Development of the Golden Sniffer hand dredge started about 10 years ago by using an old style aquarium gravel vacuum to suck up the gold bearing sediments sitting on bedrock. The squeeze bulb on the end generated enough suction to allow fine gold to be drawn into the hose being used. 
    Obviously since this works, something more powerful would be nice. The search was on.....  
   Tried canoe bilge pumps, gasoline siphon pumps, barrel siphon pumps, made mini power jets and tried to get suction using 12 volt bilge pumps. Constructed extra large sniffer bottles, but it was always one problem or another, like suction, clearance, volume, bulkiness, rigidity etc. I needed vacuum and I found it.
   After refining the operation, field testing started. Impressive results, there isn't anything else like it this side of a gasoline powered suction dredge.
    Pictured here at the East Fork San Gabriel March 2009, the Golden Sniffer Model 625 in the development phase. After all of the shovelling is done, it's an absolute must to have a good sand pumping hand dredge with which to extract the gold from where it has come to rest on the bedrock. The Model 625 is all about suction, the faster you pull the handle the more suction you get without any syringe style piston skippage.