Steve Herschbach

My bet without even using them side by side is that "the units mentioned are close enough as far as performance so as to not matter to me." Sorry, but I really am getting bored with 13-20 kHz single frequency in particular. If the Impact could not frequency switch I would hardly be giving it a look myself. I guess it was the AT Max that broke me. I saw it and thought "Just Another Mid Frequency Detector". Boring!

I have owned a lot of detectors, only had rare issues, and always had quick, efficient service. If anything it's been more above and beyond than not. For every bad service story there are hundreds of good ones that go untold.

There is a common thread here. It seems like Nokta and Minelab both turned most all service over to Kellyco at about the same time. I know at first Nokta did everything direct, but there was a transition period where they pretty much just expected Kellyco to handle it. Minelab possibly a similar thought process. Perhaps Kellyco took on too much at once from too many sources. Probably had staffing issues as is common with specialty stuff. Now both Nokta and Minelab are finding they have to step back in and rethink things, maybe rejigger the relationships, whatever. I am not making excuses here for anybody or casting stones, just more an outside observer of what has gone on the last year and a half to two years. I know Dilek does her best but things get missed and unfortunately Jason seems to have paid the price on the transition. Too many fingers in the pie. Hopefully it is all made right to everyone's satisfaction.

On American Digger Relic Roundup at http://www.spreaker.com/user/admrr/steve-moore-talking-about-the-at-max

OMG! The coil just sold for $807.50 Now there is another one for starting bid $850 and "buy it now" of $1105.00 Seriously, no coil manufacturer is intrigued at all by this? If not for a White's why not for something just really popular? Like a BigFoot (figure 8) or Cleansweep (DD) for the Garrett AT series? Go where the numbers are. I still think Nokta/Makro is missing the bet here. Talk about generating some buzz with a Cleansweep DD type coil for the Racer series, for instance. Such a coil on the Racer 2 would be an excellent matchup. NEL, DeTech, Coiltek - hello, anybody home?

Well Nenad to put it in more familiar terms, how does the Impact at 20 kHz compare to the X-Terra 705 running at 18.75 kHz, both in all metal "Prospect" modes with roughly equivalent coils?

Well, time for another viewing! May is half over and not a peep from XP about the HF elliptical coil. As a bonus Gold Monster customers are welcome to view and just substitute names!

I get what you mean for sure Mitchel. With all the people out there making little odds and ends for detectors these days maybe somebody will tackle making a replacement stand for the CTX/GPZ.

This only fits the newer Minelab CTX 3030 and all GPZ 7000 units. Most people like me probably only want a replacement stand but for $15.00 with free shipping it is hard to complain. Except about the stand being so flimsy in the first place! Minelab Kit part #3011-0283 https://store.minelab.com/product-p/3011-0283.htm

Hey Fred, thanks. There has been this growing backlash on the internet against what has been perceived as "official tester hype". It has gone too far now with continuous personal attacks. One guy on Findmall and on Friendly has gone so far as to label testers as "trained monkeys". As a tester I don't find that sort of talk to be very friendly and as a result I set up this forum and have basically stopped posting elsewhere. If people think testers posting reviews on forums is hype, then I just won't do it anymore except for on this forum. Anyone coming here and reading what I have to say by seeking me out and then complaining about it is an idiot and can expect to get the boot. You don't want to hear what I have to say then don't come here! How is that for miffed? Anyway, as time has passed I have been trying to better craft my posts so as to avoid this sort of accusations of hype developing. Much to my dismay people really do hear what they want to hear anyway so it seems a bit futile at times. In my book however trying to put the right tools in the right hands is always the better strategy for the long run. Hype just results in destructive blowback and so really should be avoided for sound long term business reasons. Good products just prove themselves over time. If anything Minelab fights an uphill battle each time as the troops of Minelab haters pile on first. It usually takes a year to sort out, and in the end Minelab products almost without fail (there are a few exceptions) have proven to be real winners.

Minelab Gold Monster 1000 On Alkali Ground in Auto+ Sensitivity Setting I am as guilty as anyone of running detectors "too hot". It's an old habit, and one that runs contrary to the vast amount of advice on running detectors. Nearly every expert and every written word on the subject recommends seeking a stable, solid threshold. The Sensitivity or Gain control is the primary method for doing this. The advice in general "when encountering noise of any sort, lower the sensitivity." The Minelab Gold Monster 1000 is running at extremely high levels of internal gain and also with boosted audio. I have always complained about detectors that can be run at full Gain under nearly all conditions, as it makes me feel like performance is being "left on the table". I like machines that become unstable at high Sensitivity levels, and which then must be backed off to find the realistic maximum setting for the conditions. The problem metal detector manufacturers then face is people just automatically running the machines too hot, as they fear a loss of depth. This in turn leads to complaints of machines being unstable or "too noisy". The Fisher F75 is my favorite recent example. The machine was originally designed with an exceptionally High Gain receiver circuit. However, this made the machine famous for being noisy, especially in high EMI environments. The answer was to turn the Sensitivity down, but people hated that. It just seems wrong! So Fisher added filtering to remove the noise. This filtering (DST) does indeed tame the F75, making it far easier to run at full Sensitivity at all times. And guess what. Some people now complain the new DST models are not as hot as old pre-DST models, especially in all metal mode. Some refuse to use the new ones because of this. Others love the new models for being more stable in urban environments. Lesson? Metal detector manufacturers just can't win this one. If a detector comes out that can be run to the max limits of the hardware, it will generally draw complaints for being noisy. Conversely, machines that are nice and stable get complaints for being tame! Garrett for instance designs for stability, so the AT models were generally deemed as not being as deep as the F75, while the original F75 drew flack for being to unstable. It will be interesting is the new, more powerful AT Max will draw flack in some quarters for being noisier than the older models. The Minelab Gold Monster 1000 is a very High Gain boosted audio nugget detector. Doing this helps get it closer to performance attained by higher frequency machines like the 71 kHz Gold Bug 2. However, if you attempt to equal a high frequency machine by boosting Gain and audio, there is a point where noise will intrude. There are simply limits as to how far you can go at any frequency and the GM1000 absolutely is pushing the hardware as far as it can go and maybe a little beyond at max settings. My advice? Please pay attention to this article. Read it, and then read it again. In particular: "If you set the Sensitivity too low when reducing noise, then you will miss detecting the deeper targets, but if you set the Sensitivity too high, you may make the detector unstable and therefore unusable through detecting too much ground mineralisation or ‘noise’, ‘hot’ rocks and EMI." "While we strongly recommend running the GOLD MONSTER 1000 in Auto or Auto+, experienced detectorists may wish to use the manual settings." (Emphasis added) "To manually set Sensitivity, we suggest backing all the way off to Manual 1, then gradually increase the Sensitivity whilst swinging the coil over ground, clear of metal targets, until you hear noise being detected. Then back off the Sensitivity slightly to select the highest possible level before too much noise makes the detector unstable and unusable." And finally: "Note: the GOLD MONSTER is a highly sensitive VLF detector, with boosted audio, and it may not be possible to run in Manual 10, in difficult ground, without some noise interference and false signals occurring. If this happens you may be running the detector past its maximum practical limits." When we state that “the GOLD MONSTER 1000 turns beginners into experts with fully automatic operation”, the Automatic Sensitivity on this new gold detector is an important feature that helps achieve this! For those of you who insist on running manual, my advice is consider Manual 8 to be the equivalent of the max setting on most detectors. Max 9 is hyper gain and about as far as is practical for many people even in low mineral ground. Consider it a Pro setting. Manual 10 is hitting the hardware limits and some coil touch sensitivity may exhibit itself at this level. The case can be made that maybe Minelab went to far in allowing people to get to this point but I for one begged that the machine not be toned down to what is considered "safe" levels. Manual 10 can reward proficient operators under the right conditions but don't think you can floor the gas on a race car without things getting a little squirrelly! Patience and careful coil control is required when running the ragged edge. People in highly mineralized ground should not even expect to be able to run at this level without encountering difficulty, if it can even be made to work at all. If you are encountering difficulties, reduce the sensitivity manually or employ the Auto Sensitivity settings. Where Does The Minelab Gold Monster 1000 Fit In The Minelab Lineup? I think people expecting the GM1000 to be the ultimate VLF replacing all VLF nugget detectors will be disappointed. I specifically wrote my first article on the GM1000 with the goal of trying to get people off that horse. First and foremost, it is designed and marketed as an entry level nugget detector! Hello! I have said it before and will say it again - if you are an old Pro running a 71 kHz Gold Bug 2 with 3" x 6" concentric coil in low mineral ground, such that you have the sensitivity at max and are running in the low mineral setting, then expecting the 45 kHz GM1000 to match or exceed it on the tiniest of tiny bits is expecting too much. Conversely, if you are running a 14 kHz machine with a 14" x 13" DD coil and expecting the GM1000 to beat it on larger deeper gold you are expecting too much. If you are expecting the GM1000 to come close to replacing a SDC, GPX, or GPZ, you are expecting WAY too much! If you are looking for a great value in a high performance entry level detector designed specifically at running at higher frequencies in difficult ground with ease of use as the primary goal, you have the right idea. It really is optimized such that if run correctly it will handle tough conditions and deliver the goods. While the GM1000 can't beat the 71 kHz machine at what it does best, or the 14 kHz machine at what it does best, it straddles the line between both as well and as broadly as was possible for Minelab to make it, delivering as much as possible on the best attributes of both. If you use the GM1000 as intended and do not attempt to force the detector to be something it is not, you will be a happy camper. Those who insist on doing otherwise I will refer to this thread in the future and say "I told you so". People complain about hype but I am now of the opinion people want hype. They want to be told whatever they want to hear, and if people won't tell it to them, they will just imagine it anyway. My original post linked below and this post are the "anti hype" and hopefully a reason why people read this forum. I think the Minelab Gold Monster 1000 is an excellent and very valuable addition to the choices we already have available on the market. I think Minelab is going to sell a ton of them. Since I do believe this to be the case I am going out of my way to attempt to head off people "hyping themselves" into being disappointed when their imaginings turn out not to be true. Please, I try hard to be straight up with you all. Read my previous "First Impressions thread" and the "Sensitivity Article" and this post as many times as needed to understand what is being said. Thank you!

Go to eBay, do a search for GPZ 7000 metal detector, click "used" and "sold listings" on left, see what they sold for. Works for any halfway popular items. My standard operating procedure when selling used. Purchase date, remaining warranty is a critical factor. A thorough cleaning and lots of great photos do wonders. I am amazed at how many people think I want to buy their filthy detector shown in out of focus photos.

Handles are like hiking boots - different fits for different people. I do not have large hands, and I find the Tek G2+ tapered oval handle as pictured above (same as T2 & F75) to be perfect for me. My hand also really likes the GPX grip. My hand does not like a hard grip as much - the ATX rock hard post needs foam -but it mostly is about shape. The Impact post is harder than most and slightly squared off. Not bad, but I think for me it needs a single wrap of foam tape not only to soften it up but to round it off, though I really don't need it to be any larger diameter. Another person might come to exactly the opposite conclusion. The balance of the Impact however is perfect due to the weight being to the rear. It feels lighter than the 4.26 lbs would imply. Right at a pound lighter than my CTX 3030, another well balanced machine. I like the rounded oval type grip on my CTX better than the rounded square Impact grip. Big plus of Impact over CTX - three piece rod assembly with lower rods that cost $19 versus hard to pack CTX two piece design with lower rods that cost from $100 aftermarket to $175 genuine article! CTX waterproof and Impact not. Click on photos for closeup view.

One of my projects for this summer is to get a more detailed answer to that question. The short answer is I personally think that for just chasing gold nuggets with stock coils the units you mention are close enough as far as performance so as to not matter to me. 18 - 19 - 20 kHz is dead, beat to death, and each new one is as good as and no better than any of the rest for gold nuggets. Just look at the overall feature list and pick whichever floats your boat. If all you care about is nuggets a Gold Bug 19 kHz model will do as well as any mentioned at under 3 lbs and for less money. The part about the Nokta Impact that intrigues me is the 15.5" x 14" DD coil. In general large coils can be counterproductive on hotter VLF machines for two reasons. First, units like the Gold Bug Pro are actually too light, and hanging a large heavy coil off the front of them is an ergonomic nightmare. That Fisher 15" DD on any of the machines it is made for really sucks to swing. The Impact on the other hand is almost made to handle large coils - much better balance. Next to my Garrett ATX and Minelab GPZ the Impact with 15" coil will be the light weight option! The other problem with single frequency detectors is a large coil "sees" too much ground. At higher frequencies this works against the machine in high mineral ground. There is too much blowback from the ground, and the operator has to lower the sensitivity by a large amount to compensate. The net result is in bad ground you often get no more depth with a large coil on a 18 kHz and higher unit, and possibly even less depth in severe ground. Usually a large coil just gets you more ground coverage. However, in lower mineral ground a large coil on a hot VLF can act like a "poor mans PI" but with full discrimination. Yet because of the issues outlined above some hot VLF detectors don't offer coils larger than about 14" x 8" in size, even if you wanted one. The Impact does. The kicker is that the Impact, much like the Minelab Eureka Gold, can switch to lower frequencies. If I have the 15.5" x 14" DD on the Impact, I would start at 20 kHz. If I got into bad ground, I would first lower sensitivity. If forced to drop below 70 or so (to be determined) I would go to 14 kHz and push the gain back up. If I were forced at 14 kHz to drop under sensitivity 70 (guessing still), I would now drop to 5 kHz and push the gain back to max. If 5 kHz is not working, time to go to smaller coil or break out a PI. The Deus has my interest because it also can frequency switch, but again large coils are not a great idea due to the physical design, so in the case of the Deus it is the high frequency small coil that has my greatest interest. The Impact is just the opposite - it is the large coil option that has my interest. I don't think the commentary about the Impact being able to replace many other detectors running in the 5 - 20 kHz range is hype, but it is not anything unusual either. There are piles of great do it all machines out there that can all be said to replace many other machines. The fact is however all have little areas where one might be better than another. I think the Impact has an edge over the CTX for gold nuggets. But the CTX has the edge for salt water detecting. So it goes for almost any pair of detectors you want to pick for me to discuss. The one perfect do everything detector has yet to be invented. I am however on a quest to try and find one VLF detector that comes closest to fitting the bill for me personally in that department. Some commentary on Impact, Deus and G2 here

Yeah Nenad, it was late so I figured on finishing up today but welcome the reminder. I added the Gold Racer at 3.0 lbs and also the Gold Monster at 3.5 lbs with batteries (the specs quote it without). Manufacturers - none of us swing detectors without batteries. I want to know what's hanging on my arm. State weights with batteries. And some catalog weights are understated. Nearly all Nokta detectors weigh more than stated in their literature. All weights quoted on my website pages are normally derived from my actually weighing units with batteries included on my digital postal scales. The Nokta FORS Gold units, for instance, are catalog quoted at 3.9 lbs including batteries but weigh 4.3 lbs with batteries on my postal scales. Its not just Nokta - I have caught others out on this before. The TDI SL as I note above is dramatically lighter than other GBPI options, so much so White's could add nearly a half pound of battery mass and still have a detector weighing under 4 lbs. Really no excuse not to go to a larger, more powerful battery. The other guys just getting under 5 lbs with batteries included would be a real accomplishment. I agree Nenad. How many years have to go by with Minelab watching people strap external batteries and speakers on GPX detectors before we can just get a stripped down GPX with built in speaker and integrated rechargeable or drop in battery? I don't mind changing batteries mid-day if that is what it takes to get decent ergonomics. Here is a picture from Minelabs own Pro-Sonic video showing wireless audio being adapted to a GPX 5000 that has a Minelab half-size battery strapped to the side. I understand Minelab not wanting to undercut existing model sales, so if it has to be a limited control set locked into just Normal or Fine Gold timings, I am all for it. Better for beginners that way anyway. Or as a second unit for people who own the full blown rigs.

It is just everything - it all adds up. Certainly newer modern battery systems will go a long way to making detectors lighter. There are still quite a few detectors using eight AA batteries. The TDI SL is under 4 lbs but honestly looking at the weights below just getting under 5 lbs is doing good. Unlike all the others the TDI SL could actually add a little weight and still look very good. Here is a list of nugget detectors sorted by weight with my own somewhat arbitrary categories. Weight is not everything as balance is also very important, as is the handle design. Obviously the ability to hip mount counts for a lot. Properly designed bungee systems can render even heavy detectors weightless on the arm. VERY LIGHT Fisher Gold Bug / Gold Bug Pro - 2.5 lbs. with 5" coil and one 9v battery (2.7 lbs with 10" elliptical coil) Fisher Gold Bug 2 - 2.9 lbs. with two 9v batteries (may be hip mounted) Minelab X-Terra 705 Gold - 2.9 lbs. with four AA batteries Garrett AT Gold - 3.0 lbs. with four AA batteries Makro Gold Racer - 3.0 lbs. with four AA batteries LIGHT Minelab Gold Monster 1000 - 3.5 lbs with eight AA batteries Tesoro Lobo Super TRAQ - 3.5 lbs. with eight AA batteries (may be hip mounted) White's TDI SL (GBPI) - 3.5 lbs. with eight AA batteries (3.0 lbs. with 7.5" coil) White’s GMT - 3.9 lbs. with eight AA batteries MEDIUM Nokta FORS Gold / FORS Gold+ - 4.3 lbs. with four AA batteries White’s MXT - 4.3 lbs. with eight AA batteries HEAVY Minelab Eureka Gold - 5.3 lbs. including rechargeable battery pack or optional eight AA batteries (may be hip mounted) Minelab GPX 5000 (GBPI) - The GPX weighs 5.3 lbs. not including the harness mounted proprietary rechargeable battery, which weighs another 1.7 lbs (7 pounds total). Detector weight normally supported by bungee. Garrett Infinium LS (GBPI) - 5.6 lbs. including rechargeable battery pack or eight AA batteries (may be hip mounted) White's TDI and TDI Pro (GBPI) - 5.6 lbs. including proprietary rechargeable battery (may be hip mounted) Minelab SDC 2300 (GBPI) - 5.7 lbs. including four C batteries VERY HEAVY Garrett ATX (GBPI) - 6.9 lbs. including eight AA batteries Minelab GPZ 7000 - 7.2 lbs. with standard rechargeable battery

Well, how about placing bets on who gets to market first with something new - First Texas or White's I will set the bar low - it just can't be a single frequency VLF unit. PI, multifrequency, selectable (switchable) frequency. Anything but Just Another Mid Frequency Detector!

OK, final note. Just in case novices or newcomers to the forum are reading all this and taking it as a full blown endorsement of the White's TDI SL. Far from it. I have rigged the game here by placing an reasonable (in my opinion) but artificial set of limits in place. The reality is that many detector users really only care about one thing - pure power. If you are a gold prospector who finds substantial amounts of gold (money) while metal detecting, all else is secondary. Cost is less important because your tools are paying for themselves. Higher cost just means more hours before reaching the breakeven point. For some people price is just not an issue. And ergonomics? I once jokingly told a Minelab engineer he could put spikes in the armrest that made me bleed every minute I was detecting, and if it meant I found a lot more gold, I would do it! Exaggeration perhaps but not that far off the mark either. Given that reality the fact is there just is not a huge demand for machines near last place. The TDI SL shines here because of the parameters I have set up, but it only shines as far as weight and cost. Being a 2 on my "Minelab Scale" means there are a lot of detectors out there with far better performance, especially as not all of them are on that list, like the ATX and SDC 2300. The TDI SL is pretty low on the totem pole. The reality I faced when using the TDI SL was that in low mineral ground it truly is not any better than any good VLF run in all metal mode. In fact given that most VLF detectors will hit smaller gold, and offer some form of ferrous discrimination, the TDI SL is a step backwards. White's own GMT and MXT models both are more compelling choices for most people working in lower mineral environments. You have to get into ground so mineralized or with hot rocks so bad that the GMT or MXT are really struggling before you really see the benefit of the TDI SL. Having a hard time ground balancing, machine overloads unless sensitivity backed way, way down? Hot rocks nearly every swing? Break out the TDI SL and those issues just go away. This is why many people who don't get around much or have not experienced those types of ground conditions are truly puzzled by the TDI SL. Their VLF pretty much kicks its posterior, so they just don't get it, and even go so far as to think the machine is a rip off. A lot of the ground I have encountered in Northern Nevada, for instance, is mild enough that I believe I would be better off running a GMT than a TDI SL, especially given the prevalence of small and porous type gold. Bottom line is that for the TDI SL to look good compared to a decent VLF, you need some really bad ground. So before you go thinking "aha, Steve says I should buy a TDI SL" think again. What I am really trying to do here is get more and better machines into this under 4 lb, under $2K region. The TDI SL simply wins by default.

The only thing close to what I think you are asking for is the Nokta Impact Gen(D) mode. MXT or MX Sport Prospect mode with Iron Grunt activated a close second. There is no second tone with the X-Terra Iron Mask. The target either breaks up or blanks completely. All different ways of doing about the same thing, so I guess it is the other features of the machines you also have to consider when making the choice. Keep in mind the X-Terra displays no target id while in Prospect/All Metal mode - the others do. I looked real hard at X-Terra 705 and Gold Bug Pro, both in All Metal/Prospect Mode. They are basically the same for depth/sensitivity. The Gold Bug Pro is just pure audio signal, look at the meter for target id number to decide if you dig. The X-Terra Iron Mask is in some ways more efficient - no meter looking, just set it and hunt by ear. The level of iron rejection is adjustable. In the end I wanted a bit more target information than just ferrous/non-ferrous so I went with the Gold Bug Pro but I have to admit the need to check the meter is annoying so there is much to be said for the X-Terra methodology.

Ok, now we are on same page! I sure am not trying to say you should want to use haptic based systems. Nor do I need them - yet. I do hunt by ear. It is about what others may find useful. But I have to admit I am starting to find it useful to watch movies with close captioning turned on - I swear I replay some key passage four times and still can't understand what the heck they are saying! I really am going to do a full blown report on using a detector purely in vibration mode, so stay tuned.

There is obviously disappointment over the detectors being late. The consolation for people with money down is being first in line. Those waiting until one is sitting on a shelf waiting to get bought might be waiting all summer.

I do what I can to foster competition that develops alternatives to the all too common VLF detector. There are plenty of options out there, but in my opinion they all weigh too much or cost too much. Usually both. I envision people out there with a popular VLF metal detector for beach, relic, or gold detecting. These machines all sell for around $700 and weigh 2.5 - 3.9 lbs. Perhaps they would like to add a ground balancing PI (GBPI) to what they have. I think that for "normal people" with normal budgets a machine under $2K and under four pounds just makes sense. It would be more than twice what they spent for their VLF, and in this day and age there is no reason why a decent PI should weigh over 4 lbs. I am drawing the hard line at 5 lbs. I am setting under 4 lbs more as an aspirational goal that I think can be achieved, but recognize that battery power and coils are key inhibiting factors in high power PI systems that may make sacrifices in depth necessary to get total weight under 4 lbs. To clarify what I am talking about here, I should say that for many people a $700 VLF detector is a great place to start and in many cases is all a person ever needs. However, there are places where extreme ground mineralization and mineralized rocks (hot rocks) severely impede the performance and use of VLF detectors. Alternative technology to deal with these conditions has been developed, by far the most familiar being the Minelab ground balancing PI (GBPI) detectors. These differ from common PI detectors by having the ability to ground balance. Other brands have offered the Garrett Infinium (discontinued) plus Garrett ATX and the White's TDI models. These detectors are used not just for gold prospecting but also by relic hunters, beach detectorists, and others who face challenges regarding ground mineralization and VLF detectors. Frankly, in my opinion GBPI technology is largely maxed out. The main room for improvement comes now in better ergonomics at lower prices. This challenge therefore limits detectors to those that weigh under 4 pounds with battery included, and which sell brand new with warranty after discounts for under US$2000. Detectors need not be ground balancing PI models, but must offer similar ability to ignore mineralized ground and hot rocks that trouble VLF detectors. I am going to rate detectors as to their relative performance using what I call the "Minelab Rating Scale. Details here. 1. Minelab SD 2000 - crude first version, very poor on small gold, excellent on large deep gold 2. Minelab SD 2100 - vastly refined version of SD 2000 3. Minelab SD 2200 (all versions) - adds crude iron disc, ground tracking 4. Minelab GP Extreme - adds greatly improved sensitivity to small gold, overall performance boost. 5. Minelab GP 3000 - Refined GP Extreme 6. Minelab GP 3500 - Greatly refined GP 3000, last and best of analog models 7. Minelab GPX 4000 - First digital interface, rock solid threshold 8. Minelab GPX 4500 - Refined GPX 4000, solid performer 9. Minelab GPX 4800 - Released at same time as GPX 5000 as watered down version 10. Minelab GPX 5000 - Culmination of the series, current pinnacle of GBPI prospecting machine technology. All Minelab models leverage an existing base of over 100 coil options from tiny to huge. I am a very practical person when it comes to detecting. I know all the existing models and options by all brands very well, perhaps better than almost anyone. This is the way I look at it is this. If I personally were to spend a lot of money to go gold prospecting for one month, and needed a GBPI detector, considering machines past and present, what would I get and in what order of choice? Put aside concerns of age, warranty, etc. just assume functioning detectors. Here is the issue in a nutshell. On the Minelab scale of one to ten as listed above, I would be generous in rating the White's TDI SL as a 2. Same with the Garrett Infinium which I will mention in passing as it is no longer being made. If I was going to spend a month of my time and a lot of money going on a prospecting trip, I would choose a TDI in any version over the SD 2000. I might go with a TDI Pro over a SD 2100 but I would have to think real hard about that, and when push comes to shove I would go SD 2100 were it not for the realities of age I said to ignore. A newer TDI Pro might be a better bet than a very old SD 2100 from a reliability standpoint, but again, this would be a tough choice. The TDI SL not really. In my opinion I would be shooting myself in the foot to go on this hypothetical trip with a TDI SL instead of a SD 2100. You see the problem now? The Garrett ATX fares better. I would rate it a 3, roughly analogous to the SD 2200 variants. Still an agonizing choice really and the ATX being new versus SD 2200 being old might again be the tipping point, but from a pure prospecting options perspective the case can be made that the SD 2200 might be the better way to go. The problem for this challenge is the ATX weighs way over 4 lbs and sells for slightly over $2000. The price is close enough really but the 7 lb weight is way off. That's it folks. That is reality. The best of the best that the competition can offer can only go solidly up against models Minelab has not made in years. I am not saying that to be mean or as some kind of Minelab toadie, that is my pure unvarnished opinion as a guy who is pretty well versed on the subject. Let's bring it all home. This person with the $700 machine really, really wants that under 4 lb, under $2K GBPI machine, but if they do their homework they discover that truthfully, they would be better off shopping for a used Minelab than what the competition offers new. With the TDI SL rated as a 2 the ATX in a much lighter box at under $2K is a solid win as a 3. A well designed ATX with standard dry land coils would look very enticing as compared to the GP series Minelabs. But Garrett refuses to budge! White's can certainly do something, anything to improve the TDI SL. A battery that lasts all day would be a good start. In the end they are limited by the basic single channel design of the machine. The SD 2000 dual channel design was literally the answer to and the improvement on the single channel technology used in the TDI, the basics of which predate the SD 2000. Still, White's currently owns the under 4 lb under $2K GBPI category so they have the first out of the starting gate advantage. Anything they do would at the very least just show they have not given up. The Minelab MPS patent that formed the basis of the SD series has expired. Not sure about DVT, which formed the basis of the GP series. Where is the competition? What the heck is going on here? Much gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair is going on here, that's what!!! That is my challenge to the manufacturers. Under 4 lbs, under $2K, on the 1-10 scale I am offering, what is the best you can do? The TDI SL as a 2? Really? Yes, really, that is currently the best of the best in the brand new ground balancing PI, full warranty, under 4 lb, under $2k category. You can pick up a 3.5 lb TDI SL right now brand new for $1049. The White's TDI SL takes the crown. Note that a challenger has a half pound of weight they can add to the TDI SL and still make the 4 lb mark, and retail can be almost double the $1049 of the TDI SL and still come in at the 2K mark. I therefore do not think my challenge is outright crazy. Hopefully we will see more competition in this wide open category soon. I have been beating this drum for years to no avail, but I do have reason to believe we are finally going to see more alternatives soon. I hope. Maybe? All I know is I have had it. I sold both my 6.9 lb Garrett ATX and 7.2 lb Minelab GPZ 7000 and am boycotting metal detectors that weigh over 5 lbs from here on out. I don’t care how well they work, I simply refuse to buy such heavy beasts anymore. In the future I will support and give my dollars to companies that pay attention to and prioritize lightweight, more ergonomic designs. White's Electronics TSI SL metal detector

Well Deft, we will have to agree to disagree on the potential efficiency of haptic systems as potential metal detector interfaces. I am one of those that does not want to be eyes glued to screen at all times. You worry about dense trash, something I think could be dealt with. I am more worried about sparse targets, where a lot of time passes between signals. I can't imagine gold prospecting eyes glued to screen or even LED for a solid hour waiting to see something. Haptic makes far more sense. I only use my pinpointer in vibrate mode and somehow that 9V battery gets plenty of hours so I don't think battery life is a valid concern, even with continuous use in dense targets. It would be relatively easy to fashion discrimination systems around a haptic system. Apple Watch interface? Anyone up for a patent? Regardless of the systems employed I applaud any company that puts resources into interfaces that help the handicapped.

Kellyco is currently the service center for both Minelab and Nokta/Makro, among others. Singling out Nokta/Makro for using Kellyco as a service center would be unfair unless your concerns extend to other companies employing their services. Every major manufacturer has a relationship with Kellyco, including the one Carl works for. That said, I understand your issues with LRLs and the companies that sell them.

New Treasure Talk entry... http://www.minelab.com/anz/go-minelabbing/treasure-talk/understanding-the-sensitivity-control-on-the-gold-monster-1000 What the Automatic Signal Processing is actually doing (advanced description) Another performance advantage of the two Auto settings (hidden from the user) is that both the sensitivity resolution and adjustment range actually go way beyond what can be displayed via the LCD segments: Where there are ten Manual settings to choose from, the GOLD MONSTER signal processing will automatically make the optimum choice from well over 10,000 incremental steps. Where Manual 10 is the maximum level that can be user selected, the auto level selected may range above 10 if the ambient and ground conditions allow, giving a greater sensitivity than manual will ever be able to achieve.