The Garrett Pro-Pointer pinpointer, one of the best. Reliable, comfortable and effective. But the pinpointer has a big drawback – China fake, which can’t be externally distinguished from the original.
The Garrett Pro-Pointer pinpointer China fake is marked with red.
You can’t identify it externally. But if you know how the original Garrett must operate, you will determine the fake at once when turning it on.
The China fake has small detection depth and, most importantly, can’t operate in static/non-motion mode; you must move the pinpointer all the time to detect a target. The original Garrett Pro-Pointer always sees the target, even if the pinpointer is motionless.
Having got one from e-bay ” checked out seller first had good stars and feed back ”
then a year later it just packed up
sent it off for repairs to different dealer as no answer from the e-bay guy i had brought it from
although he was still trading
i was then told its a fake and that they get loads sent to them for repairs
went back to e-bay to inform them as this guy was still trading
e-bay did not what to know as it was just passed a year
Just had to return a counterfeit purchased through an eBay seller. Word to the wise: don’t buy the deeply discounted detectors from ANY 3rd party reseller. Hopefully if you do get scammed, I hope you have as pleasant a return experience as I had. Money refunded in less than 6 hours. No questions asked.
Another word to the wise. These counterfeit detectors are evolving from all of the forum feedback. The detector I received had a detector tone more similar to the real product. The beep and vibration were both present and constant within .5 inches of a coin but was worthless beyond that range.
The dead giveaway was still a single audible beep upon powering the device as well as the copyright/serial number on the end cap of the device.
Lastly, I have sent pictures to Garrett (whose contact info I got from the perfectly counterfeit box) who indeed confirmed the serial number was a fake, not issued by their company. They are aware of the issue, though I’m sure there’s not much they can do to stop a supply coming half way around the world.
Best wishes and happy detecting.
fake means easy to copy and my suggestion is pinpointer metalprobe impossible to copy
and we only focus and developing metal probe very difficult to copy especially the “shell”
later we need sale detector face to face and we should have demo room
I have inform all dealers they must have demo window to show underwater metal probe!
But they dont seem to work very well metalprobe
I just bought a fake from Newegg.com. Very pissed off. Called Garrett and they confirmed it a fake.
Last time I deal with them!
Newegg has taken the fake pro pointer out off of there web site.
sorry to read your comments guys,i live in uk,only using onlinestores for real metal detecting shops,not virtual,google earth works great for this.beepbeep not beep! HH
Thanks very interesting blog! latahza
Come on! Don’t you guys think you’re being a little tough on the product? For the price it is a pretty reliable pinpointer. I bought the Garrett knock off without the Garrett name on it and I’m impressed for the price! And by purchasing from China I’m not helping any greedy American get richer! How are we ever going to put our foot down about how we are ripped off every day when we make a purchase so these people can keep getting richer if we keep buying their products? We may not agree with China’s government type but they’re just people too and they work their tails off and I would much rather help someone struggling then make the rich richer. Everyone deserves to enjoy a hobby and prices for items like this should not be so high that you have to be living very comfortably in order to afford them. The people who need the hubby’s the most of the people who work the hardest and get the littlest amount for what they do. They should be able to afford to buy a pinpointer! I’m a single mother and I can’t afford to buy American Products! That is just sick! We need to put our feet down about the amount of profit these rich buggers are allowed to make! 300% profit which is what a lot of these companies make is disgusting! You work hard for your money don’t you? It doesn’t bother you in the least that you’re paying the amount you’re paying for that pinpointer so that person can live in the lap of luxury when it barely cost them a quarter to make of what they charged you? I think it’s a great little pinpointer for the price and a lot of people who are starting out this is an awesome pointer to start out with! It may not have the exact depth but for someone starting out it’s perfect! You guys take your loyalty way too far to the point that you’re hurting yourself I could almost guess you are Republicans.
The ones we are talking about HAS THE GARRETT NAME ON IT NOT THE GP MADE IN CHINA GARBAGE
Yeah…and I have no doubt you are a bleeding heart liberal whose head is up some dark and stinky place! Pull your head and what brains you have out of that hole and remember that American made products cost more to make for several reasons including much higher wages for workers than your beloved China. Plus much better and safer work environments than your Red Chinese sweatshops. Plus employee benefit packages that U.S. workers and their unions demand from their companies who employ them.
Get real. You live in the greatest country in the world and in history! Take your bleeding do holder liberal heart and move to China if you think you’d be better off there. If you’re not going to support America and American products, then we don’t need or want you here. Turn in your Social Security card and take the first boat to China! Traitor!!!
You countered one poorly reasoned post with an arrogant and obnoxious reply. Show some class, dude. You could’ve educated Maria on why American made products are better and cost more without being a jerk about it.
Wow! I think I’m in love with YOU! :-)
Congratulations for your text. Make really Sense. When we buy expensive “original” products we’re slowing some people Welty
It’s not even a guess what you are. Get the hell out of this country and try living in a Socialist one since that’s the alternative for you
US is a largely socialist country. Like driving on public highways? Going to the park? The fire dept comes when your house is on fire? Socialism is not a bad word.
communist
Are you for real ? What an asswipe. You wave the counterfeit in the air and it goes off.
we are talking about the counterfeit ones that have the garrett name on them not the gp
They are likely both made in China, at the same factory, from the same design and tools by the same people. Garrett should make them here in the US, they sure price them like they are made in the US. I’d be willing to pay up to $10 more than the “knockoff” for the Garrett name alone. I think I may have to replace one of my Harbor Freight/White’s Bullseye with on of these.
wWe need to avoid bringing in any Chinese crap into the US and Canada! It’s all junk!
Right on Swede! How can people be so stupid as to believe that American made products are making American manufacturers wealthy? It’s all quite the opposite, China uses cheap, and I DO MEAN CHEAP! laborers, most likely slave labor. Since their labor is so cheap, they are the ones that profit the most. China brings all of that money to the U.S. and is buying up our land with the money we are giving them, which should be outlawed. These manufactures that are buying our land will soon be selling their same cheap products here in our country with the same laborers from China making the same products at a higher price only with one exception…it will be labeled…made in the U.S.A. I challenge Maria to go to China and try to purchase land there…she won’t be able too. Too bad too! Because I would happily buy her a piece of land and an airplane ticket just to get rid of her as she is probably not happy in her own country so she came here to ruin ours! Individuals liker her is destroying our country with these liberal, wild, and uneducated ideas. I am a Veteran and I believe in keeping this country great…even if I have to someday die for my beliefs…Keep America strong, buy back America with American made products like original Garrett products. Our country is worth the price…it’s the trade with China that makes manufacturing here in the U.S.A. difficult and costly. Thank God for companies like Garrett that continue to survive in a world of chaos.
I now know what i bought was a fake. However, for the price I cant complain, it works pretty well.
Is the chirp louder than the cheap orange GP ones they sell on ebay, also does it vibrate better then the cheap GP?
Well at least most people got something for there money! I paid $42.00 and got nothing. Yes 42 bucks was a red flag. But i ordered it any how. I still have my check out reciept . Some how there is a paypal invoice .When i paid with a card. Its a little scary they have my account info to my money. i never even got my fake pinpointer! Lesson learnt !!! IF IT SOUNDS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE!!! IT IS!!!
I have two Chinese made pinpointers, both are excellent quality, both work very effectively and both cost next to nothing when compared to the price of a Garrett product. With both of these tools I have had no problems with them breaking down, and one of them an HS 10 actually performs much much better than the Garrett, having more volume, greater sensitivity and a far longer range, 8.5 centimetres on an English copper one pence coin. This one is also waterproof to at least seven meters – and yes I have used it at that depth. So why pay 150 dollars, when a twenty dollar tool works just as well? So it is made in China, as are so many ‘American’ products these days, have a closer look at the other stuff you buy, and ask yourself why it is apparently not in your opinion as good as The Great American Product.
The great American product is also made in china with some pre distributing handling in the US. They can no longer say made in the USA a couple months ago a new rule was passed that states the entire product including assembly has to be produced and performed in the united states to were that badge. I believe this helped seal the deal for whites as more and more of their machines were produced overseas. Garrett purchased the rights to the try and use the made i USA but they will not be allowed to. All First Texas products are screwed now they can no longer use their grift as made in the USA.
Anyway I was sent two fake garretts when ordering the cheapest same but not branded Garrett, GP pinpoints I could find from china. I complained that they sent me the counterfeits and I was reimbursed.
This is the main difference with them. Tone and speed of the tone with respect to the closeness to the metal object.
The garrett will go to almost a constant hyper beep when you are on the target. Almost a solid tone.
The exact looking China clones will not. They go to the fastest speed when in close proximity but they are missing that next speed and almost constant tone letting you know you are on it. I prefer real garrett over the cloned garrett for that reason.
I have tested many (most) of the China branded pinpointers only now are some coming out that are good and really waterproof to a degree. For instance, I just picked up a case of Super Point PI waterproof pinpointers at a crazy good deal as they had literally just come out. Some Chinese vendors call it the Super Oint because they can’t read or understand the logo they gave it. They are rated for 200 ft. I am doubting that, but 60 ft was no problem for it. It uses three different sounding tones as you approach the target, not necessary but it does let you know by tone approximately how far you are away. They finally did what I wanted and eliminated the speaker grate or holes that let the sound permeate. It comes with two battery caps. One for water use and one vented for sound to escape to be used on land. The last thing they now need to do is eliminate the light, then you basically end up with a vibra probe with an on off button. This one does not look like the Vibra probe or copy anyone.
Is it better than a Garrett? Perhaps, it is cheaper but they now have the price at about $50 and up. I got mine at deep discount on a half off accidental sale from a confused vender, under $13 apiece. It is PI. It does hit deeper than a Garrett and is waterproofed.
I have several other Chinese pinpointers that work almost as well as the Garrett but my Garrett is old and still is kicking. It has survived all that has been thrown at it including using it in shallow water.
I have even found one that hits as deep as my f-pulse (now working) but I would not recommend it to people. I have found 3 now that I would. All can be had for much less than the Garrett and none are copies of anything.
The Super Point or whatever it is called did not play well with other detectors so it failed at being used in the field. Also after reading that again now some time later I realised I failed to mention I was not comparing the cheap chinese ones to the Pro Pointer AT but the original garrett Pro pointer as pictured in this discussion. When comparing AT pointer clones to the real Pro pointer AT are also missing the almost constant tone. A few other slight differences. I was comparing the AT Pro pinpointer to the cheep chinese.
Big problem with the cheap to mid range pointers can be what frequency they are made at. Both my (real) garretts that I have kept and used have been working well overall and both still work fine but I have also had to repair them both. With that said I have ran across a few Pro and AT pinpointer clones and have given them away to people. Can’t sell them. They are still working as far as I know. One friend refuses to even admit that it is a clone even though he knows it is, just calls it a his carrot. The internals on the clones are not exactly the same and are not as good. I think the plastic is slightly cheaper as well. But they do work pretty good overall. I just got one to rob the rubber push button because my (real) AT pushed through. It was a chore but I was able to fix the real garretts button. After I fixed it I read that most people just call Garrett all sad like and they will put it in a new shell for you if you send it in to them. Some say even regardless of warranty. That’s nice of them and something most Chinese sellers wouldn’t do unless still under the return period for amazon or ebay than you might get another one shipped to you.
I have decided that due to frequency only get a pinpointer that has a real retune feature or one you know is made at on off or uncommonly used frequency. I personal prefer single button operation also. I noticed a couple mid priced with two button that can retune. But watch out for cheepo’s that say they retune but it is just turning them off and back on. Finding a cheapo that can work around almost any machine has become the challenge. An acquaintance swears by the new DR Otek with the cheesy screen as best cheapish pinpointer. I have not played with it but he was able to use it around different machines. The only other cheap ones that seems to be usable are the garrett type clones. My goto are still my garrett but I have used my F pulse a lot more and on certain occasions the Whites TRX a lot more than I used to. All are more expensive top of the line but work well since that is how they got to the topo spots. Good luck finding a better cheep that isn’t a copy of the Garrett, I tried.
Garrett is starting to address the fact that they do not qualified to say “Made in the US”. But now we get a 3 year warranty on all metal detectors but not the accessories. I am seeing a shift in companies now saying “Made in America”? So that covers Mexico and South America as well.