The Hipstick

Gday

While I was away I tried out my new NF 20" advantage coil on the 4500, and I was a little dissapointed at first because I was getting some noises while swinging, at first I thought that they were from the coil hitting against the rocks as it was a rubble strewn area and this meant raising and lowering the coil during the swing a bit as you do.

So I then started tapping the coil and checking the mounts and cable connections to see if there was something loose, nothing amiss there so I continued on, the occasional noises turned out to be due to EMI's and were just the odd spike here and there, I later recalled that years earlier I had the same experience with the gp extreme in that same area, and put it down to a large telstra tower that was about 20 klms from there.

Anyway I found that apart from that it ran smoothly and although I didnt get any gold with it, I did pick up some really small metal shards and things, so it has good sensitivity, and as the weather was really hot I didnt bother with doing any depth tests with it, maybe next trip.

I used it in combination with the hip stick, that I was using for the first time, and once I got the stick set up and in a comfortable position found it to be really good, using it for a few hours made me wonder why I hadnt bought one before now, as its potential for helping you to cover more ground with a large coil, say while patch hunting is great, but I kept thinking that there was something missing

Later when going back to the 11" coil and no hip stick I realised what was missing, it was the gnawing dull pain that I have in my shoulder when I am detecting, within minutes I had the familiar pain that I usually just try to ignore, so the use of the hipstick is beneficial while using any sized coil, and I would recommend it to anybody with shoulder issues, and to any new operator that does not want to get shoulder issues in the future.

cheers

stayyerAU

G'day Stayyer - very easy to make a hipstick too. The plastic ball/socket joint thingy you can get the exact one in Bunnings for about $8. Then a bit of fibreglass tent repair pole (K-Mart I got mine) or even a bit of wooden dowell... On the top end I used two canvas strap loops held to the pole with a small jubilee clip. Cheap aluminium carabiners on each loop - one to connect to your harness, the other for the detector bungee and you're in business.

Saves buying one for 5 times the cost of making one.

cheers - trashdigger

Hi trashdigger, I don;t s'pose you could draw a diagram of your home made hipstick. I've had 2 major shoulder ops, in the last ten years, I'm right handed & guess what side my ops were? I'm seriously thinking of buying it, they're asking $65 , which is 8 times your cost( not 5) to be exact, anyhow lifes a challenge in many different forms, Dave

Hi , meant to thank Stayyerau for your good descriptive report on the hip stick. I'm 6 years older than you, so I'm definately buying one very soon! , chow Dave

Hi guys,

Try Ismael's site. He has a very gpood decription of how to build one.
http://www.minelabmods.com/joomla/

See you up them thar hills
Frank

trashdigger wrote:G'day Stayyer - very easy to make a hipstick too. The plastic ball/socket joint thingy you can get the exact one in Bunnings for about $8. Then a bit of fibreglass tent repair pole (K-Mart I got mine) or even a bit of wooden dowell... On the top end I used two canvas strap loops held to the pole with a small jubilee clip. Cheap aluminium carabiners on each loop - one to connect to your harness, the other for the detector bungee and you're in business.

Saves buying one for 5 times the cost of making one.

cheers - trashdigger

What would be nice Trashdigger is for you to give credit to the people who invented the Hipstick in the first place so you could then copy it. If you want to make your own then go for it, just remember though if it wasn't for someone thinking outside the square you wouldn't have all these neat ideas to copy in the first place and would still be trying to speck nuggets using your eyes because no-one could be bothered trying to invent the gold pan or the metal detector due to the fact there's no profit in it thanks to people like you!!! Do you get my point or do I have to spell it out for you? Everything in this world has a margin built in, I for one can't be bothered making my own hipstick, stitching up my own control box cover or for that matter refining my own fuel or growing my own veges or the million of other things we all buy from day to day that someone has built a profit margin into!

I have spent a large chunk of my future profits advertising, promoting and giving away samples of said product so someone like you can come along and rip the idea off and all for what? Because you think I buy the things for $5.00 and sell for $65? Just for one second think about the ramifications of your actions or if nothing else show some common decency. Our world works on incentives, my incentive is to try and make a modest living which is why I offer free advice on this forum, your incentive is to read said free advice and do what exactly? Stuff up my hard work by actively taking away my incentive?

The guy who developed the Hipstick lives in the US, I purchase the product from him with his margin built in (his incentive), I then pay for it to be air shipped from the US to Australia, I build in a small margin for myself (my incentive) and a reasonable margin for the dealers Australia wide (dealers incentive) (plus the good old government get their 10% so they can build roads and hospitals etc (governments incentive)), I then promote said device because I truly believe it is a GOOD product that will provide a real solution to a big problem and as such it has become popular (your incentive). Then just when it looks like it was worth the gamble some greedy bugger ruins the whole thing (ruined incentive)!!

JP

I bought a hipstick for $65 and am quite happy with it.

Yes you can go and try and make one and it may be successful, but I find if I spend a bit more I get a professional item that had already been tested and does it's job well. If you buy seconds that what you get.

We often advise our members to buy their detectors at dealers for they know they get service, warranty and experience. In the case of the hipstick, the extra money paid is well worth it, for the benefit you receive, it pays for itself over and over again.

As they say, get it right the first time.

Jeff

Gday all I agree its $65 well worth spent think of your own labour and mods think on how much fuel costs to get the parts ect if you wanna make it yourself have a crack but for me Ill pay someone with a decent product there dues ,would we make our own detector or coils ect as it is cheaper on parts I think not .Cheers Dave

I bought 2 hipsticks for $65 each and am very happy with them. One for me and one for the Mrs. Instead of fiddling around for a few hours making them, buy them I reckon and use the time you saved from making them to get out detecting and use them. Never know you just may find more than enough to pay for them

cheers dave

I bought my hipstick for the standard $65.
I couldn't be bothered farting about trying to make one, plus I probably couldn't make one half as decent anyway, so in that respect the $65 was good value.
Not to mention the marked increase in comfort as the day wears on as opposed to how I felt prior to owning it, also makes it money well spent.

I do see JP's point and agree, but also understand that aussies being aussies being aussies will try to knock out something to save a bob or two.

What I thinks stinks though is when you see an almost identical product and obviously a dirrect rip off being marketed on the likes of Ebay and I even think being refered to as a hipstick. That is blatant theft.

Hi trashdigger,
I see a lot of people who like to "build their own" these days, regardless of what it is that they choose to make. I think Prospecting seems to attract a lot of people who seek a way to make their own tools. On the Goldfields of Yesterday, the creation of one's own equipment was the norm. People cannibalized everything to make a cradle or sluice or some sort of variant. They used the crates that contained tinned goods and lined them with strips of canvas and sack-cloth. Even the cans were nailed to sticks to form water ladels for the 'banjo' units. Today there's new Goldpans being designed (like the "Pyramid" for example) and some are actually worthy improvements like the American Pro Pan with it's unique hydrodynamics and recessed lip. As for my own experience... I remember seeing one of the $75 Keene "crevice sucker pumps" some time ago and, thinking it would be cheaper to make one from a Yabbie pump, I decided to make one. I built it in fairly short time after visiting a bait-store and assembled the device from parts found at my local hardware store and it works perfectly. I even made threaded attachments to apply different sized nozzles... most of which were damaged eventually. But the cost of my unit actually matched the finished product by Keene ... in fact if you ignore the cuts and glue spills, the cost of making my own actually exceeded the RRP of the completed unit for sale in the local Prospecting supply store. So whilst it was an interesting exercise, the cheaper alternative would have been to buy one rather than make one. If you calculate the time involved in making anything by Dollars per hour, it's always cheaper to buy.

There's a LOT of people who visit their local store and look at the sluices. They borrow a ruler and measure everything and then go away with the intention to make their own. It's amusing since almost all of them return at a later date and buy one as the cost of a new unit of the same weight, materials and design is always more expensive if you try to do it on your own. Heck, there's even detectorists out there making an attempt at building their own detectors (a basic coil & detector is easy enough to make) but then they discover that their you-beaute home-made detector can't Ground Balance and they've all but wasted their time. If you are making a coil several feet wide (eg to be dragged behind a motorcycle), it's always going to be cheaper to make your own coil but even one or two of the major manufacturers will make a coil to size if you've got the cash to spare.

Perhaps it's just human nature to want to build something themselves. The downside of making your own hipstick would be the potential for losing an eye. I've witnessed one of those fiberglass tent poles going through the eye of a family friend when we were kids and it's not a pretty sight (pun not intended). Shoddy workmanship (usually your own) may lead to this. I've seen control boxes duct taped to wooden dowels and coils joined to broken iso rods with splints and medical bandages and it never ceases to amaze me just how innovative people can be when caught out in the field with a problem. But when using a detector that might cost upwards of $3K, it's hard not to be able to justify a few bucks for the right accessory like a hipstick or a decent pick. I'd be inclined to support the industry the best as I can because without the local demand/support, we'll have to import everything ourselves at higher expense due to import costs for lower volumes of units.

Cheers,

Marco

Hi All
Just ordered a hipstick from Frieda.Jps info has helped me find gold I would never have found Its important to suport those that suport us
Cheers Dig

Well, I bought mine from JP at least 18 months ago, and am more than happy with it. I don't even dislocate it for a small coil. I find that the sore arm and shoulder syndrome is diminished by a large amount also. If you want to build your own, and I am that sort of guy as I prefer to make my own gear, then go for it, but for the price I couldn't be bothered. I prefer to spend my time doing something I'd like to do, rather than something I HAVE to do. Cheers.

JP, your incentive rant seems a bit bias toward your own interest. You have a point that if one does come up with an idea and markets it, then they have every right to make money for their work, but the knuckle joint which is the major component of the hip stick was invented by PETER KAHN and it is his company BIGG LUGG that designed, marketed and sells the BIGG LUGG 2 that is the version which is used in the hip stick.

http://www.bigglugg.com/about.html

It has been around for 8 years or so and is used by tradesmen to hang tools off their workbelts, cost for the BIGG LUGG 2 ranges from about 5 bucks when theyre on special at bunnings to 13 at gyprock plaster supplies.

Minelab werent the first detectors around and im sure they werent invented from scratch, but by copying others ideas and improving on them. Such is often the nature of product development.

Trashdigger isnt trying to make a profit on his comments of how one can make this yourself, the internet is full of diy websites and forums with plenty such advice on any product that is commercially available yet ive never heard such a rant about destroying incentive on them.
You give free advice on gold detecting on this and other sites so are you taking business away from people that run detecting courses, have money invested in equipment, advertising etc...?

Everyone has a choice whether to purchase the commercially available product or make their own, people even make their own fuel these days from cooking oil if you can be bothered.

Can you say you have never made a makeshift something or another rather than purchasing it?

So if you want to give someone credit give it to Peter Kahn who made the hip stick possible with the invention of the BIGG LUGG 2 but maybe he got the idea off someone else who knows?

Polak

Well said Polak, and my DIY Hipstick works great. Very strong too.

Sure if your'e a DIY numptie, or loaded, buy one. If you have 10mins to spare and want to save some money, and have the satisfaction of using something you bought yourself, build one.

I heard on one forum about a guy making detector covers. Another bloke I know makes up detector leads.

They'll be banning people from making their own picks next... I'd better hide mine

cheers - trashdigger

Gday

Well I didnt mean to start a BUNFIGHT re the hip sticks, just wanted to say that I thought that they were a good idea and that I was a bit slow on taking advantage of the concept, and perhaps I would not have the shoulder joint issues that I have now if they had been about when I first started swinging.

Anyhow I dont have any issues with people having a go at making their own, but I do think it is a bit unfair when people rob someones idea and then try to cash in on it, its no big deal to have a go at making something for your own use, me well I cant be stuffed, I have too many other things to do and its for the same reason I dont bother making my own coils, I dont have the expertise, and apart from that if I made a hip stick it would look home made, probably break and smack me in the face or something.

Well at $65 devided by the many hours I would get to use it for, it seems pretty cheap tp me.

cheers

stayyerAU

polak wrote:JP, your incentive rant seems a bit bias toward your own interest. You have a point that if one does come up with an idea and markets it, then they have every right to make money for their work, but the knuckle joint which is the major component of the hip stick was invented by PETER KAHN and it is his company BIGG LUGG that designed, marketed and sells the BIGG LUGG 2 that is the version which is used in the hip stick.

http://www.bigglugg.com/about.html

It has been around for 8 years or so and is used by tradesmen to hang tools off their workbelts, cost for the BIGG LUGG 2 ranges from about 5 bucks when theyre on special at bunnings to 13 at gyprock plaster supplies.

Minelab werent the first detectors around and im sure they werent invented from scratch, but by copying others ideas and improving on them. Such is often the nature of product development.

Trashdigger isnt trying to make a profit on his comments of how one can make this yourself, the internet is full of diy websites and forums with plenty such advice on any product that is commercially available yet ive never heard such a rant about destroying incentive on them.
You give free advice on gold detecting on this and other sites so are you taking business away from people that run detecting courses, have money invested in equipment, advertising etc...?

Everyone has a choice whether to purchase the commercially available product or make their own, people even make their own fuel these days from cooking oil if you can be bothered.

Can you say you have never made a makeshift something or another rather than purchasing it?

So if you want to give someone credit give it to Peter Kahn who made the hip stick possible with the invention of the BIGG LUGG 2 but maybe he got the idea off someone else who knows?

Polak

Polak and anyone else who cares to read this, the HipSticks you purchase from or through us are licensed from the inventor of the BiggLugg (Detectoraid web site for more info) which is then built into the price of the HipStick from the manufacturer/inventor. I understand all about Aussie ingenuity and the desire to improve on the wheel or have a crack at making one yourself and I don't have a problem with it, what I do however have a problem with is actively encouraging others on a public forum when it it blatantly obvious that it is the morally wrong thing to do especially after I have done all the hard work and pay someone for their design efforts right through to the original inventor of the key features of the product.

If this is the way this forum is going to be allowed to be run then think long and hard about all the other little innovations that you take for granted in your day to day detecting endeavors because they will soon dry up if the donkey comes to realise the carrot has gone. I feel I am well and truly justified in my stance on the matter and anyone with a common thread of decency about them would agree, Trashdiggers latest post and pictures just tells me how low he is prepared to stoop to justify his preparedness to rip off all and sundry regardless of the ethics involved, for anyone to agree with him just lowers the standards of the forum even further, the question then is, where does it end?

Regards

Jonathan Porter

Just remember JP gives a lot of people a lot of help to speed up their learning curve on the use of their machines etc, its hardly a big price to pay in return to get the products that he has for sale.

cheers dave

I think we have heard both sides of the story regarding hipsticks and whether to buy one or make one yourself. One of the benefits of this forum is free and open discussions on issues and letting the members make up their own minds on what decision to take

Jeff

Hi All,
I bought mine from Mrs JP about 18 months ago and it has worked like a charm.. for $65 goodness sake support the hand that so freely gives us advice on a daily basis. What ever happened to supporting small local businesses...

Ray

Hi all,
I'm Chris Porter inventor and manufacture of the HipStick. I'm the one who fully guarantees your satisfaction. If for ANY reason your not fully satisfied with your purchase please don't hesitate to return it for a full refund. (less shipping).


Now for the rant.....


For those of you that want to copy and sell my product.(Water Logue of QLD) The HipStick and BiggLugg 2 are protected by patents. Peter Kahn and I have a licensing agreement. I considered a variety of ways to attach the Stick to the belt. When I first saw the BiggLugg 2 I knew it was perfect for my application. Thats when I contacted Peter and entered into the agreement. All nice and legal. Please at least send me, JP and Mr. Kahn a xmass card and include a photo of the presents you bought with the $ you stole from us. Really how would you react if I picked your pocket?

Polak, Peter Kahn did not make the HipStick possible, I did. JP by his efforts made it popular. Your statement is spiteful and pure fantasy.


BTW trashdigger your copy sux!! whats with the metal clips? well thought out..... NOT......... But not as bad as the one that Water Logue sells on flea bay his pice of krap fell apart when I opened the package. And guess what no return policy.

I Invent, Innovate and Create. You?


Enjoy Today!
nvchris
aka Chris Porter
detectoraid.com

Hi,
I had considered buying one of these gadgets after what stayyerAU had said even though with the exchange rate and freight I would have to work for nearly 5 hours to pay for it. BUT after seeing the unprofessional attitudes expressed here by the suppliers I’ve decided to make my own.

It’s obvious by the positive replies that you already have an excellent client base that loyally support you by buying your product. I can’t understand your reaction though, if you truly believed your product is value for money it should stand on its own, you should sense that the majority will opt for buying the ready made product. Surely you must accept, given the simplicity of the device, that some will make their own, especially if the gold was thin on the ground in their case. Your response makes me wonder what you are afraid of, nobody mentioned making them to sell.

To rubbish trashdigger’s version was childish, and I think counter to your interests in the long run.

The "greedy bugger" who made his own hipstick
Grey

Hi All
I will get a hip stick as it’s a good idea and good product and I know only too well how the shoulder feels after a good workout swinging a large coil all day.
I have no problem with anyone making something up for themselves as its called choice, everything invented has for thousands of years been copied and improved and developed further and copyrights have been introduced to protect the original inventor and thus prevent others from financially making gains from their hard work and investment.
I agree with both sides of view here and don’t think JP or the manufacturer have any thing to worry about as their product is well priced and good quality and it seems no one on here is suggesting or offering any copied items for sale or profit.
We all have our reasons to detect and prospect for gold and its great to be able to communicate with others with a common interest on this forum but it spoils it for all when issues start to get personal and clouded with conflict.
I have purchased JP s video’s and had advice form him here and he is a valuable contributor but I think he takes things to heart and is being provoked too much.
I for one would like things to settle a bit on here and get back to what I’m sure this forem was intended to be.

Regards Mark

Just to keep things in perspective, I took exception to the original remarks made by trashdigger (who is probably a decent person BTW) about the suggestion that the Hipstick is a rip off and that you can build one for 5 times less than the purchase price

trashdigger wrote:
....... Saves buying one for 5 times the cost of making one.
cheers - trashdigger

If he wants to make his own then be my guest as it is a free world and that is what this forum is all about, so don't for a second think I have a problem with DIY'rs because I don't, just the inferrance that I am a rip off.

Thinned skinned maybe, but I suffer this sort of crap all the time because unfortunately the market is only small, at least show some respect to the people who go out on a limb and bring you these things, going by Chris Porters (no relation BTW) re-action he also has been on the receiving end of this type of thing.

JP

detectoraid wrote:
BTW trashdigger your copy sux!! whats with the metal clips? well thought out..... NOT.........

Yes, isn't it great? I'm glad you like it. It's very strong too. The clips are stainless steel even. They clamp down the nylon braided strapping that the carabiners run through.

Were you suggesting there'ssomething wrong with metal? And don't give me any tripe about tiny bits of metal being within 5ft of the coil will affect its sensitivity etc

I still fail to see where Mr. Porter says I said the commercial hipstick is a rip-off? It's a conclusion he's jumped to that I simply didn't say.

My comments are related to the outcome that I built mine for 1/5th the cost of buying one. FACT. I'm not obligated to put money in Mr Porter's pocket just because he posts on this forum

You will never stop people making things. I built a rather nice bird table once. So by the same argument should I have bought one from the garden centre instead for 4 times the price?

cheers - trashdigger

Don't worry JP, in this world there have always been and there will always be people who try to copy other people's ideas, because they are unable to produce their own ideas.
But I think that people like this do nothing but free advertise your product that is the first and remains the original.
I have bought mine at $ 65 and I haven't regretted it once.
Thank you
Cheers
Giancarlo

Well I guess it takes all types! But, Just a quick thought! If half of the time that was spent writing all the various comments on this topic were to have been spent out in the field swinging a detector. I wonder just how much yellow stuff could heve been found?

The other thing that comes to mind is that, if everyone just accepted the first model of something that was made or produced. We would all still be driving around in the T model Ford. Modification and improvement is what has allowed us to progress a little bit through the ages so that we now use detectors instead of a willow tree wand.

I agree with Goldquest Any publicity is good publicity, and I'll think JD you will find your sales go through the roof this month! This is the pro's and con's of the internet.
Most DIY people wouldn't bother on a product under 100 bucks. Chin up man.
Cheers Chris.

The self-congratulatory attitude of someone bragging about copying another person's invention
and then excusing it by saying they saved a few bucks, is laughable.
As though figuring out a cheaper way to make something gives them some sort of legitimacy,
where in reality it shows a level of stingyness that goes far deeper than simply saving a few bucks.


Flak

I want to buy a hipstick but after reading all this stuff i'm to scared to in case someone comes in the night and burns my house down.Seriously chaps how good is the hipstick,i have 2 crook hips and so suffer a lot of pain when detecting and it really cuts down on the time i would like to spend in the bush,would a hipstick help me?
If it would help me would someone please tell me where i can safely purchase one.
briggo