Whites GMX Sport Vs The Legend In Prospecting Mode

[Bohemia Miner]

1 hour ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Never used a Legend, so no comment. I would say that dedicated VLF being better than multipurpose VLF for nugget detecting is not really accurate anymore. Old school thinking. As far as waterproof, since the vast majority of nugget hunters do not need anything more than a rainproof detector, and that's what Garrett made. You seem to think it is not. Almost nobody detects for nuggets fully submerged, so fully submersible is simply not a requirement.

As far as people falling down in creeks with detectors... don't do that. I lived and detected in Alaska almost all my life, much of it in pouring rain, and while crossing and working in streams. Nothing like beaver dam crossings. I think I dipped a detector once, but let's say twice in case I forget one. Dry the thing out, get back to business.

Sometimes it takes a while for the lightbulb to go on, Steve.  With Minelab and Garrett in your Moniker, you probably wouldn’t be swinging a Legend. 

Yeah, that Specialty Detector mentality has been embedded in my brain since 1999. Old habits die, hard I suppose!

I know the 24K is Rainproof (Weatherproof).  I just figured if they were going to make an 18kHz “AT Gold”, then an AT higher frequency would make more sense.

As far as fully submersible, I wasn’t really looking for that.  As you mentioned, nobody hunts nuggets underwater.  I’ve crossed a creek with a detector two times.  The first, I stepped into a hole, and my “Farm” boot filled with water but the GMT stayed dry.  The second, I slipped on a rock and it went into the drink.  It was an AT Gold, so no damage. I brought it alone for just that reason.  I am not the most agile person on the planet, which is a nice way of saying, I’m kind of clumsy.  With me, there’s always a 50/50 chance, I’m going in!

As always, thanks for your input, Steve.  You are the backbone of this site and the Expert to which we all turn!

Walt

[Steve Herschbach]

48 minutes ago, Bohemia Miner said:

With Minelab and Garrett in your Moniker, you probably wouldn’t be swinging a Legend. 

I don't work for anyone, I work with some people, including Nokta/Makro. What I am currently using has nothing to do with anything. The main problem is the Legend is just too much like a detector I already have. I like my detectors to be wildly divergent in capability, to cover different bases. I have no need for detectors with severe amount of overlap. Bottom line is Legend was just too much like my Equinox for me to be interested - ironic, since they largely copied Equinox thinking that would get them sales. True, if I had neither, then I might end up with a Legend. But going from a Nox to a Legend would basically be a lateral move from my perspective. I thought the Deus 2 different enough to take a peek, but even that I wish I had passed on now.

[Bohemia Miner]

4 minutes ago, Steve Herschbach said:

I don't work for anyone, I work with some people, including Nokta/Makro. What I am currently using has nothing to do with anything. The main problem is the Legend is just too much like a detector I already have. I like my detectors to be wildly divergent in capability, to cover different bases. I have no need for detectors with severe amount of overlap. Bottom line is Legend was just too much like my Equinox for me to be interested - ironic, since they largely copied Equinox thinking that would get them sales. True, if I had neither, then I might end up with a Legend. But going from a Nox to a Legend would basically be a lateral move from my perspective. I thought the Deus 2 different enough to take a peek, but even that I wish I had passed on now.

I am really trying to embrace Nokta.  A dealer in Salem, Oregon allowed me to borrow his Simplex.  My first time out I found more Treasure than trash.  I was so impressed that I became a dealer.

They seem to have it in for that "other" company.  Their last two machines were almost identical copies, with one's namesake leaving nothing to the imagination as to which detector they were competing with.

I love the fact that they listen to their customers and make adjustments accordingly.

I suppose I could have just gone with my Demo Gold Kruzer but thought the GB capabilities of the GMX would have some sort of impact on success.

Thanks!

Walt

P.S.:  What you swing shouldn't really affect any of us, but your experience has led us to believe that maybe we should emulate our leader.  😁

[Steve Herschbach]

I'm flattered Walt, but I'm not very comfortable in the role of leader. I just use what works for me, but that does not mean they are best choices for anyone else. There are an amazing number of people who do just fine with Garrett Ace models, and you'd think they can't find anything if you were to go by forums. We are a rather elitist bunch at the end of the day.

Nokta/Makro were a breath of fresh air, and instrumental in bringing some real price competition to the market, that can only benefit all of us. The Legend is actually is a better VLF than anything made by any U.S. manufacturer at this time. Quite an achievement for a company nobody heard of until recently. As far as copy, form follows function, and it only makes sense to copy what people like. All companies follow trends and borrow ideas from one another. All I know if a person on a budget wants some serious bang for the buck, either a Simplex or a Legend would be a terrific place to start.

I do think the 24K/GMX is a great choice for a VLF nugget hunter. But honestly, if I had to let one of my listed detectors go, it would be first to hit the chopping block. The Equinox can hit gold almost as small, and in some other ways, like coil availability, is actually a better choice for prospecting. The only two detectors I really use much right now are the Axiom and Equinox. I won't let the DFX go just because it runs the Bigfoot coil, but I can go ages without actually using it. It's a park hunter, and I've not been very motivated to do any of that as of late.

[Bohemia Miner]

I asked Garrett why they made the 24K and not the GMX.  This was their response:

"Good day Walt .

Thank you for your inquiry . As I am not an engineer , I will tell you what I think is the reason . I will also forward your email to the engineering department for their evaluation . If they do respond , I will certainly pass it on to you .

When Garrett acquired Whites , Whites had just recently released the GM 24k and it had just started being used in Africa.  Garrett had a strong customer for that type of unit in the African gold fields where it isn`t as wet as where you are . There was no need for the huge expense in redesigning the unit to be waterproof at that time nor did time allow . It is my understanding that  Garrett was not interested in designing or redesigning new Whites units at that time. Instead they decided to just modify the 24K to their liking for the current African gold rush before its over. Now this is not to say that it couldn`t happen someday , but right now they are busy on numerous other projects. And as I`m sure you are aware , the coil on the Garrett 24K is totally submersible . Doesn`t help in the rain situation much but in the water`s edge and shallows its better than nothing ."

Thank you for understanding .

Best regards,

Rusty Curry Customer Applications Advisor 1881 W. State St, Garland, TX 75042 T: 972.494.6151   |  F: 972.494.1881 rusty.curry@garrett.com  |  garrett.com

[Jeff McClendon]

That was a very informative letter from Garrett and shows how practical they can be. Makes perfect sense.

Walt, I enjoyed writing that up for you. It helped me do a real head to head comparison between the Legend and my 24K=your GMX. 

As much as I really like the 24K and especially its MXT roots, I just don't use it that much. I would much rather use the Nox 800 or the Legend.

My 24K is for sale on Ebay right now. If it doesn't sell I won't mind very much since I do like it. But...........from my experience it is only slightly better than the Legend or Equinox. Similar to the new Manticore, having all of that extra power going to the coil that was claimed by Whites and probably is true, is only an advantage if it is usable. If the ground is too hot.......all of that power goes to waste.

I hope the GMX works out well for you.

[Bohemia Miner]

 

2 hours ago, Jeff McClendon said:

 

My 24K is for sale on Ebay right now.

You shouldn't have any problem selling it, Jeff.  My Whites went for $575 with free shipping, the stock coil, carry bag, and finds pouch.

Walt

[PhaseTech]

17 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Never used a Legend, so no comment. I would say that dedicated VLF being better than multipurpose VLF for nugget detecting is not really accurate anymore. Old school thinking. As far as waterproof, since the vast majority of nugget hunters do not need anything more than a rainproof detector, and that's what Garrett made. You seem to think it is not. Almost nobody detects for nuggets fully submerged, so fully submersible is simply not a requirement.

As far as people falling down in creeks with detectors... don't do that. I lived and detected in Alaska almost all my life, much of it in pouring rain, and while crossing and working in streams. Nothing like beaver dam crossings. I think I dipped a detector once, but let's say twice in case I forget one. Dry the thing out, get back to business.

Yep, you just explained why if you intend to work around water, a fully waterproof machine is good insurance. 

When it comes to small gold in mineralised dirt, Gold Monster is better than Equinox, and Gold Kruzer is better than Legend, so at this point in time, the old school thinking is still accurate in my opinion. Maybe in milder soils it's different... I don't know. 

[Steve Herschbach]

1 hour ago, PhaseTech said:

Yep, you just explained why if you intend to work around water, a fully waterproof machine is good insurance. 

When it comes to small gold in mineralised dirt, Gold Monster is better than Equinox, and Gold Kruzer is better than Legend, so at this point in time, the old school thinking is still accurate in my opinion. Maybe in milder soils it's different... I don't know. 

I ditched my Gold Monster in favor of the Equinox. If you define “better” simply on the basis of how small a nugget a detector will hit, I guess you are right. Can a Gold Monster hit a large nugget in a U.S. tailing pile as deep as an Equinox with a 15” coil? No. Not even close. I find I can do things with Equinox as far as hot rocks and ferrous trash notching, even .22 shells casings, that a Monster can't do. I like running in full tones, and the extra info it gives me about target identity, even while nugget detecting. So for you the Monster is better, to me it’s not.

As far as waterproofing, if it comes at no cost to me in weight, price, or stupid dirt collecting coil connectors, it might be better. For middle of the desert… not if it comes at the cost of any of those things. Most of us do detect in the desert, not in streams. I must admit newer machines like the Equinox seem to have no real downsides attached to the waterproofing. That's my own stuck in old way thinking, that waterproofing comes at a price. But if not, why not?

We all have different priorities, and what matters to me does not matter to others. Which is why we need options and variety in detector choices.

[Jeff McClendon]

I do a lot of my detecting at 10,000 altitude where just picking up a short pick or moving a basketball sized boulder can make a person winded. Many of these places are hydraulic pit mining sites and talus slopes and are loaded with magnetite and every metamorphic rock is a hot rock. Since these are fault zones.......there are lots of metamorphic rocks!!!

I have used a Gold Racer, Gold Kruzer, Goldmonster 1000 and the 24K at these sites. To say they had trouble ground balancing would be a huge understatement. Gold Racer, Gold Kruzer and the 24K would literally overload at half sensitivity....... Using the Goldmonster 1000 for 8 hours at half sensitivity and ground balancing it every minute got old really fast. The amount of coil knock sensitivity......lower the sensitivity some more....... To say I got skunked at these sites with those detectors again would be a huge understatement. 

Using the Equinox in its Gold programs set on Multi at these sites is like swinging a less than 3 lbs, steady/quiet threshold, well ground balanced, super sensitive to small gold PI that I can run at or near maxed out sensitivity......and I don't get skunked using the Equinox either. I have no doubt that the Legend will do the same at these sites from the testing I have been able to do.

So I guess overall depth is all relative and dependent on many factors.