Garrett GMT 24K Gold Nugget Detector

[kac]

Good news in general that the Whites line wasn't bought up just to lock patents down from competition. The fact that they are further developing and merging products is really promising especially for machines down the road.

I'm betting Z-Link will be one of the additions too.

[Monte]

It's a continuation of good news.  The first was when White's brought out the MX-7 to provide consumers with a land-based MX-Sport, in a lighter-weight package and especially with the rear-positioned ¼" Headphone Jack.👍

Then they used that very good physical package to bring us the 24K, and personally I was fond of the Bengal Orange MX-7 and also the desert-tan color of the 24K.   Of everything they acquired from White's, the 24K and then the MX-7 would be the two models I would think they could concentrate on, especially the 24K to have a very good higher-frequency dedicated Gold Nugget Hunting device.

I would like to see the MS-3 Z-Lynk headphones adapted to it, and I agree with Jell in favoring the Garrett rod design over what White's offered.  Use the same Garrett grip as found on the AT's and Apex devices, and maybe address the VDI read-out and Discrimination circuity to make it a more versatile or flexible-use detector.

Just random thoughts until we see what the folks at Garrett came up with.❓❓

Monte

[Steve Herschbach]

All I can say is I really like the MX5/7 etc physical design, with exception that pod could be smaller. Just be careful messing with the rod. It’s great in my opinion, with as good a chance of screwing it up as making it better. Add Z-Lynk would be the biggie, and send all Whites Ni-cads to the recycler. NiMH or Li-Ion only please, but always with the AA option. That’s a big selling point for people who really are working prospectors. Sometimes you are remote and AAs are less hassle. The 24K is one of the dwindling number of gold nugget LF machines that offer standard batteries as an option, and I’ll fight for that as long as I can in at least a few machines. 24K is best of both works with the pip in battery pack.

[Monte]

9 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

All I can say is I really like the MX5 / 7 etc physical design, with exception that pod could be smaller.

Add Z-Lynk would be the biggie, and send all Whites Ni-cads to the recycler. NiMH or Li-Ion only please, but always with the AA option.

Steve, I agree on both of these points.  As soon as the MX-5 was introduced I snapped one up quickly, attached the 6½" Concentric coil, and took it out Coin & Jewelry Hunting.  At the time I was using my MXT Pro as my primary detector and had an M-6 for tote-around urban hunting.  I liked the feel and balance and performance of the MX-5 so much that it became my main-use tool for that task  and I sold the M-6.

I wish it would have had a Tracking or Track-Lock function, but most of all I didn't like the side-positioned headphone jack on the control housing.  When they fixed all the glitches in the MX Sport and then made the move to package it in a lighter-weight land-based package as the MX-7, I was very pleased.  They redesigned the battery housing under the arm-cup to have the ¼" headphone jack in the proper location.👍  I like a lot of the newer circuitry design of the MX-7, but it didn't totally over-shadow the way the MX-5 performed.

Then the other two things I really like are the option of using quality Alkaline AA's or good NiMH rechargeable batteries.  Like you, I hope they keep that concept rather than go fully Lithium rechargeable.   And finally, while I do enjoy my wired Killer B 'Hornet' and 'Wasp' headphones,I've become a bit spoiled now using wireless headphones as I have 3 Garrett Apex units, each with their own set of Z-Lynk MX-3's and the AT Pro Pointer to use with them.

I used to enjoy some Electronic Prospecting, as it was called early-on in the mid to late '70s and on into the early '80s.  After injuring my back when I worked at Compass Electronics that started to impact my mobility to handle tougher terrain as it worsened in '91 and when I started using a cane in early '93, Nugget Hunting was just about over.   If I could still enjoy it, the 24K would be in my arsenal.

Monte

[☠ Cipher]

At some point it would seem Garrett would have to figure out whether or how long to keep the Whites name alive. Steve is right about the awkward sounding double brand should they go that route. In some ways it’s a difficult decision. 

If it were me I’d want to keep the name alive separately out of sentimentality, but how do you do that when your main brand is Garrett, and Whites clearly has some superior products in many opinions. Whites cannot be a Cadillac brand in Garrett’s own house. Yet, you have the bullseye TRX with an inch and a half range over the Carrot (marketing genius kept it out front in sales). You have the MX Sport/MX7 with readily apparent depth and speed over the AT series (the AT series being far better marketed and more user friendly however). These are of course just my opinions, but the sentiment is also widely shared. 

The 24K and GMX are a whole different product from a Garrett offering. The V3i and VX3 are unlikely to be continued but if they were there’s nothing on the Garrett side like them. For me and many users the color screen and spectrograph make them what they are, superior discriminators. 

If I were Garrett and wished to keep the whites name alive I would probably have to divide the kind of machines each brand puts out. Whites would become children’s hobby, VLF gold, two box, and low end pulse line. Garret would be hobby detectors, pinpointers, and high end pulse. Gotta keep that TRX under some brand though. It’s too damn good and foolish not to with their marketing skills.

Any way you look at it keeping the name presents issues. Either an awkward sounding double name, two separate brands with some outclassing your main product line in performance though not sales currently, dumping those superior products, or shifting them over to the Garrett branding (which will upset some whites guys even if it keeps the machines alive. How many is anyone’s guess, but you can see it coming). I think Whites ought to stand as it’s own brand if they are going to keep it and it would work to add “with Z-link by Garrett” or even “a Garrett Product.” Even develop some “Whites” technologies to stamp on some garret machines, e.g. “with Whites spectra-vision.” There’s ways of keeping them alive without sounding silly I think.  

[EL NINO77]

I would like Garrett to do, what Whites was supposed to do ..- continue to produce and improve only the best and most successful Whites detectors..and the GoldMaster 24 K is one of them ...👍

And the resumption of the production of the Goldmaster 24k is an excellent step from Garrett, which gives us an idea ... what else can be done in the future ...

[gravityrules]

Since no one else has mentioned this and thinking about the manufacturing of the machine, what about re-packaging the GMT 24K electronics into the Apex+ form factor?  Of course pickup up Z-lynk, field upgrade capability, battery system, maybe even the display.  Garrett GMT 24K inspired by Whites.  Could do the same thing with the MX7, but not sure where that would fit in the product portfolio.  Plastic color could be that of the original Whites designs.  Use Garrett coil designs?  I expect Garrett could sell profitably at a lower price point than the original Whites designs if they so desired.

 

[Erik Oostra]

 

On 5/4/2021 at 2:22 AM, Steve Herschbach said:

ditch the White’s moniker entirely, but they paid money for the name and want to leverage it

 

On 5/4/2021 at 2:22 AM, Steve Herschbach said:

Avoid the Nokta/Makro effect and keep it simple. Product name should roll off the tongue, not be a mouthful.

How about GarWhit and NokMak? Those names just ooze of the tongue..  

[EL NINO77]

2 hours ago, gravityrules said:

Since no one else has mentioned this and thinking about the manufacturing of the machine, what about re-packaging the GMT 24K electronics into the Apex+ form factor?  Of course pickup up Z-lynk, field upgrade capability, battery system, maybe even the display.  Garrett GMT 24K inspired by Whites.  Could do the same thing with the MX7, but not sure where that would fit in the product portfolio.  Plastic color could be that of the original Whites designs.  Use Garrett coil designs?  I expect Garrett could sell profitably at a lower price point than the original Whites designs if they so desired.

 

.... I also take this possibility into account .... the detector electronics can be reworked to the size of Apex / or the waterproof version of Apex Pro .. let's be surprised ..

[phrunt]

It appears given time Garrett are showing signs they're in for the fight, a Garrett 24k powered by Whites technology can only be a good thing.  I'm looking forward to this one and just hope they don't stuff it up.  If they just release a Garrett branded 24k with some minor changes it won't make much difference in the world, most people who wanted a 24k already have one except me, and it didn't seem that was all that many people either.

They should easily be able to make a Gold Monster killer with this release and Garrett is more accessible worldwide than White's ever was.  They just need to throw everything they've got at this one, put all of the best features they can think of into it, wireless audio forget their Z-Lynk as good as it maybe, go standard Bluebooth low latency, don't box yourself in... Minelab learnt that already with their WM* Wireless audio now they've moved onto Bluetooth like everyone should, back light, real target ID, including all the best 24k features, a range of coils including concentric in all the popular prospecting sizes... anything they can do to make it very noticeably better....

If they've heard people on forums or Facebook saying they want something and it makes sense to give it, do it, they need to make something that makes everyone stand up and take notice not another mediocre detector,  make a big bold statement.  Even if they make very little on it, this one is them showing they're up for the challenge and gaining respect from the wider prospecting community.  If they can do that it can only benefit their future detector sales worldwide outside of their fan base. 

Take note of Nokta, feature packed high build quality detectors based off rather basic designs..... And people go for it.

I want to buy it already just thinking about it.

PS.  Don't forget Language selection including African and Arabic.