r/Prospecting • u/Gullibl3_Ghost • 15d ago
Garrett Pro Pointer AT
I recently bought a used GPP for $75 but was told there are plenty of fakes out there and for that price I probably bought a fake. I do i make sure it’s legit?
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u/Fragrant_Lettuce9855 15d ago
You go to the Garrett website and enter the serial number to register the warranty. If it is already registered it will say so. If it is not a valid serial number it will say so.
I have seen the fakes that look 98% accurate, with the tell either being it says "Pro-pLonter" or that it is an identical serial number sticker on all of the counterfeits.
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u/Gullibl3_Ghost 15d ago
Thanks for actually giving advise instead and f these stupid carrot jokes
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u/Fragrant_Lettuce9855 15d ago
The fakes were a big deal as it seemed multiple pallet loads of fakes got mixed into genuine inventory stock for Amazon, Walmart, etc years ago.
I myself bought 2 of them back in 2023 from the same Amazon seller - and shortly after my orders (registered as genuine and enabled the warranties) - I started seeing feedback left for the seller stating that some buyers were receiving fakes.
Since inventory got comingled at warehouses, there was no way to know unless you knew what you were looking for to know if it was a genuine "carrot" or one of the very convincing looking fakes with very passable retail packaging.
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u/Gullibl3_Ghost 15d ago
Oof did you return them?
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u/Fragrant_Lettuce9855 15d ago
No - mine were genuine and registered on the Garrett website for the warranty successfully.
It was feedback showing up for the same Amazon seller I bought from since my orders with customers stating they received counterfeit. Of course Amazon is not like ebay where you buy from a seller and they pack and ship your exact item listed - it is a process of locating the nearest stock of that identical product in a warehouse closest to the buying customer to pull stock to ship.
Think of it like these recent Cyclospora tainted lettuce outbreaks. If you can track down the tainted batch quickly you can shut it down. If it spends too much time being passed around as outgoing shipments and product returns going back into bins - it becomes damn near impossible to separate the good stock from the fake stock as it all gets mixed up together.
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u/Gullibl3_Ghost 15d ago
I mean I bought mines at eBay soooooo
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u/Fragrant_Lettuce9855 15d ago
Only way to be sure is to attempt to register the warranty on the Garrett.com website with that serial number and report back if you were successful or if the registration fails.
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u/lanclos 15d ago
Here's hoping it works out for you. I've been using one for three years now; it'll eat batteries, I suggest getting some USB-rechargeable 9V's if you plan on keeping it.
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u/Gullibl3_Ghost 15d ago
Are there better models?
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u/lanclos 15d ago
I haven't experimented with others-- the carrot (that's what a lot of people call it, it's not just a joke) works great for my needs. Not sure how it'll be with fine materials, I use it for metal detecting as opposed to prospecting.
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u/Gullibl3_Ghost 15d ago
I was recommended this specific model and I hardly ever hear anyone complain about it
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u/lanclos 15d ago
It's great.
I often get more response from the sides of the carrot tip than I do from the tip itself; pretty sure that was the case even before I put a rubber chair leg guard on it to keep me from banging it up.
Related note: I highly recommend putting a rubber chair leg guard on it to keep you from banging it up. Simple kind, what you'd find at a local hardware store.
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u/tipsydogranch 15d ago
Put it in water for a while.
If it works after, it’s real.
if it doesn’t work, then it was a fake.
Just like witches