QUOTE (rubinscube @ Jul 17 2010, 01:43 PM)
what is the gold recovery difference of a power sluice and a high-banker? does one recover gold less than the other?
That's kinda like asking... What works better, a sluice - or a sluice?
Both 'highbanker' and 'power sluice' feed material into a sluice. Sluice is the beginning of the recovery process, it traps the gold.
By "power sluice"... I'm assuming that you're referring to a suction-type (floating) river or stream dredge. This is the type of unit I use. It limits me to prospecting for stream placers since an underwater suction tube feeds the sluice.
A highbanker has a hopper feed and requires a person to shovel dry or wet dirt into the hopper, which feeds a sluice.
A "highbanker combo" can be operated with a hopper OR suction feed. Both feeds normally require a substantial water source.
All will yield similar "recovery" results since they all operate on the same principal of gold catching (sluice).
It depends more on what type of prospecting you will be doing and what type of material you are feeding the system to make an educated decision on which type of machine will suit you best and recover the most gold.