Minelab Fan Says Shame, Shame, Shame

[Norvic]

KL & Fred, you both forget worlds best gold detector by far, it tis I tell you for sure.

[fredmason]

Norvic...since this thread is about things that should have never been, or at least remedied; I didnot want to go into what has always been. That would be a first rate detector whenever the Minelab LOGO is on it...

I won't part with my gpz or ctx until Steve assures me the Perfect Detector has finally been born!

[Norvic]

Yeah your right Fred, depends on ones perspective, the SDC should have had batteries with a bigger + terminal, and the Z should have had all those thingos that KL refers to plus for me a GPS with a mapping screen that is not proprietary. But for me I`d rather see them spend that dough positively, instead of upgrading current tech, on research so as their next gold machine is the worlds best also, because that is what the Z and the SDC are, as their PIs were.

I have no doubt they listen to our gripes but they also have to stay financially viable, a balancing act I hope they are successful at for many years more.

[Steve Herschbach]

My perspective is if fault exists in anything it is because the competition allows it. Minelab gets considerable leeway in the way they build and deliver things and what they charge simply because the competition does not step up and address the areas of concern. Garrett wanted to get in the game with a machine that could not match the sheer power of the GPX. The only sensible thing to do would be to target Minelabs two biggest weaknesses - ergonomics and price. They got the price right with the ATX but the one area where they could have really shined they failed on. I am still convinced a lightweight ATX would have found a ready market, especially before the SDC came out.

No PI at all from First Texas as they fill the planet with low price detectors.

Whites has the TDI but each version is less powerful - how does that advance the competition?

The CTX faces the old analog CZ from First Texas which has the basic technology but no update to lighter weight digital. No multi frequency at all from Garrett. White's has the V3i which is a good machine but needs a total housing/interface makeover.

The bottom line is we can grumble about Minelab but also be thankful at least that they are pushing cutting edge technology. They could have quit with the GP Extreme and Explorer models and still be the technology leaders - that is how far behind everyone else has gotten. All the more amazing when you consider that the BBS and MPS patents have expired - that is how long it has been!

I love competition and would look anyone at Minelab right in the eye and tell them I would love to see a competitor put real heat on them from a technological standpoint. So far that is not happening, so whose fault is that?

[Norvic]

Fault, dunno whether it is anyone's fault, the 4Ms certainly portray customer grumbles, but think you nailed it re. ML would still be the leaders with the Extreme & Explorers plus say the CTX. Maybe not a big enough market for the rest to get up to speed, or is it that ML have the best in personnel that the others just can`t or don`t wish to match, just content to keep refining the cheaper VLF, which seem to have a good market. ML tried with the GoFinds but that doesn`t appear to be the go as yet.

 Whatever tis good for me that ML keep lifting the gold detector performance benchmark.

The gold detector market doesn`t seem to be driven like say the 4WD market, suspect that is because of size. All the various brands of consumer 4WDs seem to be so much the same, that tis boring. PCs, cameras etc etc but not MLs products, never boring.

[klunker]

Post script;

 I am astounded at the internal performance of the 7000. This level of technology in a common sense package is what should have been.

[Norvic]

Yeah, got you there KL also from your past posts, tis certainly a major jump in tech. Guess ML rely a bit on users to sort out the shortcomings, the SDCs supplied batteries a prime example. I didn`t try them in mine, got a set of Accucells from Nenad, they work a treat.