Minelab PRO-FIND 35 through the eyes of Derek McLennan

Sometimes we Scots think we live in the land of perpetual rain, so after returning from the fields with my new tracker I officially rechristened it "Yellow Submarine". I have owned a number of spotting scopes over the years (including so-called "waterproof" ones) and many have failed when confronted with good old Scottish weather. In my opinion there really is no more ideal place on earth for such outdoor testing. So the question here is: " Has the new ProFind 35 tracker passed the durability test?" To find out the answer, read on!

I originally wanted to start this article with an exact comparison to the previous model, the ProFind 25, as both have 5 levels of sensitivity settings and both are built on VLF technology. As well, what I love about the ProFind25 is its great Detector Interference Free (DIF) capability, which is a useful feature to eliminate interference when working with the detector while it is off. A nice finding is that this technology is also used in the new Pro Find 35. In my experience, the PRO-FIND series is indeed less prone to interference due to its high qualitybuilt-in electronic shielding and interference suppression electronics used in the manufacturing process. However, there really are a lot of similarities and since the ProFind35 outperforms the earlier model in many ways, any comparison between the two models would be unfair.

So let's take a look together at the new features of the PRO-FIND 35.....

The new PRO-FIND 35 is 100% waterproof up to a maximum depth of 3 meters. So if you're looking for beaches or rivers, or if you're full on in the water, you can add it to your adventure gear with peace of mind.
I personally use it mainly for adventures on land. Some might argue this point given the damp environment of Scotland. Unfortunately I often have to search in literally "monsoon conditions". So I'm sure most will agree with me that when your tracker stops working in the middle of your expedition due to humidity, it's politely and to put it mildly "annoying".
Equally frustrating is when you can't fully rely on your tracker when you need to track down a small target in a hole full of muddy water and you're afraid the tracker won't hold up.
The good news is that you don't have to worry about any of the above when you use the PRO-FIND 35. I did all my testing looking in some really horrible Scottish weather, including cloudbursts and constant light rain. The PRO-FIND 35 has also been used countless times in water filled holes, completely covered in mud or fully submerged in water, all without any sign of failure.

I put the new tracker through some really extreme testing and I have to admit that it exceeded my expectations. Therefore, I can in good conscience award the PRO-FIND 35 the "Scottish Waterproof Mark" and this is mainly based on hard field testing and not immersion in clean water in a sink. So all of you who are looking in or under water, or like me have to deal with the ubiquitous mud, puddles etc. all year round, then this finder is the one to add to your gear on your expeditions.

And if you got the impression that the extreme durability of the tracker is the main advantage, then know that the other and equally interesting is the PRO-FIND35's ability to tell the difference between iron and other materials...

Yes, you read that right. The tracker can target and identify different types of metal! Most of us have experienced when the signal is lost once we remove the soil from the hole and we search it with the tracking device until we come across a target that is ferrous and is close to the non-ferrous we originally targeted. Usually the next course of action is that we continue searching and enlarge the hole unnecessarily. This prolongs our tracking and forces us to dig up more soil than necessary. It is the clever Ferrous Tone ID mode of the PRO-FIND 35 that allows us to avoid a similar scenario. Track down the wanted and original target and continue the search undisturbed, knowing that the unwanted target will remain where it was originally.

Once you turn on Ferrous Tone ID mode and get within about 10-15mm of an iron target, the pinpointer response (pulse) will change. If the target turns out to be the non-ferrous target you originally decided to dig, then the pinpoint will emit a normal regular tone and vibration. With this great feature you will know immediately whether the target is ferrous or not, which is a great advantage over otherm pinpointers on the market, and I can already think of several locations in the UK where there is a lot of ferrous waste and where this feature would be more than useful.

Ok, it is waterproof and can discriminate iron, but how is it audible? In my opinion one of the most important features of any pinpointer is the volume of the tones, especially as I personally am a bit deaf. Everyone likes to be able to hear the sound of a pinpointer when it's windy or rainy, without having to take off their headphonesthe headphones off, and that's usually been one of the problems with other models. Therefore, I am very pleased that the PRO-FIND 35 has probably the loudest and "sweetest" tone on the market, which in my case is priceless. During the tattooing process, I found that the finder is audible even when the speaker is fully submerged in muddy water, which just confirms everything written above.

This all sounds good, but how does it look and fit in the hand? If you've ever used the PRO-FIND 25, you'll immediately notice that the shape has changed significantly with the new PRO-FIND 35. It is made slightly larger and has a more rounded profile so that it fits better in the hand. The body of the pinpointer is now rendered in bright yellow, which will further improve its visibility on the ground if you accidentally leave it in place.

A loop is now included, which is particularly useful for those who forget their pinpointer on the ground and hate having to frantically search for it afterwards. Another safety feature of the PRO-FIND 35 is the loss alarm. How does it work? After about 3 min after switching on and prolonged inactivity, the pinpointer starts to emit a loud and long warning tone.which are repeated every 10s until the pinpointer is activated by pressing any button. This warning tone will stop after 5 min and the detector will automatically switch off. This is certainly enough time to realize that you have left it somewhere. In my opinion this is a very useful and well set up feature.

You will also be pleased to know that an additional powerful LED light has been added to the new model. More importantly, the light is completely recessed, with no holes whatsoever, which means that no dirt or mud can hog the LED or even completely block your light source. The unit is powered by a 9V battery (included), which is easily accessed by unscrewing the end cap. The PRO-FIND 35 also has a low battery warning indicator as standard and also the LED will flash continuously as a warning when the battery is low and needs replacing. If the battery voltage drops to a critical value, the pinpointer will switch itself off. However, the truth is that before this happens, you will know well in advance that the battery needs to be replaced.

The last useful feature included with the newnew PRO-FIND 35 is the hard belt holster, which has undergone a major improvement over the original version supplied with the PRO-FIND 25. Although I'm not the best with the new holster, it still holds its shape which confirms its incredible durability even in the worst conditions and I believe this holster will last a long time.

So that's about all I can write briefly about the technology and the look of the new pinpointer from Minelab. Summing up, I can only confirm that I already knew how good, reliable and powerful the PRO-FIND 25 is, but the PRO-FIND 35 has taken these features to the next level. I would like to end by asking you, "Where does a tracker stop being just a tracker?". For me, it's when it's reliable, fully submersible, and able to distinguish metals - all of which you'll find in Minelab's new PRO-FIND 35. I can no longer imagine an expedition without it.

See you again!

Derek McLennan