Turbopan information and questions

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I have a Turbo Pan and have never used it yet.
It sits in the same bag as my Garrett pans and it will get a work out along with my MacKirk Sluice in the Vic High Country after the winter....... I thought it'd be tailor made for 'loaming' - watch for the review.

Casper
 
I watched a youtube with a woman using a large pan, no riffles, and fast ho boy... not for the inexperienced methinks.
Pan sellers beware...
 
1376644250_turbopan-kim.jpg


For those who don't know Kim Hillier, could you tell us a little about yourself.
Kim - I'm a geologist and prospector with 30 years experience looking for gold both for myself and for mining companies. I live in the bush near Mareeba in Far North Queensland, totally off the grid. Well not totally - 3G broadband but at least my own power and water. I love nature and look after it.

As the designer of the Turbopan, what was your inspiration?
Kim - I wanted to make a gold pan that was simple to use, was very fast, got all the gold all the time and produced consistent results. Putting a sluice in a pan would do that I thought. The first prototype was hand made from fibreglass in 2001. It's a salad bowl now.

What does the Turbopan have over the more traditional style gold pans?
Kim - Ha ha ha. See above! It simple to use, very fast and gets all the gold all the time. I believe I have nailed it!

For anyone considering switching to a Turbopan, what would you say to them?
Kim - The initial shaking to saturate the dirt and get the gold to the bottom is similar to a traditional pan but the swirling ensures the gold is definitely on the bottom and then to eject the waste is a new technique that requires a little practice to get used to it. The final clean up of concentrates is the same as a traditional pan although the gold is in the center of the pan rather than edge. Once the dirt is totally saturated it takes only a couple of seconds for the gold to be on the bottom of the pan and into the central bowl.

If you could sum up the Turbopan in just a few words, what would it be?
Kim - Fast, efficient, simple to use. Sluice in a pan!

For more information about the Turbopan including instructional videos, please visit http://www.turbopan.com/
 
We would love to hear from anyone who's used a Turbopan, lets get a discussion going about these.
 
Whilst i was up in Stuart town i met up with a bloke who had just bought one but wasn't having much luck with it and asked if he could try out my super sluice pan, naturally i said only if i can have a crack at your turbo lol. I gotta say i was impressed., its not THAT much faster on small gold but it certainly is simpler- provided you use it correctly- the owner was being incredibly gentle with the panning process and was thus taking way to long to process material.

The best advice i could give anyone in relation to these pans is watch a few YouTube instructional videos before hitting the creek with it (thus how iknew how to use it ;) ) and get yourself a clean up pan if going after small/fine gold as gettin the last of it separated in the turbo pan is a pain in the proverbial :p
 
Although I'm only leaning to pan, I have the turbo pan and to me I see its benefit in being used to quickly classifying course material down.. I then find it easier to than go to a smaller pan to pan-out, especially if I'm in an area of fine gold.

Just don't be to gentle in the panning action.
 
I bought one when I attended the Gold Panning Championships in Mareeba a couple of weeks ago. Met up wth Kim as he was attending the event doing demos of his pan, I had a bit of a chat and about ten minutes of one on one with him showing me the finer points on the use of the Turbo pan, it sure does pick up the fine gold as well as the +mm pieces. Have not had a chance to put my skills into practice but that will change soon I hope.

The trick with it when you are down to the last cup of material is to treat it like a normal pan,but use the center well as the bottom ridge, with practice nothing will escape as the pan has about ten riffles between the center and the side wall, then about another 6 or 7 more up the side you pan out...

Great concept in the right hands does amazing things, takes about 2 minutes to work a full pan down to cons... practice practice practice...

Cheers, Tone
 
Edit to the above, Went out today and used this in the field for the first time, check my post in Alluvial Prospecting Tread for details, this thing works! Results on day one, hour one, with a bit more practice on clean outs, this will be the new go to pan for me!

Cheers, Tone
 
We have just brought a "standard" pan & hubby has just started learning the process & finding gold with it. I have seen the turbo pans & would like to get one & learn with that one first, but hubby thinks it might be too hard for me to get the hang of & maybe I should start off with the "standard" one. I think if you are going to learn something you may as well learn with something that is going to be more efficient in the long run. Any thoughts on this?
 
I have two of them and they are my mainstay pans.

Cannot recommend them more as I just do a lot of volume and don't lose anything. FAST, FAST, FAST...

1382000014_turbopan_results.jpg
 
There will be a smaller version coming out in the next month or so, 20cm diameter, great for hiking into the back blocks.. if you look up Kim Turbopan on youtube you will see the new model in use.. looks to work the same, just smaller.

Cheers, Tone
 
I have a Turbopan. Took it with me on my recent trip.
Was very fast to reduce from a full pan to just the fine stuff.
Hoping someone with more experience can show me how to use it correctly at the Nundle gathering.
 
Hi Kim and All

Thank you Kim. You made a simply Awesome gold pan.

I use a turbo pan daily and it seriously rocks. I have my own technique now and can pan down a full pan in under a min to nothing but gold and a speck or two of larger black sands. Way better than anything i have ever used before, I rarely miss any gold in it at all from micro flour to nuggets. The shallow design means i can work in shallow water and that is a blessing in many creeks. Thank you..

Design if i may. When i first used it i would have liked the Riffles on the lip to have been an inch or two towards the right. I was constantly readjusting the load. not a fault, just ergonomics.

Have a fantastic day and thank you again.

Kindest Regards
Phillip
 
Gday all. Received my Mini Turbo Pan today :D . The sides are on a shallower angle than the original. Less effort to get the dirt out. There is an extra riffle at the join on the bottom and side and the riffle section is wider.
It is ten inches diameter. Same as the small Garret.
Going for a test soon. I will let you know it goes

1394437684_img_20140310_054550.jpg


Cheers, Tone
 
At detecta den today I noticed they had the new 10 inch turbopan.
Quiet frankly just looking at it it looks rather useless. When I use the full size I sometimes have trouble towards the end if the area is very rich with iron stone and black sand. I couldnt imagine the difficulty I would have with the little one.
But before I talk to much about it without trying it im interested to hear if anyone has some reviews of their own.
Cheers Greg
 

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