Most beginners choose L-rods and pendulums for their introductory work. The typical dowser will find these quite satisfactory. The notion is that you take a sample of that which you are trying to locate and place it in the dowsing tool. Others maintain that the key to successful divination is keeping a clear idea of your search target within your mind as you quest for the goal. The aurameter has some of the features of an L-rod and some of the features of a bobber.
Dowsers differ in their beliefs concerning the efficacy of the various devices.
There are some good articles on deviceless dowsing in the The American Dowser Be sure to follow your own intuition when choosing a dowsing tool. A device that may work well for one individual may not work well for another. Special Discount for dowsing and paranormal-related sites.