Garrett's New Gold Nugget Detector!!!

[Steve Herschbach]

18 minutes ago, strick said:

If that is the machine in the photo  it has a Carbon fiber shafts...and they have the coil wire externally nice and easy to change out....also would be nice if they had at least 3 sizes of coils to choose from. Small medium and large for instance...the photo shows a real hefty looking cam lock for the lower shaft...give us the choice of buying coils with lower shafts for easy change out. If the machine could compete with the competitors 5000 series that would be nice...tough to see in the photo but looks very interesting for sure. 

Strick

Yeah, the ATX had that darn telescoping rod attached to each and every accessory coil. More weight to pack around, and more cost, for extra shafts you probably did not need. Going to standard bolt on coils alone would dramatically lower the cost per coil, and make third party coils much more viable. Also, as nice as they look, I have never found internal coil cables to be worth it, unless a person is never swapping coils. Probably ok then, but a real pain if you swap coils like I do. On the ATX and some others, it also introduced cable wear issues not present with externally wound cables.

 

[tboykin]

I would like to see a good P.I. "wife detector" from Garrett. Not to detect a potential spouse, but something simple and with a rock solid threshold. Or maybe no threshold at all!

I let my wife use one of my detectors made by another brand that is notorious for having a ratty threshold and picks up any EMI within a 100 mile radius. Even at the expense of being less sensitive, stability and ease of use would make a new prospecting detector a good sell for some of the artisanal gold mining markets in Africa, Middle East, South America, and elsewhere. Or my wife. The biggest question I get with noobies is "why is it making that sound?" Something that is not only simple to operate but simple to hear targets, but also lightweight, with a price tag under $2500 would be perfect. 

I think trying to knock the other brand's hat off is not going to happen, so going for the legs and mid-section is a great tactic. It also may provide some downward price pressure if Garrett can release something that is solid and has a good value (which is what they are good at) versus aiming too high. Innovation takes time and I am rooting for Garrett to strike a good blow with this new machine.

[phrunt]

A few things to note, it obviously has wireless audio as if you look in the original picture the guy is wearing headphones with no cords, a good start there.

The cam locks look good, I doubt the shaft will be twisting.  The full carbon shaft is a nice touch.  The detector itself doesn't look heavy, he's not wearing any turkey strap harnesses.   I hope they've taken coils into consideration and come out with a small coil, mid size (in the photo) and a large coil right off from the release.  Aftermarket coils will certainly be an option with this detector, they're not going to chip it so that brings a lot of possibilities. 

I agree if they can make it have a nice stable threshold and good EMI handling and GPX 5000 or even QED like performance they're heading the right direction and I'd be wanting one.  It looks to have a nice size screen to adjust settings on, can't see what's going on under the arm cuff but whatever it is it can't be significantly large as I think it would be noticeable.  

The good thing is it's not long to wait to find out!!!!

[jasong]

I have a ton. 

• We all agree on light weight clearly, good to see full carbon fiber or composite carbon fiber shafts.
• I personally hope it has a speaker. Headphones to me are just one extra thing to pack and take up space, I can't use them in grizzly and rattlesnake country anyways. A lightweight PI lends itself to exploration, and doing real exploration is not really something to be using headphones for and keeping track of constantly anyways since most signals are plain and obvious as I am the first coil on the ground - they should be an extra for those who want them, not a requirement for use IMO. 
• Stable threshold also a major thing I'm looking for, and have been hoping for improvements in since I started gold detecting.
• I'd like to at least have an option for USB-C charging to catch up to the modern era and use the cables we have laying around already so forgetting a charger is never a problem.
• If the battery can't last more than 6-8 hours, a 2nd battery included would be nice.
• Rubberizing on the wear parts (control box feet, etc)
• You feel the weight of a detector more at the shaft/coil then the control box, so adding a few things like a speaker and rubberization on the control end is worth the extra 150 grams to me, as long as the coils and shafts are light.
• It'd be nice to use older GPX coils, but I'd like to see some newer coils made either by Garrett or one of the aftermarket manufacturers with attention to both performance and weight, modern high performance designs if the detector allows for such things. 10 grams saved on the coil end is worth 50 at the control box when it comes to swinging all day and RSI's.
• I press buttons with grubby, muddy, cold hands. Pay attention to interface (buttons, etc) quality and don't cut costs like Nokta did on the Fors Core with stuff that breaks instantly.
• Water resistant so I can use in rain/drizzle without worrying. Don't need water proof personally, especially if it makes coils lighter.
• Have whoever watches Facebook come pay attention to this forum and the things experienced prospectors are saying too, not just influencers. Communicate with your customers, address issues that come up, fix problems that might or might not appear instead of going radio silent. This stuff is huge to me.
• Quick turnaround for warranty repairs. At least a 2 year warranty minimum if it's a $2k detector. 
• And my black swan wish for any detector from any company: an API to customize the firmware or functionality of the machine. Let me create my own timings, button interfaces etc. Maybe even the ability to make custom programs to share with others online. But I'm not holding my breath on that one, I just have to mention it any time these threads show up, just because. 

[geof_junk]

Jasong you have taken the word out of my mouth, the  only thing left to say is ensure it does not pick up a nearby Garrett in action. Lets hope other manufactures take note of your requirements. 

[GotAU?]

4 hours ago, jasong said:

I have a ton. 

• We all agree on light weight clearly, good to see full carbon fiber or composite carbon fiber shafts.
• I personally hope it has a speaker. Headphones to me are just one extra thing to pack and take up space, I can't use them in grizzly and rattlesnake country anyways. A lightweight PI lends itself to exploration, and doing real exploration is not really something to be using headphones for and keeping track of constantly anyways since most signals are plain and obvious as I am the first coil on the ground - they should be an extra for those who want them, not a requirement for use IMO. 
• Stable threshold also a major thing I'm looking for, and have been hoping for improvements in since I started gold detecting.
• I'd like to at least have an option for USB-C charging to catch up to the modern era and use the cables we have laying around already so forgetting a charger is never a problem.
• If the battery can't last more than 6-8 hours, a 2nd battery included would be nice.
• Rubberizing on the wear parts (control box feet, etc)
• You feel the weight of a detector more at the shaft/coil then the control box, so adding a few things like a speaker and rubberization on the control end is worth the extra 150 grams to me, as long as the coils and shafts are light.
• It'd be nice to use older GPX coils, but I'd like to see some newer coils made either by Garrett or one of the aftermarket manufacturers with attention to both performance and weight, modern high performance designs if the detector allows for such things. 10 grams saved on the coil end is worth 50 at the control box when it comes to swinging all day and RSI's.
• I press buttons with grubby, muddy, cold hands. Pay attention to interface (buttons, etc) quality and don't cut costs like Nokta did on the Fors Core with stuff that breaks instantly.
• Water resistant so I can use in rain/drizzle without worrying. Don't need water proof personally, especially if it makes coils lighter.
• Have whoever watches Facebook come pay attention to this forum and the things experienced prospectors are saying too, not just influencers. Communicate with your customers, address issues that come up, fix problems that might or might not appear instead of going radio silent. This stuff is huge to me.
• Quick turnaround for warranty repairs. At least a 2 year warranty minimum if it's a $2k detector. 
• And my black swan wish for any detector from any company: an API to customize the firmware or functionality of the machine. Let me create my own timings, button interfaces etc. Maybe even the ability to make custom programs to share with others online. But I'm not holding my breath on that one, I just have to mention it any time these threads show up, just because. 

Add to Jason’s wish list: Common sized (non-proprietary) removable Lipo batteries.

 

[Jeff McClendon]

As long as it’s way more sensitive to smaller targets than the TDIs, much lighter than the ATX, less susceptible to EMI than the GPX 6000 and is relatively easy to setup and use……..I will be happy. 

[Joe D.]

    Wow, you guys have "created" the perfect gold detector!! I truly hope it comes close to everyone's wish list!!

   I'm rooting for a realistically priced gold machine from Garrett, with possibly a few surprises/ inovations, that allow for expansion into a new direction! Anything more would be icing on the cake!! Go Garrett!🍀🤞

   What can I say, I'm a simple man! My wife is still discovering just how much!!🤪👍👍

[Tony]

6 hours ago, tboykin said:

I would like to see a good P.I. "wife detector" from Garrett. Not to detect a potential spouse, but something simple and with a rock solid threshold. Or maybe no threshold at all!

I let my wife use one of my detectors made by another brand that is notorious for having a ratty threshold and picks up any EMI within a 100 mile radius. Even at the expense of being less sensitive, stability and ease of use would make a new prospecting detector a good sell for some of the artisanal gold mining markets in Africa, Middle East, South America, and elsewhere. Or my wife. The biggest question I get with noobies is "why is it making that sound?" Something that is not only simple to operate but simple to hear targets, but also lightweight, with a price tag under $2500 would be perfect. 

I think trying to knock the other brand's hat off is not going to happen, so going for the legs and mid-section is a great tactic. It also may provide some downward price pressure if Garrett can release something that is solid and has a good value (which is what they are good at) versus aiming too high. Innovation takes time and I am rooting for Garrett to strike a good blow with this new machine.

I don’t have a problem with a “wife detector” so long as it has an effective “noise cancel”…….🤔

[Tony]

I’ve got a good feeling about this soon to be released detector…..Garrett knows what we want in a simple, lightweight and affordable  PI detector…..that’s got a little punch. If they can deliver in these key areas (where Minelab choose not to) then they will reap the benefits.

The thing that concerns me is I suspect that Minelab may well have some prototype models that they can release to market if needed….. not necessarily high end but possibly similar to what Garrett may launch ??

I would love to know what Minelab has hidden away in their R&D vaults…….possibly models planned for release years in advance.