Tony

Dear Garrett Australia……..it’s about time you revealed the Aussie price (and yes, I have asked locally but nothing yet)…….👎

Just copied this from Garrett Australia Facebook……..trust me, that is some very spicy ground 🌶 

This is some very good preliminary results if its pinging gold in this ground as you need an effective GB to hear any targets.

Good boots are a must on our hot ground 😳

I love my Excalibur but the stock battery pod construction leaves a bit to be desired. My main gripe is the cheap and somewhat brittle plastic pod, especially the battery cap threads as these will crack if tightened too much. Water and fine silt also gets into the fine opening just before the O ring. Small surface cracks seem to appear for no apparent reason 🤬

So I managed to pickup two new underwater camera enclosures that were priced to clear (rated to 200m). These are 15mm thick acrylic cases and very high quality. I was able to get equally high quality suitable connectors for the battery power cable from Aquascan in the UK as Ikelite no longer make this part. 

I also wanted to charge the Lithium 18650 cells externally (and not in a sealed case) as they can generate heat when charging. The 3 x 18650 cells should give quite a long run time…..much the same as the R&B battery.

I’ve got two of these cases now plus the original NiMH pod and the R&B pack.

There is no noticeable extra drag in the water that I can feel even though the case has a somewhat larger profile in the water.

Two stainless bolts secure the cases (as shown).

There is actually room inside for 6 x 18650 cells which would be about a 6000 mAh battery pack 👍

10 minutes ago, Steve Herschbach said:

take it or leave it

I’ll take it……..might be cheaper to pay Gerry a visit 👍

1 hour ago, Goldseeker5000 said:

Getting the gold of all sizes is the bottom line! The one that gets the gold gets my money. 

They all get gold….of all sizes 🤔

34 minutes ago, Goldseeker5000 said:

So Steve, I am a skeptic of Garretts gold machines being able to hit on gold as tiny as what Minelab's can hit on and as deep as Minelab's can reach the gold. Years ago I used to be a Garrett fan but their so called technology advancements have seemed to me at least to be little more than a shell make-over. I also have seen first hand the electronic components seem low end and cheap compared to Minelab, such as the wiring on the coils. Every Garrett I have owned started falsing and developing cracks in the coil wiring exposing the copper wires. Have they upgraded the electronic components on the Axiom? For roughly $4000 I certainly hope so. I had bought the Infinitum L/S many years ago and was pissed when I got it in the mail and it was visibly cheap. Every time you swung the coil the lower shaft would slop back and forth because they didn't seem to see the need for a twist lock knob between the lower and upper shaft. After that it started falsing constantly before a year was up. Then the atx came out and it was essentially the Infinium in a new shell. The cord coming out of the control box on the Axiom as far out as it does I think will eventually become a problem getting caught on all kinds of stuff and weakening the coil plug housing. Can it hit on gold as tiny as the 6000 or 7000 can and as deep 

I feel you are being somewhat unfair to Garrett. They are not making any claims or assertions regarding detectability of any size of gold at any depth relative to Minelab units. I also think that any “history” of Garrett detectors having build or design issues have no bearing on what they are offering today. 
The Axiom doesn’t need to compete with any Minelab detector and Garrett probably know that……it looks to be in a class of its own and doesn’t need to be “more powerful” than rival units. 
Sit back and let the Axiom stand up for itself…..things look very good so far 👍

 

I don’t have a 5000, 6000 or a 7000 so need no excuse to seriously consider the Axiom. I do love my 3500 though…..can’t see myself ever letting her go ❤️

At times, she can give me a slight shoulder and neck ache but her charm is irresistible 🥰

Changing my profile picture has nothing to do with my exuberance for the Axiom…..it can always go back to the Octopus 😎

From Google:

USB C Mechanical specs:
o Receptacle opening: ~8.4mm x ~2.6mm
o Durability: 10,000 cycles minimum
o Improved EMI- and RFI-mitigation features
o Power delivery capacity: 3A for standard cables and 5A for connectors

I have always used an electrical cleaner/lube spray on my current coil plug connectors so the same could be used to keep the USB-C port in good condition.

I think the port will be just fine with due diligence 👍

I’m worried that the local markup won’t be linear with that of the USA……volume of sales in the US can allow for a smaller profit and spread over many more individual sales. I hope Garrett USA have had a quiet word with our local dealers. Having said that, if the Axiom performance is there then the Mastercard might be in for some abuse.

Axiom MSRP is USD $4700……Garrett Australia might use that as a starting point but I hope not.

Back in the day, we could buy any US detector direct from the US……so much for “Free Trade” 👍

I’m thinking nearer $7500……☹️

Hey Paul……did you just wake up after a big night out coz that video is two days old 😂😂

Save some Meekatharra gold for me please…….or at least don’t go to Leinster and take the gold from your inbound buddies from the USA 👍

3 hours ago, phrunt said:

A bit part of the reason for the lack of excitement in Australia is that it is from the USA, not because that is a bad thing, but it means the pricing won't be good, sadly that means pricing even if its cheap by comparison in the USA to the 6000 in our part of the world it's pricing is almost the same as a 6000.  If we are lucky it may end up a few hundred dollars cheaper.  We'll have to wait until official AU/NZ pricing is out but at the moment just changing exchange rates it's not looking good at all.

Hey…..I got excited 👍

My excitement is capped for now until I know how it performs over here in WA ground. I’m thrilled with everything that the Axiom has shown but until local performance and pricing is out then I’ll sit back and see how things unfold.

I was disappointed to see that Tibooburra ground…….I can’t be 100% certain but it looks quite tame.

I’d love to know what the current draw is on this bad boy?

I know there about 16 hours run time on the lithium battery but does anyone know the capacity of the stock battery?

I wish Garrett would release the price and put me out of my misery 😳

I’m guessing in the low 4K…….US dollars that is. With the exchange rate of the weak Aussie dollar and Garrett Australia markup plus GST…..it’s likely to get close to the cost of the GPX 6000 which is currently $8,000 Aussie dollars.

This is going to get interesting !

Minelab will be deciding their next move, that’s for sure and would most likely planned for this very situation. What’s in their war chest 🥷

Just read the Axiom manual…….once was all that was needed 👍. So logical and well laid out. Some of the Minelab operating manuals demand serious attention for one to be fully comfortable. The Axiom sure does have some Minelab flavour to it………absolutely nothing wrong with that !

Now to wait for Garrett Australia pricing 😳

All boxes ticked as far as I can tell…….but we’ll have to see if it performs as promoted.

And you can choose between the old ATX audio or the classic Minelab sound…….😂 

That’s rubbing their face in it 👍

To Fisher engineers……please put the brain in a good body 👍

Is that beer or soda….🙂

Detector looks good……are you gold prospecting or general detecting?

I’ve just realised that I’ve never bought a new Minelab PI metal detector……and probably never will. Dealers must hate people like me 🤬

When will I “upgrade” from my old, obsolete SD2100 and GP3500 dinosaur machines…..😎

……that continue to find so much gold 🙂
……. but I’m seriously eyeing off the Garrett unit pending its release and what it may likely offer.

I’ve got a good feeling about this soon to be released detector…..Garrett knows what we want in a simple, lightweight and affordable  PI detector…..that’s got a little punch. If they can deliver in these key areas (where Minelab choose not to) then they will reap the benefits.

The thing that concerns me is I suspect that Minelab may well have some prototype models that they can release to market if needed….. not necessarily high end but possibly similar to what Garrett may launch ??

I would love to know what Minelab has hidden away in their R&D vaults…….possibly models planned for release years in advance.

6 hours ago, tboykin said:

I would like to see a good P.I. "wife detector" from Garrett. Not to detect a potential spouse, but something simple and with a rock solid threshold. Or maybe no threshold at all!

I let my wife use one of my detectors made by another brand that is notorious for having a ratty threshold and picks up any EMI within a 100 mile radius. Even at the expense of being less sensitive, stability and ease of use would make a new prospecting detector a good sell for some of the artisanal gold mining markets in Africa, Middle East, South America, and elsewhere. Or my wife. The biggest question I get with noobies is "why is it making that sound?" Something that is not only simple to operate but simple to hear targets, but also lightweight, with a price tag under $2500 would be perfect. 

I think trying to knock the other brand's hat off is not going to happen, so going for the legs and mid-section is a great tactic. It also may provide some downward price pressure if Garrett can release something that is solid and has a good value (which is what they are good at) versus aiming too high. Innovation takes time and I am rooting for Garrett to strike a good blow with this new machine.

I don’t have a problem with a “wife detector” so long as it has an effective “noise cancel”…….🤔

Hello Clive,

Yep, the fact that 20uS still responds slightly to fast salt tells me that all is well as far as sensitivity is to the higher karat gold…….the slightly diminished response to lower karat gold doesn’t bother me one bit. Also, the valuable stones are nearly always embedded in 18K and 22K gold. I tend to work the “crash zone” of the waves as this is where a lot of gold ends up…….almost impossible to work with quick delays 👎

I sure get mashed around in this spot but I always have it to myself plus I will use my old bonephone under a dive hood as regular phones don’t last long here with the constant waves stripping them off your head.

HH

Tony

My SD2100 and GP3500 would totally agree with you Simon. Todays modern machines may have the brains but sure as hell don’t have the body to go with it. The older machines had tough bodies and tough brains as well 🦾