Rob Allison

Hey Smithsgold, Always great seeing you and "Two Toes" metal detecting for those elusive gold nuggets. Tell Gary I'm still using the crevice tool he sent me free of charge. I couldn't tell you now how many gold nuggets it has scratched out of deep, caliche covered crevices. Wishing you both the best of success! Keep up the great videos. Rob

Hey Gold Catcher, I used to be one of Bunk's top sellers for both of his picks. Believe it or not, he got so busy with pick sales, he was struggling making all the picks himself. I think there is a chance if you contact Bunk he could make a pick for you. However, don't quote me on this, but here is his contact info - http://www.bunknteri.com/ Rob

Hey Guys, Calvin Bunker, a good friend, made great - lightweight picks. He made the Hermit and Burro, I sold hundreds of each. There were reasonably priced and worked well. The problem today is the high priced picks, but then again it reflects what materials cost today, steel and wood. Rob

Hey Guys, Thanks for the comments. Phrunt - Yep, I had the first version for the test coil and now I have the newer logo version. AfreakofNature - I never heard of any price before hand, but figured they were going to be around $1,000 or so basing it off of what the stock replacement coil costs and the 19" coil at $1500.

Hey Gold Catcher, Ya, I gotten a lot of feedback so far, everyone is super impressed by then. I love the fact it's even more sensitive, but the biggest factor is the weight overall of the GPZ 7000, so the lighter coil makes it easy hunting without a bungee all day for me. Here are a few more pictures of the first coil I got, notice the logo is slightly a bit different than the new one.

Hello All, Well it's been a bit since I had the 12" NF Z Searchcoil on my GPZ 7000, but it managed to show the same results once again. It was about 3 months ago when I originally was field testing the new NF 12" Z Search, before it's release here in the US. I managed to take it back over a few patches I hammered hard with the stock 14x13 coil, but still was able to find about a dozen for so smaller gold nuggets that I missed. The hyper-sensitivity this new coils gives, plus the lightweight, make detecting with the GPZ 7000 much easier and pleasant. I managed to just get in the first batch of new NF coil for the GPZ and even got a few that I didn't expect. Most of them were pre-sold and spoken for, but I still have 1-2 left I think. I went out for my second, first day, meaning I only got one day on the first coil then a customer/good friend just had to have it. I ended up hunting all day, sun up to down down and scored the nuggets below. I'm super impressed with this coil, so if you own a Minelab GPZ 7000, this is something to consider if you're looking for a lighter coil and something that is more sensitive to smaller/specimens vs. the stock coil. Just a FYI, the original coil I sold has scored well over 100 nuggets from what I'm told and some of the recent coils that just hit customers hands (some pictures now on this forum) have scored gold. Congrats on all the new NF Z Searchoil owners and new ones to come! Rob https://www.robsdetectors.com/nugget-finder-12-z-searchcoil-for-gpz-7000/

Hey Phrunt, I think for the most part, it's this COVID crap here in the US. I work for a major company here in the US beyond running my business and 70% or better are still working from home. I think Minelab USA is in the same boat, many are probably still working from home, meaning less people potentially at the main office, repair center and such. I'm basing this off solely what is going on in the West Coast right now, USA. I read an article a few days ago about major companies struggling to get employees back to work. When you allow someone to stay home for so long, they don't want to return and many employees are claiming it's not "SAFE" to return to the work place! Rob

Dealer Meeting - Ssshhh I don't it's any big secret that just about everything is in shortage. It has been this way in the metal detector industry for well over a year, forcing some companies to shut their doors, while others struggle to stay open. I would almost say anything coming from overseas will have some shortage. I can't discuss numbers, really don't know them, but I serious doubt due to what is going on in the world, part shortages and such, the numbers of GPX 6000's in the US will be very small to start. I'm sure there will be allocations, allowing all dealers to get at least one in their hands. This is just my opinion, I'm not speaking from hearing something from Minelab as a dealer. There is a lot of excitement and I expect this to be a super, hot selling metal detector once it's readily available (hopefully before the US cooler, winter season). Rob

Hey Guys, Steve is correct, contact Detector Center. When in doubt, always contact the dealer you purchased from, they should be able to provide all the contact details and even help if there are any hiccups. Rob

Hey Gerry, I think the key is to use what you can afford and maximize it's potential the best you can. If you can only use a VLF to start with, learn it's pro's/con's, where it works best and hunt those locations. If you can get a PI, so the same thing, being as productive and hunting as methodically as you can. If you're a "Trophy" hunter, you're going to cross a lot of the smaller guys for sure. If you're hunting for everything like you mentioned, you're surely going to cross a "Trophy" at some point - hopefully. I don't think there is any real way to just hunt for big gold, or Trophies, beyond researching area that have historically produced big gold nuggets or large free milling gold in the past. That all being said, the biggest gold nugget on Earth might not have been found, so maybe it's on a hillside, outside of a little known gold district! Gold is where you find it, big or small. Good luck. Rob

Hey Geof, I have to agree with you about Depth is not the only factor. We just got a batch of the new Nugget Finder Z Searchoils in, but it's a smaller order than expected and all of them are spoken for and had been for some time. That being said, this new Nugget Finder Z Search coil is amazing and allows much greater sensitivity to even smaller gold and smaller specimens. The coil is also super lightweight compared to the stock Minelab 14x13. We should have more coming, but we already have customers on a pre-order list for the second round, so if anything is looking to increase their sensitivity and get a lighter and smaller coil, the Nugget Finder is the ticket! Rob

Hey Guys, Thanks for the comments. The one ouncers are tough to find, no question. What most don't see is the hundreds, or thousands of other targets for just one single one ounce gold nugget. Rob

Hey Bryan, I can tell you a quick story about buying cheap items. I had a customer about 10 years ago come out for field training. He purchased a new, early GP series detector. He seen some of the gear I had, quality prospecting pick with magnet, scoop and such. He said it's not worth buying all that high end stuff, you can get the same quality or make it yourself. I didn't want to challenge the guy, but he had some pick that had a yellow fiberglass handle and the pick looked like something you would use in your garden. He was digging a target out of the hard, granite bedrock and a piece of the pick broke off and shattered his eye glasses!! He was startled to hell and back, he thought he lost his eye (no shit). After examining the pick, the pick wasn't hardened and when it hit a hard surface it just shattered. I ended up letting him use a older, high quality pick that I carried as an extra for training. At the end of the day, he said it's time to get a good pick I guess. Trust me, the picks you purchase at hardware stores and such are not the same quality metal and handle as you will get when you buy a good prospecting pick that was designed for what we do. Also, it's surely not worth loosing an eye over saving $50-60 bucks. Just my thoughts, Rob

Hey Guys, Thanks for all the comments. The piece is about 3/4" long and about 1/2" thick. I added a few more pictures to give you an idea. The piece is solid, super dense at 20.4 Dwt's. Not much character, but the GPZ 7000 likes this large, solid gold for sure like most PI's Rob

Hey Guys, There were rumors about a year after the release of the GPZ 7000 here in the US about a possible "discrimination upgrade." I'm by far any type of software/firmware or hardware expect, so I couldn't tell you one way or another. I didn't think it was possible or would happen, but anything is possible I guess. I would think if Minelab was going to do something like, it would have been done already. Why wait 5-7 years before making such an release? Makes you wonder if there will by anymore. Looks like there was 3 software updates, 2 in 2015 and 1 in 2017. They all can be viewed here on Minelab's website - https://www.minelab.com/metal-detectors/gpz-7000

Hey Reese, Ya, I'm sure they would sell well, but the price of steel and material in general has jumped. It's funny, people will spend up to $8000 or more for a detector and accessories, but bitch about a high quality $100+ pick. I have high quality picks sitting in the garage that are an easy 10+ years old, well worth the investment and all the gold they dug out of the ground. If you're going to purchase a high dollar metal detector, don't go cheap on all of your other gear that is just as essential. Rob

Hey Guys, Yes, that is correct, I believe I have found my smallest one ouncer to date. I'm referring to the size overall of the 1 ounce nugget. Most of my 1 ounce nuggets or larger are flat and much large in size. This slug, it solid and dense and weights 20.4 Dwt's, just .4 Dwt's over an ounce (20 Dwt's per Troy Ounce). I'm not going to discuss how deep it was found, or signal response - It was found with a Minelab GPZ 7000 and it was deep! Wishing you all many gold nuggets. Rob

Hey Norvic, Yes, the Patch mode/Salt was added along with the Semi-Auto on one of the GPZ 7000 updates. I also agree with you Norvic, in places I would say the Minelab GPZ 7000 has gotten greater gains than the 40% claim, and in other spots much less. I'm here in Arizona, some goldfields are tough, tons of ironstones, volcanics and hot ground. In other places, the ground is very mild. Rob

Hey Guys & Steve, I have to agree with you, I have found over the last 10-15 years with the PI's, that some places they would perform beyond what I expect, while in other spots I would hit very hot bedrock that would scream, tons of hotrocks or even a lot of EMI. There will not be one detector that will perform the best on all types of ground conditions (iron, salt and benign soil), eliminate various ironstones and hot rocks, find all the small gold, large gold, or even different types of gold. I have to give a lot of credit to Minelab and their advancements in detector technology through. I can still remember hunting with the early GT series VLF detector. I look now at the Gold Monster 1000 and think back when I was swinging the early VLF's. I then can think about when I got one of the first Minelab SD2000's to hit US soil. It was awesome on hot ground, hot rocks and deep targets, but kind of sucks on small gold. Remember when the Minelab GP Extreme came out? I was featured in their GP Extreme ad, calling the GP Extreme at that time the King of Detectors! Minelab placed some numbers on it, claiming it would go 18% deeper & 55% better on small gold at depth over the prior SD series. Now we are into the GPX series, which are great on small gold, small gold at depth, good depth on large gold and much more immune to EMI. Then you have the GPZ 7000, which speaks for itself with superior depth ability, good EMI immunity, hot on small gold, specimens and various gold types. There has always been a huge amount of hype and field testing prior to a release, sometimes it really pans out, other times it just a detector with a few more bells and whistles and didn't really make a huge jump. To date, what I have experienced is the greatest gains was from the VLF to early PI's (SD series). Then the next major jump for me and my finds was the GP Extreme over the prior SD series. Lets all hope the hype, independent field testing, what we are ready is all a fact and proves out 100%. There could be a lot of detectors for sale, or a re-evaluation months after the release. I have placed my trust in what I have read, Minelab's History of detectors, so I think the Minelab GPX 6000 will be a winner like most of all the previous Minelab metal detectors. Take your "Tool" and knowledge to the goldfields, Rob

Hey Guys, Ok, I stirred the pot just a tiny bit! First, no disrespect, but the business to get into now is running online forums with ads (pay per click). Oh boy, now I did it ..... Back to detectors - Steve H. is probably one of the most knowledgeable guys I know. He's sold and used detectors way before my time. There are handfuls of very knowledgeable electronic prospectors on this forums, probably just as many just lurking and reading. I think the 40% deeper has proven itself over the years with Minelab GPZ 7000 users. There were times where I really questioned the claim, but then again it only took a few very deep, sizeable gold nuggets to change my mind. I think the 40% is very moveable, meaning there are a lot of variables (added and removed) to get to 40%. I think some of those in general are ground mineralization, size of searchcoil, detector settings, type of gold, size of gold and more. The GPZ 7000's depth ability was a huge plus, but I found a lot of gold that the GPX series missed. In my opinion, the GPX series and prior did poor on very porous gold (sponge like), wire gold and disseminated gold in matrix. I couldn't believe all the little pieces I picked up in various areas and old patches missed by prior technology. I also found a lot more small gold with the GPZ 7000 on old patches and worked them heavily with small searchcoils on the SD/GP and GPX series. Does the GPX 6000 fit in Minelab's category that claims the GPZ 7000 goes 40% deeper than the GPX series? That is a question I can't personally answer, as I have not used the GPX 6000 yet. The Independent field testers would have a better idea if they owned and operated a GPZ 7000 for any time. It's my understand there are more than 1 Minelab GPX 6000 on US soil right now. I know someone mentioned something about this. Another question people have is - "Will the new Nugget Finder 12" Round Z Searchcoil" eliminate the need for a GPX 6000 purchase? That is a loaded question, but I have found a lot of smaller gold with the new Nugget Finder Z Searchcoil for sure. It's a very impressive coil, super lightweight, but does have a pretty steep price tag at $1100 US. Minelab GPZ 7000 - $8000 MAP Minelab GPZ 7000 - $8000 MAP + NF 12" Round Z Searchcoil - $1100 = $9100.00 overall investment Minelab GPX 6000 - $6000 MAP Minelab GPX 5000 - $4000 MAP Used Minelab PI's (SD's, GP's and some GPX's) - $1000 - 3000 range I'm sure there are a lot of people just sitting back and reading, thinking the only way they can really compete in finding gold is they have to invest into one of these units, GPX 6000, GPZ 7000. There is plenty of gold to be found still, majority of electronic prospectors like to circle back to the known goldfields or old nugget patches. You could get into a used PI for several thousands of dollars, work little known placers, fringes of known gold areas, explore and get off the beaten path and do well. The chances of doing very well in a pounded gold field are slim (regardless of detector), but the potential of finding an overlooked small placer, pocket or even surface vein is much higher for the prospector that does the research and branches out. Purchase within your means, do your research, talk with people, read the forums, you will make the right detector purchase when you are ready. Wishing you all many nuggets and exciting times, Rob

Hey Steve, Nope, you have similar thoughts on the depth ability of the GPZ, but the weight, price and other factors could discourage many to go that route. Agreed, many previous PI's with larger coils could hit gold at good depth. A coil that has been somewhat overlooked outside of Australia is the Detech 32" Round Concentric coil. This coil will work on the Minelab PI's and gets great depth and coverage on large gold. Rob

Hey Guys, I figured we can stir the pot just a little while we wait out the release of the Minelab GPX 6000, right? That being said, Minelab still claims the GPZ 7000 can get "up to 40% more depth" over previous GPX detectors. We can all question, does the GPX 6000 still fit in this category, as Minelab stated GPX detectors. The upcoming Minelab GPX 6000 is still a GPX series detector, but primarily using GeoSense Technology. I don't see where GeoSense really talks about any more depth ability over the previous GPX 5000, but it does mention about better ground response/clarity, maybe allowing you to hear something in higher mineralized ground over previous GPX series. I don't claim to be an expert electronic prospector, but my specialty is in detecting for gold nuggets with the best detectors available. We call all talk about how much gold we found, years of experience, regions we hunted and such ..... The bottom line is I still feel the Minelab GPZ 7000 is the KING of detectors when it comes to depth. Many Australian, African and US prospecting friends still feel the same. I personally have found many large gold nuggets and specimens at max depth where I doubt any detector with a similar sized searchcoil would have found. I also know that probably 1% or less of those large gold nuggets/specimens are out there still and the ones at max depth range of the current detector technology. Does this justify the purchase of a Minelab GPZ 7000 over the upcoming GPX 6000, or should GPZ 7000 owners dump their units now? These are questions I personally can't advise anyone on, but it's something to consider when you make a purchase of a metal detector in the thousands of dollar range. What I can leave you with is my personal experience over the last 25 years chasing gold nuggets .... If you are in areas where there has been historically large gold nuggets, overburden to bedrock/paylayer/caliche/false bedrock that can be several feet and deeper in depth, you might seriously consider either holding your current GPZ 7000 or consider a purchase of one at some point. I personally will not be parting with my trusty GPZ 7000, we have a 5+ year personal relationship. We have been through tough times, bad weather, I even yelled at her and dropped her a few times! Like Steve mentioned before, you could actually fall in love with your detector. Wishing you all much success with whatever detector(s) you swing. P.S. Below is a recent GPZ 7000 find, max depth, just a break in the threshold (yes the GPZ 7000 has one). Nearly a pound in weight (uncleaned in picture) Rob

Hey Reese, The Walco's are awesome picks. I sold hundreds of them here in the US many years ago when Doc (Doc's Detecting Supply) was the US Distributor. However, not getting into any details, but there was a parting of ways and no US Distributor after that. They were a little pricey back then, but are well built and worth it. That being said, all picks are expensive today, Apex and other brands can run into the low $100 range for the larger picks. Rob

Hey Guys, I think training on some units is important. I'm not a huge fan saying that training is essential or important on something like a Minelab Gold Monster 1000. This unit was originally designed to be used by people that couldn't even read/write, so it has to be super user friendly and easy to use. I think training on many detectors like the higher end PI's and such are important and will speed up your success, but also just as important is understanding where to prospect, what to look for and various "gold" indicators. Sometimes, this could be more important, being in the right spot where nuggets are, rather than being in a spot that don't have gold and being an expert user. To learn your detectors ins/outs in a parking lot or front of someone's house is not the same as a dealer taking you out to the goldfields, showing you the ground, the color of mineralization, types of hotrocks, geological indications and such. Many dealers advertise "Training," but it's what I call backyard training. It's not in the goldfields and really don't benefit you as much in my opinion. Another important factor on training which you should inquire about is - "How much one on one time do you actually get?" To go out with a dealer and there are a dozen other guys trying to get the same training is not the same as one on one in my opinion. I prefer to keep my groups smaller, allowing me and the customer to have more time together and for questions. Many dealers like Gerry and I also use multi field trainers, so you get a different view or perspective from other experienced users, rather than just one. Overall, some training is probably better than no training at all. Do your research and see what is the best fit for you. Some customers of mine have done training with other dealers along with myself to get even more information which could benefit them. Wishing you Golden success! Rob

Hey Gerry, Great article. I had some great times hunting tailing piles in Alaska thanks to Steve H. and Moore Creek and many other locations. I never had the fortunate luck of hitting anything super big, but a few ounce to two ounce specimen pieces were still great finds with handfuls of small nuggets and specimens. In the dry arid desert regions of the Southwest, you can also hunt drywasher tailing piles. I have had great success hunting them in certain spots with many sizeable nuggets that were just too big for the old-timer and even more modern day drywasher screens. Like you mentioned Gerry, the PI can be an advantage or disadvantage when it comes to deep, iron rubbish. I spent many hours digging faint targets that ended up being chunks of iron down several feet deep. At some point, you just hope one of those targets will be a huge gold nugget, worth all time and effort digging. Wishing you all gold under your searchcoils. Rob