King-Of-Bling

What a nightmare. Not anything THE KOB wants to go through. Maybe in July they will just send you the "new" version.🤣. I still have the door ajar on purchasing 1 way down the road after results come in. But this is a HUGE red flag , again ! My 15 minutes with it and other reviews definitely show there are some issues with the detector itself. Y'all know my thoughts on their marketing and hype. It is what it is. BUT customer communication and response could be the kill shot for me.

15 minutes ago, Badger-NH said:

I used the Explorer SE on the wet sand for over a decade and never had a problem. The Explorer was made for detecting the wet sand. The Explorer and Safari were a common sight on our wet beaches before the Equinox came along. I often waded out to knee deep with mine. Lots of people did this  I'm perfectly capable of walking in the water without falling.  I don't know what you're talking about.

 

We got 1 thing in common : we both don't know what the other is talking about. All these people with those machines in knee deep water , never get them wet. I go knee deep often. Mine gets wet from waves crashing , wind blowing salt mist , etc. Plenty of times on the bottom slope I'm hit by waves. Totally drenched. I don't have to drop mine in the water for it to get wet. I can't believe you don't care about waterproofing on the beaches you guys hunt.

7 minutes ago, Badger-NH said:

In NH we have 100 yards of wet sand.  There is not point in detecting in the water because the negative tides allow us to access another 50 feet beyond that for a few days each month. That's why we don't need the detector to be waterproof.  Believe me, if it was worth our time to be in the water, we would be out there.

Huh ? Do you ever lay your detector on the ground ? Has it fallen ? I know there is wind , salt spray , etc. I have never heard of your logic like this before. You're never near the water ?

17 minutes ago, Joe Beechnut OBN said:

I know this is going to come back and bite me in the Axx for sharing ........

Those Fisher Boys don't miss a trick!

 

Ok. Now this is getting funny. I can tell you're holding back way too much , chomping at the bit , wanting to spill the beans ...but you are scared...well , THE KOB is here to tell you......YOU OWN FISHER !🤣🤣🤣

5 minutes ago, Joe Beechnut OBN said:

Some years ago I asked the same questions... ............. I often wondered why Minelab never kept the same CTX M-12 8 pin fitting for the Nox? It worked fine on the CTX and everyone who had the most used water proof fitting on after market head phones could have had them for the Nox. Instead everyone was forced to purchase the yellows or aftermarket phones with the new 1/8 WP plug. And this is 2 water proof detectors from the same company that could have used the same fitting.

 

 

Why you ask ? Because that would make too much sense ! 🤣🤣🤣

You SOC ! As in School of Cool. Oh...your lucky I didn't hunt that beach....🤣

That is alot of digging. Surprised you didn't find gold. But I also didn't notice any sinkers either. And that's a big indicator for me. But still , I would have dug it all there too.

14 minutes ago, schoolofhardNox said:

It's tough to get a handle on a new machine even though a user may have a lot of experience. You did a great job not messing with his settings and just trying it out.  I think your observations are spot on about the machine as it was set. Also spot on are your observations on how long it really takes to completely feel comfortable learning a new machine. It's a never ending process. If you had that machine for 6-12 months and used it regularly, I bet you would get it to work for most of your hunting encounters.  Also, they make a tall man's shaft for it now too.

Thanks ! For only 15 minutes , I got the idea of it. Yes , it felt a bit flimsy being fully extended. But then again , even if it was solid and sturdy , I think this machine is designed specifically to go slow. I can go super fast with my DF , but I will also miss the really deep faints in doing so...

I met up with a local forum member at 1 of my secret spots he has never been to. Conditions were bad , heavily sanded in. We were down in the wet , no mineralization to speak of , hard sand the first 3" then gravel mixture. The hole filled in fast. Keep in mind , my EDC for 30 years has been a PI. Also I used this for only 15 MINUTES. Here is what I found :

I buried a small size 4 ladies 14k , 2 gram diamond ring about 12" in the hole and filled it. Myself being tall , the shaft was fully extended. Immediately I knew it was not long enough and it had a bit of a wobble. Did not feel steady because of that. Ergonomics seemed good and the coil felt light , so that was great. Now... the only settings I messed with were changing the modes. I didn't even look or ask what my buddy had those other settings on. I just wanted to get a feel for the machine and see if it had any discrimination. I tried 3 different modes when I swept over the hole : all metal , tone , mute. All 3 picked up the ring loud and clear. Then we threw a small piece of iron and a piece of lobster trap wire on top , which was probably about 4" above the ring. In all metal and tone mode , I could barely noticed the difference between all 3 targets. But I could seperate them from different directions. In the mute mode I couldn't. I thought I would only hear the ring , but I still heard all 3 targets. This really isn't any different than my DF. BUT , I do have a sense that this AQ can go a few more inches deeper. 6-8" ? I doubt it. Overall , it's not a bad machine , definitely needs a few tweaks. But I feel what needs more tweeks would be me...🤣 As accustomed as I am with a PI , I know this would take me MONTHS to get down. Let alone probably a good year or so to master. Kinda my short 15 minute hands on review of the AQ. Anyway...our hunt together was fun , even though we only found a few coins and trash. And I got to meet a great guy.

1 hour ago, Carolina said:

Gigmaster’s AQ is in the closet. He was not willing to learn the machine. I live near him. I hunt with him. He is a Nox numbers man period and he does quite well with it. What I guess I’m saying is, some people are PI men and some are not. It takes a tuned ear and knowledge to run a PI successfully. Your not going to pop the box open and hit the beach with a VLF attitude and be able to use the machine to its potential. Just isn’t going to happen. Again I’m not knocking Gig, he is a great hunter, of many types of treasure and certainly never a dull moment to be around !!!

I like the Gig ! Also I'm a subscriber. Videos aren't too long and they get the point across. I like to see the conditions on the other side of the coast. Are you his friend John that's in his video's ?

Whether anyone wants to admit it or not , the marketing "launch" was started along time ago. As with the recent testing , which is also a form of marketing. Russ shouldn't have said this , shouldn't have said that. Oh c'mon man ! Do you people communicate with each other ? This is concerning. As far as Gigmaster , he is still learning the machine. It takes awile. Some of his finds are deep , most are shallow. But if you look at his finds ,  alot of them have been buried for some time or washed up on the beach and reburied.

On 2/23/2021 at 11:04 AM, ALEXANDRE TARTAR said:

It's simple, because a Marketing person will never say they don't know, even if they don't know.

That is what I call good "monkey business" ! Lol... Russ had said the expected final version is July. But don't hold him to it if it doesn't. In other words , the carrot is always out of reach. Marketing and Sales are closely linked. But not always. Marketing revolves around hype , excitement , bringing attention to the product , etc. It does not always rely on truth or fact. But it should IMO. Look at PT Barnum on his marketing/promoting. Sales , need to be more about facts , truths , contractually obligating , etc. If anyone of these cannot or will not answer basic direct questions in a  truthful manner....those are red flags. Then you just appear to be sketchy ,deceitful , unreliable , maybe the business is flawed from the top down , going out of business , etc. Could be a flat out scam. Businesses whose sales/marketing tactics are direct , can easily answer simple questions , confident , and actually do what they say they are going to do will be successful. Not beating the Bush or dragging things out.

I wouldn't bother. I gotta believe the husband has enough personal items to remember her by. The most important one : memories. 

21 hours ago, Joe Beechnut OBN said:

I do hope Russ was wrong on the final versions pricing. The best info was a July release, possibly. I'd hoped for more details and a unveiling ...... Never happened.... Sorry.

It is what it is. But I'm looking forward to a few days after my birthday in June. When TT will have a very special guest. Maybe he will have more insight...

24 minutes ago, cobill said:

Supposedly #7 from their last release. LOL, I figured the same thing and sent Rick K. the question. Joe Beechnut love's his AQ Limited, not the best in trashy areas since it's a PI. Would be nice to have some answers from Fisher. 

The BIG thing with Joe is , look where he hunts. That is a MAJOR factor on how well the AQ is to be used IMO. Even then , he does not use it exclusively. How many areas are like that near you ?This isn't a machine I can go running down HB or Santa Monica for 3.5 miles. Some inland waterways and a few pockets here and there that open up on rare occasions , yes. But not my everyday gun. And for the price ? Ugh... I can get 3 - 800s with a bunch of accessories for that. The depth ? Maybe not as much , but still.....

7 minutes ago, cobill said:

I'm still #7 on the list for the AQ Limited and tried to ask if they were still being produced...no answer!

Bill

#7 from what ? The bottom ? Lol. I thought they had 30 or 40 of these things out already. I can't imagine them making anymore when it appears they are focused on the final version. I've talked to a couple guys who have them and they aren't all that impressed. Sure , they found a few nice pieces but overall...they wouldn't buy it again.

Depth rating is 10 feet waterproof underwater. I watched it to. $2800-$3500 is alot of $. I did notice some discrepancies in what Russ talked about. Or maybe what he didn't talk about. But they were also short on time as he logged in late. This is a gold machine. For some areas this would be an awesome detector. Many areas in So.Cal , not so much. Alot of other detectors will work just find. It isn't the old days anymore. If the gold ain't there , it doesn't matter. But you never know...

It is on FB as well. Have been a member of Treasure Talk about when it started up. Downside : they have at times technical difficulties. Upside : some very good guests , informative , giveaways. I think it's great !

8 minutes ago, GB_Amateur said:

Spot price is relevant and does reflect a true trade price for some -- those willing to deal in large quantities.  The "little guy" is likely to pay more than spot (and typically also sell for less than spot).  Is there something unfair about this?

Lots of things go into a real price of anything -- storage, transportation, transaction fees (including commissions) are a few of them.  But consider buying something at the grocery store.  Do you pay the same price for a piece of fruit that the farmer who produced it received?  What if instead of buying one apple you buy a bag?  Do you pay the same unit cost in both cases?  When you go to a bulk seller (Costco, Sam's Club are examples) and buy a very large bag of apples is the unit price the same as it is at the grocery store?

Suppose instead of buying apples at the store you go to the orchard where it's grown.  (For those of you who never leave the big city, it's still today in 2020 possible to do this!  )  What (unit) price will you pay there for one apple, a bag of apples, a bushel of apples, a truckload of apples?

Eliminating the middle man is possible, and we see it here on this site all the time.  You can buy/sell a detector without a transaction fee, but you stil have to deal with transportation (usually shipping fee is involved) and maybe a fee to whoever handles the exchange of funds (oops, another middle man).  Note that part of the savings comes from the site (Steve H.) as you don't get charged for the ad.  If you had done this through a newspaper (those still exist, too, but they're dying fast) the seller would have had to pay an extra fee.  What about a yard/garage/tag/rummage sale?  That's a pure form -- buyer hands seller cash for an item, simple as that.  (Well, even there the seller might have had to advertise that there was a sale and the buyer may have had to drive to and from the sale, etc.)

I also recall when the premium (on the little guy) for buying silver through an outlet/dealer was much lower than today's 15% and up.  I don't remember exactly but it seems like it was a few percent (~3% ??) for a 100 oz bar, for example.  It seems there's an opportunity here for an enterprising individual/group to create an online market with smaller buy/sell premiums.  They won't be zero, though.  (Note I've been assuming that the buy premium is negative right now, meaning if you want to sell to a dealer you will receive less than spot.  That isn't always true in general.)  Presently if you want to get a buy price you need to call the dealer; I can't find a buy price on the internet.

I agree with everything you say GB. It's just the gouging I don't care for. My option ? I just won't buy. Not until things get more inline , if ever. Around here , dealers are paying a couple bucks below spot. But selling for $8-10 over. That to me is foolish unless you are the dealer. But the integrity and reputation of said dealer is now questionable imo. Of course selling privately and middling is another option through other avenues. I sell alot through OFFER UP. It's easy , free. Sell local and no shipping for cash only. But it can take time and can be a pain dealing with lowballers , etc.

26 minutes ago, matt said:

Supply and demand. Physical silver decoupled from paper silver over a year ago.

 

PM's decoupled from paper decades ago. But supply and demand ? Hardly....its price manipulation that has been going on for too long now. Big boys been shutting out the little guys. But now you are just starting to see movement  where the little guys are banding together...as in the short seller's of stocks. This is just the beginning. When I tried to buy silver at that $12-13 level within the last few years , I couldn't. As I'm standing in a shop in front of 1000s of ounces of silver. Not unless I wanted to pay in the $18-19 range. A total scam.... THE PEOPLE ARE FED UP !

It's not accessibility that's the problem. It's the fact of the price gouging premiums over spot that's the issue. Buying physical silver at $8-10 over spot , you're getting ripped. 

Wow ! I just read this and I'm exhausted. There is so much info on this site and I've barely tapped into it. I have always been a believer in that "You are never too old , or too young to learn something". I know you mentioned Steve that you were a dealer sometime ago. But didn't know you were involved with all these different detectors. Now how cool is that ! But I really don't get the whole Aussie or Poppy drama. The bumper stickers are great , well done and true. Bottomline is you can't please all the people all the time. I like what you got going on here info wise. I haven't been on many forum's , let alone FB for that matter. But after some 40 years of hunting , I still know a few guys who like to be anonymous who are still alive. I like to learn more about what is wrong with a product more than how great something is. Not sure about the whole "Hype" thing either. I won't bash a product unless I've tried it for awhile. How can I "hype" something I've never used ? I've been reluctant to post here on some experiences with dealers or a product I've used because I feel some may question what I've gone through. Even when I post pics backing up my statements. This has happened on another forum and it just gets a bit old. But at the same time , others could  learn from my experience. Especially if one is on the fence regarding said product. Anyway , if you can't laff at yourself , who you gonna laff at ?

14 minutes ago, Steve Herschbach said:

I've offered detailed explanations in this thread of why you are going to see all sorts of price increases on all sorts of products. Increasing costs. If you are waiting for Minelab for explanations.........................

People who never lived in the 1970's are in for a rude awakening in the next couple years. The idea prices can't go up? There is no reality that backs that up, just a trend in recent years that is reversing now. if you think this is just Minelab, you need to dig deeper.

I used to face real price increases every new price list I got, on almost everything, and they came more often as inflation heated up. It's a game. Buy just before price increase, sell at new higher price. Seems like you are getting ahead, but you are not. You barely keep up. Not fun, and I hate to see it come back.

International shipping alone is skyrocketing, and these costs are going to get passed on. Companies never pay for anything. You do.

I agree on about everything you said. I just want to see it put out by Minelab. Be transparent. Why is it on the 800 , not the 600 ? I was around in the 70s....and the 60s. But the covid excuse only plays out so far. As you have said yourself , some of your business ventures have profited during this time. I believe electronic supply issues will be short term. Not withstanding , there are good detectors out over the last few years with prices dropping (simplex) overall. Higher end appears to be a different story I'm afraid as you've mentioned. But I was mainly referring to a prior post about "hunt more to recover your costs". So....if the price drops and I hunt and find more...should I send them some extra $ ? 🤣 I was offended and put this into a real life scenario that actually happened. But yes , overall everything will go up. And massive tax increases are just the start...

8 minutes ago, okara gold said:

 Problem solved... don’t buy their products. 

Nah...just the 800 or any other MDING products where there is no reasonable explanation from the manufacturer as to why an increase with nothing additional in return. When typically after any product , after 3 years , especially in electronics.....goes DOWN in price.

On 2/3/2021 at 7:38 AM, okara gold said:

Minelab has always been a leader in technology, diverse machines and pricing. Especially the gold machines. When the price goes up... go out and hunt more. That should make up for the difference.

So we should go out and hunt that much more to make up for THEIR price increase they have decided to pass down , with no improvements ? For idk what , or care about the reason behind it ? NO WAY. 

Reminds me of this stupid companies thought process : 30 years ago I worked at a place that was privately owned , had 25 branch offices in So.Cal. I was in sales , my pay was commission based , had my own territory. From day 1 , I was top salesman for 3 straight years. I went to management and asked for a 2% raise. They had never heard or done such a thing in 50 years of business. They laughed and said "go out and sell more". That was their idea of a raise. NO WAY !....so I gave my notice. Then had to take them to court for my final check that they shorted me on ( it was substantial ). Fast forward 4 years and no one could produce the numbers as I had. They reached out to try and bring me back. What a joke for these good ol' boys.

Sorry for the long wind here. But that's the same as "just go hunt more to make up the price difference ".