Should I Sell My GPX 5000 To Get An Axiom?

[Steve Herschbach]

“Based on gold nugget performance only. I don’t care about the ergonomics one way or the other. Will the Axiom for sure make lots of finds I can’t possibly make with my GPX 5000? Should I sell my GPX to get the Axiom based on that assumption?”

That’s the question that was posed to me. And my short answer is no. The Axiom is in the same general ballpark as the GPX 5000, but there is no particular reason to think its performance is different enough to make a real difference. What one will normally find, the other one probably will also. Though coils are a factor, and at six coils versus over 100 the GPX has a definite edge. I’d bet on a 5000 with 18” round mono on a two ounce nugget at depth versus Axiom with 14”x16” mono every time. On small gold things get more interesting, but a 5000 with a 6x8 Sadie coil is no slouch.

So while I’m an Axiom fan, I’m not telling any GPX 5000 owners they need to switch based purely on performance. Especially if you are very comfortable with the 5000 in general. If you own no PI at all and are looking for one or the other, well, that’s a more interesting question for sure. I lean Axiom myself if that’s the case, but if a person is only interested in multi ounce gold at depth, well, it’s the coils again. It just depends on the person and the situation as to which might be the better pick.

If anyone does go from any of the battery on harness Minelabs to an Axiom it would be great to hear how it’s worked out, one way or the other.

[Cascade Steven]

Thanks for your perspective.  Again, much appreciated.