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Help Me Decide, GPX 6000 Or GPZ 7000?


Which is best for me, GPX 6000 or GPZ 7000:  

14 members have voted

  1. 1. Which is best for me, GPX 6000 or GPZ 7000:

    • 6000 kit. Plus the 17" mono.
      9
    • 7000 kit. Plus the 19" and probably NF12.
      5


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3 hours ago, Aureous said:

Potential expected gold size is important...the 7000 pulls away from the 6000 (in the depth match) when multi-gram or multi-ounce sized gold could be anticipated. Because this isn't a major factor for you AND narrow coils are a must when working rocky, river oriented terrain (which the 7000 lacks), then once again, the 6000 wins the contest.

In our area, we're primarily looking at multi-gram. I shared on the previous page, but primarily .3g to 5g.

Multi ounce is the rare exception, I wish it was the norm. 🙂

And as shared, the river has been heavily worked over. I'm not working there. I'm getting off the beaten path hunting for older previous deposits. Of which, sometimes there is lots of overburden and covering materials. Or trying to detect/punch into a hillside, or hydro cannoned bank.

I do apologize for the longer replies. I realize it makes it more work to pick through, and see what I'm saying. Sorry. Thank you for the help you've provided thus far. It is very much appreciated.

 

2 hours ago, geof_junk said:

Depth, sensitivity, weight are not the major factor to consider, it is gold yield. Depth and sensitivity depends on size of gold being found. Note the old rule of thumb is that to double the depth you need 64 times more amplification ( therefor battery uses is massively increased) To a small degree depth can be increased by having a larger coil ( depth cuts out at the meter/yard mark...Doubling the coil size will not double the depth maybe 20% increase).

So yield is your goal ..... Find the size and depth for the area you will detect and set your self up with a detector that will allow you to do the 8 yours ( or the time you detect for) that is comfortable, allows full concentration the whole time.

From the feed back you have got and the selection you have asked for GPX-6000 or GPZ-7000 the best, is in favour of the 6000. If you make the wrong choice with the 6000 I am sure the ounce or two to swap would be found soon, providing your location is worth doing for returns (not fun) in no time.   

This post is a light bulb moment. Thank you! 👍

I wasn't aware of the 64x rule, but it makes sense. I'm aware of inverse square (and use it a lot). Makes total sense now.  Thanks for sharing 🙂  The light went on.

This really helps me understand the relation with size and energy. Its very helpful. Thank you. I'm starting to understand.

All day comfort makes sense. As does gold yield. Although this isn't just a financial equation for me. I also want to have fun, it's a hobby. And I enjoy the hunt, and like the idea of a little larger pieces. Even if it's less yield when I do. I like variety in my days and weeks. I think thats part of the reason I wanted a well rounded machine, and why I was so intent on trying to understand the overall picture.

As I shared above, I am now favouring the idea of a new 6000. Then I can see what happens with large coil releases (for those times I want to try that hunt), and/or get a dedicated used machine for this. I didn't even think of the idea of a trade, but that makes sense too. 

Thanks again.

 

2 hours ago, jasong said:

Depth isn't as important as you might be thinking it is. If you are in mostly undetected country, then most of the gold within reach of a 7000 is also still within reach of a 6000. The two are separated in terms of inches, or less depending on the coils and nuggets. 

What is most important at your experience level is learning to find good gold first, and the 6000 is built for that type of exploration. In steep, vegetated terrain, the GPZ is very difficult to use. And the 19" coil isn't a whole lot deeper, but is a whole lot heavier. It's the last coil I'd ever consider using up in the mountains, in fact I'd never use it for anything personally. Also: in highly uneven mountainous terrain, or working cuts and steeps, the bungee/harness doesn't help much at all.

The 6000 is purpose built for working steeps, finding patches, and general exploration. The 7000 is built for getting another few inches depth in patches you've already found, or other known ground where you suspect the gold is hiding inches beyond what the 6000 can hear. 

In glacial terrain the depth of the detector isn't nearly as important as learning to find shallower ground. Glaciers leave gold so chaotically distributed that prospecting skill is far more valuable than having the best detector, and IMO the 6000 is the best detector by far to explore with and develop such a skillset.

"Separated in terms of inches". That is very helpful. I wasn't sure if the Z would be punching 20-40% deeper.

In terms of terrain, I think I've tried to paint a good picture now. The really terrain really varies. I agree about the 19" in the steep areas. I was looking at it for flatter and easier areas, where the extra depth would be nice.

Thanks for your explanation/summary of the 6000 and 7000, that's really helpful. It is not just the answers I want, I really like having the understanding, the reason behind the answer.  This really helps, thanks.

In terms of the glacial stuff. I'm trying to work around it. Shallower ground is what I'm after. I'm trying to high grade. Do things the old timers couldn't do. Detect the areas they opened up with hydraulic cannons. Hunt the hillsides they couldn't detect. Try to find shallow bedrock where it gets near the surface, etc. Plus find the places modern prospectors haven't worked too hard, or better yet, virgin ground. This is the reason I was wondering so much about depth. Your explanations are really helpful here. Thank you!

I just want to fully wrap my mind around things. 🙂  It's both a blessing and a curse.

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Nick:

The 6000 recently surprised Reg Wilson and myself with its astonishing depth capability on a range of gold sizes (in moderately mineralised ground) here in Victoria, Australia. Story here:

https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/18718-reg-wilson-scores-a-deep-colour/

While the 7000 running X Coil concentric coils has a clear advantage with overall depth, The 6000 would have to be the winner due to its light weight and convenience, especially for us older prospectors. 

 

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5 hours ago, jasong said:

What is most important at your experience level is learning to find good gold first, and the 6000 is built for that type of exploration. In steep, vegetated terrain, the GPZ is very difficult to use. And the 19" coil isn't a whole lot deeper, but is a whole lot heavier. It's the last coil I'd ever consider using up in the mountains, in fact I'd never use it for anything personally. Also: in highly uneven mountainous terrain, or working cuts and steeps, the bungee/harness doesn't help much at all.

Nick: jasong's comments are absolutely spot on. To some of your questions: I recommend the 6000 for you since IMHO it makes the best sense in your circumstances. The 7000/stock coil is best used in open flat terrains, like the desert. You can go to smaller coil sizes but this would require either the purchase of the NF-Zsearch 12 inch coil (the only ML approved coil for the 7000), or some more invasive after-market modifications to use X-coils. Please read the extensive discussions that we had about X-coils on this forum (if you have the stomach and a few weeks uninterrupted reading time.......) and form your own opinion about it. The GPZ 14 inch stock coil is heavy and will not be of great use in uneven terrain. I say this because it is really important to match the right detector (and coil size) to the right terrain. If you mismatch detector and grounds you will miss gold! I am in the fortunate position of having three out of four major ML detectors in my fleet (SDC-yes I still Iike it Phrunt, 6000, 7000) and I can tell you that the 6000 will produce the most gold in many areas that I am hunting in. There also seems to be a misconception that the 6000 is somehow inferior in it's technology to the 7000. This is absolutely not true. Both detectors are fantastic choices but have somewhat different scope and utilize different technologies for their particular design. Please note that many experienced detectorists (including myself) have switched their to-go detector from the 7000 to the 6000 and there are many reasons why we are doing it. So, it's not that the 6000 is some sort of a "beginner's machine" that is only recommended for learning. The 6000 has much broader all-round capabilities than the 7000/stock coil and will produce more gold in many circumstances. But aside that, don't also underestimate how important it will be for you to learn using a PI detector coming from VLF. You need to master your detector and detecting techniques in all aspects to be productive, and the 6000 will be a much better choice for that. Regarding depth, the 6000 has significant depth capabilities that will be more than enough for most situations (see also post from jrbeatty above). Thus far, I mostly use the 11 inch coil and the 17 inch only for covering more ground (i.e. shallow gold in the desert). But the 17 inch coil is not adding a significant depth advantage over the 11 inch coil IMO. So, I hope this is helping you a bit. One option for you to consider would be to buy the 6000 now, use/learn the machine and the proper detecting techniques, and then if you like trade it in for the new GPZ release. But by that time I can almost guarantee you will love the 6000 and never wanting it to give away.

GC

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4 hours ago, Nickw said:

f you find the posts about larger coils coming for the GPX6, please let me know.

It wasn’t so much a quote about the size of the coils that were coming, more about the performance when larger coils do appear.  This is from JP in the ‘Africa’ thread:

“Other than coil choice the 6000 punches just as deep as the 5000 on large gold, when more coils come online (thanks to Coiltek) then coil choice will no longer be an issue.”  

I have put in bold the bit I find interesting 😉

 

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As mentioned previously, a 4500 or 5000 could be a great option, the price for a used one or even new 5000 is a less expensive investment and many more coil options than any of the other detectors. It is heaver than the 6 but less than the 7. Good luck with which ever detector you choose. 

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Hi Everyone,

Thank you again for the replies and helping. Hence forth I'll try and keep things simple by replying in one post. I realize now replying to everyone just plugged up the thread, plus I ended up repeating myself. Which makes it harder/worse for everyone. My apologies. 

First to share, In trying to learn more about coils, I came across a thread. I wish it had read this thread, before starting this one! 

https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/529-big-coil-for-gpx-5000

The entire thread is worth reading, but I'll pull a few pieces of relevant info over.

From Steve:

Quote

Remember that depth is more closely related to coil width than length. What you are talking about is 14" coils that are stretched out. They gain a smidgen of depth over a 14" round coil but not much. What you are really gaining is ground coverage and often covering ground is the name of the game.

From Jonathan Porter:

Quote

Coverage and depth are often confused/mixed in together when discussing larger coils....

My all time favourite coils sizes are 14" round in tight hard to work places like gullies and washes, 17" elliptical NF for general prospecting chores, 18" round for the general deeper ground and 20" to 25" round for those super deep places that are not too big an area but specifically suitable for careful detecting chasing a lump at depth.

This all makes great sense, and the understanding is hugely helpful. 

Seems like the 11' round and 17x13 might be an ideal primary combo for me. 17x13 will help me cover the large areas faster, with a hair of depth. The 11" in the more wooded areas and steep slopes. I can add a smaller elliptical when I get into tight quarters.

As for outright depth, hopefully Minelab does release (or allow) a larger depth focused coil. From what JP shared, maybe a 18 or 20" round would be a good all around compromise for everyone? It would help me with what I'm searching for (pun intended). 😉 
 

To reply to people:
 

@phrunt said:

12 hours ago, phrunt said:

I think it doesn't matter which one you buy, you'll always wonder if the other one would have been better.  That's at least how my brain works 🙂

Isn't that the truth! My brain works the same way. Which is why I try to preempt it with reading, and trying to develop a more solid understanding before I buy.  I've decided I really like the idea of the 6000 now, and waiting to see what comes down the pipe, there are several ways I could go after. No local agents, I'm ordering blind, thus all the reading and questions. Thanks.

@geof_junk Thank you. I found this very helpful. I wish I had discovered these threads before I launched this long post. I could have saved everyone some trouble.

@jrbeatty Thank you for sharing. I'll dive in and read the thread. Based on a quick scan, that nugget looks lovely. I wish we got things like that around here. Age wise, I'm somewhere in the middle. Hmmm, I think this means mid life. 

@Gold Catcher  Thanks for sharing. I wasn't thinking the 6000 was a beginners machine or inferior tech, as much as 7000 can favour more advanced users who can understand its nuances. I'm game for the benefits I read about with the 6000. I just needed to better understand how coil design and size related to depth. Quite frankly, I wrongly assumed it was the 17" over the 11" was giving depth, where as Steve shares above its the width. So 11 vs 13, not much more, but a little. I'll grab glass of scotch and jump into the x-coil thread. I am going to buy a 6000, use it, learn it, enjoy it. Then wait and sees what else comes down the pipe. Thank you for taking the time to respond. 

@Northeast Gotcha. thanks for clarifying. It is all making more sense to me now.

@MSC I may yet consider an older GPX with large search coil, just for those area where I want to punch really deep. In the meantime, I'll also wait and see what else is released. Thank you, I think I will very much enjoy a 6000.

 

Thanks again everyone,
Nick

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