Minelab 4500 Vs Garrett Axiom

[Dain Blackburn]

After reading about the axiom I started thinking about selling my 4500. I like the features and the weight of the axiom. I wonder if it would handle hot rocks better than my 4500.

I run into a lot of basalt hot rocks in the El Paso mountains by Randsburg Ca.

 

[Steve Herschbach]

Hard to say since the Axiom is not in customer hands as a finished product, and I have never tested it where you are. I’d say “probably” is the best answer you can get at this time. Unless you are just all fired up to sell your 4500 now, the best bet is to wait and see.

[Gerry in Idaho]

I would have to agree with Steve's comments.

You really won't know until you do a side by side comparison with someone who has the others.

I do know this as I used to own a 4500.  The Axiom is a love to swing as for the weight and ergonomics.  It's like going from GPZ-7000 to GPX-6000 difference.  But the Axiom is even better ergonomics/weight than a GPX-6000.

I also know the Axiom will respond better to smaller nuggets and many varieties of gold bearing ore, specimens and spongy type gold way better than a 4500 and 5000.  That part I can absolutely CONFIRM.

Axiom does not require you to be tethered to a harness either and is a much more User Friendly PI gold detector.

Let me know if you want on my list.

[Steve Herschbach]

Yeah, I have been thinking more about this, and it would be pretty hard for me to go back to a GPX 4500 or GPX 5000 after using the Axiom. It easily hits smaller gold, and is certainly far more ergonomic. The only area where the GPX models have an edge are coils, and so a GPX 5000 with a round 18" mono coil is going to punch deeper on a 5 ounce nugget. The GPX 5000 Fine Gold mode does handle most hot rocks real well. But no, I would not want to go back to battery on backpack, no speaker, etc. From a more practical perspective there are also way more small nuggets to be found these days, than 5 ounce nuggets.

But really, it's this....

and this....

[Jeff McClendon]

I really appreciate these responses from experienced Minelab PI users that have also used the Axiom. 

The wait for the Axiom is kicking my butt.

So is my Minelab PI detector inner fanboy that wants me to call up a guy near me to negotiate for his SDC 2300 that is already priced really well. 

I went down the SDC 2300, GPX 5000, GPX 6000 road already and know for a fact that my body and hearing (GPX 6000) does not want me to play with those anymore.......unless I get some kind of incredible stem cell plasma treatment for my gradually falling apart body.

Thanks for reminding me that the Axiom is the most ergonomic of the bunch, it's plenty sensitive to smaller targets and is capable of being a very versatile PI which is what I really want from a PI.

[abenson]

That's were I'm at when it comes to the Axiom. I've owned a GP 3500, GPX 4000, 4500 and 5000 and after getting the 6000 I'm not going back to the being tied to a battery and headphones. I've swung Steve's Axiom and I don't care if it's not quite as good at some things the GPX 4500 might be good at. It's just not worth going back to any of the GPX models except the 6000 which I have no intention of getting rid of at this time. The Axiom is well balanced and can be swung all day long, fun to use too. At some point I will get one, but for now I'm happy with the 6000.

[Dain Blackburn]

Thank you everyone for your input, it has help a lot making a decision. Then when I see Steve holding the Axiom with one finger, that's it iam going to sell.

 

[Gerry in Idaho]

9 minutes ago, Dain Blackburn said:

Thank you everyone for your input, it has help a lot making a decision. Then when I see Steve holding the Axiom with one finger, that's it iam going to sell.

 

I'm not telling you to keep or sell your GPX-4500, that's for your to decide.  If you have had great success and know the 4500 well, then it's harder to let it go.  If you are pretty new to the 4500 and only found a couple ounces, then it's easier to go with the Axiom.

I started my PI career with the old green SD-2100 and have owned every one ever since.  A couple of them were really hard to convince myself to upgrade to new...as the amount of ounces recovered with the old reliable was (we'll just say they're paid for).  Anyway, then I realized how the pattern from Minelab has proven that each of their newer models...is finding more gold.

Now with Garrett, this is really only their 3rd PI.  I've owned the other 2 and found gold, but it's hard to keep wanting to use them when I also had the Minelabs.  It's a different story this time around as the Axiom is a big leap for Garrett and for most folks, I feel they will like it.  I also realize there will be those who won't for one reason or another and nothing I can do about that.  Those folks are the ones who pretty much complain about every detector they own.  I guess a few folks enjoy finding complaints more than gold.

As a Multi line user/dealer, my job is to give quality built detector options to my customers.  If you know me well enjoy, you can read between the lines and see which detectors and models I enjoy swinging and sharing success with.  Those are the same tools I think will get results for folks if they hunt the same kind of areas/targets and styles I hunt.  I'll never post on a forum for someone to sell their older trusty detector, but I might give opinions and advice of why the new one is more fun and exciting to swing.  You get to make the final decision though and I am totally fine with your decision.

[Steve Herschbach]

In the lastest version, Garrett has a serious contender, and offers a real alternative upgrade path for people in the United States. Frankly, the strong dollar is going to really screw up the equation for people outside the U.S., but it is what it is, and I'll address this to U.S. users only.

If you own a Minelab SD 2000, 2100, 2200/GP Extreme, GP 3000, 3500/GPX 4000, 4500, 4800, 5000 or SDC 2300, then this very well could be your next nugget detector. For anyone owning any of those detectors I would tell most of them, that if they wanted something else, then there are only three options to consider:

Garrett Axiom $3995

Minelab GPX 6000 $5999

Minelab GPZ 7000 $8499

That's it. Me, I would not go back to using any of those previous older models prior to the 6000 and 7000, now that I have an Axiom. Sure, they are all good machines, they still find gold as well as they ever have. But the Axiom will do as well or better than all of them, except possibly in oddball circumstances. Like say a Minelab running a 18" or larger mono coil on larger gold at depth. The Axiom is still somewhat limited in coil selection compared to many older Minelab models. I think that will change in the future, but we have to go with what we have now, and 14"x16" is as large as Axiom goes right now.

The Axiom easily hits smaller gold than all those models except the SDC 2300, where its a bit of a push perhaps, jury is still out on that one. In general, though, I'll bet more on smaller gold, than go swinging a GPX 5000 with 18" mono these days. Others might feel differently, and that's fine. I'm not trying to talk anyone into selling what they have. But if you have one of these older models, and were already thinking you might want something else, the Axiom is a real option to consider. No way I'm going back to harnesses and bungees and batteries on backpacks.

Axiom vs GPX 6000 or GPZ 7000? Honestly, it just depends on the person and their budget. In the U.S. many people might only get to detect of gold once a year, or a few times, for maybe a couple weeks total time. You can argue a more expensive detector might help insure success for that time spent. Or argue it's just more money spent for some people. I'm going to recuse myself from arguing any of that as it is best left to the user. For some people the extra money means nothing, if they are the type that figures they will just get a couple more ounces of gold anyway. Some people do find lots of gold, and very expensive detectors present no problem for them.

But you guys that never see an ounce of gold in a year? I know there are lots of you. Trust me, it's as much about your detecting skills, and even more importantly, your access to good areas, and hours in those good areas. What your budget is for what is most assuredly a hobby, one where you are not doing it constantly, and counting your gold in ounces per year, is simply a lot tougher question. One that the Axiom might answer quite well.

Other than that, all we need is for the detector to get into end users hands, to sort out the fine details of this model versus that model. I'm not going to really get any more involved in any of that than I have just here with this post, as I'm obviously a biased individual in all this. Nobody need go nuts, and rush to make any rash moves. Just wait for the dust to settle. But I'll just leave it with my repeating this, and it's the simple truth. There is no way I'd go back to using any of those older models now, and not just because of ergonomics, but because I don't think I'd do any better overall finding gold using any of them than I can do with the Axiom. Up until now we have never had a detector that really competed with all these Minelab detectors, even the oldest ones. Well, now we do. 

To reiterate, and let's be very clear about this. This is my opinion only as regards the Axiom in the United States, for our users, our ground, our gold, at our prices. Anyone that says it is different someplace else - I'm not even going to engage in that conversation. On that, I simply agree, it's different elsewhere. But for here in the U.S., I'll stand behind these opinions, as always.

[Rob Allison]

Hey Steve and Gerry,

   Great information as always.  I think the Garrett will be a huge hit in the US.  I'm excited for a USA made unit to be honest.  I have supported Minelab since the early 90's, still do 100%, but I'm super excited Garrett got this one right.  I wasn't a huge fan of the Infinium or ATX (due to the weight), but the Axiom looks and sounds like a real winner.  

I think Minelab recently countered with the "GPX 6000 Artisanal" which I do have a few left.  It's the GPX 6000 International package, which comes with the 11" Round Mono & 17 inch Elliptical Mono and then are tossing in the 14" DD & extra Li-ion Battery for FREE.  You are getting all three coils in this package plus extra battery.  It's the same price, $6000.  

Good to see some good competition between manufactures, it only will benefit the end user for potentially better products and maybe better prices.  

Wishing you all a poke full of gold.

Rob