Pleasantly surprised with the PiratePRO's performance today

[Andy Sabisch]

Finally getting some time away from work and as they say, the worst day detecting is better then the best day in the office . . . . so I made plans to do some land hunting with a friend of mine yesterday and a bit of water hunting today to get the chance to try out a new PiratePro from DetectorPro.

I've always liked Gary's concept of the electronics and batteries in the headphones and being able to collapse them down to just about nothing so I wanted to see what the newest model would do n shallow water nearby. The PiratePRO is not rated for full submersion but it will hold up to hunting in the rain and an occasional dunking so wading up to neck deep (not sure if I would go that far out in the surf at the ocean but in fresh water I felt pretty confident I would not find myself treading water unexpectedly).

The beach I hit is not super popular but it is close and easy to get to. I've hunted it before with a number of water units and while it is a fresh water beach, the bottom is red clay rather than sand so mineralization is a bit of a challenge. I was only able to spend an hour before I had other places to be but did manage to pick up $3.82 in change, a set of keys, a Matchbox car and a 10KT gold "dog tag" with the name "Princess" on it . . . . with the Sensitivity at "7" and the Discrimination at "3", the detector ran pretty quiet and what iron that was not totally rejected was easily distinguishable based on the scratchy sound as compared to the solid hit from the coins, keys, car and charm.

You rarely see people posting about their use or success with a Headhunter detector but I was pleasantly surprised at how well it performed and at a price that is quite affordable . . . . anyone else have any experiences with these models that they want to share - especially at sites such as salt water beaches?

Andy Sabisch

 

[Gulf Hunter]

n/t

 

[Mr.Bill]

The Pirate Pro at $395. it's a heck of a unit. Where can one find a new water unit for this price, that actually works ?

It's a little noisy at near, full sensitivity. I run it there in the salt, and put up with the noise because it finds the gold. I have found #3 on the Disc. is the place for me also.

It's not a bad unit at all.

 

[Andy Sabisch]

As Bill said, it is a detector at a price point where it is affordable yet works . . . . obviously the Excal or CZ-20/21 will outperform it but for those that want to get into shallow water but may not have the $1,000+ for one of the other units (or even a few $100 less for a Whites, Garrett or Tesoro), the PiratePRO offers an alternative . . . . . and as this post shows, killer finds can and are being made with these units.

http://www.findmall.com/read.php?11,985661

I still have several high-end water units but this one is also a keeper . . . and just another option for those looking at water hunting. My wife's cousin is taking it to Florida next week so I'll get some feedback on how it does in and around salt water.

Andy

 

[sand turner]

I've got a headhunter pulse. Not an experienced user with it but it's very deep and very stable. I can't compare it to other mass produced pulse machines as I've not used any. It's certainly deeper than my Sovereign/WOT combo although the trade off is obviously more time spent digging rubbish.

Perhaps with experience and use of reverse discrimination some of the rubbish could be avoided. Top machine, in my limited pulse experiences

 

[foreverRich]

Just started using my Detector Pro Diver at Virginia Beach. So far I have found it very stable around the salt water. Have not had a chance to hunt the water at low tide, but have had some success hunting the wet and dry sand. As stated, they are a great alternative to those who cannot afford a more expensive water detector. I think it is a keeper.

 

[Mr.Bill]

Hi Sand Turner

Of course the Pirate is not a PI. The PI being a different animal.

The Headhunter PI was designed by Eric Foster for Detector Pro, with the primary target range emphasized toward gold jewelry. You won't find any salt water discriminating detector that has the depth & sensitivity toward gold jewelry it has.

Being able to ID will take a good deal of experience using it. It will be rudimentary at best.

 

[PaPa-Joe-Fla.]

n/t

 

[Bobbie]

We have the first generation of the Pirate and it is an excellent machine for the beach as a backup or even if you are tired and still want to hunt but don't want to carry a heavier machine. It is also excellent as a land machine in parks and tot lots........you can get real close to metal playground equipment. We have gone through a lot of machines but that Pirate stays in our arsenal.

 

[Pascal]

I use a Detector Pro Pulse unit with the 8" coil as my travel detector, mostly for the mineralisation in Hawaii, what a great little machine,breaks down to almost nothing and goes very deep, over the past few years it has found me my share of gold and platinum from the Waikiki beaches. .After an hour or two I do find the headphones/control box to get heavy and start to slide around when I sweat but so do my Excal headphones to a lesser degree. Detector Pro produces quality units, so I am not surprised that the Pirate gets good reviews, I look forward to hearing how it fares in the salt

 

[sand turner]

Hi Mr Bill Yes certainly a different beast but I wouldn't hesitate in buying a VLF Detector Pro based on what people say about them. Good prices and good honest performance for the use they were designed for

 

[RICKinFLA]

PIRATE PRO SEEMS LIKE A INTERESTING THOUGHT!