Rating Minelab & Their Higher End Gold Detectors - Long Read

[Jonathan Porter 3,911]

I’ve owned a lot of detectors over the years, Whites Vsat, Garret Infinium, Gold Bug II, Nokta etc etc and have used a lot of the others. But in Australia I can make a good living with ML machines and every machine that has come out has easily paid for itself as well as paid me to use it. 

The ML machines I did not like over the years was the GPX 4000 because it lacked SETA, its only saving grace was the Sensitive Smoothing timings in noisy ground, the GP extreme and GP 3000 because of their too fast ground tracking (in homogeneous soils they could track out a deep target before you even heard it) and the XT 18000 which did not do a very good job of the 60Khz and 20 was not much better, the XT 17000 was a far far better VLF and I used that professionally for a number of years.

For me I feel I’ve been waiting my whole career for ZVT. In its current guise, even with the weight, I feel the GPZ could happily see me through to retirement. Now that there are more coil choices, and yes I include the X coils in this because if I was full time detecting I would definitely be using them as a tool to increase my chances because the risk is of little consequence when looking at the bigger picture from my personal perspective (this includes the price of the detectors as I have 2 or more GPZ’s for redundancy and backup anyway).

The 6000 would definitely be part of my arsenal of equipment just based on the material that has been officially released, but then double down on that because of what I know.💲🥰😇 With a high gold price and plenty of opportunities to target areas I’ve collated over the years it will be a very good bread a new butter machine as I get older or for frequenting the more mountainous Terrain. 

For me Minelab and there continuation of investing money into R&D is a little like having a really good retirement fund, it gives me a feeling of security in the future because I know I will never be broke. I cast my mind back on what it was like 10 years ago and look at what I can easily do today, to get bored with the ease of pinging a piece of gold in flogged ground speaks volumes for how far technology has come.

JP

 

[Gerry in Idaho 5,044]

5 minutes ago, Jonathan Porter said:

 

The 6000 would definitely be part of my arsenal of equipment just based on the material that has been officially released, but then double down on that because of what I know.💲🥰😇

JP

 

Very well said JP and I like that you mentioned "in my ground" as the soils across the world differ and many of the older detectors and technologies were better suited for 1 or the other.  It now seems a select few newer detectors will be able to do a pretty good job in most areas, soils and conditions.

Thanks for taking the time to chime in and give us more food for thought. - knowledge 

I'm so excited  for the GPX-6000 because of this you said:

"The 6000 would definitely be part of my arsenal of equipment just based on the material that has been officially released, but then double down on that because of what I know.💲🥰😇"

[Gerry in Idaho 5,044]

On 2/18/2021 at 1:56 PM, Norvic said:

Elaborate on that one please Gerry, I feel it is because of the ground you work and your technique in working that ground, for me that statement would apply in the early VLF days before the PIs because the gold was just laying around but today the Z it`s depth on sub grammers and ozers but that`s in my backyard.

Norvic, I posted a new thread, as I felt there was education for others who may have missed this.  If it did not answer your question let me know.

[geof_junk 1,867]

JP did you use a XT 15000, it was the worst top line detector at it times ( It was over the top in HYPE at the time as well). I agree with your view of all other Minelab detector.

[Jonathan Porter 3,911]

1 hour ago, geof_junk said:

JP did you use a XT 15000, it was the worst top line detector at it times ( It was over the top in HYPE at the time as well). I agree with your view of all other Minelab detector.

Do you mean the GS 15000?

GS 15000 Owners manual

 My first machine was the GT16000 which I bought in 1987 the year I turned 20. 😎

GT 16000 Owners manual

 

[Aureous 241]

I owned 3 GS15000's (std, hipmount and a 16khz version) and all found me gold. The 16khz one was the best for me. Traded it in when the Eureka Ace became available. I also had a GT16000, then a FT16000. The 'good old days'

[geof_junk 1,867]

2 hours ago, Jonathan Porter said:

Do you mean the GS 15000?

GS 15000 Owners manual

 My first machine was the GT16000 which I bought in 1987 the year I turned 20. 😎

That's the one, I did start to take notice of the GT1600 at that time. You make me feel old now all my kids were in Tertiary Schools back then. 🤣