Best accessories
Best Pinpointer for Metal Detecting: The Purchase That Pays Back Fastest
Quick answer
The Garrett Pro-Pointer AT at $109.99 is the best pinpointer for nearly everyone: submersible to 20 feet, three sensitivity levels, a fast retune button and one-button operation. On a strict budget the Minelab PRO-FIND 15 at $69.00 is the cheapest way to stop digging blind.
A pinpointer is a short-range probe that locates a target inside the hole you have already dug, and it is the highest-return purchase in this hobby. Not the most exciting: the highest-return. Without one, recovery means widening the hole until the target appears, which takes minutes, wrecks turf and is the single commonest reason a permission gets withdrawn. With one, you cut a small plug, sweep the hole, and have the target in your hand in seconds.
The advice that follows from that is blunt. If you own a modest detector and no pinpointer, buy the pinpointer before you buy a better detector. A reader with a $120.76 machine and a Garrett Pro-Pointer AT will recover more targets per hour than a reader with a flagship and neither, because most of a detecting day is spent finding the target in the spoil rather than in the ground. The dig time budget calculator makes that arithmetic concrete, and the main roundup covers the machines themselves.
Top pick
Garrett Pro-Pointer AT
Garrett publishes submersibility to 20 feet, three sensitivity levels, a fast retune that tunes out mineralised ground, one-button operation and a moulded ruler, made in the USA. It is the pinpointer most often recommended without qualification.
Price was accurate when this page was compiled and changes often.
On this page
- What does a pinpointer actually do that your detector cannot?
- How do the pinpointers compare on what the makers publish?
- What is the cheapest pinpointer worth owning?
- Which pinpointer should most people actually buy?
- When is a specialist pinpointer worth the extra?
- How do you use a pinpointer without wrecking it?
- What accessories actually matter?
What does a pinpointer actually do that your detector cannot?
It works at very short range with a tiny detection field, so it tells you where a target is within an inch or two rather than within a hand span. Your detector's own pinpoint mode narrows the signal but still sees through several inches of soil in every direction, and it cannot be put inside a hole. That is the entire gap, and it is the gap where most of your time goes.
The secondary benefit is hole size, which matters more than most people expect. A small plug that can be folded back and trodden down leaves ground that looks untouched, and that is what gets you invited back to a permission. A wide crater does the opposite. There is also a real safety argument: you stop groping blindly in soil that contains broken glass and rusted metal, which is the routine injury in this hobby, and Serious Detecting Gloves (large) handle the rest.
How do the pinpointers compare on what the makers publish?
The ferrous ID column is the one experienced detectorists read first. Knowing a target is iron before you finish the dig saves the dig.
Published waterproof ratings here run from 5 feet on the Minelab PRO-FIND 15 to 200 feet on the pulse induction Nokta PulseDive, and only the PRO-FIND 35 and 40 and the Quest Xpointer Max publish a ferrous indication.
| Pinpointer | Price | Published waterproof rating | Alerts | Ferrous indication |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minelab PRO-FIND 15 | $69.00 | Fully waterproof to 5 ft | Audio only, plus a lost alarm | No |
| Nokta Pointer | $99.00 | IP67 water resistant | Audio and vibration, 4 sensitivity levels | No |
| Minelab PRO-FIND 35 | $99.00 | Fully waterproof to 10 ft | Audio and vibration, 5 sensitivity levels | Yes, ferrous tone ID |
| Garrett Pro-Pointer II | $99.99 | IP66, tip submersible, not a submersion rating | Audio, with an LED flashlight | No |
| Garrett Pro-Pointer AT | $109.99 | Submersible to 20 ft | Audio and vibration, 3 sensitivity levels | No |
| Garrett Pro-Pointer AT Z-Lynk | $129.99 | Submersible to 20 ft | Audio through Z-Lynk wireless headphones | No |
| Quest Xpointer Max | $134.95 | Fully submersible to 15 ft | Audio, with draw-out holster activation | Yes, discrimination before digging |
| Minelab PRO-FIND 40 | $149.00 | Full waterproof housing | Audio and vibration, 5 sensitivity levels | Yes, ferrous tone ID |
| Nokta PulseDive | $165.00 | IP68 to 200 ft | Audio, vibration and a lost alarm | No, it is pulse induction |
Every rating is quoted from the maker listing. IP66 describes resistance to powerful water jets rather than submersion, which is why the Pro-Pointer II is grouped with the dry-land options. Nothing here has been submerged or tested by us.
What is the cheapest pinpointer worth owning?
Minelab PRO-FIND 15 at $69.00, and it is a genuine answer rather than a budget compromise. Minelab publishes full waterproofing to 5 feet, DIF interference-free operation so it does not scream at your detector, audio tones that intensify as you close in, a holster, and a lost alarm that sounds after a period of inactivity. That last feature is not a gimmick: a bright orange probe left in long grass is the commonest piece of lost kit in the hobby.
Minelab PRO-FIND 15
$69.00Fully waterproof to 5 ft with DIF technology to reduce interference with an operating detector, intensifying audio tones, a belt holster and a lost alarm. Minelab publishes 9.7 inches and 6.5 oz, and notes the 9V battery is not included. Audio only, with no vibration and no ferrous indication.
Best for: a first pinpointer on a strict budget
Check price on Amazon
Nokta Pointer
$99.00Nokta publishes IP67 water resistance, an 11.6 kHz operating frequency, four sensitivity levels and a choice of audio, vibration or both. Vibration matters in wind, near traffic, and for anyone who is hard of hearing, and it is unusual at this price.
Best for: noisy sites and hard-of-hearing users on a budget
Check price on Amazon
Garrett Pro-Pointer II
$99.99Garrett publishes a 360 degree detection field, IP66 water resistance with a submersible tip, a fast retune that tunes out mineralised ground and wet sand, and a built-in LED flashlight, with a holster and 9V battery included. Note that IP66 is not a submersion rating.
Best for: dry-land hunting where the probe will never go under
Check price on AmazonWhich pinpointer should most people actually buy?
Garrett Pro-Pointer AT at $109.99. Garrett publishes submersibility to 20 feet, three sensitivity levels for small targets such as gold, a fast retune that narrows the detection field and tunes out mineralised ground, one-button operation for power, retune, sensitivity and stealth mode, a moulded inch and centimetre ruler and a lanyard loop, made in the USA. It is the default recommendation in this hobby for good reason. Minelab PRO-FIND 35 at $99.00 is the alternative if ferrous tone ID matters more to you than depth rating.
Garrett Pro-Pointer AT
$109.99Submersible to 20 ft, three sensitivity levels, a fast retune, single-button control covering power, retune, sensitivity and stealth mode, a moulded ruler for measuring recovery depth and a lanyard loop. Made in the USA, and the one most detectorists end up carrying.
Best for: nearly everyone, including water hunters
Check price on Amazon
Minelab PRO-FIND 35
$99.00Fully waterproof to 10 ft with DIF interference reduction, five sensitivity levels, and both audio and intensifying vibration. The ferrous tone ID gives two different responses so you can tell iron junk from non-ferrous treasure before you finish the dig, even behind a non-discriminating detector.
Best for: iron-heavy sites where knowing the target is ferrous saves a dig
Check price on Amazon
Quest Xpointer Max
$134.95Quest publishes full submersion to 15 ft, discrimination that identifies the target before you dig, a longer detection range than most, and a holster with draw-out activation and automatic sleep on re-holstering, which quietly solves the flat battery problem.
Best for: people who want ferrous discrimination and a longer reach
Check price on AmazonWhen is a specialist pinpointer worth the extra?
In water, and in an ecosystem you already own. Nokta PulseDive Pinpointer at $165.00 is pulse induction rather than VLF, which Nokta describes as giving very stable operation in salt water and in any soil, and it publishes IP68 to 200 feet. It also converts into a small scuba detector with a replaceable coil. Garrett Pro-Pointer AT Z-Lynk at $129.99 sends its audio to the same Z-Lynk wireless headphones as a Garrett machine, so you are not swapping ears mid-recovery. Minelab PRO-FIND 40 adds ferrous tone ID and five sensitivity levels to a full waterproof housing.
Nokta PulseDive Pinpointer
$165.00IP68 to 200 ft with pulse induction, which Nokta publishes as staying stable in salt water and in any soil type, where a VLF probe falses. Converts to a small scuba detector with a replaceable coil, works with Nokta 2.4 GHz Green Edition wireless, and carries an LED flashlight and a lost alarm.
Best for: snorkelling, shallow diving and salt water
Check price on Amazon
Garrett Pro-Pointer AT Z-Lynk
$129.99The Pro-Pointer AT with Z-Lynk wireless built in, so the probe audio arrives in the same Z-Lynk headphones as your detector audio with one-press syncing. Submersible to 20 ft, with a woven belt holster and 9V battery included. Only worth it if you already run Z-Lynk.
Best for: anyone already using Garrett Z-Lynk headphones
Check price on Amazon
Minelab PRO-FIND 40
$149.00A full waterproof housing with DIF interference reduction, ferrous tone ID giving two distinct responses, five sensitivity levels to trade depth against noise, and intensifying vibration alongside rising audio tones. It tells you more about the target than anything else at this price.
Best for: trashy iron-heavy ground where every avoided dig counts
Check price on AmazonWho should not buy this tier: Most people should not buy this tier. If you never put a probe in water, the Nokta PulseDive Pinpointer is a poor use of $165.00: pulse induction is chosen here for salt water stability, not for land performance, and it gives you no ferrous indication at all. The Garrett Pro-Pointer AT Z-Lynk is pointless unless you already own Z-Lynk headphones, because the wireless is the entire difference over the standard Garrett Pro-Pointer AT at $109.99. And nobody needs two pinpointers. If you are choosing between spending here and buying a second coil, read the coil size chart first, because on trashy ground a small coil changes what you find and a better probe only changes how fast you recover it.
How do you use a pinpointer without wrecking it?
- Turn it on above the hole. A pinpointer tunes itself to its surroundings at power-on. Switch it on in clear air away from the target and away from your detector coil, not down in the soil.
- Retune in the hole, not out of it. In mineralised soil or wet salt sand, press the retune button with the probe already in the hole. That narrows the detection field and tunes out the ground.
- Work the walls, then the floor. Sweep the sides of the plug and the sides of the hole before the bottom. A surprising share of targets are in the plug you just cut, not in the ground under it.
- Do not use it as a digging tool. Prying with the tip is what cracks housings and kills the seal. Cut soil with a digger and let the probe do nothing but listen.
- Fit a tip protector. The tip is the part that wears through first, and Pinpointer Tip Protectors and Lanyard cost a fraction of a replacement probe.
- Holster it, every time. A probe put down in grass is a probe left behind. Pinpointer Belt Holster keeps it on your belt, and a lanyard keeps it attached when you are in water.
What accessories actually matter?
Two, and they total under thirty dollars. Pinpointer Tip Protectors and Lanyard at $13.99 covers the wear point and includes a lanyard that extends from 8.5 to 51 inches, which is what keeps the probe attached to you in moving water. A Pinpointer Belt Holster at $13.99 in heavy nylon fits most round or square probes and snaps on without removing your belt. A pinpointer loose in a finds pouch is a pinpointer left in a field.
Beyond that, a pouch with a dedicated probe pocket does the same job better: CKG Finds and Digger Pouch separates finds, trash and the pinpointer, which is the only pouch layout that actually works. If you are assembling a complete kit rather than one item, the beginner setup and intermediate setup list everything with running totals, and the digger roundup covers the tool that cuts the plug the probe then searches.
How we chose
We have not dug a hole with any of these and will not pretend to have. Ratings, sensitivity levels and alert types are quoted from each manufacturer's published listing, named in the sources. Ranking weights four things in this order: waterproof rating, because a pinpointer spends its life in wet holes and this is the commonest failure; whether it gives a ferrous indication, which saves whole digs; whether it alerts by vibration as well as audio, which matters in wind and for hard-of-hearing users; and retune behaviour in mineralised ground. Price is the tiebreak, not the driver.
Sources
- Garrett Pro-Pointer AT and Pro-Pointer II product listings
- Minelab PRO-FIND 15, 35 and 40 product specifications
- Nokta PulseDive and Nokta Pointer product listings
- Quest Xpointer Max product specifications
Frequently asked questions
What is the best pinpointer for metal detecting?
The Garrett Pro-Pointer AT at $109.99. Garrett publishes submersibility to 20 feet, three sensitivity levels, a fast retune that tunes out mineralised ground, single-button operation and a moulded ruler, made in the USA. If you need a ferrous warning before you finish the dig, the Minelab PRO-FIND 35 at $99.00 publishes ferrous tone ID instead.
Do I really need a pinpointer?
Yes, more than you need a better detector. Without one, recovery means widening the hole until the target turns up, which takes several minutes per target, damages turf and is the main reason landowners withdraw permission. With one, you cut a small plug and find the target in seconds. It is the cheapest change you can make to your finds-per-hour rate.
Should I buy a pinpointer before upgrading my detector?
Almost always. A modest machine with a good pinpointer out-recovers an expensive machine with none, because the bottleneck for most detectorists is target recovery rather than target detection. Spend around $109.99 on the probe, then put whatever remains toward a second coil, which changes what your existing machine finds more than a new body would.
Are waterproof pinpointers worth the extra money?
Yes, even if you never hunt water, because holes are wet. Mud, rain and saturated soil kill more probes than swimming does. Garrett publishes 20 feet for the Pro-Pointer AT and Minelab publishes 10 feet for the PRO-FIND 35, both of which comfortably cover a wet hole. Reserve the 200 foot Nokta PulseDive for people who genuinely snorkel or dive.
What does ferrous tone ID on a pinpointer actually tell you?
That the target in the hole is iron, before you spend another two minutes extracting it. Minelab publishes two distinct responses on the PRO-FIND 35 and 40, and Quest publishes discrimination on the Xpointer Max. On a site full of nails that saves a meaningful number of digs per session. It is not a substitute for your detector discrimination, only a last check.
Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published specifications, manuals and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Target ID numbers, depth figures and settings vary with soil chemistry, moisture, target size, depth, orientation and firmware version, so treat every figure here as a starting point and verify it against your own machine's manual and your own ground. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.