Detector Pro Wader, Not exactly a "Wonder Wader?"

Just purchased a used/new Detector Pro Wader w/8" coil and was wondering what I can expect of it.  It is the 2009 "New Updated" model with several enhancements like seals, click controls and improved wiring.  I intend to use it for Florida beach hunting.  Got any pros/cons on this "improved" model?  Thanks

[Contrats! You just bought yourself a real fine detector. I've had mine for a couple of years and really love it.It's lightweight, easy to use and you can go for hours without arm fatigue. I've used it on dry land and wet/dry sand at the beach, both salt water and fresh. I usually run disc=2 or 3, sens=9, vol=where you like it. It's a silent running machine and very, very hot on silver. I've never found as many dimes and silver rings with any other detector as I have with this one.I like the fact that while your detecting if it starts to rain you don't have to run for cover (unless there is lightning in the area). Eveything is water protected for six feet deep. Look at it this way. If you were six feet tall you would have to be standing in 12 feet of water before you had problems with your ear phones.If you need a water scoop I have one for sale in the classifieds forum. Good luck and Happy Hunting!!!]

Contrats!  You just bought yourself a real fine detector.    I've had mine for a couple of years and really love it.

It's lightweight, easy to use and you can go for hours without arm fatigue.  I've used it on dry land and wet/dry sand at the beach, both salt water and fresh.  I usually run disc=2 or 3, sens=9, vol=where you like it.  It's a silent running machine and very, very hot on silver.  I've never found as many dimes and silver rings with any other detector as I have with this one.

I like the fact that while your detecting if it starts to rain you don't have to run for cover (unless there is lightning in the area).  Eveything is water protected for six feet deep.  Look at it this way.  If you were six feet tall you would have to be standing in 12 feet of water before you had problems with your ear phones.

If you need a water scoop I have one for sale in the classifieds forum.  Good luck and Happy Hunting!!!

Thanks Mat!  How would you rate the depth of this machine?  Also do you like the performance of it's discrimination?  Thanks, LX Kid

I like the fact that while your detecting if it starts to rain you don't have to run for cover (unless there is lightning in the area).  Eveything is water protected for six feet deep.  

I dont own one but I have heard that it is a good machine.  I would suggest that you do NOT immerse the headphones. They are water resistant and you dont have to worry about the rain but do not stick your head underwater. It is only asking for trouble.  "Water protected for 6 feet" is confusing because it only takes 6 inches to ruin your unit. I put my head underwater with my brand new "waterproof" DetectorPro PI diving model first time out and have not been able to get it repaired correctly since. Some headphone cups may be waterproof but others are not and its just not worth it.  Some cups are warped, damaged or defective and others develop hairline cracks. Just dont immerse your head.
Good luck with your Wader.

My Detector Pro Wader arrived today.  Put some fresh batteries in and gave it a quick air test.  Can't say that I'm overly impressed with the depth with it's 8" coil.  Maybe where it will shine is in the wet sand and water.  I found that the ear phone, where the batteries go, was "cheapie" in construction.  Can't see where there would be much water proofing if dropped in the water for more than a few seconds!  Maybe putting a wide rubber band around the earphones mateing joint might make it a little safer.  Anyone want to chime in on it's performance?  Thanks

My Detector Pro Wader arrived today.  Put some fresh batteries in and gave it a quick air test.  Can't say that I'm overly impressed with the depth with it's 8" coil.  Maybe where it will shine is in the wet sand and water.  I found that the ear phone, where the batteries go, was "cheapie" in construction.  Can't see where there would be much water proofing if dropped in the water for more than a few seconds!  Anyone want to chime in on it's performance?  Thanks

My DetectorPro PI has the same headphone cups and it flooded in 2 seconds and it supposed to be a diver. http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,155385.0.html
So I advise do not immerse the headphones even in 6 inches of water! It is nice that you can hunt in the rain and you can hose it off without too much concern.

I dont know about the Wader, but my PI has good depth. The construction is good and being very lightweight is a plus.

Took the BHID outside today to see how it read on pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters.  This was an air test and used it with max sensitivity (at slight chatter), no discrimination and mid volume.  The best was between 6-7" on quarter.  Don't think this is a lot to "crow" about for depth.  Took the coil off my head, slipped out of my hand and the headset hit my big toe and blood gushing!  "DANG" I can't believe I did that!  The battery side split open and batteries hanging.  Now I know there's another mod coming up, " A safety string around my neck connected to the headphones!"  Man I feel "dumber than dirt!"   LX Kid

 The battery side split open and batteries hanging.  

LOL I hate when that happens. In reality its not funny. I bought a diving unit but it wont even stay shut from the car to the beach.

Like I said before, there is no way in the world that this thing is waterproof in 6 feet of water. What Mat in Ma says about 12 feet of water is just not true for all headphones. It may be true in 50 percent of the units. I advise do NOT immerse your headphones. There are too many defective cups and yours being a used unit could have been dropped. If it hits a hard surface it may crack.

 Eveything is water protected for six feet deep.  Look at it this way.  If you were six feet tall you would have to be standing in 12 feet of water before you had problems with your ear phones.

Keep your head above the waves, try to be extra carefull with the headphones and you should be OK. I dont see any way to screw or tie the cups together. The first time mine was at the factory for repair, they actually silicon glued my cups together in an attempt to make it waterproof, I guess.   I have the picture somewhere. I just couldnt believe what I was seeing and of course I was furious. I sent it back to the factory and they removed the silicon glue.


The important thing for a Wader is will it work in the saltwater? Give it a test and let us know the results.

ADDED: Oh BTW dont ever drop your headphones. I have been told that the hard plastic cups will crack easily when dropped on a hard surface. You may not even realize that you have hairline cracks. The factory says this is the number one reason for leaks.

You know, for the premium price they get for this detector it just seems like a little more attention to detail.  Think the problem is the cup is a tad too small for the two 9Volt batteries and no battery mounts.  A slight pressure is exerted on the outer shell and any slight knocking of the shell pops it open.  Think it may be time to put some non-hardening silicone around sealing rim and some velcro tape on two sides.  What cha think?  LX Kid

Oh, just had another thought, "When all else fails use DUCT TAPE!"  Put new duct tape on at every battery change.  It ain't purdy but it sure will work.  Bailing wire might have it's merits also!  LoL

You know, for the premium price they get for this detector it just seems like a little more attention to detail.  Think the problem is the cup is a tad too small for the two 9Volt batteries and no battery mounts.  A slight pressure is exerted on the outer shell and any slight knocking of the shell pops it open.  Think it may be time to put some non-hardening silicone around sealing rim and some velcro tape on two sides.  What cha think?  LX Kid

My cup shuts with less pressure than that of a styrophone cup and it sometimes pops open on its own while Im carrying it to the beach. . I dont know the answer. The part that eats me up is that the DetectorPro factory refuses to admit there is a problem. They are in constant denial.

I dont think the battery mounts are the problem but yes its another design flaw. Use Energizers and they kinda snap into place. Then keep it level and close it very carefully. Make sure the batteries do not move. . The factory recomends NOT to use Coppertops.

The problem with mine is a warped cup and its apparently not covered under the 2 year warranty. I sent mine back twice and they didnt replace it. The factory admits that it is expensive to make the cups to the exact specifications. Its just a bad design IMO.

The factory recomends to use a silicone grease on the O-rings. I would NOT use anything else. The factory technician that glued my cups together was either incompetant or looking for a cheap fix..  The velcro on the outside might help. Let me know if it works out.


I dont understand why DetectorPro doesnt listen to owners complaints and try to make improvements. The constant denial that anything was ever wrong is not helping. I actually think they have potential. They are the lightest detector on the market and you will enjoy swinging it all day without your arm getting tired.

Hey BigCH.  There's defineitely a design flaw.  If you look at the blue side, where the bushings for frame mounting goes thru, you'll notice there is no groove in that area to allow the o-ring to grab.  Those bushings, had they been drilled thru about 1/32" lower, would have been enought for the o-ring to lock into the blue cup.  I believe this is the weak area that won't allow a solid lock-up of the o-ring.  A slightly larger diameter o-ring would have been more benificial also.  The batteries rattleing around inside the cup doesn't help either.  LX Kid

Hey BigCH.  There's defineitely a design flaw.  If you look at the blue side, where the bushing for frame goes thru, you'll notice there is no groove in that area to allow the o-ring to grab.  Those bushings, had they been drilled thru about 1/32" lower, would have been enought for the o-ring to lock into the blue cup.  I believe this is the weak area that won't allow a solid lock-up of the o-ring.  A slightly larger diameter o-ring would have been more benificial also.  The batteries rattleing around inside the cup doesn't help either.  LX Kid

One of my cups shuts with a little snap but the other (battery side) does not. When I shut my battery side as hard as I can, I can still see the o-ring sticking out so I think one of my cups is wrarped. I cant get it shut completely.

The point is that I purchased mine as a Diver.

As far as the Wader is concerned, if your cups will stay shut and your head above water, you should be allright. Try it out in the surf and let us know. You might like it. It should also be fine in the rain.


Im expecting a surprise in my mail anyday. A member who's cups flooded first time out is sending me his unit for free. He says its worthless to him as a diver.  Im hoping to make one good surf unit out of the two.

BTW how much did you pay?

Hey BigCH.  There's defineitely a design flaw.  If you look at the blue side, where the bushings for frame mounting goes thru, you'll notice there is no groove in that area to allow the o-ring to grab.  Those bushings, had they been drilled thru about 1/32" lower, would have been enought for the o-ring to lock into the blue cup.  I believe this is the weak area that won't allow a solid lock-up of the o-ring.  

I looked at mine again and I think you are correct. The stud is in the way of the o-ring groove and this may be my problem. Maybe we can cut it 1/32' to make the 0-ring fit. Ill have to study it and take some pics later. Thanks for the tip.

ADDED: If yours is under warranty, I would not change anything. Use only silicone grease on the o-rings.

Yea duct tape should work but its a pain to clean off the glue.

You gotta remember though that the bushing is hollow and holds the frame pivot pin inside.  If you cut thru it will leak water!

Ok thanks.

Im not that much of a fool to ever try diving with mine again with the same old cups. Ive decided to use it beach and surf only.

For some reason it has never popped open while it was on my head in the surf. It only pops open while Im carrying it to the beach or back to the car.

You need to test yours in the water. Maybe it will be OK.

Did you read the story of the guy that got is MD back from the factory and when he opened the cup it was full of water? I guess they tested it before sending it back to him lol.

Yes I will try it in the water and it will have a strap around my neck to keep it from accidentally falling into the water.

The bottom line is the headhunter detectors suck.  They are a hokie design

The bottom line is the headhunter detectors suck.  They are a hokie design

Some people love them.

MY OPINION IS:   Detector Pro has one of the best concepts but they just can't seem to put out quality craftmanship products.  Maybe at the prices they ask they just don't care about engineering quality and just want to get it while they can.  They've been around long enough to know better but they just don't want to do better.  Their line should sell for around $300 in my opinion based on design and material quality. 

MY OPINION IS:   Detector Pro has one of the best concepts but they just can't seem to put out quality craftmanship products.  Maybe at the prices they ask they just don't care about engineering quality and just want to get it while they can.  They've been around long enough to know better but they just don't want to do better.  Their line should sell for around $300 in my opinion based on design and material quality.  

I dont understand it myself becuse they do care. They wont give up on this "electronics in the headphone cup" idea. It just cannot be made waterproof and the headphones are sometimes dropped creating hairline cracks in the hard plastic.  My dealer admitted to me that the cups are hard to manufacture to exact specifications and a very expensive proposition to continually replace the electronics whenever they flood.

They changed my electronics the 2nd time in the factory under warranty but they never attempted to replace my leaky cups.  If I had tried to dive again, I would have had to keep sending it back to the factory, which makes no sense to me at all.   Yes LOL it is an expensive proposition for DetecterPro.

The only solution is to keep the electronics in the headphones for beach and surf ONLY. They are headed in this direction with the 6 foot deep waterproof claim.

I suggested that they move the electronics out of the headphones and make a truly waterproof diver. Keep it "as is" for beach and surf only. It can and will flood at 6 feet. I am first hand witness to that.

I agree!  Keep the current design for beach and surf.  For a diver unit they should move it to a pole for a little more innovation.  The electronics come in a small package and would do great on a slightly larger waterpoof box.  AS for the battery compartment, in my opinion, is a relatively easy fix.  Fix the battery compartment problem, that I described on 13 Aug.  In molding of the speaker and blue cup sides they could "easily" mold in indentations for the addition of stainless steel spring clips for positive locking.   I also feel they they should be molding out of higher tinsel strength ABS plastics.   How long will the keep ignoring design problems?  I just don't believe that's it's just too expensive to change out electronics into new cups.  They made a lot of money from the "get go" and should stand behind their product 100%.  Just my take on the problem, and there is a problem. 

The cheaper Pirate Pro has molded battery holders in the cup.
The more expensive Wader has ... nothing!
Puzzling.

I bought both the Wader and the Pirate pro.
The Pirate Pro is made overseas and is the unit I chose to keep rather than the American made Wader.
Not puzzling ... considering the state of the union today.

My choice for the beach has always been a hip or chest mounted Sovereign ... just aint nothing out there that works better for dry sand, wet sand, or shallow water, salt or fresh.
I think I have tried them all.

Willee

The cheaper Pirate Pro has molded battery holders in the cup.
The more expensive Wader has ... nothing!
Puzzling.

I bought both the Wader and the Pirate pro.
The Pirate Pro is made overseas and is the unit I chose to keep rather than the American made Wader.
Not puzzling ... considering the state of the union today.

My choice for the beach has always been a hip or chest mounted Sovereign ... just aint nothing out there that works better for dry sand, wet sand, or shallow water, salt or fresh.
I think I have tried them all.

Willee
Isn't the pirate pro a new model.  The pirate has been around for a while.  Maybe the new model has this battery holder improvement. 

I have always heard GOOD things about the Wader. Rarely ever a complaint.


I, however, own the DetectorPro Pulse Unit. I have had nothing but trouble one thing after another. I commented here because I think the headphone cups are the same.

geez if my pirate evr quits.i was thinking upgrade to a wader. prob go tesoro now

Check your headphone cups with a U/V lamp in a dark room, it should expose to you any cracks.
http://home.earthlink.net/~puddlepirate/id13.html

well the one big problem with Detector pro units is that they use a 2.4klhz frequency. So for gold in theory thats not good. Optimal is around 12 to 15 klhz.

well the one big problem with Detector pro units is that they use a 2.4klhz frequency. So for gold in theory thats not good. Optimal is around 12 to 15 klhz.

My DetectorPro Pulse has an adjustable frequency, so I guess thats good. I just wish it would work properly without the constant falsing.. 

I have a DetectorPro PI and I had a DetectorPro Wader for one week.  I have done quite well with the PI.  I got it in August and I found 4 nice gold rings in one week.  Then the hurricanes came close and washed all the sand from the sand restoration and the dunes onto the beach.  Also vacation ended and I had to go to work (school teacher).

I feel that the PI does well.  I have never used another PI unit, so I can't compare.  It compares depth wise with my CZ-5 with the 10" coil, maybe a little deeper.  I did find a Swiss Army Knife that must have been 20 inches deep with it.  It really eats up the batteries.  It is quite unstable.  I have to turn the threshold down so I can't hear it.  In the water, swells make it sound off.  If I had it to do over, I think I would consider another brand, but I love the light weight and the 12" coil, and I have been successful with it.  I guess I need to try another brand before I make a final judgement.

I bought a Wader, but really didn't like it.  It had no depth at all.  It was not loud enough.  My dealer allowed me to trade it for a CZ-21.

With the headphone gasket, take the o ring off, put some silicone grease on it and carefully work the o ring into the groove.  It will not stay in the groove without the grease.  This seems to work, although I have not had it underwater.  I will agree that the battery compartment is very cheaply made.

Oh well, I'm babbling.  Just some thoughts.
TheHawg

It is quite unstable.  I have to turn the threshold down so I can't hear it.  In the water, swells make it sound off.  

My PI is so unstable that it beeps every second or two for no reason. Its been to the factory twice and they can find nothing wrong but tell me online that this falsing is not normal. So I am in a state of confusion with a detector that doesnt work properly. My next step is try to repair it myself.

Thanks for posting. Does your unit false beep every second or two for no reason? Turning the threshold down too far loses depth.

Mine does not false every second or two, but the threshold is too unstable.  I don't think I'm losing too much depth by hunting in silent mode.  I am disappointed after watching a YouTube video of the Whites PI and hearing the very stable threshold though.  Do you turn down your frequency a little.  It is too unstable at the highest frequency, although I know it is best for gold.  It's not a bad detector, but I believe there are better choices.  I guess the trade off is how wonderfully light and simple it is.

TheHawg

I actually love the detector. I only have two complaints.

#1- Its not a waterproof diver as claimed but I am happy to use it surf only. I just wish they had warned me about possible flooding first time under. DetectorPro never attempted to repair the cups but I can still hose it off and thats a plus.

.#2- It falses every couple seconds whether I move it or not. Turning down the frequency and threshold helps only a little but I loose considerable depth from turning the threshold way down.

If I could solve the falsing, I would be happy. A member sent me a coil. Im going to cut the wires and replace the coil. It may be the problem.

I can agree with the above statement.

The reason DP charges so much for the Wader is due to the amount of problems with them,
some one has to pay the techs for the time they spend fixing them for those that bought brand new with a warranty. If you bought yours second hand, there is no warranty, something goes wrong, you pay, average repair bill is $75.00 on up. I have had to send my two divers and Wader in for repairs over the years.

So what incentive is there for DP to build a better unit? It's cash cow.

Folks rave about the fast repair service and turn around, well heck they are paying for it.

Performance wise, not impressive, average coin depth I get is 6" hunting on dry land. Never got those fantastic 12-14" quarters folks claim. And it is not very sensitive to small gold or silver, the Tesoro TS beat it hands down in that dept. The only reason I still have a Wader is it was light weight and  bought for my wife, her fav. color is blue. I should have kept my TS, until I get a new water machine, will have to use the Wader.

I did inquire if anyone knew what the pots inside the Wader adjust, I would try and adjust mine for better depth and GB to my soil. So I get a lot of answers, leave the pots alone, you'll screw them up, send it back to DP have them calibrate it, call Gary at DP he'll tell you. I tried emailing Gary,
asking about the pot functions, and that I now live in northern Canada and it would be just too expensive to send it in plus the repair cost as it has no warranty. I would adjust it myself, since I had experience adjusting many other detectors. A fast response from Gary, said he would not tell me, I would have to send it in with $$$. No way will I do that.

So when I do get inside the Wader and tinker with the adjustments, I will post my findings so others can do it
themselves also.

The Wader does make an excellent land detector with average 6" depth. Found a lot of stuff hunting Canadian school yards. Now that I repaired my 1994 Minelab Sterling, it's the detector of choice, beats the detectorpro in every dept. I even thought of waterproofing it.
http://home.earthlink.net/~puddlepirate/id13.html

Below are some pictures of my Wader finds:

The only reason I still have a Wader is it was light weight and  bought for my wife, her fav. color is blue.

You bought it for the weight and the color LOL.  That about sums it up.


I may have been one of those persons that suggested not to tamper with your pots. Heck I had enough trouble with mine and I never opened the cups!

Thinking about it now, I may be wrong. After sending mine back to the factory 2x under warranty and it still doesnt work properly, I am now thinking like you. Since it is expensive to keep sending it back to the factory and considering the high cost of repair and risk of loss, we are left with no choice but to repair them ourselves.

Im not so much concerned about depth on my PI because its not bad but I am concerned about the constant falsing. If I find the problem, Ill post the results as well.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.