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GPZ 7000 Too Much For A Beginner?


DXBDave

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As a total newbie, the more I read the more confused I become. I was leaning towards a 2300 as a first machine to use when I move back to AZ. But I was looking at the 4500 and 5000 as the price where I am are all within 100 bucks of each other. Makes for a tough choice........BUT then I keep reading about the GPZ and the size and depth increases it affords and I think that is the machine I will ultimately want anyway. I am new to the detecting(read zero experience since the 80's), but not to prospecting. Would I be getting over my head going straight to the GPZ?  I am not talking about the price as much as I want to know if as a first piece of equipment is it too much? Do I need to work my way up the ranks before I get the big dog? I do not want to buy and then sell a 2300 or a 5000 or both only to arrive at the 7000 as an end game machine anyway. So if I bite the bullet and skip the retirement watch..... I defer to the experts.

 

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dxb;

if you are sure that hunting gold with a detector will suit you...go straight to the top!

I caution that not everyone drywashing or dredging will love the hunt with a detector...a goldbug (or equal) might give you that knowledge without spending  6K or more...

fred

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The learning curve for the 2300 is practically negligible.  Before the 7000 I sold my GPX machine and used the 2300 nearly everyday for a year. I love that machine and if they ever find a way to add a bigger aftermarket coil I would use it again in a heartbeat.  The 7000 is an awesome machine, but it has its quirks.  It's noisy and loves ferrous trash.  I've used the 7000 as much as 40 hrs a week and I'm still learning its language.   If money is no object and you expect to prospect 20 or 30 hrs a week in decent gold producing ground, then get the 7000.  If you want to dabble in detecting you'll much more likely to find small gold with the 2300. 

If you're near Yuma look me up and you can run both machines and experience the difference. 

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dxb,

I think Fred is right again.  METAL DETECTING is not for everyone.

You have to enjoy a bit of a walkabout while at the same time paying some attention to geologic details so that you can get lucky.  There can be long hours between finds that make you wonder why you are doing this metal detecting thing at all.  You have to remain positive and THAT is the reason the 7000 might be the first detector you buy.

Show up at a couple of gold club meetings or gold shops and use a detector a few hours first.  Most shops will have something you can use for a day for under a hundred bucks.  Go out with them BEFORE you buy the 7000 and if possible go to the dealer who will sell you a 7000.

Those of us who own a 7000 know we are finding gold we could not find with any other detector.  That is what keeps us positive now for several reasons.

One reason is that we can go to previously worked gold patches and still find gold that has been missed.  We all need rewards to keep us going back.

A second reason is that it is an easy detector to use.  Most of us used other detectors before the 7000 and we think that the machine out of the box will find gold with the best of our GPX, GB Pro and any other PI detector's settings.  (We can then push it a little harder.)

The third reason is that you don't want to go behind a good 7000 user with any other detector (other than a 2300 for small stuff) than another 7000.  What I'm saying is that a 7000 doesn't find everything and you have to grid an area completely but once done it would probably be better to look in another location/patch if the ground has not been moved.

You said you have prospected and price is not a problem.  Get a 7000 with a warranty because there have been some issues that have required Minelab to replace the units.

Mitchel

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34 minutes ago, Condor said:

The learning curve for the 2300 is practically negligible.  Before the 7000 I sold my GPX machine and used the 2300 nearly everyday for a year. I love that machine and if they ever find a way to add a bigger aftermarket coil I would use it again in a heartbeat.  The 7000 is an awesome machine, but it has its quirks.  It's noisy and loves ferrous trash.  I've used the 7000 as much as 40 hrs a week and I'm still learning its language.   If money is no object and you expect to prospect 20 or 30 hrs a week in decent gold producing ground, then get the 7000.  If you want to dabble in detecting you'll much more likely to find small gold with the 2300. 

If you're near Yuma look me up and you can run both machines and experience the difference. 

Condor, Thank you for the offer to look you up. I really appreciate the offer and will take you up on it. Won't be back in the USA before November, but I will stay in contact. You pretty much pegged it, I intend to spend my time full time out dirt fishing. I will be retired but not looking to become a golf addict. If I spend 6 hours wandering in the desert I want to be swinging a coil not a club....I digress. Its not that money is no object as much as I want bang for the buck. And if I invest serious money I tend to take it serious. If my wildest plans come true I intend to spend 8 months a year working the deserts of AZ and in the summer feeding the mosquitoes in AK. Again, my sincere appreciation at your generous offer.

Dave

 

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DXB...I had a similiar dilema a few years ago...I was new to detecting but decided to buy the GPX 5000 (the best at the time).  I don't regret doing that-but maybe I was lucky because I had never detected- but I love it.  I took the classes which came with the detector which helped immensely.  Without classes, I would have really struggled.

If you think you will like detecting, than I would buy the best (the 7000) but get some help on how to use it , or you may end up frustrated feeling like you wasted your money- although I think it is easier to operate than the 5000.  Maybe I think that way because I have more experience now.  

I also bought the SDC a year after the 5000.  I really like that machine also- it is lighter, and easier to use- both physically and it's simplicity.  

I think one way to look at this decision- if you have the money and believe that you will like the hobby than get the best.  That's the path I took.  I didn't want to be walking past gold with a "dated" detector.  I feel that I probably found more gold for that reason.  If you have trouble knowing how to operate the detector- you will walk past gold regardless.  Worst case scenario, if you don't like the hobby- than you sell the machine.  Of course you won't get what you paid for it, but at least you gave it 100 percent.  Just my thoughts.

Eric

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I think you will eventually end up with at least two detectors anyway so go ahead and get the 7000. Then you can worry about which vlf best suites your other needs...

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This is not a cheap hobby and spending all that money on a GPZ 7000 just to find out you don't like metal detecting can be a tough pill to swallow. 

In the past your choices might have been buy a Gold Bug Pro first, use that for awhile and see if you like the hobby then upgrade to a GPX. That's what I did several years ago. 

But honestly these days I would recommend getting an SDC 2300 first then get a GPZ 7000 just to give yourself the best chance at finding gold. 

I say this from experience because I never found anything with my GBP or GPX but I did with my SDC and GPZ. But this can really vary depending on the user. 

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There is an excellent article in the ICMJ titled Nuggets and Pickers. The author relates his path to nugget hunting and has some great tips for beginners...reading this type of article is yet another way to learn what one needs to know.

A subscription with internet access is a little over 30 bucks. That will give you access to the archives; years and years of reading and lessons!

fred

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In my opinion master all the basics such as panning, drywashing, dredging,  and hard rock mining.  Once you have found a pound from each of those activities buy your detector.  In my opinion detecting is the hardest to be successful at. 95% of detectorists never find a nugget . People skip the basics and because they do this they just guess and hope for luck.  Experience is the best teacher.  Good luck 

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