Gold Detector Recommendations Please

[phrunt]

The Equinox has no trouble on small gold.

This using multi frequency, gold 1, 24 sensitivity out of 25, all other settings defaults.

The CTX is not a prospecting detector, far from it so I'd avoid it for the task at hand, great for silver, bad for gold nuggets 🙂

At the moment as it stands I'd use my Equinox 800 over my Manticore for prospecting.  Maybe that will change with a smaller coil when it comes, although the coil is going to be 5x8" so I don't know how that will compare to the Nox 6" coil and as the old saying goes the smaller the coil the more sensitive it is.

The Equinox and other detectors like the Legend are significantly more sensitive to smaller gold than the AT Pro and Gold Bug Pro/F19 variants.

 

[Joel - cacadordereliquia]

Friend taking into account the soil mining the SDC 2300 could be a good option. But since you mentioned that you want a device for water, the best choice would be NOKTA THE LEGEND PRO PACK which is waterproof, and Equinox 800 enters water. If you have the resources, you could buy the Equinox 900, this device is for all terrains and fine and medium gold.

In my case I would buy one from IP, it has benefits, it takes deeper, handles well with highly mineralized soil, you can find a glans nugget of at least 50 grams. Now the VLF catches more on the earth's surface, if the soil has a lot of mineralization, the VLF keeps chattering, there's one, it even hurts my ears from so much noise. I hope that one day I will be able to buy an IP device.

But which device to choose will be a good machine.

[N7XW]

18 minutes ago, phrunt said:

The Equinox has no trouble on small gold.

This using multi frequency, gold 1, 24 sensitivity out of 25, all other settings defaults.

The CTX is not a prospecting detector, far from it so I'd avoid it for the task at hand, great for silver, bad for gold nuggets 🙂

At the moment as it stands I'd use my Equinox 800 over my Manticore for prospecting.  Maybe that will change with a smaller coil when it comes, although the coil is going to be 5x8" so I don't know how that will compare to the Nox 6" coil and as the old saying goes the smaller the coil the more sensitive it is.

The Equinox and other detectors like the Legend are significantly more sensitive to smaller gold than the AT Pro and Gold Bug Pro/F19 variants.

 

That is very impressive.  I'll have to take a deep dive into the Nox differences.  Is the 800 preferred over the 900 for small gold?

[phrunt]

I would think the 900 is possibly better, I've not tried one, but I'm very happy with the 800 as a prospecting unit.

[jasong]

4 hours ago, phrunt said:

The need for the PI depends on mineralization and hot rocks, if they're not an issue I wouldn't bother with the SDC 2300 as the VLF in milder ground will do well for a lot less money and find smaller gold.

Simon's comment there would be the #1 determining factor in a machine for me, if I was getting one for working bedrock.

Working hot basalts and serpentines or magnetite laden areas? PI 100%, wouldn't pull my hair out with a VLF in that terrain. Low mineral granites, gneiss, sandstones? 800 or 900 would be my first choices - looking at one or the other of those right now for working non-river bedrock/lode zones. 

[phrunt]

1 hour ago, jasong said:

Simon's comment there would be the #1 determining factor in a machine for me, if I was getting one for working bedrock.

Working hot basalts and serpentines or magnetite laden areas? PI 100%, wouldn't pull my hair out with a VLF in that terrain. Low mineral granites, gneiss, sandstones? 800 or 900 would be my first choices - looking at one or the other of those right now for working non-river bedrock/lode zones. 

That's right, it's vital the right detector for the job so the ground means everything, if you can get away with a VLF in milder ground/bedrock then the VLF will win by getting the smaller bits of gold and be a more economical choice but as soon as the ground is bad the VLF will just drive you nuts and lose that performance advantage. 

So first and foremost you really need to know what the ground is like.  He has a AT Pro which should give an indication of the ground, if it works fine there the Nox sure will. 

[Steve Herschbach]

Low mineral I'd go MicroNox and for high mineral/hot rocks SDC 2300. if you have really nasty bedrock or hot rocks you pretty much need a PI. But for milder ground the discrimination capability of a good VLF is great. If we are talking purely between AT Gold and Gold Kruzer. Gold Kruzer is the clear winner.

https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/12951-golden-mask-telescoping-shaft-rebuild/

https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/7468-my-tips-on-nugget-detecting-with-the-minelab-equinox/

[N7XW]

18 minutes ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Low mineral I'd go MicroNox and for high mineral/hot rocks SDC 2300. if you have really nasty bedrock or hot rocks you pretty much need a PI. But for milder ground the discrimination capability of a good VLF is great. If we are talking purely between AT Gold and Gold Kruzer. Gold Kruzer is the clear winner.

https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/12951-golden-mask-telescoping-shaft-rebuild/

https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/7468-my-tips-on-nugget-detecting-with-the-minelab-equinox/

The ground around here is generally pretty hot; ground balancing around 91 on the AT Pro.  But the last couple times I've detected the rivers/exposed bedrock, I don't remember any instability issues.  I assume the minerals have washed out of the river beds leaving lesser hot cobbles.  

I think I might get the 5" coil for the F19 and give that a shot, being extra careful not to dunk it.  That will give me an idea of how hot the ground is up there and help me decide if a new VLF or PI is justified.

A question for Steve and others with experience on both the ATX and SDC2300, which would you prefer and why?  I like the compact fold-up size of both and the interchangeable coils of the ATX.  But, I would be concerned about the durability of the ATX's coil cable.  My Infinium has had multiple coil cable damage issues and I can't help to think the expanding/contracting of the ATX shaft would exacerbate the same issues.

[Off Grid]

6 hours ago, phrunt said:

The Equinox and other detectors like the Legend are significantly more sensitive to smaller gold than the AT Pro and Gold Bug Pro/F19 variants.

Are they more sensitive than even a GB2 with the 6" coil and running at 71 kHz ?? I thought that, because of the frequency, the GB2 was hard to beat on very small gold.

[phrunt]

11 hours ago, Off Grid said:

Are they more sensitive than even a GB2 with the 6" coil and running at 71 kHz ?? I thought that, because of the frequency, the GB2 was hard to beat on very small gold.

In my opinion the Gold Bug 2 is ever so slightly more sensitive to small gold, but how small is too small? 🙂 The Equinox has the features that make it more attractive to me and handles ground and especially hot rocks better, and the original poster was after a waterproof detector which the GB2 is not.

The Gold Bug 2 is too busy making it's boiiing noise to find a tiny nugget next to a hot rock, the Nox hits on the same bit of gold fine that the GB2 misses with I guess its much faster recovery speed on the Nox.