Schonstedt over the other brands.

Oldest in the market?

Name familiarity?

Service?

I think your question already assumes they are the best, may or may not be true.

Schonstedt is the 1st brand I ever used in 1979 and until maybe the last 10-15 years the other brands kind of came and went, I think there are probably several brands that stack up pretty well or maybe even better these days, BUT it is hard to gain traction in a market dominated by one brand for so long.

SHG

I used Schonstedt for years, then switched over to a subsurface. My immediate impression was that the Subsurface did not "pin-point" the rod as well as Schonstedt, with the ultra-high-pitch tone directly over the rod. It was more like a higher pitch in the general area of the rod, but no real "pin point". In addition, the Subsurface was completely useless near a metal fence or metal util. cover, where I have had some luck getting that ultra-high-pitch near the rod in those situations with a schonstedt. About a year ago I got a new shconstedt and I'm personally convinced it's just better.

That is my empirical and non-scientific analysis.

I agree.

I've read all kinds of things about other brands being better, but it never seems that way when I use them.

I've worked at companies that went cheap and bought CST, and other places that had a thing for Subsurface - but I bought my own Schonstedt years ago, and have never regretted it.

The only other pin-finder I've ever used other than a Schonstedt was made by the "Aqua Survey Co.". ...

Schonstedts have them beat by miles. Probably won't ever use anything else.

Sorry to disagree and not just because I own several, but CST is one good locator.

Used Schonstedt for most of my career, but the last 10 years I have had CST in the tool box.

Just seems to work better for me.

Randy

To each his own

I have 5 Schonstedts and a 1 SubSurface and my next locator will be another SubSurface. I have had the SubSurface for probably 15 years and it has been to the shop once. Don't get me wrong, we still use all 5 of the Schonstedts in our work, but the SubSurface is our "Go To" locator when the going gets tough. But like they say - whatever works best for you is what you need to stick with.

I've had one Schonstedt almost 30yrs and it was serviced a year ago. The other one is exactly like it with the 4 C cells.

If you like yours now, try it with headphones and you will be amazed.

B-)

anyone tried...

a regular metal detector like you see the old men at the beach or the school grounds using? been thinking about getting one for surveying and to hang out w/ the old men. 😉

anyone tried...

OK for the beach, BUT do you really want to dig up all the non ferrous objects when looking for a survey marker? That is why a magnetic locator is better for surveying and the general population could care less, they want to find treasure, gold and coins!

SHG

My experience is the opposite.

Subsurface is a better locator than Schoenstedt every day of the week.

Most of my experience has been with Schonstedt, and I have been generally pleased with its performance and durability. In recent years, I've been using a GA-92 XTd. It's pretty handy, compact, but doesn't have the sensitivity that the larger GA-52Cx has.

I recently purchased a CST MagnaTrak locator for an associate - and upon receipt, tried it out, and was pretty impressed by its sensitivity. The audio output was much easier to hear. But, side by side with a GA-52Cx, I couldn't tell you which is better.

I have no experience with the Sub Surface.

anyone tried...

Dad made me search for coins on weekends when I was a kid with a Whites 6000di. He had two of them.

Only surveying use I've ever found for them is looking for brass capped WPA monuments without rebar. Kinda weak even for that. Maybe detects them +/- eight inches deep.

As for the work horses, mag locators, I really like to have a digital readout. Once I'm on a pin I can turn down the sensitivity to a consistent position. Then I know by looking at the numbers about how deep the object is.

I really really HATE having to replace or switch pin finders once I'm 'on' to one. Makes a huge difference in productivity.

Steve

> I am curious, I have been asked what makes a Schonstedt magnetic locator better that the other brands on the market?:-S

I have always used a Schonstedt.

I admit the the GA52CX is a butt ugly locater... that square box on the end...awkward to hold...Steve Jobs shoulda designed the ergonomics of this one as it has great utility ... especially after you have gained experience with the tone of its sounds on different objects at different depths with different gain.

I guess others complained about the design as well of the GA52CX because they came out with the GA72CD, still butt ugly and awkward to carry if you are handling other surveying implements...It works fine but one thing really cool about it is the color of the militarized version the GA-72Cd-ML

Now the GA92XT is just bad ass ... it collapses and gets tucked in your pack and when you need it you just reach back and whip it out like Antonio Banderas in the Mask off Zorro. .. Plus ... if you find yourself surveying in the Korean demilitarized zone you can also use it to look for bombs.

When working near traffic, you can point the 92 at oncoming cars and make them slow down. They think it's a radar gun.

James

I cant compare. so I shouldnt really be posting to this tread, but here goes anyway.

I have used only one locator in my career, bought a Schonstedt new 23 years ago, changed batteries 3 or 4 times; used it upto this morning.

Schonstedt has pretty much been the gold standard for a reason. That classic audio pitch response is just so distinct—when you're passing over a deep pin or PK nail, the jump in frequency is super clear compared to some of the digital screens on other brands that lag or get washed out in direct sunlight.
Their build quality is practically bombproof, too. You can toss a GA-52Cx in the back of the truck for years and it just keeps working. Some of the newer locators have nice features, but for raw reliability and hearing that clean pitch shift right over iron, it’s tough to beat a Schonstedt.

If you ever need to analyze or test the audio frequency response from field recordings, something like pitchlama.com can be handy for tweaking pitch and tone, but out in the field, the locator's built-in audio is all you need.

Holy thread necro batman.

I will just add that I bought a Subsurface for myself a few years ago and I like it.  I used Schonstedts almost entirely before that and I got tired of the dumb shape of the thing which makes it awkward to hold, and it seemed to be exceptionally useless around any sort of metal fence.

I got the chance to use that Chrisnik Hound Dog locator a few times and it actually worked really well.  I would like to demo one for a while so I could compare it to the Subsurface, but I don't see that happening anytime soon or most likely ever.

SubSurface was created by engineers that left Schonstedt if I remember correctly.

I agree about the shape of the Schonstedt. Her are a few docs on using near fence and general directions.

I've had a CST Berger in my truck for 20 years and it works just fine for me. I liked the Schonstedts too when I used them, but I don't see lots of difference between them and CST--talking old models here, no fancy LED stuff 😉