Mini Pocket Sluice Showdown! Which One Will Claim Victory? 

Scott! My man! I think you’re absolutely correct on that. Thinking back on this “experiment” now, I didn’t do any of them justice, but since then, I found the perfect pocket sluice that would annihilate any of those contenders. The dream may pocket sluice reigns king when it comes to that size of a sluice. Thanks for the comment and support! Super appreciate it :)

Haha! You won the internet comments for the day! But yea, I guess they’d work ok under slower conditions with very minimal material. Thanks again!

@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser *smiling jeremiah johnson meme*

Indeed they are Tim! However the pocket sluice by dream mat is far superior and I’d put that one against these other little guys any day of the week. It’s a great little Pocket Sluice! Thanks for the comment and support my friend! Good Luck out there 😎

Good luck my friend! I think you’ll do great, but if you want to get more serious, there’s much better equipment out there. I put a video out a few months ago stating my favorite beginner tools that any prospector would be happy with. You should check it out and see if anything catches your fancy! Thanks again for the comment and support!

@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser I bought more serious equipment too! I just got the mini to hang from my rear view mirror. It was cute. Thanks

@patfromamboy lol! I love it! It is a neat little sluice. Definitely pocket sized!

Exactly, but I can see their specific use. If I took more time and was more careful, each one would of performed well. Just hard to use :)

Very welcome! I have more in the works that I’m excited about. 😎

What’s going on TroubledOne! I think you’re right, actually I know you’re right, but we sent it anyway, lol. I found a way better product then those anyway, so it’s all good. Appreciate the support and comment my friend! I hope you have a wonderful holiday season :)

​@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser What was the better product? I'm looking for my 1st

@TruthSeekingAlways truth Seeking! Thanks for coming by and the question. Honestly, I would recommend any of those. There is a better product out there if you really want a smaller testing sluice. It’s a sluice made by Dream Mat and it’s called their Mini Pocket Sluice. You can find is at prospectorsdream.com. It should be under their sluice tab or just type in Pocket sluice and you’ll see it. It retails for $13 ish dollars, but if you use my discount code of JC$5 at checkout, you’ll save $5 bucks so it’s really inexpensive. Now this little sluice works but ideally, you can’t rain much material through it. If you wanted to upgrade a bit, the 4x16 adventure sluice is a sure bet. You can put more material in it, but like I said, it really depends what you have in mind. I hope this helps you and the bottom line is to just have fun out there while finding gold. There’s nothing better in my opinion :)

Hey Michael! Yea totally agree my friend. I wanted to put one of my smaller pans at the outlet but a) I was lazy :) and b) I didn’t think it would fit. Fortunately I know where it is and it’ll be easy to get. Just beyond where the tailings went there’s a bowl in the creek where I know it’s sitting. Plus it’s a 30 second walk from my front door so it’s all good. Thanks for the comment. I’ll be doing exactly what you said above with my next project. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Until next time…

I’ve only heard of the backpacker and never saw one “in real life” I’ve only heard good things about it though.

Hey Kyle! No I did not, I just ripped them out of the package and went with it. So yea, I failed the test even before I started it. I’m sure it works good, but I’d never use any of them. The little one that dream may makes is probably the best but like you said, it needs the same treatment. Really appreciate the comment and support my friend :) Heavy pans brother!

Greetings Albert! Hey thanks for the comment my friend. Really thankful for a community like this to tell me what I did right/wrong and to let me know of tips for next time. Really do appreciate it. Those little guys are hard to use but totally understand there are things we should do and don’t. I have some more things in store so stay tuned my Catalonian friend :)

Hey dude! Yea pan is way more effective… I mean they work, especially the sluice fox, but man, what a pain and you can’t run much through it. But… I guess they all have there uses, right? Lol.

@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser The "noname" one could be good for home cleaning, with 2 bucks 5V pump from china, I made such thing out of plastic bottle and a piece of 3mm V rubber mate. Ran some tailings, some micro gold was still in it... :-)

@@frantiseklaluch6605 yea I think the no name one actually wasn’t bad. And if you had some really concentrated cons with said pump you describe it would work great. Especially at home with the tailings going in a tote so you don’t lose gold.

Hey North Folk! I appreciate you stopping by and leaving a comment. Yea i think you're right. I learned a lot since then about using such small sluices. The only one I'd recommend at this point is the Dream Mat Pocket Sluice. The small ones are just so hard to use and you really need to have perfect conditions. Yea I guess they'd work in a pinch, but it just seems like a pan would work so much better with that little of material. I'll try my best next time if I showcase something similar and give it its due worthiness. Thanks again for the support and I appreciate your time. Hopefully I'll see you soon on some others videos. Stoney

@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser what about the sluice fox that caught the most gold in the video was that any good or just a lot more work than the dream mat? I am looking to get a mini sluice to run packaged paydirt through I know a pan would be just as easy or easier but I want to use a sluice so the kids can see how they work

Hey sorry this is late… never got notified… that little one that I deemed the “winner” did work well. Only missed a few pieces and it acts like the traditional sluice which would be fun for the kiddos if you want them experiencing tearing it down and such like the bigger ones. So the dream mat pocket sluice from what I hear is the best. I have not personally used one, but I do have a larger model and it catches everything. So that would be good to get… maybe a bit more spendy. Oh and the only real problem is that you have to use a spoon to feed these. Anything more and it would just be too difficult. Did you check out my part 2 diy sluice from a gutter splashblock? Honestly I’d save yourself the money and grab one of those. It worked really good and the video isn’t too long to get you started.. super easy! Well I hope I answered your questions and if you have anymore, don’t hesitate to ask my friend! Thanks again for stopping by and supporting my channel. Really appreciate it!

@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser thanks I will check out the video you suggested!

Hey Notsee Mike! Yea that could be right. Honestly I think I botched the test but the results I got I stand by. I’d still chose the winner I declared, but having used the dream may pocket sluice, that sluice blows any of these out of the water and I’d only use that sluice if I was forced to use “pocket” sluices. As for the test, I really tried to control it in the field as best as possible. I found gold using a trusted source of mine, then ran those concentrates through each sluice (minus what I lost into the creek). But yea, you’re absolutely right and I appreciate the observation. I thought about doing another video and scrapping this one, but never got around to it. Save your money, don’t buy any of these 3 and go with the dream mat. Trust me. It’s an incredible sluice with hydraulic fluid engineering in the design. Thanks again Notsee Mike! Super appreciate the comment and support :)

Appreciate you GS Prospecting! Just saw your channel and I love it. Time to dive in! Talk to you soon my friend 😎 Oh, and good luck to you in reaching 1,000 subscribers! That’s huge!

Love it Timothy! Yes you are completely correct! Even Dream Mat themselves came in and let me know the goof! I honestly didn’t even know about dream mat when I did this video. I think I was only trying to do small, under 20 bucks, and from Amazon (something like that). However I have a dream mat now and I absolutely love it. I just did a video on that a month or so ago. Thanks again for dropping by and leaving a comment my friend!!! I caught the WAVE! 🌊

I love this comment! You bring up some fascinating points. I’ve wondered this as well. It’s amazing how much gold there really is, but as you said… can we see it? I’d love to figure out a way to make gold recovery simpler and faster! Especially for the average prospector out there. I have some ideas in my head to make processes more efficient, I just need to put pen to paper. I’m really intrigued with the active process of prospecting. Meaning while on the water. Anyone can bring home concentrates, run it through a machine and recover gold. I’m more interested in how to do it on the spot as effectively as back at base camp. A lot of the gold I find is tiny and loaded with black sand. The process of separating sands from gold in the field is tedious. That’s where I’ll be focusing in the future. Anyhow, I rambled but I really appreciate your comment. It’s definitely got me thinking. Thanks for coming by and supporting my channel. I hope you can enjoy what I have to offer. I have a lot of plans this summer to go bigger and hone my skills.

@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser I am currently gathering parts and pieces for a small scale machine that may just be part of the answer you're looking for as well. I posted a description of what I hope works out in the future. The concept...I have done this Take a magnet and a washer and place the washer on a digital scale. Take note of the weight. Then lower a magnet over the washer on that scale, but not so low/close that the magnet captures the washer. At some point above the washer the magnet will begin to reduce its' weight dramatically. Theoretically you could reduce its' weight with the magnet before the washer is captured to 'almost' zero. The same result can be achieved with a magnet and magnetic black sands. A continuous magnetic field can be achievable the length of sluice box (This is needed) with flexible sign magnets in sheets. Overlapping if needed. If weight of sand is reduced by magnetic attraction, so the flow of water and grade of box needed is reduced accordingly. So much for Magnetite. Now what about the Hematite and blond sands? A simple vibrating machine attached to sluice box much as a dry washer used in deserts does agitate the Hematite and blond sands so a combination of the 'much' reduced flow of water in conjunction with the collision of the moving Magnetite will make a clean sweep of all. Gold, having a specific gravity 3 times at least of black sands, should stay put in the riffles. Having tested magnets above Magnetic black sands and vibration of Hematite, those work as described, but be forewarned, I have not been able to use the machine yet in its' designed function... because all the water and dirt/sands I need for the field test is frozen in E Idaho. I can only surmise that the ultra fines of gold will survive the vibration (in place) in water, and not walk away down the box. I think they will, but it may take some fine tuning. I may be confident, but hoping that will grow exponentially after the first field test. This is a sample demonstration of what a vibrator can do to material. This is in a bowl, so material has nowhere to go, but in an open ended sluice box it will travel down the slightest grade as you can imagine. At minute 5:17 in video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lXknqxaYgPY.html I will power the vibrator with a small 12 volt battery and Rheostat to control the vibration. If the process seems slow, that IS the point, and the trade off may be little panning at the end of it all. EDIT: You know, I'm not all that sure the water is needed beyond achieving the difference of specific gravity for the sake of the gold at all, but I do intend to build the thing with the Vibrator, water, and magnets as I know that will work.

You and I must think a like! I am actually in the process “on paper” of doing something similar but with just magnets. I have a similar idea of suspending magnet above the sluice length wise down in hopes of capturing the black sands above the sluice may material. My only concern was how to get the sands off the magenta when I’m done running. I however never even thought of the vibrator concept. That’s very interesting. I’ll check out that video later on tonight and see what you’re talking about. Thanks for the info. I haven’t even started experimenting like you have but to me it sounds like a solid plan! I look forward to seeing your equipment in action. I’m actually hoping to have my own concept done here in a few months with just the magnet portion to see how it works. Black sands are the enemy and it’s been racking my brain for a while. That’s why when you said magnets I was happy to know that I wasn’t the only one that thought about it. Very cool my friend… very cool!

The idea is to 'not capture' any magnetite, but only to position a magnet 'Above' the Magnetite low enough for the magnet to affect the weight of it, by lowering it's weight (as it does) long before it captures it. There is a zone of influence involved that the magnet will never touch the sands, but you 'never' have to clean the magnet because no sand ever touches it. The water washes away the sand down the box because magnetic sands cease to have 90% of their weight because of the magnets zone of influence. The Hematite, in an agitated state, is washed away by the water and the moving Magnetite that all remain in close contact with the riffles. Nothing is EVER captured by the magnet...ever! Magnets alone will not move any of the Hematite. That was my worry when I considered using only magnets and water hoping they'd be enough to push the Hematite by themselves, but they will do so effectively when both the Magnetite and Hematite is agitated. BTW: I like the metal sluice with only the black riffles. I'm afraid the Miners Moss and expanded metal screen would defeat what I plan to do. A vibrator (12 Volt) added to the box will put all black sands into a migration down the box, but a combination of manets and the vibrator will allow you to lessen the grade of box and flow of water while letting gold settle out more effectively. Build your own vibrator as this 'Tumbler video' demonstrates ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lXknqxaYgPY.html

Ok… I gotcha know! That makes complete sense… make it lighter so it goes down and out! Dude you’re a certified genius! I really mean that. Well shoot I may test some things out then in the near future, but your ideas sound legit. I’m just hodgepodgin’ it! 🤣🤣🤣. Yea the black sluice may not work well with that and actually I’m thinking a regular sluice with riffles/miners moss may not work that well either. What about using a dream mat? That may be the hit ticket and a good combo. Keep the ideas flowing brother! You’re going to have a winner here soon that may change the world of prospecting!

Oh yea for sure Anthony. It being more “traditional” in my opinion is why it works the best. Thanks for checking it out and leaving a comment. I’m sure with better conditions and more research the others would of worked better as well 😎

@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser indeed, I know a lot of people don't like the carpet but I like it. But the little green rub one. Man one time I was at the creek using it . I saw a little nugget about the size of a m&m washed right out. Would mind making a bigger version of the one with the miners moss tho. Like a 2ft long maybe a foot wide. Would work like a charm

@@anthonyonthegold my heart would sink if that happened to me :) lol. I like my Keene a51. That’s what I use in most of my videos. Indeed it works like a charm!

@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser yeah I was shocked lol. I'm like wait what just happened 😂, I came back and sluice with the Keene but never was able to find it again. Did find a rice sized flake tho and a bunch of gem stones. You out in Washington ?

@@anthonyonthegold well hopefully one day you can find that nugget! Yea the Keene is tried and true. Now a fellow prospector from RU-vid is letting me borrow his dream mat, so I’m really stoked to try that out. I hear that’s the cats meow! And yup, out of Washington :) you in the PNW?

Let me know how it worked for you. I really don’t think I used it in proper conditions. I think I needed slower water flow and classify it better. I think those are more made for fine concentrates. I need to give them another shot. Not sure if I gave them a well deserved go. Thanks for the comment and checking out the video. I have new content coming soon which I hope you’ll stick around and enjoy. If not… I completely understand and just appreciate your time :) thanks my friend.

This is the proper set 🙂 upru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3KRzsc-stEE.html

That’s definitely possibility Grant. Thank you for the suggestion my friend! I hope you’re having a great weekend :)

Dream Mat!!! I know! I’m new at this! Another commenter raved about your product. I need to get one and give it a go. I’ve done a lot of research and I’m impressed! From what I see, yours is the “King”. I have to get me the Vortex! Thanks Dream Mat!

I have one of those I'm yet to try it out

It’s a great little sluice Kevin! Perfect for the backpack!

James Jenkins! What’s up my friend? Hey first off, I appreciate you taking the time to watch this, leaving a comment, supporting my channel and just being fantastic! As for my potential goof up, it’s possible and I have never claimed to be a smart man. That was a long time ago and I can’t remember what I did yesterday. I do know that several companies make the same style of sluice. That being said, nothing and I mean nothing beats the Dream Mat Pocket Sluice! This sluice hands down will beat any of these in a competition. I received one from the owner a few months back and have used it multiple times for quick prospecting trips. I only got skunked using it once because there wasn’t any gold where I was, but in other places it cleaned up shop! Totally worth the cost (super cheap)! Anyhow, again I really appreciate your comment and interest. I hope you find tucked in your future! Stay cool James!

Hey thanks Dave. Yea I probably messed it up but I had that green one in the slowest part of my creek. Will it work.. of course… will it capture all of the gold… I don’t believe so. Still fun to use and worth a shot. I’ve used the dream mat pocket sluice and by far, that one blows all three of these out of the water. Literally. It amazing, needs slower water though. Anyhow Dave, appreciate the comment and good luck out there finding that shiny! Super stoked you and your grandson can have fun prospecting together. I dream for the day I can take my two lovely nieces out! Take care and thanks again for the support Dave!

Thank you 😎

@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser اهل کجایی Whr r u from?

Pacific Northwest my friend.

Hey thanks Cruz NH. I’ll have to agree with you there on your statement. I agree I should of done better. I also believe if I was out in the field using these I’d take more time and do a better job. I don’t expect to catch all of the gold, but also would think I wouldn’t lose as much as I thought I did. I really want to try the Dream Mat Pocket Sluice. I heard some really good things about it and believe that would catch a lot of the gold. I’ll be getting one here soon, along with one of the bigger ones to try it out. Thanks for commenting my friend and checking out the video. Always appreciated 😎

True on every account. Definitely did not season the mat. And about the pan being at the end of the sluices for testing, yea I thought about that and should of got my smaller pan to catch the gold. Truth be told, it didn’t go that far. The stream at that point is very low and goes into a bowl. It’s probably sitting right there for me to go back and get it :) it’s right next to my house so I can dip in whenever. Let’s call it my rainy day gold :)

@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser just something to keep in mind as you are doing all the mini and even your "improvise" sleuths. clean up / minis want as slow as water as possible to trap as much as possible to you want the mearal working to get over the ruffles. at for the improvised you have to remember gold it hydrophobic so in new plastic and rubber to you want to use some sandpaper or something to ruff it up and give the gold a chance.

@@ramsessilent hey thanks Ramses! I value the information you are giving :) I will take all into consideration on my next outings. I do know setting up sluices can be somewhat difficult and it does take time. I have my Keene dialed in like a champ as well as my Bazooka. 100% gold recovery can never be accomplished but I know with the two stated above I’m getting most of it. Any suggestions on something else to try out? Something on a bigger scale like the Keene or Bazooka that works and is a bit different? Much appreciated!

@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser adventure dream mate sleuth loke 35$ little bigger. Amy thing from dream mate good prices.

@@ramsessilent nice! I’ll check that out. Thanks Ramses

Yea you’re probably right Cory. I really wish I had the dream mat pocket sluice in that test, because I know it would of kicked all of their butts. Appreciate you coming by Cory. I hope you have a great day.

😎

😂😂😂

My man Jimmy! This is an excellent question my friend. I can probably answer for most hobby prospectors out there. It’s a hobby for me and since I love being outside it’s a great excuse to get me out there and makes it that much more rewarding. Do most make good money? Meh. I know I don’t. I’ve spent more on equipment than I’ll ever find in gold. It’s fun though and I like the allure behind it. It’s something that’s primitive in nature and it’s a mystery where you’ll find it next. Also the possibility is always there where you can find the next “big one” and it’ll change your life. Now I have been to some spots where you can find grams a day if you work hard at it. I also know some people who can certainly make a modest living prospecting, but like I said, your average hobbyist Prospector is just doing it because they like to do it. If you want to make it a living then yes, like you said, get a good gold claim, some equip and make it happen…. But…. Then that’s work and you know how work goes… most hate it! Thanks again Jimmy for the question and support. I really appreciate it 😎👍

@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser I love work and never quit. I haven’t yet, but am going to get a cpl pans and a little Sluice and try it out. I’m around tons of rivers and creeks and also Lake Michigan. I was just curious if there were people who did it and were modestly living decently or if it was mainly fun and exciting which it look to me like it is! Thanks for the reply!! New sub!

That’s awesome Jimmy! I actually like my work as well. Especially now because I’m doing something a bit different with the company. And good luck out there. I’ve seen some good gold come out of there by others on this platform. Even on the beaches of the lakes. Check out flour gold wizard. He gets some good gold out of your area. Oh and thanks again for the sub. It’s appreciated and you’re always welcome to ask anything you want. I answer all of the time. Take care

Rory! I’m in Washington state! 3 tons!!! Dang, invest in a little Rock crusher and crush that ore. That sounds awesome!

@@StoneyCreekSparkchaserHello! I’m in Yacolt Washington. Is there any gold around here? I just started buying equipment because I wanted to try to find some. I don’t mind traveling some where to find it. Thanks

@patfromamboy hey what’s going on! Welcome to the channel and prospecting! So I just looked up where you are and you’re very close to the East Fork Lewis River which hold some of the best gold this side of the cascades. It’s small but it’s there. Now I cant tell you where to go on this river but if you do some research, you’ll find some great places!

@@StoneyCreekSparkchaser I live just a few minutes from the East Fork and a few more minutes to Gifford Pinchot National Forest. 1.3 million acres of forest near St. Helens. I’ll start looking there. Thanks!

@patfromamboy there’s a lot of great gold spots around where you live. Probably some of the best ground in the state. There are a few places up north and towards the east that are good spots as well. I’m sure you’re going to find some gold!