Steve Herschbach

Safari is old FBS, excellent on silver, just ok on low conductors. Does very well suppressing ferrous but at cost of poor separation/masking. Vanquish is Multi-IQ, near Equinox performance on most stuff, superior on low conductors and separation, but maybe a little more prone to high tone ferrous falsing. Nothing wrong with Safari per se for depth on silver in particular. The biggest advantage for Vanquish would be in separation and small low conductors.

Nice report Jeff, thanks. Just a reminder though…. I’m still undecided which does better on small gold, the 7x11 mono or the DD. The Garrett Focused Core DD challenges the traditional view that a mono is superior to a DD in that regard. I still lean mono due to the more even tone responses and ability to identify surface targets by the double blip they emit when crossing the coil edges. But I also like how the DD FC is hot in the center instead of the edges, and its superior EMI and ground handling capability. The DD will run in ground that the mono will refuse to ground balance on and so should always be in the kit for new areas. I can still read surface targets due to the tone reversals produced front to rear but it’s more complex than with the mono and takes getting used to. I’ll be interested in what you think about it. Most people I assume will still prefer the mono, but that little DD FC should not be overlooked. I suspect a wily user will discover subtle tricks with it. https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/21780-a-video-explaining-the-garrett-focused-core-dd-coils/

Yes, it is true. The new Minelab X-Terra Voyager is made in China. No doubt so they can sell it for only $149 and still make a buck. Also Amazon only, bypassing dealer network. What does this say about the future direction of Minelab the company... or should I say Codan? From the Amazon sales page country of origin is China. Full specifications and user manual download here.

Yup, first Minelab detector officially made in China. From the Amazon sales page country of origin is China. Full specifications and user manual download here.

First Minelab detector officially made in China. From the Amazon sales page. "X-TERRA VOYAGER is currently available exclusively on Amazon in USA, and coming soon to other regions."

New Minelab X-Terra Voyager, 5.82 kHz, not submersible, $149.99 on Amazon Minelab X-Terra Voyager metal detector X-TERRA VOYAGER TECH SPECS Search Modes - All Metal, Custom, Jewelry, Learn Operating Frequency - 5.82 kHz Noise Cancel - Automatic Sensitivity - 5 levels Volume - 3 levels Target Tones - 3 tones (Low, Mid, High) Discrimination Segments - 7 segments Pinpoint Mode - Yes Target IDs - 0 to 99 Depth Indicator - 5 levels Length - Extended: 145 in (57 cm) | Collapsed: 28.3 in (76 cm) Weight (excluding batteries) - 2.8 lbs (1.3 kg) Display - Monochrome LCD Supplied Coil - 11" x 8.5" Double-D Batteries - Two Each 9V (included) Audio Output - In-build loudspeaker | Wired 3.5 mm (1/8") headphones Additional Included Accessories - Collapsible Digger, Backpack, Wired 3.5 mm (1/8") headphones, 2x9V Battery Waterproof - Coil waterproof to 3.3 ft (1 m) Operating Temperature Range - –10°C to +40°C (+14°F to +104°F) Storage Temperature Range - –20°C to +70°C (–4°F to +158°F Download Minelab X-Terra Voyager User Manual

Yeah Tesla is so last century. And Apple is based where, Norway? The bottom line is the U.S. companies got arrogant and complacent, as often happens with successful companies over time. Hungrier more aggressive companies came along. Businesses either have to periodically reinvent themselves or die.

Five pages of threads about this versus that detector.... https://www.detectorprospector.com/tags/best detector/ Check out the Minelab Vanquish series for high power but low priced and easy to operate models. If you want some thing where you can start with presets (training wheels) but still have plenty of room to grow into advanced settings, look at the Nokta Legend, which is also fully submersible. First runner up is a new model the Minelab X-Terra Pro, also fully submersible and a bargain at $259 Minelab Vanquish 340 $199 Minelab Vanquish 440 $289 Minelab Vanquish 540 $379 Notka Legend $499 or more depending on package Minelab X-Terra Pro $259

Funny thing about that post Gerry is you halfway got me thinking of getting another GPZ 7000. You also have me halfway thinking there is now one ounce less gold to find out there, so why bother.

You killed it out there Gerry, good for you! The book and many others like it can be downloaded free on this website. Look at lower half of the page.

You seem pretty convinced a new Z is on the way Gerry. You know something we don’t?

People assume for some reason that because the GPZ 19 is a heavy pig that it does not work well. Wrong. People laughed at the 30% deeper claim, but I promise you, and this is a fact, Minelab does not make statements like that without some data saying that it is true in at least some circumstances. Not all, just some, but real nonetheless. Good for you Lunk, I always enjoy it when people do what others are not. When a herd runs one way it often pays to wander off in another direction. Both the GPZ 19 and Deep mode are under appreciated and overlooked options.

Well, no, everything posted is just as valid now as it was two years ago. But thanks for the kudos.

You can also use the WR-1 receiver instead of Garrett's headphones to use whatever your favorite wired headphone is. Personally I prefer this route as I find the MS-3 audio to be a little mushy for my hearing. I can use my dual volume control Sun Rays or a set of ear buds - whatever. Just plug your headphones into the receiver and then stick it in your pocket. It works great with my DFX. I might even make a dedicated setup by wiring a receiver directly to my old set of Sun Ray Pro headphones and get rid of the excess cord. To go extra deluxe get the Pro Pointer Z-Lynk version and hear the pinpointer directly via the system. Basically adds wireless pinpointer audio to any detector.

Bumped to top just to be sure this got seen.

SMF is inherently superior to single frequency for all but niche applications. This is easily shown by how few Equinox users actually use the single frequency modes. I run mine near exclusively in SMF mode. I suspect the same is true of Deus 2 and Legend owners. For that reason I would choose the SMF exclusive machine over a dedicated selectable frequency machine.

Minelab is getting ready to raise the price of the GPZ 7000, which would be very odd if it was going to be discontinued any time soon. There was also zero mention of upcoming new machines in the latest Codan shareholder report just released. Anyone looking for a new GPZ 8000 in 2024 might be disappointed.

Codan is headquartered in Mawson Lakes, 2 Second Ave, Australia.

Just make one. The one described in this video will be every bit as good as any long range gold locator you can buy.

Yeah, the best way to fight declining sales is to raise prices. $1000 more for a GPX 6000, a 17% price increase? It might goose sales before end of the year as people try and beat the price increase but I don't see more 6000s running out the door for an extra $1000 next year. Be interesting to see if the percentage increase is as steep in the U.S. as it is in Oz. Minelab tends to bend you blokes over harder in the homeland than they do us Yanks.

Tripped over this old post. No, the 6000 would probably have missed it. The 7000 is still the machine of choice for hunting the big deep ones.

I’d certainly agree all the buzz on the forum for some time has boiled down to Minelab, XP, and Nokta. It’s really become a Big Three instead of a Big Five or even the Big Four. As you note serious VLF users are most often swinging an Equinox or Deus, with Manticore and Legend now in the mix. On the PI side Minelab long ago crushed the competition. Fisher has not had a serious release in over a decade, and if Garrett wants to get serious attention again they need to move much faster than they have been. Anyone without a top tier SMF is essentially no longer part of any conversation. People here give lip service to buying American, but fact is that performance is all that matters, and U.S. manufacturers if anything engender anger and scorn when brought up in conversation amongst serious users. The main takeaway for me from this thread is that it is time to retire the concept of a Big Five and recognize that there has been a consolidation take place. What we really have now are the Big Three making all the waves.

Belief and should are nice I guess, but you’d be surprised how often companies make changes you might want to know about, and don’t tell anyone. A small improvement to a product could be perceived as meaning the earlier versions were substandard, and some companies don’t want to open that can of worms. So it’s a valid reason why Gerry is asking, because I’m pretty sure he knows just what I’m talking about. It’s not necessarily the case here, but I’d sure not assume otherwise without actually knowing the facts.

Can’t go wrong with Docs stuff!

I was happy with my AQ and only sold it because Alexandre was saying at the time the new improved version was only months away. It was fall and I figured I’d have a new one by spring. That was what, three years ago? Thing is there are not 98 other owners because they never managed to sell the first hundred and are still trying to offload them years later. I guess that was reason enough to can it and move on to the next shiny object, the digital version. Hopefully that gets better vetted than the AQ did before release. That guy waving the ring in that Equinox demo probably was wearing a watch under his sleeve.