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Detector Manufacturers " Making Detectors Or Making Money"


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11 minutes ago, Gold Catcher said:

Good luck finding them. Unless it would hurt the brand, they don't care.

GC

Perhaps you are right GC, good advice. Don't shoot everyone, I surrender, I'm coming out with my hands up. Cheques in the mail to minelab for a new bottom shaft, I will include a bonus for the CEO, rumors are CEO's are doing it tough. And if I want to get likes rather than contribute, like a bunny I will pop my head up every now and then to trivialize some poor bastards topic. Disappointed but not bothered.

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6 hours ago, blackjack said:

Having more than one coil for my new Equinox 800 I'd like spare lower shaft. I've upgraded from an X-Terra 705, I carry it as a spare detector, so I thought, great I will use the lower shaft from that. Different size of course, it would be reasonable to assume that an X-Terra owner would, when upgrading, be buying a nox. So this situation to me is disappointing, to my mind Minelab have deliberately changed the size of the shaft in order to sell me another shaft. As buyers we we tend to be brand loyal, but increasingly for me that is becoming trite, they clearly don't care about us so why should we remain loyal ? My Equinox is made in Malaysia so Minelab don't even employ Australians to make the Equinox at least. Some may say big deal just buy a new shaft and get on with it. If that's what you think then big business has you exactly where they want you and the future is grim for consumers { remember when we used to be Customers }

I have always wondered why Minelab didn't make longer shafts for the detectors given there are so many taller people that detect like Aussies and USA detectorists. There was a shaft maker here who made lower shafts and complete shafts here for Minelab detectors, Otto. Im not sure they do anymore. I always found Minelab shafts too short for me. But, whites Tall Man stems, shafts, did, do, fit Minelab PI detectors and many earlier ones like the XTerra. I do still have a Whites Tall man stem which I swap over from my XTerra to my Garrett 24k depending on which I take out. I used to use it on my GPX 5000. I had 2 but stupidly let one go when I sold my 5000 due to health issues and just kept 1. I regret the decision. But to this day dont get why Minelab never after all these years made a longer lower shaft for tall people as I know from yrs of detecting others who complained about it. They dont care and dont listen. 

Take the handles from the SD2000 all the way through to the 5000. They break and are utter crap. Thats why I got wooden jarrha handles that were made by guys with a brain that lasted and never broke for my GPXs. Break smake think Minelab, they'll buy another, another, another...kaching.. kaching...ka..... Bucks!$$$$ 

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1 hour ago, Smigo said:

I have always wondered why Minelab didn't make longer shafts for the detectors given there are so many taller people that detect like Aussies and USA detectorists. There was a shaft maker here who made lower shafts and complete shafts here for Minelab detectors, Otto. Im not sure they do anymore. I always found Minelab shafts too short for me. But, whites Tall Man stems, shafts, did, do, fit Minelab PI detectors and many earlier ones like the XTerra. I do still have a Whites Tall man stem which I swap over from my XTerra to my Garrett 24k depending on which I take out. I used to use it on my GPX 5000. I had 2 but stupidly let one go when I sold my 5000 due to health issues and just kept 1. I regret the decision. But to this day dont get why Minelab never after all these years made a longer lower shaft for tall people as I know from yrs of detecting others who complained about it. They dont care and dont listen. 

Take the handles from the SD2000 all the way through to the 5000. They break and are utter crap. Thats why I got wooden jarrha handles that were made by guys with a brain that lasted and never broke for my GPXs. Break smake think Minelab, they'll buy another, another, another...kaching.. kaching...ka..... Bucks!$$$$ 

Hey Smigo as Steve touched on due to their success using minelab equipment many people did or do have some brand loyalty towards Minelab. This may explain why people are looking to the Garrett Axiom to give Minelab a jolt. Minelab have had the market to themselves, this explains, I guess why at times they have treated customer/consumers with a bit of contempt As you point out their handles and shafts at times have been sub standard. I agree with you about the length, I wouldn't want to be any taller than 6'1". You say Minelab don't care and don't listen lets hope a bit of competition changes that. 

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11 hours ago, blackjack said:

Having more than one coil for my new Equinox 800 I'd like spare lower shaft. I've upgraded from an X-Terra 705, I carry it as a spare detector, so I thought, great I will use the lower shaft from that. Different size of course, it would be reasonable to assume that an X-Terra owner would, when upgrading, be buying a nox. So this situation to me is disappointing, to my mind Minelab have deliberately changed the size of the shaft in order to sell me another shaft. As buyers we we tend to be brand loyal, but increasingly for me that is becoming trite, they clearly don't care about us so why should we remain loyal ? My Equinox is made in Malaysia so Minelab don't even employ Australians to make the Equinox at least. Some may say big deal just buy a new shaft and get on with it. If that's what you think then big business has you exactly where they want you and the future is grim for consumers { remember when we used to be Customers }

Minelab also deliberately created the X-Terra series with coil changes for changing the operating frequencies before manufacturing was based in Malaysia. Some of mine were made in Ireland. That seemed like a cool idea on the surface until a third party coil maker made waterproof coils that could operate on all three frequencies.
 

So was Minelab’s approach to the X-Terra coil choices based on a lack of Aussie tech savvy or a shrewd way to get me to buy more Minelab manufactured coils for an excellent detector?

Minelab in their own indirect way do listen. The Equinox 700 and 900 and the GPX 6000 are proof of that. They have also addressed the main customer complaint about the GPX 6000 with a free board level upgrade. 

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Then Codan (Minelab) has serious issues with their shares down 61% in a year and on a downhill slope still, I expected the Manticore announcement to give them a little boost but it didn't, the Nox 700 and 900 wouldn't give them much of a prop up, all they're doing is fixing the mistakes with the Nox, less warranty claims for buyers of them perhaps but the damage is done as the bulk of the sales were the earlier Nox model that they'll be dealing with for the next 3 years.

The glory days of the Nox shooting their shares sky high are gone, what goes up must come down I guess, especially when the product had so many failures.  Now they also have serious competition which they're not used to having 🙂

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18 hours ago, deathray said:

Businesses are there to make profit. No matter how much people want to change that fact nowadays. 

Of course they are, but take the Chevy small block as a good example of changing some of the internals and leaving the basic block pretty much in the original configuration… I still have to buy parts to keep it running but nobody has to retool to make spare/consumable parts, thus keeping the costs down… the HEI distributor that sits in it now wasn’t available till later years, same as the Edelbrock carb… both of which would probably work in ANY old Chevy/GMC small block…that’s why the SBC is such a popular choice for people building old hotrods.

Good business decisions??? That’s debatable. 😎

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Detectors are more like cell phones, and all it takes is watching this forum to understand people are lined up to buy new detectors on a regular basis. People get downright grumpy when nothing new comes along. Anyone excited by the new Fisher offering? No, because there is not one. I think you vastly underestimate the number of people with a 600 or 800 that will get a 700 or 900 Simon. Warranties are running out, and not everyone is going to step up to a Manticore. I bet the 900 becomes their best selling model, not the Manticore.

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Quite possible Steve, perhaps not among users on this forum as the Poll clearly displayed with 25 for the Manticore and 6 for the Nox 900, but in the general population that's likely the case with it being the cheaper model.

I just can't see why a vast majority of people would be dumping an 800 to buy the 900 unless they have good reason to do so like a water hunter or someone that thinks the extra ID's will increase their finds ratio.  As 800's start to die off outside warranty then I can see people buying the 900.  My point was I don't see the 900 being a big seller right from opening with people queuing up to buy it like the Manticore, it's more a trickle of people buying it as required.  That's even reflected in stock levels in Australia, you can buy a 900 off the shelf now, the Manticore you're n a queue.

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