Hello All,

I have been using a vibraprobe pinpointer for about a year now and have always found it to perform well. I have gotten to the point were I wouldn't enjoy detecting without having it hanging there on my belt.

Recently, in conversation with a detecting buddy of mine, the subject of what would I do if my vibraprobe was to break came up. Well I quickly expressed how horrible that would be and that I would really be at a loss without it. Now, being the type that is big on redundancy and fail safes, this got me thinking that I should get a backup just in case this scenario should ever arise. Plus having a spare would be good to go with the spare detector I have for when friends want to try out the hobby.

I already have a Sunray probe attached to my Garrett GTI 1500, yet still I typically reach for the Vibraprobe first. The Sunray is nice, don't get me wrong, but for quick and painless pinpointing I find the Vibraprobe to be what I use the most.

Well, to get to the real point of why I'm posting, when my new Vibraprobe arrived I was shocked to see, when comparing the new one to the old one, just how rough I had actually been on my first probe.

I pretty much work the hell out of the old probe every time I go out, sometimes catching myself actually digging with it. I thought it might be interesting to those contemplating buying a pinpointer for the first time, or for those replacing another brand of pinpointer that has bit the dust, to see just how rugged and dependable the Vibraprobe really is.

Again my original probe has seen a tremendous amount of use over the last year and still looks good and performs terrifically. Thank you Vibraprobe for making a product we can rely on! Just my 2 cents.

Happy Hunting,

JCH

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[desertfox]

John, how far from the target can you get before it pinpoints for you? An inch, 2 inches?

Desertfox

 

[erikk]

Re: Vibra-Probe Pinpointers are built like tanks! I love this old poinpointer!!

It is a great pinpointer just don't try to use it with a Fisher F-75

 

[Farmercal]

Wow JCH, I guess I am not using mine the correct way. Mine looks like your new one except for a lot more dirt.

DesertFox, It detects from 1/2 to 1 inch which is why I like this pinpointer. If it vibrates then you are very close to the target.

 

[Monty]

You know I have a Sunray probe on my GTI 2500, but I find myself reaching for my Automax II quite a bit. Problem with the Sunray is that it is sensitive all the way down the shaft and it picks up signals from the sides of a hole and gets confusing if you dig very deep. It is however extremely useful for very shallow items and will penetrate about 2" if the ground conditions are just right. Especially helpful to keep from damaging nice coins with your digger. Monty

 

[artemis moon]

Wow, looks like you wore your old one down to a nub!

I just started using the Vibraprobe after my cheap Wizard bit the dust. I guess I have to get used to it, because compared to my old pinpointer, this one feels big and clumsy and because it's flat on top, it's hard to dig with..I just bought a used TinyTec, which seems slim by comparison. I guess it comes down to what you are used to. I will say this about the Vibraprobe..it's indestructible. I've dropped it in water and stepped on it and it's still buzzing-often when I don't want it to, like in the car on the way home-startles me every time.

 

[spez401]

JCH
I also have a vibraprobe... to protect the tip, use the "epoxy method" a lot of the beach hunters use.

Go to home depot (or the local hardware store). Get some Loctite Marine Epoxy (comes in a 2-tube dispenser). Mix some up and apply a thin coat to the bottom 2 inches or so of the probe. It hardens like steel (and doesn't set the probe off) and really protects the end and tip of the probe.

steve

 

[COUNTRY GIRL]

Yup Johnny I have only had my Vibra probe for a few months and I don't know how I did without it. Saves time, hands, and can find the tiniest nails . I hear you had some fun with Au4me? Glad you two got out!

 

[Johnny Cache Hunter]

Problem with the Sunray is that it is sensitive all the way down the shaft and it picks up signals from the sides of a hole and gets confusing if you dig very deep. Monty

I agree Monty, I think that is part of the reason I tend to use the vibraprobe over the sunray, if the vibraprobe goes off I know I got the target, where as if the sunray sounds off I usually still have to poke around to find the target. The two probes together allow you to find just about anything.

JCH

 

[Johnny Cache Hunter]

JCH
I also have a vibraprobe... to protect the tip, use the "epoxy method" a lot of the beach hunters use.

Go to home depot (or the local hardware store). Get some Loctite Marine Epoxy (comes in a 2-tube dispenser). Mix some up and apply a thin coat to the bottom 2 inches or so of the probe. It hardens like steel (and doesn't set the probe off) and really protects the end and tip of the probe.

steve

Thanks Steve, I'll try that.

I think I'll do the old probe first before I wear it down more than it is already.

 

[laralucine]

Re: Vibra-Probe Pinpointers are built like tanks! I love this old poinpointer!!

Hey Johnny!
I love my Vibraprobe, too, but it's my THIRD in one year of detecting. I managed to break the first, i think by doing what you described - basically digging with it, I think I shorted it out or broke the circuit - if you look at the tip you can see a wire under the surface. Scott's always yelling at me, "it's not a shovel!" Something good did come out of it, I stopped at the store day after xmas to get a temp replacement cuz I had to get the vibraprobe sent and wanted to hunt that day, and that's the day I met Scott and that afternoon I found my first (and only) standing liberty quarter. I got a replacement, went beach hunting a few months ago, and had just been talking about how indispensable they are, got home (1:45 from home) and realized it was gone - I think I may have put it in the holster, but it didn't slide down, and then the weight of the handle makes it flip over and out
So now I'm on the third one, I really should get a back up, but of course with my luck, if I do, this one'll last me forever

 

[Johnny Cache Hunter]

Re: Vibra-Probe Pinpointers are built like tanks! I love this old poinpointer!!

Hey Johnny!
...... I got a replacement, went beach hunting a few months ago, and had just been talking about how indispensable they are, got home (1:45 from home) and realized it was gone - I think I may have put it in the holster, but it didn't slide down, and then the weight of the handle makes it flip over and out....

Oh Lara, that stinks. I almost had the very same thing happen to me, only thankfully, it happened at the start of my detecting trip. I had scoped out a spot I had wanted to hunt that required a bit of walking to get to. I hiked all the way into the spot, started detecting, locked onto my first signal and when I reached for the pinpointer it wasn't there. Long story short, I carefully retraced my path all the way back to the car and luckily the probe was still lying on the ground just behind my tailgate. I think the same thing you described is what happened to me because I remember putting it into the holster just before heading off.

Scott is great, I'm glad to have met him myself. He's a true treasure hunter and a genuinely good hearted person. I can just picture him saying "it's not a shovel", lol.

Happy Hunting Lara,

Johnny

 

[spez401]

i've had that happen as well... that's why I bypassed the "holster' altogether. There is a lanyard loop on the back... I put a small lanyard (about a 6" loop) with a small carribeaner in it. then i just hook it to my belt or belt loop.

steve

 

[Monty]

Good idea the lanyard thing. My Automax is so darn long and top heavy I cut a hole in the bottom of my leather pouch and poke the probe end through the hole and it has never come out. Monty

 

[laralucine]

Re: Vibra-Probe Pinpointers are built like tanks! I love this old poinpointer!!

i've had that happen as well... that's why I bypassed the "holster' altogether. There is a lanyard loop on the back... I put a small lanyard (about a 6" loop) with a small carribeaner in it. then i just hook it to my belt or belt loop.

steve

that IS a good idea, I look like such a dork when I hunt - web belt w/ pig pouch, digger, "popper"-like a screwdriver, my probe holster, AND my swiss army knife in a leather pouch.

 

[Ima Swinger]

Hey monty, I did the same thing with my Automax V4 (cut a hole in my pouch) before I broke it. Yeah, I was scratching the ground with it and zigged when I should have zagged, and broke that sucker right in half. I replaced it with the Vibraprobe. I selected the Vibraprobe for it's durability, but if Automax would make the V4 more durable and maybe a bit smaller, I'd go back to it in a second because it penetrates a bit deeper, therefore saving me a whole lot of hole digging just by raking it over the ground. Anything under 2 1/2' was mine without digging a plug.
If I happen across another deal on one I'll buy it for sure, but I am happy with the VP also.

Ima

 

[hollowpointred]

i have often thought of getting a vibroprobe but the fact that it has an automatic switch really puts me off for some reason. do you guys like the switch on it, or would you rather have a usual on/off switch?

 

[laralucine]

Re: Vibra-Probe Pinpointers are built like tanks! I love this old poinpointer!!

Red- It's so much better with the auto/no switch, IMO - I got a temp one w/ a knob, and was hunting in the mud, it got all mucked up and stuck, and I couldn't turn it with my frozen, muddy fingers, and it screamed when stuck in the on position.

 

[Johnny Cache Hunter]

i have often thought of getting a vibraprobe but the fact that it has an automatic switch really puts me off for some reason. do you guys like the switch on it, or would you rather have a usual on/off switch?

I don't mind the fact that it's switchless, in fact I think that you quickly become adjusted to simply tipping the probe upright to turn it on before seeking your target. It has the auto shut off too so you don't have to worry about forgetting to turn it off. I always have either a scoop, a shovel, my lesche digger, or at the very least my detector, close at hand and give the probe a quick sweep past one of those objects to be certain I'm good to go. The only down side, as I see it, is that when your probe is not in use, meaning when your not detecting, you have to remember to store the probe with the tip pointing down, otherwise it will continue to turn on. On occasion I've had my gear shift around in the back of my truck and have gotten surprised by the sound of the vibraprobe buzzing like crazy off something in the back. But truthfully, in those instances it was my fault for not taking the extra couple of seconds to make sure the probe was positioned such that it wouldn't fall over, and of course you could always simply just detach the battery as a long term solution.


JCH

 

[spez401]

hollowpointred

The auto switch works great... all you do is hold the vibraprobe upright (point to the sky) for a second, and it turns on. It shuts off automatically after around a minute and 1/2 to 2 mins (as long as it doesnt detect any metal).

Batteries seem to last forever. It's reliable and durable. Personally, I like it very much. works great and i've never had a problem with it. I've had a few bullseyes and they work great too, but it always seemed that i was sending them back to whites for replacement on the switch.

steve