GPZ 7000 Weight Question

[IronDigger]

Just go to your local gym and hire a kid with muscles, you do the diggin. Good workout for him and you save your shoulder rotator cuff.

[flakmagnet]

13 hours ago, Rob Allison said:

consider the use of a good custom harness/backpack, bungee cord, swing arm

Or a HipStick - one of the best and easiest ways to shift of the weight to your waist.

[Sourdough Scott]

I honestly don't think there is much you can do to shave weight off of the gpz 7000. Unless you do what Steve did with a ATX. 

A Nuggetfinder coil did reduce my weight. I've always harnessed in with a Hipstick. I wouldn't jeopardize ruining my $1100 dollar coil just for saving a few ounces with no coil cover. And putting a ctx battery only makes for a shorter detecting day. 

 

[Idaho spud]

On 12/29/2022 at 1:22 PM, Lunk said:

A little known fact that may help out: one of the most influential scientists in history, Michael Faraday, who discovered the principles underlying electromagnetic induction to which modern metal detectors owe their existence, also invented a gravity balancing device in the year 1824. Once attached, this device will effectively render the GPZ 7000 completely weightless, eliminating the need for a harness and bungee system. 

Sounds like a lot of hot air. 🤣

[flakmagnet]

On 12/30/2022 at 7:56 PM, Sourdough Scott said:

. I've always harnessed in with a Hipstick. I wouldn't jeopardize ruining my $1100 dollar coil just for saving a few ounces with no coil cover. And putting a ctx battery only makes for a shorter detecting day. 

Exactly…
Happy New Year.

[jasong]

There are two problems with heavy detectors and each cause different issues - battling gravity, and battling inertia. What's the difference? Imagine floating in space while holding a GPZ. The GPZ would be effortless to hold up/lift since there is no gravity acting on it (that's weight). But start swinging it side to side and you can still feel it has mass (that's inertia, and momentum). Your arm/elbow is what must expend energy to start/stop each swing. The struggle becomes more pronounced the faster you try to accelerate it, and the quicker you try to stop the swing. 

It's the gravity/weight that makes it hard to hold up while detecting on earth - that's more of a forearm/biceps thing. This can be uncomfortable or difficult, but doesn't usually cause RSI damage to the arm. Building muscle mass can help here too, in addition to bungees/hipsticks/etc. 

But it's the inertia that causes the permanent RSI damage to tendons/ligaments. Bungees and hipsticks do not reduce inertia. The only way to reduce inertia and momentum is to reduce the mass (especially the coil, or end shaft), or reduce the shaft length. Or swing slower - which is not possible when covering large amounts of ground aka - prospecting. For the taller people who have to detect with the shaft fully extended, the inertia is exponentially larger by length, and thus so are the potential for RSI's. 

That is why the GPZ is, and always will be a very poorly design detector for actual prospecting. Especially for taller people.

[Gerry in Idaho]

On 12/28/2022 at 11:32 AM, dig4gold said:

While the 6000 is way lighter, & feels like it in its construction, It doesn't have the raw depth & power of the GPZ. That I know for a fact.

D4G

 

I beg to differ on your factual statement above.  Now if you are talking bigger solid gold, then yes.

What so many people don't understand is different kinds of gold and the characteristics of how their are in select specimens.  Some expensive gold can be missed with the older technology of the GPZ vs the newer GPX-6000 or Axiom.

That, I know for a fact.

Gerry's Detectors

 

[Gold Catcher]

The combination of hipstick and NF12 makes the GPZ a more reasonable machine even for long prospecting days, at least for me. Would I prefer it lighter, of course! Is it easier to swing than the SDC, for sure (due to much better ergonomics). But IMO the GPZ remains the most powerful and versatile detector ever made, and for me the performance/weight ratio is still in its favor. I sure hope the next gen. GPZ will be inspiried by the great weight efficiency of the 6k and Axiom, but without sacrificing its unmatched power and capabilities.

GC

 

[Norvic]

GC I`m not sure about the GPZ7000, to me the 6K showed clearly more depth on subgrammers even with the 10 inch X coil, now the Axiom with its control options, light mono coils and no chip in the coil, the ZVT swing all day days are over for this old codger, unless ML can do something magic with DOD/CC coils weight (the main GPZ weight problem) they can never hope to compete weight wise with Monos which both the 6K and Axiom have brought back into the arena. Large monos for the Axiom buh????? maybe even just a changed plug on those NF and Coiltek flat wound coils???? Heh cabin fevers setting in quickly here in wet downunder as in those snowed in places upover.🤪

[Gold Catcher]

All good Norvic, and I see your points. I think it all comes down to personal preferences and circumstances. If weight of the Z would not be an insurmountable problem for a prospector, then I think the Z has still alot to offer. Is the 6k more easy/pleasant to use and might have an edge with a mono over DOD for fast gold in many instances? I sure think so. I love the 9 mono with the 6k, what a great combo that is. That being said, I don't believe the 6k is a match to the Z wrt to ground processing, despite Geosense. At medium depth in more challenging grounds the Z has signaled me nuggets, even smaller ones, that the 6k would not see, despite mono coil. But that's the beauty of prospecting, isn't it? Not all tools are equally loved by all, and it all comes down to personal choices. I am just so glad to hear that you are having fun and that you are happy with Santa's new toy. 🤠

GC