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FYI, GPAA just put out detector bundles with good Axiom and very good 24K prices. https://gpaastore.com/collections/discounted-items/products/garrett-axiom-bundle

Now that the Axiom has been out awhile are there any relic hunters that can provide some feedback on how the Axiom compares to the GPX 4500/5000 on discrimination? I've scoured the internet and have found a couple of competing opinions but very little other than that. I've owned the GPX 4500 and now 5000 and for 2 years I didn't own a vlf machine and I was very successful at finding Civil War relics in pounded sites in my area. Once you get your ear "tuned" I dug very little iron. Also on the Axiom is the iron check a button you hold down or a mode you can leave it in for those high iron areas?

This test was on the worst Black Sand Ground I have seen, although it is not as bad as it was a few years ago, I suspect the Black Sand has sunk deeper. Years ago NO detector could even see a Brass Shotgun Shell deeper than even with ground level.! I tested 3 detectors, My Equinox 800, My Whites Goldmaster GMT, and the new Garrett Axiom. The first two are very good VLF detectors, the Axiom is the latest technology Pulse Detector. Pulse Detectors are almost always better in really bad ground conditions. ALL 3 detectors would not ground balance fully on this ground, at least at anywhere near normal sensitivity, the GMT did at reduced sensitivity. Interesting Axiom testing -- I tested with 3 coils, The 11 x 13 DD, The 7 x 11 DD and The 7 x 11 Mono. NONE of the coils would fully ground balance at even a sensitivity setting of 3, and was noisy at 2. The exception was in Salt Mode, it at least came close to balancing, so was the quietest with a low threshold setting. Fine Mode, was basically non usable with ALL coils and a sensitivity above 2. Normal was usable but noisy at 3, But really hard on the ears. Large, about the same as Normal, just not as clear on the target. Salt, was by far the quietest but with depth loss of 1 to 2 inches. Target - a piece of lead, likely a banged up 22 bullet, just 6 inches deep, NO coil would detect this target in this ground at less than a sensitivity setting of 3, and was Very Noisy at 3. INTERESTINGLY -- ALL modes, except Fine, could be run at FULL Sensitivity, but with the Threshold OFF at -9..! AND detect the target.! The ONLY other way to run it was with sensitivity below 3 (and miss the target) or go insane from ground noise. ( NOTE - I usually run my detectors slightly hot, with minimal threshold, so am used to background noise, But that is NOT possible here.) The 11 x 13 DD had the clearest and strongest target response. The 7 x 11 DD was OK, But Surprisingly More Noisy. I had expected it to be less noisy looking at less ground, but maybe it is more sensitive, so reacts more to the ground that is not fully balanced out. The 7 x 11 Mono was as expected, slightly more sensitive than the same size DD, But substantially noisier. Strange, But with no threshold it has to break past a zero point to signal anything, But it will in this extreme ground. Normally there is a substantial sensitivity loss with no low threshold, but with ground this noisy it seems to filter the noise, with a smaller sensitivity loss. Unfortunately the Dual Balance did not seem to work, even holding the button until it goes into dual balance, I suspect because it was not hot Rocks, Just Black Sands, so couldn't tell the difference, and balance numbers were inconsistent and all over the place. BTW, neither VLF could see the target deeper than 2 inches.

is it worth purchasing the 11x7 DD Axiom coil since I already have the 11x7 Mono coil I do like the Iron Check on the Axiom which can only be accessed while running the 13x11 DD but I sure do not want to run that 13x11 coil all the time just to be able to access the Iron Check on the Axiom, so this is one of the reasons I am thinking about purchasing the 11x7 DD are there other advantages of the 11x7 DD Axiom coil that I am over looking, I know DD coils handles EMI and mineralized ground better, but are there other things I should consider that the 11x7 DD can do better than the 11x7 Mono, just picking peoples minds trying to figure out what I want to do will the 11x7 DD coil see deeper than the 11x7 Mono coil ??? these are question I keep going round and round in my mind so any insight would be great Also thought about waiting for Detec to get off their Butts with after market coils for the Axiom but not sure I want to wait that long, and is there any word on the after market coils from Detec on after market coils any recommendations on this would be greatly appreciated Thanks to all that read and reply

Has anyone tried using a different set of headphones with a wireless transmitter with the Axiom ??? Being in Arizona and the areas I am detecting, I like to stay aware of whats going on around me, there is always the possibility of stepping on a rattle snake or running into a bear or mountain lion, or even a large herd of javalina, which is just a few of the reasons I do not like using over the ear headphones, so I used one of my wireless transmitters with the Axiom today and connected my Avantree Torus neckband speaker to the transmitter which they actually worked great, i had to turn the volume way down on the Axiom as well as turning the volume down on the Avantree Torus to keep the volume from being way to loud. I started out with the Mono Coil on the Axiom and then realized that the Iron Check does not work with the Mono Coils, and the axiom will tell you in a hurry with this annoying sound that sounds like a telephone ringer that tells you (Hey Stupid You Have the wrong coil attached to the Axiom for the Iron Check Feature to work) then it dawned on me to swap over to the one of the DDs, I had not tried the Iron Check feature yet while using headphones so not sure its the same with the supplied wireless headphones or not (referring to that telephone ringer) but it was with the Avantree Torus, I had tried the iron check feature without headphones and the DD Coil but not with headphones and the incorrect coil attached until today, other than that telephone ringer I got while using the 11x7 Mono the Avantree Torus worked great with the Axiom and allowed me to stay aware of what my wife was doing, as well as what was going on around me, I do have a few other wireless bone conduction headphones that I will also be trying out with the wireless transmitter on the Axiom but every wireless headphone I have tried I end up going back to the Avantree Torus, simply because they are an outstanding product that just works, all the other wireless headphones I have tried with various detectors one of the main issues is not enough volume level, not really sure this would be an issue with the Axiom, every other detector I have tried using different headphones on were limited by the amount of volume control on each detector I used them with but with the amount of volume control you have with the Axiom it may just be a case that all my wireless bone conduction headphones will work with the axiom. I really like the Avantree Torus and use them with every detector I have some have built in Bluetooth capabilities, and others Like the Garrett GM 24K I use a wireless transmitter to go wireless also, the wireless transmitter I used with the Axiom i did not notice any kind of interference at all I attached the transmitter across the top above the charging port at the back of the arm cuff using a strip of sticky back Velcro on the Axiom and the other side of the Velcro which is also sticky backed on the bottom of wireless transmitter, this makes it very easy to remove the transmitter if I need or want to the supplied headphones that come with the Axiom are ok and work good but again being in Arizona they are just to hot, and restrict your ability to know what is going on around you, winter may be a different story

Or maybe we should call these “Stupid Steve Tricks” for now. I’ve only begun delving into these weird settings but figure I may as well toss them out there for other people to experiment with also. I’ll post more somewhere down the line when I come up with something more definitive. But for now, I’ll just give a brief summary. Minimum Sensitivity - I was working a location that was dense with trash, way too many signals. Sensitivity 1 really worked some magic in making it possible to use the machine in dense trash. Way too early to say much on this yet, other than that I did find it useful for cherry picking coins in a park by digging low tones only, which eliminates low conductors in favor of mid to high conductors. I was able to get more coin than trash targets. I still dig trash with a VLF so this was a good resultant in my limited testing. I am going to see what happens on depth on a 1/4 oz nugget going from high to low sensitivity in a future test. Salt Setting - yes it tunes out small gold. But how small? I don’t know yet, but it’s not as bad as people might think. It can also shut up some ground and hot rocks other settings will struggle with. I need more work with both this and Large Mode. My initial sense is that the differences between the modes are more subtle than dramatic. Minimum Threshold - this shows the most promise for developing a silent search “Bogenes Settings” methodology for the Axiom. -7 still has some audio break through. -9 is pretty much dead silent but seems too aggressive? I’ve settled on -8 so far as a preference, and was surprised at how well small nuggets jump out still, and with good depth. It also allows for a bit higher sensitivity setting, so I would highly encourage people to try these very low Threshold settings with either a normal or slightly boosted sensitivity setting. For some situations I’m thinking I might be employing this a lot. Super pleasant way to hunt for those that hate a threshold. I just wish there was more nuance as right now the jump between -7 to -8 to -9 is coarser than I’d like. I put it on my wish list for an update. Forced Frequency Setting - default frequency is 50 with range from 0 - 99. The automatic frequency scan is fairly simple. It scans all frequencies looking for the quietest one. It is therefore imperative normally that you do not introduce extra noise by moving the detector while it scans. Normally I’d have the coil on the ground so it is picking up anything it would pick up in normal sweeping, but aiming the coil at a nearby EMI source like another detector can help eliminate that source, so it bears playing with if it still seems noisy on the first go. If you have an pinpointer, turn it on and set it it 2-3 feet away while doing a frequency scan - this will let most pinpointers play very nicely with the Axiom. And do remember that going to a lower sensitivity or DD coil vs mono also help reduce EMI. The interesting question here is that for areas with no EMI, is there any difference in the frequencies? There very well might be, though in my limited testing so far I’ve found no smoking gun. But if you want to try, here is the trick. If you want a frequency of 99, start the scan going, then wave a metal item over the coil while the machine scans 0 to about 90, then get the metal away, and let the scan finish. Very good chance you’ll end up at frequency 90 or higher, if not try again. To hit the other extreme, start the scan, and when it gets to about 10, now wave metal over the coil until it gets to 99, then stop and let it finish. You should end up at 10 or lower. With a little practice you can force almost anything, but I think the main interest is in the two extremes. Can anyone find a discernible difference on any target between the extremes? In theory there should be one, but again, my very limited tests so far have not found anything. So there you go. I do like the fact that the Axiom does not have too many controls, but on the other has enough to give me things to think about and experiment with. Early days still, new machine, people need to experiment and share notes. So that’s mine so far, hopefully a few of you will take up the challenge and add your own observations.

Hello everyone ! new user here, first of all thanks for this awesome forum, well made and functional. I have been detecting for a couple years now with my trusty companion equinox 800 that follows me in steep mountain climbs, long hikes and swims to get to remote areas were ancient settlements can be found without trash. I mainly search in low trash environments, for obvious reasons, but often the geological deposit is too high to get to the desired historical level and my VLF just can’t find any target under 20cm. For this very reason I was looking for a good PI machine, packable in a backpack, that can help me go deeper to the relics/hoards i’m looking for, without going on bulky machines that make you dig 2 meters for you need a damn excavator (those PI that you bring around in two person used by the military to find unexploded ordinance or bombs). For obvious reasons the Garrett AXIOM should be my choice (modern, lightweight, ironcheck, ergonomic, easy setup..) but i’m just afraid it can’t pack the punch that I need to go deeper. In comparison I’m looking at the Minelab GPX5000 (older, heavier, bulky, iron reject, huge aftermarket for coils, hard to learn) that being around for more than 10 years has been tested and tested again, proving itself a well made machine that should suit my needs. Now, I know technology has made big steps forward in the last 10 years, but i’m doubtful wether to trust a new product that hasn’t been reviewed as well as an other, overall when buying a detector that costs 4000€ !! In my opinion all the ergonomics and versatility of the AXIOM can’t come without any loss in other aspect…. maybe the energy that flows through the coil of the GPX (seen that huge battery pack) is more than the AXIOM, hence less reach ? Maybe the AXIOM has been developed too specifically for gold and less for silver and bronze ? I’m afraid that the AXIOM is just a very very good upgrade to my EQUINOX, and not a deep machine like i’m looking for ! Earlier I have posted the video that made doubt between the two machines, i’ll post it again here to make you understand the kind of depth and targets i’m looking for with this new machine: Please help me ! Its now months i’m choosing and start to feel philosophically undecided like Soren Kierkegaard 😫

I really like my Axiom. However I was having an issue with my 11X7" DD coil. It would not ground balance using the Fine timing and would usually ground balance in the Normal timing. My 11X7" Mono had no problems ground balancing in Fine or Normal on the same ground. Kind of odd. I called Garrett and they immediately gave me an RMA number. Since I had owned my Axiom for more than 30 days, they asked me to pay for shipping to them and they paid for shipping back to me. I made a video and sent it to them. I also asked for an extra coil bolt. I only sent the coil, not the entire detector. I got my new 11X7" DD coil today via FedEx and they remembered my request for an extra coil bolt, so a 2.5 week turnaround which is really good in my opinion. So far this new DD coil seems to be working much better than my original one. Thanks Garrett and thanks to Steve H for encouraging me to send it in for a checkup and replacement if needed.

Use code Holiday at garrett direct, and it gets you $600 of the axiom. For those looking to buy one, now may be a good time

Hello to all i was wondering if this Garett was working well on the beach???? RR

I had planned a trip to Arizona to get to know the Garrett Axiom for the first full week of November. Of course, I got sick and was still sick when I finally left Denver on Monday November 13th. I did make it to Phoenix and got into the area I was hunting by midday on Tuesday. I got in about 18 hours of detecting time with the Axiom and even though I was tired from being sick, I enjoyed using it very much. The area I was hunting is not known for large nuggets. The largest that I have found in this area is 6 grams and I wasn't expecting anything like that. 1 gram sized or smaller gold was fine with me. The ground in this area is moderately iron mineralized with lots of dark gray quartzite looking hot rocks that are full of magnetite, lots of hot rock caliche, basalt, tuft, porphyry, andesite, schists, and other benign metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. This place was super dry. They really need some rain in this area of central Arizona. I committed to dig every possible target each session until I got too tired to safely dig which happened after about 6 hours in 85 degrees Fahrenheit heat. Since it was still pretty hot and rattlesnakes and a pack of ornery wild mules were still in the area, I used Aukey B80 wireless earbuds with a Bluetooth transmitter plugged into the headphone jack instead of over the ear wireless headphones. I only used the 11X7" Mono coil with the Axiom since bedrock is not very deep at this location and I wanted to really see how small a target the Axiom could handle. I was running the latest available update and did a full reset before getting started. As Steve H. suggested in one of his posts, I kept the Axiom's sensitivity at 4. I tried 5 for a bit but there was really no point in doing that. Sensitivity 4 out of 8 was plenty sensitive. I was using the Fine timing, Slow speed, threshold on 14, volume on 8, and the Axiom usually ground balanced around 48/25 with ground tracking OFF. I did try the more advanced ground balance window a couple of times when the prevalent hot rocks were getting overwhelming but I would eventually come back to the original ground balance. So basically these were very close to default settings. There was enough EMI and ground noise in this area near Phoenix to cause the occasional warble which never fully went away even after frequency shifts. However, compared to the sometimes unstable SDC 2300 and GPX 6000 when I've used them in this area, the Axiom was very quiet and predictable as far as the non-target warbles that it sometimes produced. The photos show the targets that I recovered. I did not keep any of the pesky hot rocks that were unavoidable. The smaller plate has a 0.32 gram flat nugget and a 0.12 gram rice kernel shaped nugget. There are several wire targets on that smaller plate that do not register a weight on my cheap gram scales which go to 0.00 grams. Several lead shards give their weight as 0.01 grams. Both of the small nuggets were around 4" deep as were many of the targets on the smaller plate. Some of the targets on the larger plate were easily detected at 8+" deep using the full length of my Garrett ProPointer AT pinpointer as a ruler. As far as I am concerned the Axiom is extremely sensitive to small sub gram targets just the way it is and it's 16 hour battery life, great ergonomics, well organized display, excellent features and overall performance are really amazing.

Evening all. Noticed that all Garrett detectors, pinpointers and search coils now come with a 3 year warranty. https://garrett.com/sport/axiom Sorry if these have been asked somewhere else on the forum but a search did not bring anything up. 1) Does this only apply to Axioms purchased from a certain date or have all Axioms purchased since the model was released been upgraded to the 3 yr warranty status? 2) is this 3 yr warranty transferrable from the first owner to the next?

I am happy to report for Garrett Axiom users and potential buyers you will have a range of aftermarket coils available for it from Detech Detech Ltd have said they are very interested in making coils for the Axiom and are currently preparing to make a range of coils for it. The excellent news is also they are planning on making DD coils, Anti Interference Coils, Spiral coils, and very likely Concentric coils. They will offer open and closed designs. Their aim with their range of coils is to make them very deep, sensitive and at the same time keeping them very light in weight. They are going to follow this thread, so if anyone has any suggestions for the size or type coil they want or think should be produced by all means report here so they can see which would be the most popular types of coils for it. I personally would like something like a 6" or 8" Mono, an 11" Anti Interference coil, a 11x6" Mono (spiral if possible) and a 11x6" DD, a 15" spiral mono, a 15" Concentric, I could go on forever as once there are options there are so many good coils you could have. This is outstanding news for Axiom owners, and is really going to push the Axiom to the next level. For those of us that have used Detech coils before you'll know how good their coils can be. A little background on Detech Ltd the company. Detech design and manufacturing advanced hobby metal detectors, treasure detectors, and deep seeking search coils. In 2001 the company designs the first PI detector in the world with microprocessor control, touchpads, and graphical image of the signal. The SSP series find wide markets and huge sales, and the funds received to allow the opening of a new branch of the company – the production of accessory coils for the leading brands of metal detectors. Detech Ltd is the first company in the world, applying search coil with built-in magnetic sensors in the middle sector. This allows perfect discrimination of the ferrous objects by the PI detectors. Trying to escape the stereotype of the round coils in 2006 the company releases a new, revolutionary type of coil on the market – S.E.F. (Symmetrical Electromagnetic Field) coils, known also as Butterfly coils. These search coils combine the advantages of both DD and Concentric coils: All Detech coils are made using high-quality materials. The housings are made of UV protected material. Their inner side is covered with chopped-strand material for better shock resistance. We use resins, which are “transparent” for the electromagnetic waves, and perfect shielding. The coils are water-resistant and operate in a wide temperature range. The search coils come standard equipped with an excellently fitting cover and have two years full warranty.

I have been doing some testing before selling some PI detectors that I really like. The testing was done on 0.75 gram lead, 0.25 gram lead and 0.1 gram gold targets using two containers of dirt from an area northwest of Phoenix Arizona and from an area south of Breckenridge Colorado. Both samples are very mineralized with both iron and volcanic material. I placed each target one inch below the surface of each dirt sample and used a ruler stuck one inch into the containers to measure coil height above the target in the dirt. Not by any means a totally realistic test, but as close as I can get right now. I was using a TDI Pulse Scan stock 14.4v battery with Reg Sniff mods, a GPX 6000 and an Axiom. Here are the results and a photo of the dirt containers. The Arizona dirt was no problem for all three detectors to ground balance on. The Colorado dirt was another story. The TDI would not ground balance well at all on it, the GPX 6000 was noisy on it, amazingly enough the Axiom Mono coil was very quiet on that dirt and the Axiom DD coil came up with some really odd ground balance numbers on that dirt....15/03 and was a bit unstable. I was able to run the sensitivity on the TDI and the Axiom at around 85% of max before they became unstable. The GPX 6000 became unstable at Manual 7 of 10 so I could only run it at 60% of maximum. It might have been able to have even better results, but there was EMI in the area with power lines about 1/4 mile away.

this is a tip from Kevin Hoagland on the Axiom, I actually tried this Tone adjustment tip with my Axiom and it did seem to help with being able to hear things clearer, with me having severe tinnitus this seemed to work for me (Video Below)

Peter, Sorry for delay, been busy. First thing I should say that I don't think I have mentioned earlier, the replacement Axiom's headphones and audio is much better than the original unit. No constant clicking noise. Does still drop out every now and then when you get in the wrong position but otherwise audio is on par with 6000. Bo's comments: I like it. Its not that it is hugely better than a 6000 on finding gold but the menu and setting options you have available, especially adjustable tone just make it a better overall detector to use. Tried pretty much every setting and sensitivity 4-6, fine, medium swing, tone 62 worked for me pretty much anywhere I tried it. Some places sensitivity 7-8 was useable but I don't like my detector noisy like you do so I found 6 to be my go to. Same as the 6000, you said run it flat out with threshold on but I didn't like it up there. Depending on the ground, I used sensitivity 6 up to 9, sometimes 10 on the 6000. Particularly like the weight and balance of the Axiom. A huge step from my 4500. The 6000 is not that different to the Axiom in that regard but the Axiom still feels better to hold and use. Lighter by not much but noticeable. Think that weight difference could mainly be battery really? Also feels a better quality unit. Better built. One dislike is that you have to have the detector close to a power source for charging or buy a really long USB-C cable. I keep my 4500 behind the seat in my ute because I can take the battery to the power point. With the Axiom I will either need to arrange power behind the seat or take it inside every time I get home to charge it or run a power lead to the ute. Also worry that if battery fails, what will it cost to replace? That's probably a minor complaint but having had battery's fail on my 4500 it did concern me. You didn't give me the standard coil for the 6000 so I could only compare it to the 12 x 7 (I think) [correct] that was on it. With that coil I think they are pretty even in just ability to find gold, depth etc. Don't know that the Axiom being a couple of years younger detector contributes that much to just detection ability but the available settings do make it a better option for me. If Tay [Bo's wife] ever wanted to have a go I think I would probably give her a 6000 because it is much more a turn on and go thing but I like having the options that 6000 doesn't have. Another thing, you said that 6000 with the larger NF coil will be awesome. While I trust you on that, I don't want a detector with a vastly reduced range of available coils like the 6000. As you know I have 9 coils for the 4500 and I think the ability to buy coils from many different manufacturers is a huge thing for me. Anyway, I will be ordering the Axiom. Its cheaper to, not by much, but that could be two coils!!! I have sent you a pic of what we got over the 5 days. See you next month in Widgie.

I have a Garret Axiom on pre-order from one of our resident "favorite dealers" and look forward to when it arrives. Here are the packages offered as we know for now, info from the Garret website: 1142720 Axiom Metal Detector with 13"x11" DD Coil, 11"x7" Mono Coil and MS-3 Headphones 1142765 Axiom Metal Detector with 13"x11" Mono Coil, 11"x7" DD Coil and MS-2 Headphones I selected the Axiom package with the MS-3 headphones, 13x11DD and 11x7 mono coils. I figure where I hunt, lack of a headphone cord to tangle up on brush made this package the most attractive, but I feel like the other package offered with the MS-2 wired headphones would also be a nice coil selection to start. Such a hard decision... These initial coil offerings are a big selling point for me. I'm a big fan of elliptical shaped coils for their benefits for reaching into tighter spaces, while also maintaining decent coverage for the relative size. I also like how responses can be sharper than round coils too. These are fairly round for people who enjoy the benefits offered by round coils. 11x7 and 13x11 and also the 16x14 are fairly unique coil sizes are a great blend of the popular round and elliptical coils offered by other manufacturers. While they might not make all people happy, I think these sizes will make most people quite satisfied they have a very useable and flexible-sized coil attached. The Axiom definitely seems to be one of those "do-it-all" type of PI machines. Maybe not best at certain things, but a high-performing all-arounder in many areas, and that includes the coils! I like what I see so far and can't wait for mine to arrive to give it a go. Garrett Axiom Quick Facts, Owner's Manual, Etc.

Just curious I would Like to pick up like three or four extra Lower Shafts and coil bolts, plus the rubber washers that go on the lower shaft for the Axiom Will Garrett eventually start producing extra Lower Rods and coil bolts for the Axiom that can be Purchased ??? I like having extra lower shafts and coil bolts to make it a bit easier when I want to swap out to a different coil, just mount your extra coils on to Lower rods and then its a matter of just swapping out the lower rod with coil already attached, I do wish Garrett would have supplied a coil bolt and the rubber washers with each coil, but its not a deal breaker but it would have been nice to have a spare coil bolt at the very least just curious if this will eventually happen

Hi all- I'm new to the forum. I appreciate the detectorist community here Getting to my question- I've been trying out the new Axiom over the past several days between placer sites, tailings, and salt beaches in SoCal. Garrett is marketing a new "DD-FC" or Focused Core style coil- has anyone had any experience with 'em? I wonder how they work in mineralized areas, non-mineralized areas, and wet salt beaches. I'm not sure if these are just hype- it seems like the negative aspects of mono coils may still be present and render the coil useless in the wet. From what I've read, mono coils are not as EMI friendly and don't perform well in heavy mineralization/wet salt. Thanks! Site: https://garrett.com/sport/axiom Coils: Axiom 13" x 11" DD-FC (PN: 2237000) and 11" x 7" DD-FC (PN: 2237400).

I wonder if anyone is building flatwire coils for the axiom detector? I had great success running flatwire coils on my gpx4500. Also how about concentric flatwire coils?

I realize I am late to the party as far as the Axiom. Some of this may have been said already. I haven't read every word or post about the Axiom on this forum yet. I want to say first that I have had a love hate relationship with the GPX 6000. I realize it may have been rushed to release during a world-wide pandemic. So were some other detectors. However, as much as I like the GPX 6000, it has always seemed to me to be a thrown together detector on the outside with some great software engineering on the inside. The flimsy stock coils, weird wobbly twisting won't lockup shaft system, uneven weight distribution, and the well documented audio/speaker/EMI issues just continue to make me wonder how many corners did Minelab have to cut on this detector. It still detects really well, no complaints there, when it can handle EMI conditions and is super, even hyper sensitive to small sub gram targets. I just needed something else that I can trust on deep coins and relics in high iron mineralization and at a saltwater beach along with some rudimentary iron discrimination. So, the Axiom. This is the first pulse induction detector that I have used that seems to be put together from the ground up, from the tip of the battery compartment to the toe of the coils with a complete design in mind. No "hey lets throw this component from this detector and this component from this detector and that battery compartment we already have with this shaft system" kind of mentality and cost cutting. It is a complete design build aside from the use of Garretts Z-Lynk wireless system which I simply do not care for and the shape of the control box which resembles the ACE Apex. I am super impressed and very delighted to see this from a detector company. Nokta came close with the Simplex/Legend but many of the exterior materials used for those two very budget minded detectors are nowhere near the quality of what is used on the Axiom and I would not expect them to be. I am still learning this detector after only a few days. It will take me awhile. What I can see immediately is that it is plenty sensitive to small sub gram gold, it can handle difficult ground conditions well and it has just about every operational feature I need laid out with a very uncomplicated user interface. The Axiom reminds me a lot of the GPX 4000 to GPX 5000 but with a much less complex and hard to access user interface. I can easily see that the Axiom will be much more suited to relic and deep coin hunting than the GPX 6000. I did a lot of testing on about 40 common relics with the 6000 using all of the timings and I never could find a consistent, easy to follow pattern (easy for me anyway) when changing from Mono to DD coils or even changing from Normal to Diffucult using the same type of coil as far as low-high-low or high-low-high audio characteristics. The Axiom does not have this issue. So far it has been very consistent in my preliminary testing on a few common relics and US coins. I am still trying to get used to the 11X7" Focused Core DD coil that came with mine. It is definitely different and I will keep studying Steve's remarks about it. I really like the iron audio discrimination feature that works with DD coils!!! Steve, I know you helped with both the GPX 6000 and the Axiom. Thank you very much for all that you did on these PI detectors during their design and well before that too.

Last summer I shot a video with the Garrett crew, with a concise set of tips for helping new Axiom owners get started, and a focus on nugget hunting. In that video it was very short and easy. Turn detector on, and while using default settings, set sensitivity to max, and a few quick pumps to manually ground balance. EMI cancel as an added option if needed. There video is below, and still very much worth watching. But things have changed dramatically with the settings, so I now have a new set of recommendations. Simply put, the Axiom went on steroids after my feedback from my Australia trip. Overall gain and sensitivity were boosted dramatically, and the ground balance system further improved. Before, you could pretty much run the detector at full out sensitivity anytime, anyplace. Now, you most definitely cannot do that! I hope my old video does not end up hurting some new buyer experiences, and hopefully an updated version will be released. Regardless, you will be getting far more detailed information in this post. The sensitivity control has eight settings, and used to have a default of 6. Before, you could just go to 8 and call it good. Now, the new default setting is 4, which is in reality even higher than the prototype setting of 6. There has been a very large jump in gain, with the highest settings pushing the hardware to the limits. The sensitivity control is basically a post processing audio boost. It increases not only target signals, but all audio signals. The system is designed to try and treat target audio preferentially, but the fact remains that increasing the sensitivity control adds more “noise” in the form of ground feedback, hot rocks, and EMI. The number one goal of new owners while learning the Axiom should be smooth, quiet operation. I promise you that you will not get that if you run the sensitivity too high! My basic recommendation is new owners is to stay at 4 until you learn the detector. Do not do what the video says and go to max!! Experienced PI operators will probably be happier at 5 or 6. That’s subjective, and the pros will stay put, or go lower, or higher. But in general I found 6 worked well for me, but remember, I like running on the hot and noisy side. Settings 7 and 8 should be in bright red, like the red zone on your cars RPM gauge. You should only go there if you know exactly what you are doing. These settings are not intended for general operation, but for user indicated specific situations. They will make the machine noisier, and so the operators ability to use ALL the other settings, and the proper coil, will determine how useful these redline settings are. For new operators, new owners, everything depends on EMI and ground conditions, but look for a quiet, stable setting. It is a fact that target signals usually drop off slower than the “noise” signals, and by eliminating the noise, you will make targets more distinct, and easier to hear. A test target can be extremely helpful in adjusting the control. Make the target as distinct as possible to your own ear. Turning the sensitivity up will make the target sound off louder, but go too high, and you will get lots of other signals. Trained ears can separate these signals from target signals, which tend to have a distinct sound all their own. But to new users, it’s all just noise, and everything might sound just like a target. False signals, that tire the operator with mental processing, and possibly holes dug where nothing exists. Time wasted. Many operators will find they prefer the setting to be at moderate levels, with the detector basically silent, unless a genuine target sounds off. Some pros will prefer this also. There is no right or wrong in all this, no magic canned settings. Different people use different methods, often with similar results. The new default setting of 4 is what would be considered a “safe” setting. It may very well suit some pros quite well, Some experts prefer quiet operation, and so may find 4 or no more than 5 to be their preferred settings. Some may tolerate noise very well, and choose 6 instead. In general 6 worked very well for me. People who know me, know I like pushing the sensitivity very high. Axiom is a detector I like, because it makes me find my limits, and even I am finding out the need to finesse the setting more than I can with other machines. So back to sensitivity settings 7 and 8, the Redline Settings. What I mention below is very important if you attempt to use them. Do not expect automatically that you just can and all will be well. Going right to these settings may do nothing but make you unhappy. You need to understand the machine and how all the settings and coils interplay to get the most out of the top end. However, even the default setting of 4 will benefit from these tips. For instance, if you are in an area free of EMI, higher sensitivity is more available. Less variable ground is more amenable to high sensitivity. DD coils can tolerate higher sensitivity. Small coils tolerate high sensitivity more than large coils. The other settings now matter a lot more. Before, the machine ran well with all the others settings at default. Now, they will come into play far more often, and you need to know what you are doing with them. The Speed Control is absolutely critical for operation at the highest sensitivity level. The default Medium Speed is fine for general operation, but if you are pushing the sensitivity up, Slow will run quieter, and you will absolutely benefit as an operator by also slowing down yourself. VLF users go too fast, period, for general PI operation. If you are patch hunting or just desire to cover ground, run the defaults. But if you are really wanting max performance on a hunted patch, nothing will benefit you more than just going slower! Coil to the ground, low and slow, can’t say it enough. The Slow Speed mode is made for this type of hunting, and it really helps with higher sensitivity levels to use the Slow setting, and move at a crawl. The Timing setting is another great example. There are four timings, Fine (Default), Normal, Large, and Salt. In general, each successive one is introducing longer pulse delays, which tends to lower overall sensitivity to ground, hot rocks, and smaller targets. The Salt setting eliminates salt signals, but eliminates weak gold signals also. See this link for details. Before, I could run Fine Mode at full sensitivity of 8 almost anywhere. Now, Normal becomes a more viable alternative setting, as it tolerates a higher sensitivity setting. Each successive mode can lower overall sensitivity, but can now be offset more by running a higher sensitivity control setting. It’s very much like a salt and pepper thing, and has to be adjusted to taste. The key thing to do here is not forget about the alternative modes. Again, a test target, like a small nugget or small piece of lead, can really help here. Don’t just stick with Fine Mode. You might discover that Normal, with the sensitivity one notch higher then what you were using with Fine, works better in your particular location, especially if larger gold is the main goal. Dry beach hunters and relic hunters in particular may benefit from Normal or Large, but with higher sensitivity levels than would be used with Fine. More details on finding the proper Axiom mode. In general, both EMI canceling and proper ground balance are more important at high sensitivity levels, and both may need to be done more often, depending where you are. Hot rocks get boosted at high sensitivity, and the Garrett hot rock window mode will be more important than ever, for dealing with those oddball rocks. To repeat, coils matter more at the highest settings, with DD coils in general tolerating higher sensitivity. The background threshold tone will increase at high sensitivity levels. Here is a weird trick people can experiment with. Run sensitivity 7 or 8, but run threshold at -8 or -9. This suppresses the threshold entirely, but with the sensitivity control maxed you might get some breakthrough chirps. So sensitivity 7 or 8, threshold -8 or -9. Any combination of those might be the magic. It makes the Axion dead quiet, but get over a target, and BANG! you will know something is there. Could be the ultimate setting for a rank newbie, making the Axiom act almost more like a silent search VLF. But you pros may discover it has uses also so do give it a try. I’ll end with my favorite example of my using the highest sensitivity setting of 8. Shallow ground, tiny gold. 11” DD coil, Fine Mode, Sensitivity 8, Slow Speed, and move at a crawl investigating the tiniest of sounds. It might be too noisy for you, if so, lower that sensitivity. And to wrap up, that’s the answer in general. If you think the Axiom is too noisy, if you are getting too much in the way of false signals, EMI, erratic operation, you name it - LOWER THE SENSITIVITY SETTING! I’m serious, if you don’t want to get a “what are you, stupid” type response don’t complain the Axiom is noisy. It’s only noisy if you make it noisy, and I promise you can. That’s by design, that’s how you find the edge. Nothing is more irritating than people who complain about problems they are creating for themselves. Lower the sensitivity! Look at it like this. The Axiom is your car. The sensitivity setting is your gas pedal. Would you want a car that you could drive with the pedal to the floor all the time? Set to be safe on corners and rough roads. Can’t go faster than 35mph no matter what? That’s the way a lot of detectors get designed. Or do you want the car to be able to go to 120mph, even though that’s not safe, or even legal? Do you want passing power? Do you want to be able to open it up on the freeway and maybe speed a little? The Axiom sensitivity control is like the gas pedal on a sports car. Press it down too far when you should not, you will crash and burn. The top end is there for the rare circumstances where they make sense, or for those operators who can run at higher, noisier levels, and do the mental processing required to pick target signals out of the noise. So one last time, and repeat after me, when in doubt, if something is wrong - lower the sensitivity!! I do hope this helps some people get started out right. The Axiom is a wonderful detector with the right driver behind the wheel. Take your time to learn it properly before you go racing. If you do so you will learn to appreciate it like I have. Thank you Garrett for making this happen, and for letting me take my swings at you, and taking them with good cheer. The final result is better because of the effort. From a full reset / factory default, my steps are: Use default sensitivity. The Axion default sensitivity of 4 is about the same as other detectors maxed out. New users may want to lower to 3, more experienced operators go to 5. Only go above 5 if you are willing to deal with extra noise or have more experience with the detector. over-driving the sensitivity will be the number one mistake made with the Axiom. Volume so that loudest target is not too loud - protect your hearing!. Wave over pick and set. If using headphones, set detector to full volume, and adjust headphones using their own volume controls. Set threshold to suit, for me a bare tone, others may prefer quiet. Go into menu and change Speed from default Medium to Slow (it’s smoother/quieter) Do a ground grab ground balance. Optional. Once all other settings adjusted, do an EMI cancel if it seems necessary. Start detecting, keep the coil low, go slow. Dig all signals, but in heavy nails, low chance of really large gold, focus on sweet high tones. The original tips video below, with now obsolete settings tip for the sensitivity control. Garrett Axiom Quick Facts, Owner's Manual, Etc.

I just spotted this on the new Garrett Direct website: The Axiom is updateable via the same process that is used by the Garrett Apex. The current firmware version is displayed for a split second when you first turn on the Axiom. The top ground balance number will show 01 and the bottom one 47. A blank position in the bar across the top in the final .2 part. The graphic below shows what I see when I turn my Axiom on. It is so fast you might have to do it repeatedly to take in all the info. If you so much as blink you will miss it. And just so nobody asks, I'm not involved in or testing any updates so can offer no clues as to what is in the works.

As the header reads picked up an Axiom played around a bit on my 1.6 acres started out with the 11x7 Mono and could not get it to run stable at all, no power lines above ground or below close to where I was playing, cell phone was not in my pocket, no metal in my shoes or in my pockets set up my threshold to where it was barely heard, set the tones to my liking Ground Balanced, performed frequency shift did both the GB and frequency shift several times, tried lowering the sensitivity, sensitivity at 1 and 2 nothing would smooth it out, tried switching from slow, medium and fast, also tried going fine,normal,large, and salt with the 11x7 Mono, nothing helped can not recall what my Ground balance numbers were with the 11x7 Mono I switched coils to the 13x11 DD and went back through adjusted the sensitivity to 2- 3 was even able to push it up to 5 before it was getting a little to sparky, it ran smooth as silk at a setting of 2 and 3 on the sensitivity, and even 4 on the sens was usable but I kept it around 2-3 my yard has a extreme amount of magnetite and heavy salt content which is what I believe was giving the 11x7 mono fits, this is my theory anyways, swung over two small test nuggets that I have thanks to Reese Townes, have not weighed either but they are tinny with the 11x7 mono I could not hear those two little nuggets other than a couple little chirps here and there, because of all the ground noise I was getting, but with the 13x11 DD those two little nuggets were very audible and could be heard very well with the rise in the threshold two little bloop, bloops the 13x11 DD throws the balance of the Axiom off quite a bit though but the weight is manageable, I am going to go ahead and pick up a 11x7 DD, just to get the balance back and have when situations occur that the 11x7 mono does not work or cannot be used for a first high end PI I am pretty happy with my purchase and I got a pretty good deal on it, it will take some learning like any other detector but I will get there I have been reading all the threads and post that pertain to the Axiom, and appreciate every ones post about the Axiom especially Mr Steve H as it helps with the learning curve of the Axiom I did swing over an area in my yard with the 13x11 DD and got a booming Woo Woo hit, that I will dig up in the future as I have to take it easy because my back is a bit jacked rite now in fact I ended up in the hospital last Saturday because of a messed up disc in my right lower back, but I am looking forward to my new adventure with the Axiom

I do not own nor have ever used either detector but I am considering both. Other than price I know nothing. Read a few older posts & reviews on the SDC 2300, it may be a better fit for the steep brush covered ravines of the Sierra west slopes along with the cracks and crevices in the drainages. Currently use a White TDI SL with a 10x5 folded mono coil. I have hear that the SDC 2300 8” mono coil is hot around the edges. I like the specs on the new Axiom overall but for me the current coil selection sucks. Both detectors fold up or slide up compact for packing. The 2300 may be a bit on the heavy side compared to the Axiom but is manageable. Already have the Garrett Z-Lynk wireless transmitter plus the 1/4” receiver for my headphones. What has been your experience with either detector? A lot of rain followed by a lot of snow fell out of that last storm system with more on the way. May turn out to be a good year for spring runoff. Have Great New Years Day