4 Best Gold Pans for Beginners! (To Start on the Right Foot)


best gold pan for beginners

Are you gold panning beginners? If that is the case, then welcome to this hobby and to my site J

I know you are probably looking for a gold pan that would be adapted for you!  That’s great because you are in the right place …

… Indeed, in this very short post I breakdown 4 of my favorite pans for beginners!

1. Garrett Gold Pan (Standard Model)

This model (Check it Here at Amazon) is one of the best gold pans for beginners! The kit includes everything you need to start on the right track.

Some of its main features include:

  • 14-inch gold trap pain
  • 14-inch sifter or classifier
  • 10-inch backpacker pan
  • Gold Guzzler bottle
  • 2 Gold vials
  • Tweezers/magnifier

It also comes with a field guide written by Charles Garrett and Roy Lagal, titled How to Find Gold. For beginners, this serves a great purpose as you can take away some pretty handy tips from this guide.

There are, in fact, two pans included in this starter kit, which is especially helpful for beginners who are just learning how to get the hang of gold panning.

The pan is also made of thick and durable plastic, ensuring that the whole kit remains lightweight.

The classifier also fits most five-gallon buckets to help beginners get rid of any larger unwanted sediments or debris.

Pros Cons
Lightweight The holes could have been a bit smaller
Easy to Transport Magnifying glass included could have been better
Durable

2. SE 11-Piece Prospecting Kit by SC

This gold pan kit (Check it Here at Amazon) is also ideal for beginners to gold prospecting. This slightly higher price range is because it comes with three pans, as well as two classifiers, making the life of a beginner prospector so much easier.

The different sized classifiers make it easier for beginners to sort through even the smaller materials.

There are many other extras that are included in this kit, such as:

  • 14-inch Gold Pan
  • 10-inch Gold Pan
  • 8-inch Gold Pan
  • ½-inch Classifier
  • ⅛-inch Classifier
  • 12-inch Scoop
  • 2 Plastic Vials
  • Snuffer Bottle
  • Loupe
  • Tweezers/Magnifier
Pros Cons
Durability Support lines of the classifiers sometimes end up trapping rocks between the plastic and the screen
Also adapted for experienced prospectors
Include several option

3. Minelab PRO-Gold Gold Planning Kit

The Minelab PRO-Gold Gold Planning Kit (Check it Here at Amazon) is also another decent choice.

In contrast to the standard green-colored pan, this pan comes in a vibrant blue color that helps you sport gold at first glance itself. The pans are also well-designed and feature both the large and smaller mini riffles for finding fine gold.

The kit is designed in a smart manner and allows each of the components to neatly fit inside each other itself, making it easy to transport and store.

The gold pan kit comes with:

  • 15-inch dual riffle pan
  • 10-inch single riffle pan
  • iron-separator magnet
  • Classifier with hex mesh
  • micro-gold storage vials
  • Gold transfer pipette
  • Double loupe magnifier (3x and 5x)
  • Iron separator magnet
  • Panning instruction booklet
  • Convertible carry bag
Pros Cons
The single riffle 10-inch pan is ideal for beginners and children to learn the basics of gold panning The smaller sized 10-inch pan does not have small riffles
The vibrant blue color makes even the small gold specks visible The gold transfer pipette is not very useful
Easy to pack away and store
Includes an iron-separator magnet as well

4. Fisher Hardrock Gold Prospecting Kit

Priced at a higher price point than the others (Check Its Current Price Here at Amazon) on this list, but if you prefer buying all the things you will need for gold panning at one go, then this is the best option to go for.

It includes many other tools that prospectors should have. It may be more than you need when you are a beginner, but as you become serious about the hobby and serious about finding gold, then this is an excellent kit.

As with the other gold pan kits, this one contains two gold pans (in red color), a classifier, tweezers, snuffer bottle, magnifying glass, and vials to put your gold in.

The additional tools that are included with the Fisher Hardrock Gold Prospecting Kit are a treasure scoop, a rock pick, black sand magnet, and crevicing tool. It also comes with a simple drawstring backpack to store everything.

These extras will make a big difference in how much gold you recover as only by using specialized tools like these will you be able to recover the most gold possible.

Final Thoughts …

Hope this article has given you enough information and the necessary confidence to pick your first gold pan or kit to start …

… I highly invite you to start as much as possible!

I am sure you will enjoy it, and say, why I didn’t start that earlier?

Carissa Harmer

Carissa is the huge metal detecting enthusiast that loves collecting coins. She is also highly interested in other treasure hunting activities like magnet fishing and gold prospecting/panning.

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