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Field Test: Garrett Axiom By Bill Paxton For those of you who are frequent readers of Western and Eastern Treasures, you may recall back in December of 2021 I did a field test on the Garrett 24K Goldmaster metal detector. An excellent VLF gold machine, the 24K was Garrett’s rebranding of the White’s 24K Goldmaster and a perfect legacy choice to honor the White’s brand that they had acquired in October of 2020. Since the 24K Goldmaster was not a Garrett-developed product, I was very curious as to what Garrett had in the works for 2022. While their competitors were literally leapfrogging each other in the hobby market, Garret was curiously quiet. What were they up to I wondered? A new detector based on the Multi-Flex technology they had introduced in the Apex? Maybe a new water machine? The months ticked by. Still Garrett was quiet. Then came October 5, 2022. That was the day that Garrett revealed to the metal detecting community that their company was all in when it came to one thing. Gold. The 24K Goldmaster was a precursor of things to come. Or to be more specific, one amazing thing to come. The Garrett Axiom. A complete from the ground up redesign of pure pulse induction technology in a package unlike anything that had ever been seen before in the gold prospecting niche of our hobby. Gone were the bulky rigs that required harnesses to swing them and car-size batteries to supply power. No more annoying nobs and confusing settings. What Garrett delivered was a genuinely new and yes, I’m going to say it, exciting metal detector. The first pictures of the Axiom looked like something out of the space age. This was a detector that I wanted to try out and I’m not even a gold prospector. When Steve Moore, the Director of Marketing for Garrett, emailed me and asked if I would like to try one out I couldn’t type the word “YES!” fast enough. Let me pause here briefly and give you a bit of a spoiler alert regarding this field test. As you can tell from the introduction I’ve written above, the Axiom got me pretty revved up even before I held one in my hand. I have used it in the gold fields and at the beach and it flat out delivers. This metal detector is a game changer and I’m genuinely excited to share this field test with our loyal readers. With that being said, let’s get to the field test. The Garrett Axiom The Garrett Axiom There is a great deal to cover on the Axiom beginning with its design. As you can see from the photos, when I describe the Axiom as looking like “something out of the space age” I wasn’t kidding. I’ve used PI detectors for many years, primarily to hunt saltwater beaches because of their inherent ability to deal with high mineralization and find targets at extreme depth. They did, and do, work but at a cost. Due to their often bulky designs, they can beat you up physically. Walking on a beach for several hours with one of those beasts takes its toll and the fatigue factor inevitably shortens your hunts. The Axiom completely negates that negative aspect by its well-balanced and relatively lightweight design. It comes in at roughly 4.5 lbs. depending on the coil you select and features a lightweight internal lithium battery encased in a molded plastic case. An open flexible and very comfortable arm cuff is mounted on the rear of the detector and can be adjusted if required. The hand grip is easy to grasp and topped by a control box modeled after the Apex. A slick carbon fiber shaft that uses innovative stem clamps for adjustment connects to a variety of lightweight coils. All of this means just one thing: you can swing this detector for hours and not suffer for it in the least. One more thing. When you are transporting the Axiom, or if you wish to shrink it down to hunt in close quarters, it easily collapses to a remarkable 25”. The stem clams work as promised and save you the hassle of pushing in those annoying little spring buttons every time that you adjust the shaft. The Axiom Package The Axiom Package Garrett provides a very impressive package of accessories with the Axiom. Along with the detector and searchcoil (this can vary by the package selected), you get: Axiom Booster Pack Soft Carry Case Quick Start Guide Warranty Card USB Charging Cable Wall Charger and Adaptors A set of MS-3 Wireless Headphones with charging cable (Yes, you get Z-Lynk with the Axiom!) A small gripe is that a copy of the full owner’s manual is only available online. I really like a printed copy for reference and wish that one was included. Axiom Coils Garrett offers a large selection of coils for the Axiom: 11” X 7” Mono AND DD 13” X 11” Mono AND DD 16” X 14” Mono AND DD Okay, you are probably thinking that the above listing of DD coils for the Axiom are typos. I can assure you they are not. Yes, Garrett has chosen to offer DD coils for the Axiom. For many PI purists this may be heresy since Mono coils have been the standard for PI detectors for many years. However, I can tell you that the DD coils are a great way to go. My test unit came with a 13” X 11” DD coil, along with Mono coils in the other two sizes. Unlike the Mono coils, which are hotter on the edges, the DD coils react to a target like a typical DD coil and are hotter toward the middle of the coil. I personally loved this because I hunt 100% of the time with DD coils on my other detectors and it made for a very easy and intuitive switchover to the Axiom. In comparing it to the mono coils I found no loss in either depth or sensitivity and the DD coil is now my coil of choice. I would not discount a DD if you are looking into purchasing an Axiom. Axiom Power Okay, say this with me. “Ahhhh.” That is what you will say when you pick up an Axiom and see that there is not any bulky battery to deal with. The detector is powered by what Garrett describes as a “2X LIFE” built-in, high-capacity lithium-ion battery that will run 16 hours on a full charge. I can confirm that the battery is exceptional in terms of holding a charge. While I didn’t hunt for 16 hours straight, I did numerous back-to-back hunts totaling over 10 hours each time and the detector always had two bars remaining on the charge indicator. For those of you who just want to play it safe, a separate booster pack battery powered by 8 – AA batteries is included that will supply an additional six hours of hunting time. Axiom Display Panel When Garrett introduced its first multi-frequency metal, the Apex, it featured a brand-new control box design that users instantly embraced. I was very happy to see that Garrett chose to utilize this same design for the Axiom. The display screen features fifteen different elements in a neatly uncluttered arrangement: Signal Strength Indicator Iron Check Mode Frequency Scan Tone Audio Type Sensitivity Battery Level Speed Ground Track Backlight Wireless Headphones Ground Balance Arrows Ground Balance Indicator Ground Balance Values These display elements will be discussed in detail where relevant later in this field test. Axiom Controls Axiom Controls As with the Apex, the six controls on the display box are located in a unique, user friendly “thumb wheel” pattern below the display. All operations and adjustments to the Axiom are easily accomplished by moving your thumb from left to right in order to press the appropriate button. The controls are: 1. Power ON/OFF and Operate a. Used to turn the Axiom on and off. Pressing and holding this button for five seconds restores factory settings. This button also can be tapped to exit the MENU settings. 2. Volume Plus/Minus Buttons a. Used to increase/decrease volume. 3. Sensitivity Plus/Minus Buttons a. Used for two functions. i. To adjust the sensitivity of the detector. ii. To adjust detector settings within the Menu settings. 4. Menu/Iron Check a. Used for two functions: i. Used to access Menu settings. ii. Engaging Iron Check function by pressing and holding this button. b. Ground Balance i. Press and hold this button to ground balance the detector. 5. Threshold Plus/Minus Buttons a. Really handy to increase or decrease the threshold on the fly as opposed to have to go into some sort of annoying settings menu. 6. Ground Balance a. A “hold and bob the coil” button for ground balancing the Axiom. With all the aforementioned features and controls you might think that the Axiom is a complicated detector to run. On the contrary, Garrett really took its time in designing the Axiom to both offer many features AND be easy to operate. After spending many hours in the field with my Axiom I can attest to this. Axiom Functions and Settings Accessing the various functions and settings is extremely intuitive. · How many times have you owned a detector that needed a factory reset and you couldn’t figure out how to do it? Not with Axiom. Press and hold the Power button for five seconds. Listen for a double beep. Done. · Frequency Scan o EMI is a constant enemy a detectorist must battle so frequency scan is a must with today’s modern metal detectors. The Axiom uses a unique system to locate the quietest operating frequency. To perform a Frequency Scan, just push the menu button until FREQSCAN is highlighted, then press the plus button. The Axion scans through 100 frequencies, rechecks the best five and automatically selects the best one. All of this in 45 seconds. This worked flawlessly for me in the field. · Detection Modes o In my humble opinion this is the Axiom’s finest feature. The Axiom provides four search mode operations, each optimized for specific types of detecting. 1. Fine Mode · The preferred search mode of the Axiom, Fine Mode offers the best sensitivity to all sized targets ranging from fine gold to large items. Fine Mode can be susceptible to ground minerals, hot rocks and salt water. 2. Normal Mode · An excellent choice if noise issues are encountered when in Fine Mode. Normal mode provides good sensitivity to most targets but can be less effective on fine gold. 3. Large Mode · For use when focusing on large targets. This mode also reduces susceptibility to hot rocks and highly mineralized ground. 4. Salt Mode · Designed to allow for use of the Axiom in wet salt environments like ocean beaches. As an avid beach hunter, I was particularly interested in how this mode performed. It delivered excellent stability even in high concentrations of black sand. o Accessing the modes was a sinch. Just press the MENU button until the word “MODE” is highlighted. Then press the “PLUS” or “MINUS“ buttons to select the mode. · Volume and Threshold Adjustment o Not much to say here. Super easy to adjust with the PLUS/MINUS buttons. · Tone and Audio Options o Another area where the Axiom shines. Via the Menu button, the user can change the audio pitch and select from two different types of audio. 1. Tone Adjustment · Pushing the Menu button until TONE is selected followed by pressing the +/- buttons allows for scrolling through 100 available tone shifts. o This feature allows the operator to pick a tone that best fits their preferences or hearing ability · Only active with VCO audio (Audio 01) o Audio type 1. The Axiom has two different and very unique audio types, Audio 00 (PWM) and Audio 01 (VCO, also default). These can be accessed by pressing the Menu button followed by the +/- buttons. Both provide continuous audio that responds proportionally to a target’s signal strength allowing the operator to judge a target’s size, depth and shape. · Audio 00 (PWM) o In PWM audio, audio pitch is fixed at either high or low and only the target’s volume increases with signal strength. Preferred by users who like an active, coarse audio response. 1. Audio 01 (VCO Audio) o The preferred mode of most users (including yours truly). Target volume and audio increase proportionately with signal strength and is a real asset in locating faint targets by changes in audio pitch. o Target Signal 1. The Axiom features a Target Signal Strength Indicator at the top of the display. Utilizing a bargraph, the indicator will display high tones proportionally toward the right of center and low tones similarly toward the left of center. · Backlight o The backlight can be activated and adjusted via the Menu button by highlighting the backlight icon. o The backlight automatically activates when scrolling through the menu, a very handy feature. · Speed o A crucial adjustment for your hunting, made easy by the Axiom’s defined speeds of SLOW, MED(IUM) and FAST. This adjustment determines coil sweep speed and also target recovery speed (often referred to as “reactivity). o As with every adjustment on the Axiom, the Menu button gets you to the Speed Settings. The operator needs to pay strict attention to choosing the proper setting in order to ensure the Axiom performs at its best. 1. SLOW · While the manual suggests using the MED setting for general purpose hunting my preference was the SLOW speed. This setting was the most stable of all three and provided excellent depth and sensitivity. However, it is vital that the user sweep slowly. I always ask the question of fast sweepers “what’s your hurry?” In the case of the Axiom, go slow and you will be rewarded. 2. MED(IUM) · The default setting and a good general-purpose selection for most users. It provides good sensitivity and depth and requires a moderate sweep speed. 3. FAST · This speed boosts reactivity to increase target separation but that comes at a cost. EMI and noise chatter can increase making it more difficult to hear faint targets. · Sensitivity o Unlike most metal detectors, the Axiom offers what I would refer to as “sensitivity on steroids.’ While many metal detectors can be run hot at max sensitivity, the Axiom for the most part cannot. Prior to its release, the previous maximum sensitivity of “8” was boosted significantly to allow certain skilled operators in unique hunting situations to push performance to the maximum. The previous maximum sensitivity now is the number 4 selection. For almost all users (including this field tester), 4 provides more than enough power to obtain excellent results from the Axiom and should not be exceeded for general hunting. · Ground Balance o The Axiom features a very sophisticated ground balancing system that is covered in detail in the manual. While offering standard options like manual ground balance and ground tracking, the Axiom has taken ground balancing to another level with several innovations not previously seen on PI metal detectors: 1. Dual ground balance values displayed with both ground tracking on AND off. · This is a terrific visual reference to monitor ground conditions. 2. Ground Balance Window Feature · After ten seconds of ground balancing, the Ground Balance Window activates and allows the operator to eliminate both mineralized soil AND a hot rock. Pumping over the soil and scanning over the hot rock will eliminate both responses (or make them much smaller). · Iron Check o One of the coolest innovations included in the Axiom. Iron check, which only works with DD coils, will generate an iron “buzz” that is easily recognized. To activate this feature just hold down the Iron Check button until it double beeps. Then scan and listen to the buzz. o While this feature worked best on shallow targets, I found it to be a huge asset for both gold prospecting and beach hunting. If I had a deep, small target all I had to do was activate Iron Check and then scan the pile to see if it was iron or not. This was a real time saver and I used it a lot in my testing. · Quickstart and Owner’s Manual o A Quickstart guide is included with that Axiom. The owner’s manual, which is very well written, is only available as a downloadable pdf. · Other references. o Once again Garrett smartly brought in renowned gold hunter Steve Hershbach to host a series of “how-to” videos explaining the Axiom and its use in great detail. Steve’s easy-going manner and excellent on camera skills, combined with his in-depth knowledge of electronic prospecting, make these videos a must see for anyone contemplating the purchase of an Axiom. I found myself going back to them many times and even after learning the Axiom found they served as a huge, free database of knowledge that made me a more skilled operator of the detector. And now on to the field test… Field Test Historically PI detectors have been at their best when it comes to gold prospecting and saltwater beach hunting. These were the two areas that I focused on for my field testing. But before we get to that, let me comment on one aspect of the Axiom that deserves more than just a passing reference. What is that aspect? Its design. I don’t mean anything specific because to focus on just one feature would be unfair. This detector is flat out one of the best designed metal detectors that I have ever had the pleasure of using. The more that I use it the more I appreciate the time that Garrett put into its design. Notice I said “more that I use it.” Having been a field tester of metal detectors for over two decades I can tell you that this is not always the case. I have never tested what I would call a “bad” detector, but on occasion certain detectors take a toll on you just to use them. For example, the grip angle is wrong. Or the balance is off. Or the menus are confusing. Not with the Axiom. Its performance was excellent as you will see shortly. But what really continues to make my day is that the Axiom is just an easy and enjoyable detector to hunt with. Now let’s get to that field test. In the Gold Fields Living in Los Angeles it is difficult to prospect for gold regardless of your method. Getting to areas to look for gold that isn’t in the form of jewelry is especially difficult, although there are certain places where you might have success that are relatively nearby. However, in my mind I wanted to really prospect for gold with the Axiom so I decided to focus on a place you might have heard of: the Mojave Desert. A few hours’ drive from Los Angeles, this massive area holds many gold claims and a ton of history. Through a fellow detectorist I was able to gain access to a mining claim that was known to still be producing gold. Six buddies and I piled into two pickup trucks and we headed out to the desert to make our fortune on a clear Friday morning. Our detecting site, high up in the Mojave Desert Mountains The site we came upon was several miles up in the hills and showed clear evidence of mining activity. Tiling piles were everywhere. We parked and unloaded out detectors. FYI, I had the only pulse machine; my buddies had both multi-frequency units and VLF’s. After having studied Steve Herschbach’s videos the night before (thank you again, Steve!) I felt pretty confident in my ability to run the Axiom so off I went into the land of tailings. Getting started with the Axiom was a breeze: Power up. Adjust threshold - I preferred a barely audible threshold although at times I went with a negative value to run totally silent. In both cases good targets rang through clear and solid. Ground Balance Run Frequency Scan Pair MS-3 Wireless Headphones (optional) - Being out by myself I liked using the speaker but if noise is an issue the MS-3 Wireless Headphones are excellent. Select Detection Mode - I ran Fine Mode exclusively and was very impressed with its sensitivity to all sizes of targets. In the area I was hunting there was no need to utilize either Normal or Large Mode. Go! Over the course of the next six hours, I covered a lot of ground with the Axiom. Targets were few but when there was something there, large or small, the Axiom found it. I really liked the Iron Reject feature in that it allowed me to locate and ignore several tiny ferrous targets in the pile once they were removed from the hole. Having never prospected for gold with a metal detector for this long a period of time I was grateful for the Axiom’s user-friendly design. The main reason? Gold prospecting is hard work! The constant digging in rock hard ground with a pickaxe kicked my butt. The author working a hillside with the Garrett Axiom For those of you who aren’t PI users, there is an audio adjustment that you have to make when using a PI in order to recognize targets. I would strongly urge you to test targets at home before going out in the field. Thankfully I did this and therefore was able for the most part to locate targets easily. Using the DD coil really helped and I was able to use my VLF skills to center and pinpoint targets with very little difficulty. The Axiom found targets of various sizes that included shell casings, bullets, wire, iron junk (ID’d easily by Iron Reject when in the pile), everything but gold. As those of you who prospect for gold know all too well, gold is tough to find and on this day I did not come home with any. The Axiom will find even the tiniest piece of gold as was evidenced by several microscopic bits of wire that hit hard with good, solid repeatable signals. The Axiom was sensitive to both large and very small targets in the heavily worked area. The irony of the day was that one of our party did find gold and he was the only guy who did not use a metal detector. He filled up two large buckets with dirt to take home and pan out and yes, he had gold in his pan when he was all finished. At the Ocean Beach As an avid beach hunter living in Southern California I was really anxious to see how the Axiom performed in a salt environment. Until the advent of multi-frequency detectors, PI’s ruled when it came to depth and performance at ocean beaches. Nowadays you don’t see a lot of PI’s at the beach but they do still have their place when the mineralization is high and causes problems for conventional detectors. There are still PI purists who will argue that a PI can beat any detector for pure depth and they may be right. I had no intention of reopening that debate. All I wanted to do was see if the Axiom could serve as a beach hunting detector. The Axiom was rock solid at ocean beaches and delivered exceptional depth on targets. A long-buried silver ring with an onyx stone was found with the Axiom after a recent storm. The verdict: yes, it can. Thanks to the SALT mode, a beach hunter can easily navigate “the wet” as we call it and punch right through troublesome black sand. In my hunts at the beach I was very pleased with how smoothly the Axiom ran. I could push the sensitivity up to “6” before I had to deal with any falsing. Targets were recovered at impressive depths of well over a foot. Being a PI, some of these were deep garbage but others were coins. That is the compromise you make when hunting with a PI. My best find was a very old, large silver ring, found at a depth of about 6” in a pocket of black sand. The Axiom hit it with no problem. I might add that the Axiom’s relatively light weight and excellent ergonomics made for easy, fatigue-free hunting, something that I have not found to be true of other bulky PI’s that I have used in the past. Another type of beach gold hunting is one that few detectorists explore, that being microgold hunting. For those of you who aren’t familiar with micro-gold hunting, it involves searching for those tiny pieces of gold that VLF metal detectors can’t find. Items like earring backs, thin chains, gold fillings, etc. Gold detectors can be used with good success when searching for microgold due to their ability to find tiny pieces of gold. This type of hunting must be done on the dry since the salt content of the wet sand will wreak havoc with these types of detectors. It requires a great deal of patience since the dry sand holds many types of small bits of metal that conventional VLF’s will not find. It is not for everyone. However, if you elect to try this type of hunting then the Axiom is a superb choice thanks to its FINE MODE. Be sure to bring your Garrett Pinpointer along because you will need it. The Axiom will hit on microscopic pieces of metal like aluminum that you will not see easily with the naked eye. I did a several hour microgold hunt at a local ocean beach and was amazed at how many small targets the Axiom located. If it had been my lucky day, I’m certain some of them would have been gold. Summary, Due to unforeseen circumstances that I will get to in a moment, I was able to spend a much longer period of time using the Axiom than normal. While its gold prospecting abilities have been well documented by many users since its release, there has not been as much focus on the detector as a general use machine, in particular at saltwater beaches where PI’s historically have always performed well. Being a beach hunter, these extra few months gave me multiple opportunities to use the Axion “in the salt” as the saying goes. Generally, I have avoided using a PI as my go-to beach detector because they can be a pain in the neck to use due to their weight, confusing adjustments (for me at least) and the requirement that you have to dig too much garbage. Not that I haven’t tried almost all of them and really tried to love them, or at least like them. The Axiom changed that for me. It is the first PI that I have ever used that was fun to hunt with and performed and felt like a normal metal detector to me. Each time I used it I came to appreciate its brilliantly designed. As a gold prospecting PI I don’t think you can match its performance and value. For saltwater beaches I found it to be a match for any detector that I encountered during my hunts, including all of the latest and greatest multi-frequency machines. If you are looking for a powerhouse saltwater beach detector don’t write of the Axiom as being just a gold prospecting detector. It is a whole lot more. I cannot recommend it more highly as a multi-use metal detector. You can learn more about the Axiom here: https://garrett.com/sport/axiom. Now let’s get to those unforeseen circumstances. This field test was requested by Garrett Electronics and was slated to be published in the January 2023 issue of Western and Eastern Treasures Magazine. I was due to deliver it for publication when the news was released that the magazine was closing its doors for good at the end of 2022. Despite all the work I had put into testing the Axiom and writing up my field test article, it just didn’t seem right for me to keep the unit. I contacted Steve Moore, Director of Marketing for Garrett Electronics, to arrange for the return of the Axiom. To my pleasant surprise, Steve insisted that I hold on to the Axiom and finish my field test in the hope we could find another method of publishing it. Enter Steve Herschbach of DetectorProspector.com Steve said he would gladly publish this field test. He also added that it would be an honor to have it be the last field test written for Western and Eastern Treasures Magazine. To say I was flattered would be an understatement. With that being said, I hope you enjoy this field test of the Garrett Axiom, the last field test written for Western and Eastern Treasures Magazine.

I’ve been interested in the Quest V80 ever since I first heard about it. However, the lack of noncommittal appraisals and sketchy YouTube videos online have always put me off buying one. That is until now, when I saw brand new full warranty V80 detectors been auctioned off on the famous auction website. Wherein, I managed to win an auction which gave me the Quest V80 for under half price for the 2-coil bundle deal. When it arrived, I was immediately impressed by the attention to detail regarding the build quality. Even the arm cup attaches via two knobs rather than a screw and the plastic is flexible. Included in the bundle deal is wireless headphones and a receiver for using wired headphones with the receiver tucked in your pocket. The wireless headphones are really good quality with excellent sound reproduction. They connect to the V80 flawlessly. The receiver module even comes with a quarter inch socket which is a nice touch. It also connects to V80 incredibly simply. Also, updating the V80 to the latest version of firmware was really straightforward and very simple to instal. At first, I wasn’t sure whether I would like the menu setup, but after using the detector for a while it became really intuitive. The resolution of the screen is amazing. It’s really easy to see in all light levels and used at dusk or in the dark doesn’t create any glare. One thing I have noticed about the V80 is the user manual is very vague. By this I mean, I have found combinations of settings which change the performance of the detector which aren’t mentioned in the user manual. Or perhaps it’s because the terms used aren’t what the settings actually imply. But either way, I’m really impressed with the detecting performance of the V80. Though the caveat is I live in the UK, which means anything other than iron can be a desirable target and not digging questionable signals could be at your own peril. As watching numbers is pretty futile, since audio is always king when it comes to trumping numbers. Well at least it is here in the UK, as most detectorists rely more on the nuances of the audio than digits. The audio on the V80 is very descriptive with lots of nuances in the sound reproduction, which aid in making the decision to dig or not dig. The audio on the V80 has lots of fine-tuning settings, which has allowed me to set the detector in a way which makes sense to me. The V80 has plenty of depth in all the search modes in my opinion. The cache mode is a wonder to behold as the depth is incredible, and I can’t wait to use it on pasture fields which have very few signals. Or what signals are there, are usually very deep and old. Despite the modes name, it finds single coins and artefacts with ease. Also, ground balancing on the V80 is a piece of cake. As the detector offers a few different ways to achieve ground balance. I find using the manual ground balance incredibly simple, as the audio in manual mode is very subtle which allows you to easily judge whether the coil is balanced or not. Regarding the HyperQ multifrequency setting, I’ve found it works really well. But for my style of searching, I much prefer hunting in the single frequency modes. Which in my opinion offer much more nuances in the audio, especially if you want to hunt into the iron looking for non-ferrous targets on the edge of sound. To be honest, with all my defectors I just setup them up in a way which makes sense to me, even if I am taking an unconventional approach which bucks the normal known trends. I mostly do this because, when I first started detecting I knew an old wizard detectorist, who told me the magic to his success was never ever being afraid to dig some iron. Since his philosophy, believed if you weren’t digging some iron, then you were definitely leaving finds in the ground. Remember I live in the UK, which has thousands of years of artefacts buried beneath our feet. Where taking chances on iffy signals can pay incredible dividends. Plus, by not being afraid to dig some iron, means you learn the quirky idiosyncrasies of iron signals so much better, than if you just dismissed every squawk or pip as iron falsing. I think the biggest eyeopener for me regarding detecting, was when I joined a group hoping to learn some hard-to-find insider tips. Things like how to correctly ground balance a metal detector etc. To my surprise, it turned out I actually knew more about ground balancing from what I’d read, than what the old-timers running the group who’d detected for 40 plus years! Which taught me an important lesson. The number of years a person has been detecting equates to nothing, unless that person is inquisitive enough to step outside the well-trodden path and experiment with the settings! For me personally, I find detecting forums and YouTube provide me with all the fodder I need, rather than joining a group on the whim of wishful thinking. From using the Quest v80 so far, I’ve formulated the opinion that it definitely has something special about it. I have used it in places where I’ve searched heavily before with other top-notch detectors and it has found missed stuff. I know this because in some of productive areas which I searched meticulously with lots of other different detectors, there were distinguishing features which made it easy to grid that said area and know you were definitely going over the same ground. I think using different detectors on your sites, even those utilising the same frequencies can throw up some surprising and unexpected results. I am glad I decided to bid on the V80 auction, because had I followed the nonchalant noncommittal consensus online regarding its performance, I would have definitely missed out on a really nice detector! It might not be for everyone, but it definitely has enough adjustability to really customise the settings to get the very best from the detector. Thanks for reading.

I don't normally care much for these sorts of videos but this is one with a difference, it's not swinging some detectors over some planted objects in someone's backyard with a few nails in the mix to prove one is better than another, it goes into some detail about features and benefits of said features. He explains the audio options well and the benefits to them, Loren the maker of the video is a highly intelligent person and also good at explaining features in simple terms, so vastly different to normal comparison videos that I have no interest in. Well worth the watch.

I have been hunting with Deus 2 exclusively for about 2 weeks and I must say, I really like it. Of course, I really like Deus 1 except for how it detects (poorly) in high mineralization on deeper than 3" coin sized targets. Deus 2 fixed that for sure. So, I gathered up a .05 gram flattish nugget and used half of an XP audio module/backphones container which is 1.25" high for a minimum height air test. Did the same with a .15 gram nugget with the other half (1.75") of the XP audio puck container and used a whole XP audio puck container (2.5") with a .25 gram nugget. I also did a surface and 1" deep buried test with the flat .15 gram nugget in a container of highly iron mineralized dirt from a hydraulic mine site in the Colorado mountains. I removed all of the bigger pieces of magnetite which filled a sandwich bag and the dirt still maxes out the mineralization bars on Deus 1 and Deus 2. Even my GPX 6000 hates this dirt. There is some wind noise and some drag racing noise from Bandimere Speedway. There is also a good deal of video of my butt....sorry. My IPhone also overheated twice so this video has a couple of splices. The Deus 2 audio sounds a bit weak during the air testing of the .05, .15 and .25 gram flat nuggets. It actually isn't weak. It is PWM VCO audio and the targets are at the edge of detection. The volume is maxed out on Deus 2. I also totally forgot to do a noise cancel on the Legend. It is a bit noisy and it is my fault. The video is kind of long.....19 minutes with no talking. Hope you can see the detector displays most of the time. Making videos is definitely not my thing but some people won't believe it until they see it. One's word used to be enough.....

The passing of a friend unfortunately has led to me taking ownership of a modified Tdi Pro. My machine is mounted on an Anderson shaft and is factory spec. My old mate had his machine modified to smooth out the threshold and to add some sensitivity. The specifics related to the modifications are not known by me, other than that they were conducted by 'Luke'..Oz Digger.. This happened some time ago. So the modified machine is probably not a keeper, I don't want two Tdi Pro machines.. The opportunity to do a comparison cannot and should not be ignored. My intention is to focus on small gold performance, the threshold smoothness, the ability to use gain, basic performance and handling characteristics under different circumstances. The machines will use the same fully charged battery pack, same coil, same targets, same test location and conditions on the same day etc. Trying to minimise external variations. I'll start with the usual useless air test. Later I'll follow up with in ground testing on the actual goldfields in mineralized soil. Test coils will be with a small coil and a large coil. Targets will be gold only. The 1 grain ingot, the half gram gold coin, a half sovereign gold coin. Some real small sub gram nuggets to see how small we can go.. There is a process involved so I'll take my time and do it right. Any specific questions or suggestions, speak now or forever hold you peace.. I'm only doing this once. Once it sold it will be too late to revisit.. All the best.

Hi, I've just joined the forum and looking for some advice from the experts! I want to take up an old hobby again but I'm not sure where to start.. what detector to buy.. do I need a pin pointer etc. All advice would be very welcome! I live in South West France , so rules here are quite strict on where you can detect. I have researched the local coastal beaches and lakes, which are legal so I would like to buy a waterproof detector that's good in salt water and fresh, but I am also surrounded by vineyards, so looking for a good all rounder. I did have a budget of around €300- €400 but after reading a lot of posts I realise I need to spend a little more to get something decent on a hobby/intermediate scale...so looking around €500 max With my search so far I've come up with 2 possibilities, Garrett AT Pro and a Minelab Vanquish 540 but there are so many options out there I've got a bit lost..! I would love to hear from anyone with any advice or recommendations for what would suit my needs best.. Thanking in advance

I live in AZ, we have a lot of Hot Rocks and tiny gold. I've been thinking of getting a Gold Detector. I have narrowed it down to 3. Gold Bug 2, Gold Monster 1000, and the XP Deus 2. I'm a beginner, but would like to advance with the detector I choose. $1500 is the most I can go, even though a PI detector would be excellent. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

The White's Goldmaster 24K is a new 48 kHz gold nugget detector released in the fall of 2018. Production models started shipping in September and White's forwarded one to me to check out. What follows are my thoughts after a couple days of detecting for gold on several northern Nevada nugget patches. The Goldmaster 24K marks a break with the past as White's moves from the older metal box designs of the past to newer plastic cases. The Goldmaster 24K physical design is the latest in the evolution of the MX series. The control box itself is derived directly from that used on the White's MX5. The control pod / display originated with the TreasurePro and later used in the MX Sport and MX7 designs. Basically the Goldmaster 24K is in the same housing and rod design as the White's MX7. Manufacturers face a difficult design choice these days. In general users want metal detectors to be as light as possible. However, weight is not everything - balance matters every bit as much. The problem is that a metal detector search coil is basically a weight on the end of a long stick. Coils can only be made so light due to engineering constraints requiring a certain amount of copper wire, and a reasonably robust coil housing. The coil therefore has a lot to do with determining the final ergonomics of the detector. If the coil weight is not balanced at the other end with some kind of offsetting weight, the detector is nose heavy. This in turn creates torque everytime the detector changes directions, which puts stress on the operators arm. The detector can be made as light as possible, or can be perfectly balanced, but it is almost impossible to do both in one detector. Any detector that weighs less than 3 pounds is almost certain to be nose heavy because enough weight does not exist to balance the weight of the coil. In order to have enough weight to work with it appears the minimum is about 3.5 lbs for detectors that are well balanced. The extra weight is almost always in the form of a battery box located under the elbow. White's has gone this route is the MX series designs with a battery box holding 8 AA batteries under the elbow acting as a balancing weight. This results not only in a well balanced detector but a detector with enough batteries to operate for multiple days between charges or battery changes. White's Goldmaster 24K metal detector for gold prospecting Another big choice manufacturers have to make these days is whether to use a straight rod or a "S" rod design. Users tend to be evenly split as to which they prefer, and so this is a choice the manufacturer cannot possibly win. About half the people are going to be unhappy whichever way you go. Industrial type users like beach hunters and prospectors tends to prefer straight rods. Coin, jewelry, and relic hunters seem more inclined to "S" rods. I have used many detectors with either setup, and have been happy with both or unhappy with both. The deciding factor for me has been more about the exact size, shape, and angle of the hand grip than the actual rod design. I do not have over-sized hands, and so I tend to prefer a smaller diameter grip. Other people like a larger grip. I went into all that detail to be sure the reader understands that weight and balance is very much a personal preference item. Getting a detector to fit right for everyone is like making a pair of boots that fits everyone. You can't do it. Therefore when I say that the MX physical design as employed in the Goldmaster 24K is a very good fit for me don't take that as meaning it will be great for you. Yet it is a very good fit for me, and quite comfortable on my arm, with just enough forward weight to keep my elbow in the arm cup without having to use the arm strap. The design is also lighter than the White's GMT by nearly half a pound, so the Goldmaster 24K is both well balanced and lighter than what came before. The Goldmaster 24K with 10" elliptical coil and with batteries installed weighs 3 lbs 7 oz (3.4 lbs) or 1562 grams on my digital postal scale. The Goldmaster 24K has an IP54 rated enclosure that has a high level of protection against dust particles, and a fair amount of protection against water. The coils are waterproof, but the detector itself is not submersible, so keep that display pod out of the water. The "S" rod is a three piece design with excellent quality twist locks that create a firm, wobble free rod assembly when fully engaged. The armrest position is not adjustable but it is well placed. The 24K is powered by eight AA batteries in a battery holder that pops out of the rear of the battery box. The 24K is supplied with eight alkaline AA batteries, but rechargeable batteries may be substituted for use in the battery holder. The 24K can get up to 40 hours operation using high quality alkaline batteries and while using headphones (external speakers use more power). The Goldmaster 24K does have a speaker built into the rear of the display pod, and there is a female 1/4" headphone jack directly above the battery door. White's thoughtfully includes a small plastic plug to insert into this hole when not in use. White's 24K battery holder and headphone jack location The Goldmaster 24K comes with a 5.5" x 10" DD coil as the stock coil. A 6.5" round concentric coil is available as an option. Scuff covers for the coil are not included with the detector or when you buy an accessory coil - they are separate optional items. The 5.5" x 10" DD search coil weighs 14.5 oz or 412 grams. The coil is 1" thick. The 6.5" round concentric coil is 3/4" thick and weighs 13.1 oz or 370 grams. Therefore the 24K when outfitted with the 6" concentric weighs in at 3 lbs 5 oz (3.3 lbs). White's possibly has a 13.5" x 8" DD available soon that weighs 1 lb 8 oz or 682 grams. Finally, a version of the 4" x 6" Shooter DD is in the works also. Neither of these coils is available for sale as of March 2019 (edit - they are now), so for now the GMK has one accessory coil (the 6" concentric) available for purchase. Do note that all pre-existing coils for other White's Goldmaster or GMT models are not compatible with the Goldmaster 24K. The 24K pumps about 50% more voltage to the coils than previous models, requiring tighter tolerances in the new coils. The coil connector has been changed to prevent confusion. 5.5" x 10" DD search coil and 6.5" round concentric coil for White's Goldmaster 24K The Goldmaster 24K shares many functions with the White's GMT model but there are differences. The most obvious being that the GMT uses knobs for control adjustments. The 24K uses a sealed touchpad which is more water and dust resistant, but some controls have secondary functions that necessitate having the Quick Guide near at hand when learning the detector. The 24K like the GMT does of course have a sensitivity control, and like on all hot VLF detectors it is a critical control. The solution to most problems regarding metal detector instability, or interference, is to reduce the sensitivity. The 24K features both automatic ground tracking, or a fixed ground balance, adjusted via a tap of a "ground grab" button. In this case the pinpoint button doubles as a ground grab when given a quick tap. Ground tracking can be a great function for variable ground and people new to detecting. Personally I prefer to lock the ground setting (via the "Lock" button) and update it manually via the ground grab function. I did use the ground tracking however, just to try it out. It is lightning quick, taking just a pump or two to track into the ground. Ground grabs are instantaneous. The White's GMT allowed for a locked ground balance to be tweaked up or down manually, via plus or minus buttons on the control pod. The 24K takes a slightly different route by allowing a "ground balance offset" to be dialed into the detector. The ground balance offset is a powerful feature, and so deserves some explanation. Prospectors often prefer manual ground balance because they can choose their own setting that for various reason might be different than what a machine will choose using a preset function like ground grab. Ground grab may be set to deliver a very neutral ground balance. The prospector may prefer that the balance be slightly positive to help enhance tiny nugget signals. They may want to choose a ground balance setting halfway between the ground itself and some pesky hot rock, which may mean adjusting either positive or negative from the neutral setting. This might require that the operator first do a ground grab, then hit the plus button a couple times to manually offset the ground balance. The 24K has a "Follow The Black Sand" mode like on the GMT, but it is now called Ground Scan. Ground Scan is enabled by pushing and holding the ground balance "Lock" button. While in Ground Scan the "Up" and "Down" buttons create a ground balance offset. This offset is retained when you leave Ground Scan mode, and will be applied both when doing a ground grab, and even while in ground tracking mode. The Ground Scan / Follow The Black Sand thing is intended to allow a prospector to locate and trace shallow magnetic sand deposits, that might indicate potential gold concentrations. This is a rarely used function, but including the offset ability means this function may be accessed more often just to create these ground balance offsets. With the GMT you could ground grab, and then manually tweak the setting, but the tweak had to be applied every time the ground grab is performed. Now the offset can be dialed in and automatically applied. The real zinger however is that this also allows the 24K ground tracking function to be directly tweaked - very, very rare indeed. Almost every detector I have ever used has a preset ground tracking circuit that puts the ground balance where it wants, end of story. With the White's Goldmaster 24K you can create a tracking offset, to deal with hot rocks in a way that simply can't be done with most other ground tracking systems. Really cool White's! White's Goldmaster 24K detector with optional 6" concentric coil The 24K has the volume control the GMT lacks, which is quite handy for those who want to run without headphones, but not necessarily at full volume. There are 8 levels of volume plus two boost settings, Boost 1 (b1) and Boost 2 (b2) that kick in when you adjust the volume control above 8. The GMT features a Variable Self Adjusting Threshold (V/SAT) control, that governs the rate at which the audio resets itself when passing over a target, or ground variations. The GMT has a knob that runs from 1 to 10, and on the Goldmaster 24K the SAT setting has been simplified to three settings - off, medium, and fast. The default setting of medium is all most people will ever need. However, in extreme low mineral ground the off setting can enhance weak signals, although the detector may need very careful coil control, and slower coil sweeps, to allow the circuit to keep up. Conversely, extreme high mineral variable ground may require the fast setting to smooth out variations in the ground signal. The threshold control itself is interesting. Normally on an old school threshold based all metal detector the all metal mode, and threshold, are one and the same. The Goldmaster 24K like some newer digital models appears to employ what is referred to as a "reference threshold". The threshold may be adjusted, but appears to be disconnected from the all metal channel, and is instead layered on in parallel. The SAT control above does directly affect the all metal channel as described above. Yet it does what it does whether the threshold is present or not. Reference thresholds often exist for the sole purpose of nulling, or going silent, when passing over items that have been discriminated out, but this does not happen when the Iron Cancel (see below) is engaged. While bench testing in all metal with the SAT set at zero, I thought I might just be able to hear a waver in the threshold. I would be interested in hearing from other nugget hunting experts on this matter, because in my opinion the threshold as it exists on the Goldmaster 24K, is not coupled to the all metal channel in the manner one would observe on the GMT for instance. The only effect seems to be with threshold completely off the 24K will no longer give any ground feedback at all if out of ground balance. Based purely on what I am observing in actual use I would say the 24K is a silent search detector, with a reference threshold added, as opposed to a true threshold based all metal circuit like on the GMT. The difference is subtle, but there for my ear at least, and if there is a connection there between threshold and all metal channel, it is too minimal for me to discern while in actual use. Now we get into the real meat of where the GMT and Goldmaster 24K part ways. The GMT has an iron (ferrous) probability meter as does the Goldmaster 24K. The GMT meter is merely a bar graph - far left means 10% chance of ferrous and far right means 90% chance of ferrous. Somewhere in the middle means 50% chance of ferrous. The Goldmaster 24K puts a blacked out block at the top of the screen with similar positioning, but the actual percentage numbers display out as a "target id" number. This is not a target id number as thought of on coin detectors, but instead intended to be a display of the odds that an item is non-ferrous. White's Goldmaster 24K controls and display screen If you look at the display above there is a colored bar at the top of the 24K LCD meter - red on left, wide yellow middle, and dark gray on right. The three colors taper one into the other to indicate overlap. The red on the right indicates the probable ferrous range, and dark gray indicates items reading too high to probably be gold, but more likely a copper, brass, or silver item (high conductors) or certain ferrous items that "wrap around" and "read high". These include hardened steel items like large bolts, almost any washers, ax heads, etc. In theory this scale could be used for coin detecting, but the coins with few exceptions like a nickel tend to bunch up all on the right. The intent really is to be more of a ferrous/non-ferrous meter, but I do think I could make do with this for some general detecting scenarios. In air tests a nickel read 88, zinc penny 95, dime 96, and quarter 97. The Goldmaster 24K has an Audio Mode button, that engages and disengages something analogous to the "Iron Grunt" feature on the GMT. Engaging the Audio Mode replaces the normal VCO type "zippy" audio with a simple high or low beep. Any meter reading below 50 will deliver the low "ferrous" beep and anything 50 or higher a high "non-ferrous" beep. Since the gold probability range runs much lower, this is helping the operator concentrate only on the high probability targets - anything with over a 50% chance of being non-ferrous. This "over 50% equals non-ferrous" audio mode could be useful for direct hunting in some situations. However, when pushing the detector hard in all metal mode, and then switching the Audio ID mode on, I found that I would have to reduce sensitivity, or encounter quite a few false signals in mineralized ground. That being the case I was more prone to using this as a ferrous check, by engaging the button for a quick audio reading, then back again to all metal mode. The Audio Mode as I described it above acts much like the Iron Grunt feature on the GMT, but on the GMT the ferrous audio alert only kicks in when there is an 85% or greater chance of the item being ferrous. It is not a certainty on how the percentages correlate, but the 24K audio ferrous tone does kick in at readings of 50 and below (greater than 50% chance of being ferrous). Borderline gold targets can read lower than this however, down into the 40s and even lower. A 30% chance of gold is still pretty good odds. So what to do now except read the numbers? White's has addressed this with another control, the Iron Cancel button. Engaging Iron Cancel activates an adjustable iron rejection setting. The default is for anything reading 15 or lower to simply not beep. This corresponds to the solid red area on the bar graph display at the top of the meter. Borderline or mixed content items will break up or give erratic readings. The best part however is that the setting can be adjusted from 0 all the way up to 62. This allows the operator to completely block out a chosen range of low end readings that is either more conservative or more aggressive than the Audio Mode preset. As noted before, the threshold, if any is used, will not blank over rejected items - they are simply ignored. I noted above that highly conductive items and some steel items can read at the very high end of the scale, typically 95 and above. If the goal really is gold, it is very unlikely that readings this high will be gold, and so White's also offers the ability to block out this high end range. Tapping the "lock" button while in the ferrous adjustment mode, will automatically block all readings of 94 and higher, which is where most iron high end false signals will occur. Other controls on the Goldmaster 24K - a pinpoint function, frequency shift to help avoid electrical interference, or for running two 24Ks close together, a backlight for the meter for low light conditions, and finally, a factory reset. To perform a factory reset, hold the down arrow when turning the detector on. FD will display on the screen when the detector powers on. Now press the pinpoint crosshair button. The FD will clear from the screen, and the detector has been reset to default factory values. White's Goldmaster 24K with stock 10" x 5.5" DD coil Now for the part everyone has been waiting for - how does the Goldmaster 24K at finding gold? When I test nugget detectors I tend to concentrate on smaller gold. First, because it is more plentiful, and easier to find in limited time frames for testing purposes. Realistically small gold also challenges the detector the most. A metal detector must be tuned as hot as possible to find very small bits of gold. Yet this also causes problems with mineralized ground and hot rocks. It is not so much the small gold sensitivity that matters, but how the metal detector handles the ground while tuned up for tiny gold. This is why air tests are minimally useful for nugget hunters. They can reveal theoretical information about how small or how deep a detector can find gold under perfect conditions. Air tests give no indication however of how the detector will handle bad ground, and hot rocks, when tuned to the max. A detector can air test extremely well and fail completely in the field. Therefore when you see my metal detector test reports, pay attention to the smallest nuggets I find, not the larger ones. The 10" DD coil is a good all around nugget hunting coil, with DD coils having the advantage for handling difficult ground. It was the 6.5" round concentric that wowed me, however, and after I got it on the detector I really did not want to take it off. The 10" DD will be a better choice for really bad ground, but lacks that magic edge on the tiniest bits of gold. I also appreciate that concentric coils are easier to pinpoint with, and generally have better ferrous identification performance compared to DD coils. One nice thing about the 24K being well balanced is the 13.5" x 8" coil is less nose heavy than would be the case for an unbalanced detector. This is the coil to use for covering ground in search of larger gold nuggets. For medium to milder ground, and the smaller gold, I really do like that little concentric. In particular there is a lot of grass growing in some desert areas, and the 24K with 6" coil was perfect for mowing through the grass to keep the coil on the ground. This is another area where an "S" shaft has the advantage. A straight shaft detector wants to roll to the side when forcing the coil against resistance, where a balanced "S" shaft being in line with your arm does not produce that kind of rollover torque. The 10" x 5.5" DD coil was a little more prone to false signals when bumped hard than the concentric coil, to the point where I could run higher sensitivity with the concentric on this particular ground. The ground in lots of Nevada is rather mild, often with alkali (salt) content, and it may or may not have bad hot rocks. This particular location had two types of hot rocks to deal with. The bottom line is I was able to run the concentric at full sensitivity of 10, and in audio boost 2 (b2) while in all metal mode and SAT set at medium (default). Even with the machine maxed out like this the detector ran well, and as I said before falsed less than the DD coil would if I attempted the same settings. White's new XGB ground balancing system really does seem to do a good job finding a setting that works well with both hot rocks, and the ground, by tracking multiple ground balance points. I liked to engage tracking, run over a mix of ground and hot rocks, and then lock the setting. I was scrubbing and pretty much digging everything. The Goldmaster 24K with the little concentric is hot as a pistol, and as usual if you give me a hot detector I was able to find some really tiny gold. The eight nuggets below weigh a total of 8.3 grains (not grams - 480 grains per Troy ounce). The largest nugget is 1.8 grains and the smallest are in that under 1/10th gain range. Now, none of these were super deep because you can't find tiny gold super deep, but they were all good zippy targets - and I was not using headphones! Gold nuggets found by Steve with new White's Goldmaster 24K - smallest under 1/10th grain The proof is in the pudding, and there is no doubt the Goldmaster 24K can find the gold, and some really small gold at that. I am not going to try and convince anyone that there is some kind of magic breakthrough here - at the end of the day the 24K is a hot 48 kHz single frequency metal detector just like the GMT in many regards. Some oldtimers may still prefer the GMT for its threshold being tightly connected to the all metal channel, while the threshold connection on the 24K is weaker. Although the Goldmaster 24K can be run hot and noisy, all its design features point to a detector that is intended to be set up as quiet as possible, and this may even mean running without a threshold. I did not see any evidence that this would really hurt the performance at all. This kind of quiet hunting tends to appeal more to people new to nugget detecting, especially those who cross over from coin detecting. Add this to the lighter weight and lower cost package, and White's has done a great job producing an alternative to the admittedly long in the tooth GMT. Steve Herschbach DetectorProspector.com White's Goldmaster 24K Data & User Reviews White's Goldmaster 24K Quick Start Guide White's Goldmaster 24K Advanced User Guide White's Goldmaster 24K XGB Ground Tracking Explained White's Goldmaster 24K & GMT Compared Little gold nugget on coil fresh out of the ground

Hi Everyone. I am new to this forum but have been gold prospecting and metal detecting for many years. I have used machines from just about every major maker of metal detectors with except XP. I recent bought a Equinox 600 and have been testing it out. I have been making a lot of test comparisons with my fishers etc. And I realized today that the 600 does not have a true all metal mode like my fishers. Closest setting is Park 2' with iron detect turned on, but thats it. The 600 is not as sensitive as my F70 on small gold either when using the 15 hz setting. It says in the manual that single freqencies (machines) may have an advantage over multi freqs in certain situations. That fact really Shocked me. What's the point of using a multi freq machine if it is not superior in all situations? I tested the 600 against my Fisher F44 and F70 using the standard 11 in Dd coils on the fishers and the standard 11 in dd on the equinox 600. The fishers out performed the 600 in just about every test. The one exception was on wet sand saltwater beaches, The 600 was slightly better there using beach 2, but that's it! The F44 with sensitivity turned down was almost as good. The F44 is lighter by a half pound, which matters a lot in all day hunts And finally it may be my familiarity with Fisher products but the fishers handle much better then the minelab 600 (coil wabble) That said, The minelab is not a bad machine but I'll take the fishers over it any day.

Just had my first so he's an infant but I want to get him a detector when he can walk. I know the go find and mini hord. But I'm looking for a specific gold vlf for a kid. there may not be one on the market mabye I will just pick him up a monster but that's pretty heavy for a kid. Any thoughts I only nugget shoot.

I have to give Garrett 10 stars on a scale of 1 thru 5 because 5 stars is simply not enough. I sent my Axiom in to have them give it a look because I have had some issues with the audio cutting out mostly. The last time I had it out was in a location plagued with really bad EMI not to far from a military base, it wasn’t a problem in the morning but by afternoon it got a little noisy and hard to use. I’d sent Garrett a detailed explanation of what I was experiencing and they went to work. Testing it over and over my Axiom seemed to function as it should have but they didn’t simply stop there, to be sure they replaced the circuit board and most of the internal electronics and added the latest firmware update and continued testing until they were certain it was as good as it could be, this is to me the best solution as I much prefer one carefully examined over a new replacement, I have complete confidence it’s perfect after all the tests and work they did, a new detector is probably just as good but we all know no matter who the manufacturer an occasional subpar unit shows up from time to time, even then we’ve all at some point wondered if our unit was working at peak performance… how can you know. Well great customer service is the best answer to that question and without doubt Garrett is the answer they have the customer in mind and stand behind their product. If anyone is local enough to me and was considering the Axiom let me know and we can meet up and you can try mine out, I have in addition to the 11” mono and 13” DD coil an 11” DD coil too so you can get a pretty good idea of what will work best for your detecting style… you can also try my 6000 and the 5x10 gold hawk if you like, I don’t have the new nugget finder coil yet but I’ll have one when inventory catches up with demand.

What does a Veteran Detectorist think of all the gold detectors? I’ve been hooked and chasing gold nuggets for 25 years with a metal detector. I really don’t care who makes it or where it’s from, as long as the detector can find me more gold. I’ve used most all of the popular gold detectors manufactured and or sold in the US in that same 25 yrs. I’ve watched metal detector manufactures grow, seen them make a few duds, helped a couple introduce some fine detectors to the industry and I hate to admit it, but have watched a couple big name manufactures close their doors. I think it might be fun to share my spin on the brand that seems to just keep getting bigger and stronger – Minelab. Yes there’s a few guys out there who have been using detectors longer than I and maybe they don’t agree with me. No worries, I’m not trying to outdo anyone or prove a point. I just want to share what I have experienced and if someone feels different and wants to take the time to do a write up, that’s even better. It adds to the discussion and conversation of what we here on DP love, detecting for gold. Chuck had asked if Minelab had made a gold detector that was essentially not much of an improvement. Jason gave his input and history of Minelab detector and how he ranked them. I got to thinking, as a Minelab dealer for 20+ yrs and one who was even using their technologies and products in the field with success, before I became a dealer, I feel some more light could be shed and even going back before Jason was on board. Minelab SD-2100. In 1996 I was blown away with the introduction of the SD-2100 and it's power (depth) over a VLF. Yes, it was a heavy detector but I was young and enjoyed digging deep holes. Definitely deserved a 5 star rating as this was the deepest detector I had ever got my hands on. Minelab SD-2200d. The year 1998 a new version, the SD-2200d come along and the depth was on par with the 2100, but the 2200 had some discrimination, which worked ok. This detector did not knock me off my feet, but I did use the DISC in some areas of Oregon to get good gold in trash. I'd rate it a 3 Star. Minelab GP-Extreme. 2000 was a good year and the introduction of the GP-Extreme with DVT (Dual Voltage Technology) allowed for greater improvements on smaller and finer gold than the SD's. Minelabs claim of nuggets 55% deeper than an SD-2200d (wonder why they did not say SD-2100?). I was pretty happy with their claim and my success…when I found an Extreme that ran properly as some of the early ones were noisy. I would give it a 4 star. Minelab GP-3000. The issues of the GP-Extreme were cleaned up and an improved GP-3000 came out in 2003. Again, no big jump in depth, but cleaning up the internal noises allowed for cleaner smoother operation, clearer signal response and a few more nuggets. In my opinion the GP-3000 earned a 3 star. Minelab GP-3500. Only 2 years later in 2005 and the GP-3500 was in my hands. Again, no big depth difference in any types of gold, but the Ground Tracking Button was added to the top of the hand grip. This change was nothing I wrote home about, but it was an improvement. I'd rate it a 3 star at the time. Realize from the SD2100 (I never owned an SD-2000), up through and including the GP-3500, the coils, shafts and power supply were the same, so in reality it's hard to get a big increase in depths. The GP series with the DVT was better at smaller/rougher gold but depth on big gold was all pretty close and I felt in some cases the SD's could get a little better depth on solid nuggets. Today, finding a good clean SD-2100, SD-2200, GP-3000 or GP-3500 and it runs properly, at a decent price, would be a wise move for someone on a budget wanting to step up to a PI. That’s why I am willing to take some of the older units in trade, but the price has to be right. Minelab GPX-4000. 2006 was the GPX-4000, yes a new series "GPX" and there was improved capabilities again on smaller gold, specimens and crystalline gold. New lighter battery, digital readout tuning and more timings. No claim of extra depth from Minelab but I felt the adding timings, and digital adjustments were in fact getting me a few more pieces of gold. I give the GPX-4000 a solid 4 rating of 5. Minelab GPX-4500. In 2008 we were offered the very popular (even to this day), GPX-4500. I personally did not see a big difference in depths and or did Minelab make any claims of such. But it did have SETA (if I recall, a smoothing filter?) and added Timings, improved battery with built in Amp and a better waist belt, for what that’s worth. Even though this machine was not a wow factor for me, it did prove the test of time and to this day is a fantastic PI detector. In fact it was fazed out in the US and then later brought back at a better price point. At the 2nd better price point, certainly a 4 star, maybe 5, but at 1st when came out in 08, I rate it a 3 out of 5. Minelab GPX-5000. Fall of 2010 we get the new improved GPX-5000 with 2 added Timings and some other fine tune adjustments. No big depth differences for most folks, but the 2 timings did have their merit and some folks to this day prefer a 5000 over a 4500. If I was looking at price differences today, I think the 4500 is a better deal at $2600 vs the $4000 price point we see for a GPX-5000 today. Realize the 5000 was priced $5800 and stayed there for a few years with great sales. I don’t recall Minelab stating any depth gains of the 5000 over the others, but I could be wrong? I did find more gold though as the Fine Gold Timing was good for certain kinds of gold. I would rate the GPX-5000 a 3 star. Minelab GPX-4800. Came out about the same time as the GPX-5000 while they tried to faze out the GPX-4500. The 4800 in all fairness a relabeled 4500 in my opinion and it did not sell well, or last long. Still a good reliable detector though and event today finding a used one at the right price is a good move from a VLF. This was in my opinion, Minelabs 1st flop of a gold detector introduction. I rate it at a 1, but performance at a 3. All 4 models of GPX detectors use the same power cords, battery (although the 4500,4800 and 5000 battery have built in amp), same headphones and shafts. Heck even the coils, shafts, headphones are all interchangeable with the SD and GP series as well, nice bonus for us all these years. An interesting spin on the GPX gold detectors, is they are now the most desired detector of the serious Relic Hunters back East. Those East Coast dealers are finally getting to make some money selling a multi thousand dollar unit that performs above all others at depth. SDC-2300. Introduced in 2014, I felt this was a good breakthrough for Minelab and the gold nugget hunting community. Easily the coolest looking most compact gold detector Minelab has made to date, but heavy and awkward. Well we learned to deal with it, as it’s simplicity and performance for the majority of gold (small gold) was a big win. The 100% waterproof had a liking as well and I enjoyed a few nice water hunts with it on some black iron sand beaches with gold & diamond success. No it’s not a deep PI on big gold and Minelab never claimed it was, but boy did and still do, many people have fun and gold finds. I rate the simplicity/performance of the SDC-2300 a solid 5 star. GPZ-7000. Early 2015, a Field Staff Expert and I took a prototype GPZ-7000 to Nevada to test the 40% more depth claims Minelab was touting. Another easy to see benefit of the GPZ was the simplicity when compared to a GPX and we liked it as we also realized most customers felt the GPX detectors were not easy to understand with the 250K variables of timings/sub timings/options/settings. The easier to set up and run 7000 was going to be easier to train and in fact we were worried it might be too easy and nobody would take the training. That eventually went away, as we realized most people still did not have an understanding of proper coil control, a good beep form a bad one and difference from ground noise and a real target. Did we find the 40% depth increase claim to be true? Well no measuring sticks were used, but I know for a fact the 7000 sees a variety of gold deeper than any other previous bigger PI detector I or any of my Field Staff have ever used. Our biggest complaint about the detector was the actual weight. In fact my 1st prototype did not even have the swing arm, which is almost a must for most folks. I rate the GPZ-7000 a solid 5 of 5 stars. I will say this though. Early on, I would have rated it a 4 as I had not spent enough time testing the settings and getting it dialed in like the settings I currently use. Today, I feel the performance of the GPZ-7000 is easily a 5 star. GPX-6000. Introducing in late Spring or early Summer 2021 the most impressive of all GPX-6000. The claims of XXX depth over a variety of gold is impressive to say the least. The ergonomics and feel from my Staff that played with it seems to be a 5 star. The User Friendly cleaned up turn on and go (somewhat like a GM-1000) operation rates a 5 star. Now we just need to get it in our hands and in the field for some actual real prospecting. Then we can rate the stars on Performance vs what Minelab claims. Again, I know some folks will have differing opinions than what I have mentioned. I also know their soils and detecting ground or overall detector knowledge will be different. I realize a few people have higher expectations than some of us and or not as fast to sell their old to try the new, technologies. But when I look back at my 25 yrs of using Minelab detectors, I find very little faults in their claims of depth increases. I’ve also found each new gold detector actually was an improvement over the other (minus the 4800) in some way or another. Do I justify each of us running out and purchasing the next new model? Heck no, I don’t know your income level or how high on the fun scale you rate detecting and digging up gold. But for me, I have found enough gold to pay for all my different Minelabs and I consider detecting to be my #1 passion. In my eyes, Minelab has been the most consistent metal sensing detector manufacture in the last 25 yrs and will probably continue to do so. Each new unit they have come out with has produced more gold for my staff and I. We all expect this new GPX-6000 to do just what we want. That’s to find more gold, with a better ergonomically designed and user friendly detector. Will we find a particular nugget that one of our other detectors may hit at stronger, or a little deeper, or in a certain EMI or soil condition? Could happen, but I don’t worry about the rare anomaly occasion, I look at the overall variety of gold I pursue and chase. I’ll go out on a limb and rate the GPX-6000 a ---- shooting star. Would love to hear your responses. The video is some of my guys and I putting a spin on one of Minelabs 5 Star rated gold detectors.

My first impression was that this is a completely different detector from the previous 705 model and much more similar to the Equinox 700 pod configuration but without Multi-IQ. I have used the older X-Terra 705 with the 18.75Khz. Gold Pack coil and was curious to see how the new X-Terra Pro would perform on some smaller nuggets. I also liked that this detector had a manual ground balance and the Equinox 700/900 VDI numbers. So, the Equinox 6" coil was used for this testing using the 15Khz. Park 2 mode on both the X-Terra Pro and the Equinox using nugget sizes of .03 and .05 Gram. The X-Terra Pro and the Equinox could easily hit on both nuggets. As suspected the X-Terra Pro did have a decrease in target sensitivity when compared to the Equinox when I tried it in the Park 2 multi-frequency mode. Ground handling capabilities on both detectors were as usual for a VLF, no new breakthrough in this regard. I'll will have to admit I was surprised that this detector at it's price range could be used also for prospecting. I would like to hear any feedback if anyone else has used the X-Terra Pro for nugget hunting with any success. If this detector had a small coil and a selectable 18, 45, and 71Khz. frequency option I would call it a Goldmonster 2000. Yes, it would also be a waterproof fully submersible GM2000.

Kindly identify this mineral,

Thought this was a great demonstration video of these four detectors.

Ok, I admit, this has been the worst week in years, thanks also to the fact that I am now limited by law to hunt in very few spots on my coast among the thousands available before. But preparing the Deus 2 in a scuba configuration for tomorrow morning, I'm really feeling like I've got it all wrong. Wrong coil due to the only 11 "available, no need of the ws6 headphones and last but not least, this horror shaft lenght! So the almost funny question is: how did You manage to dive with it? Shorter lower stem's lenght doesn't allow to hunt without upper shaft falsing noise. If I extend in the correct position the upper shaft part, there's no way to reach the coil area with the arm and to dig properly, not to mention the bonephones connector's cable contact with the shaft. The last forced option is to collapse it and have to literally face the remote among the forearm and the elbow. Can I be more pissed than usual?....Of Course...Apparently.

Well as we're getting flooded by video's of Deus Deux VS "All contenders" and to chase away the overindulgence of Christmas. I sold the Equinox and the CTX. What have I done??? Anyways, a few batteries less to keep charged and the much needed space in my brain feels liberating. When Two-sy arrives I get to put all my efforts in understanding this new kid. And it keeps me from thinking "The XXXX could have found this also,... The XXXX would have sounded different,... etc etc. Tommorow I get to break out the old X-terra 705 with the elliptical for a relic hunt. Single frequency rules guys !!!!

The waterproof pulse induction field is very limited at this time. It divides into two classes. Pulse induction metal detectors that ground balance, and those that do not. A pulse induction (PI) detector by its nature tends to ignore mineralization, so much so that in milder conditions a PI works fine without a ground balance circuit. As I noted above however a PI is not immune to mineralization. A non-ground balancing PI detector will sound off when raised and lowered over true black sands. The more concentrated the magnetite, the more intense these signals will be. The bottom line is that on real bad black sand beaches even a basic pulse induction will sound off if the coil height is varied too rapidly over the beach. In the water with troughs and depressions false signals are all but impossible to avoid. The most extreme situations require a ground balancing pulse induction (GBPI) metal detector. Pure white non-magnetic coral beaches - most any detector will work well Even a hint of mineralization - a multifrequency detector has an edge over single frequency VLF where there are both saltwater and magnetic minerals. Moderate mineralization - you want multifrequency or pulse induction. Severe mineralization - at some point a ground balancing PI (GBPI) is required. The above conditions grade from one into the other seamlessly. Hot rocks are a wild card as hot rocks in a normally mild beach can cause false signals on a PI detector that lacks ground balancing capability. Finally, I should note that PI detectors with ground balancing capability have a crude sort of tone discrimination that can be used to advantage. Fully submersible pulse induction metal detectors Here are the current mainline waterproof PI detector offerings: Bounty Hunter - no PI Garrett - Sea Hunter Mark II (PI) and ATX (GBPI) Fisher - Impulse AQ Minelab - SDC 2300 (GBPI) Nokta/Makro - no PI Teknetics - no PI Tesoro - Sand Shark (PI) (Discontinued) White's - Surfmaster Dual Field (PI) and TDI BeachHunter (GBPI) XP - No PI Finally, here are the key specifications for comparison: Fully submersible pulse induction metal detectors

Hello, I would like to jump back into metal detecting hobby, however as technology made a huge jump I have many doubts regarding new equipment available. The more I read the more I cannot choose and decide what's best bang for buck and best for my purpose and terrain. Could you please help? I will try to describe all necessary information below. Around 12-13 years ago I bought my first detector which was Minelab Musketeer Advantage Pro. It was recommended to me by a person who had Minelab Sovereign and I have to tell I was pretty happy with it as it was kept simple - adjustable power and discrimination were basically the only settings used daily. There were no number indicators like my friend had in Sovereign, just the sound of what's under the coil (or might be). I also loved the way that I had battery back that lasted me 2 full days of detecting (2x8/10h) and even if they would run out of power I still had backup case for 8xAA batteries that I could switch in less than 30 seconds. Musketeer also was pretty heavy and reliable, I cannot count how many times I dropper it or it hit a tree trunk heavily and nothing ever happened or broke. I do not know how deep in searching it was, but I have never been really checking that and comparing to others. These are my memories with it. As I would like to jump back into this, I have read many thread on multiple forums, watched countless videos with comparisons etc. and I am really stuck with what to choose now. What did I check so far (among others): 1) Minelab Equinox 800 - seemed complicated, but after some reading and videos I understand how most of things work. Packed with tons of options which I worry I will not know how to use in reality. Sound seems strange and not like in Musketeer or Sovereign. People write good reviews, however some field tests I have seen show that it does not detect that good and deep as others, especially on ancient/medieval coins or artifacts and some military stuff (eg. belt buckle). What I really dislike is battery that lasts around 10h and in field or 2-3 day trip there is no way of changing it as in my old Musketeer (why?!). I have read that it is also very vulnerable to hits and needs reinforcement. It is supposed to be able to work in water, I thought about some shallow rivers here, but again I read that is has many leaks and issues with that. Equinox 800 seemed at first as obvious choice after using a Minelab previously, but field tests for European stuff disappoint a little? I am really unsure, maybe I just got into this race for best machine and people fighting over 0,5cm of depth? Point that for me if you think that's an issue. 2) Rutus Alter 71 - local, Polish manufacturer. Works in a strange way that I cannot compare or simply describe here, maybe some of you are familiar with this stuff? Many people in Poland have them and say that it is at least as good as Equinox 800, furthermore, tests I watched shows that it can be better in some ways and just little worse in different. Unfortunately this detector is discontinued since this October. It does not have multifrequency, but can be adjusted manually from 4 to 18 kHz by 0,2kHz (madness?). 90 levels of sensitivity, 120 discrimation levels, feels too much and a lot of clicking... I just want to search and dig, not play with it whole day. ? The good stuff? It has AA batteries, easily replaceable in field and lasting little longer than Equinox 800. I just don't know about it, of course it's cheaper than Equinox 800, but not sure if I can handle it... 3) ORX and DEUS - I never had any experience with such models and brands, but I read that they are considered as top detectors. I am unsure about their reliability and how easy it is to use them? DEUS is supposed to be for experiences operators only, but after knowing how to set it up and outperforms other detectors (many people claim it this way). I also read that DEUS 2 is supposed to be released, but in such scenario I can always be waiting for next stuff that will be released to stay on top of equipment. Now, I am mostly interesting in coins/buttons/buckles from belts and other artifacts. In general I guess like universal detector, not like smallest stuff only as you can always encounter here something that is bigger and not necessary shallow in the ground (eg. sabre or bayonet). Terrain that we have in Poland is really different, the region I live close by has a lot of limestone rocks (I guess that's English name for it - check pictures), rocky soils mixed with sand mostly. We also have heavily mineralized and iron black soils. Forest is well, forest. ? I think I can say I will be using this detector more or less like this: - 30% fields unused for 10-20-50-100 years (very bushy) - 30% used fields - 30% forests - 10% for little wet ground, kinda swampish in forests, maybe riverside or very rocky/difficult terrain To sum up, I would love something that will last me good couple of years, be as simple in use as possible with all that modern stuff and settings, reliable/strongly made (bushy areas or rocks) and will allow me to work for as long as possible. I also want, like everybody ?, best performance in finding stuff (good depth coverage and identification of nice stuff). Sounds like a dream detector, but why a man cannot dream? I am having a difficult time deciding, I hope that your insight or opinion will help me as I think I suffer from overthinking and I am kind off overwhelmed by modern technology in detecting and all that can go wrong with me not setting equipment right and losing interesting stuff in the ground. Polish terrain conditions are also not easiest with all trash in the ground (iron/aluminum) and the soil itself. If I could give you any more details that would be necessary for you to advise me on detectors, just let me know. Thank you all for your time in helping me out!

Hello, and apologies in advance for being a complete noob. My goal is to find interesting antiques on some land that I've inherited in New Zealand. I'm sure you all have insightful opinions on which detector to purchase, however I need to purchase with cryptocurrency and newegg.com is the only site I've found where I can pay with crypto, and also have it delivered to NZ. Please compare and contrast: Garrett AT max Minelab Equinox 800 Teknetics T2 / or omega 8500 Fisher F19 TX-850 Gratefully accepting opinions on which to buy, or alternatively another place to buy a metal detector with crypto in NZ

For a long time my Minelab Musketeer Advantage was my top dry sand beach detector. It ate up large areas of sandy beach quickly, key factors were speed combined with depth. Decent disc, mated with that strong good target signal compared with the 'spitty' disapproval of trash.. simple audio no meters etc, fast and efficient. An Explorer Se Pro handled the wet sand until the White's Tdi took over that role. The old Musky sat unused for a long time whilst the Xl Pro and MXT saw plenty of action. The purchase of a Ultimate 13 coil has rekindled an old love affair and breathed new life into the Musky. Good size and performance combined with light weight has turned into a winning combination. This rig balances beautifully and the coil feels as if it is floating in the air, the detector is weighty but the balance more than compensates. With the Musky mounted on a GPX upper and under the sheepskin cuff, balance is perfect. Switches have rubber boots to keep sand out and the machine is off the ground on a DIY stand. I only use it on the dry beach sand, sports fields, parks or other low to medium trash areas covering large areas. This setup just covers ground fast. Flexible fast, moderate or slow sweep speed, it doesn't care. Simple audio disc, when in doubt dig it out. Fast and deep. We have many modern digital lightweight detectors to choose from but this old analogue machine still performs and with a modest investment, that Ultimate 13 coil has breathed new life into the Musky. I'll get a few more years out of her yet. All the best, Karelian

Hello everyone!! I am new to this forum. I have been doing soem serious research. I live in Fl. I will be searching mostly beach, homesites, and parks. Jewelry and coins. I really am NOT concerned with prospecting or relics.I have narrowed down to three detectors (see below). I am not wanting to pay $$$ for features I will not use. Is the multi IQ (minelab) really worth it/necessary for what I want, or would I be okay with a single frequency? TIA for any input Fisher F75 Vanquish 540 equinox 600

Hello detector prospectors, last May, a group of gold prospecting friends and me tested and compared our gold detectors at a creek in Switzerland. We are experienced gold prospectors, but no detector experts. We use our detectors to check our spots, where we hand-sluiced etc. i.e. we check the freshly opened bedrock or clay layers. So we don't need to optimize our detector settings for absolute maximum depth etc. We rather switch them on briefly to check after a long hand-sluicing day or so, when we are tired and have no "fresh brain" to really optimize settings etc. But it works very well to find hidden pickers in bedrock crevices or clay. So as we are no detector experts, you may cut us some slack for our rookie mistakes. But we tested honestly and simply show, what we did. The creek gravels in Switzerland have low mineralization, so the results may be different to USA or Australia gravels. I was personally surprised and impressed by the old Tesoro Lobo Super Traq and the Whites Goldmaster GMT. Funny: when I planned to do this post, I had in my mind to maybe buy a "new old" Whites Goldmaster GMT, because my old broke. I guess I would prefer it to the Goldmonster, after this tests... But unfortunately, White's Electronics closed. Than I read the post about the new Garret Goldmaster 24k, which is great news for me... But anyway, here is the video. I hope you don't kick me out because of our rookie mistakes ?. Enjoy:

Hi Everyone, I get on a plane in a few hours, and as a parting gift I've updated my Nugget Detector Review with my thoughts on the new GPX 6000, plus the upcoming Garrett Goldmaster 24K. Thank you all for the well wishes, and when I get back, I look forward to seeing how the GPX 6000 saga played out in my absence. Good luck to everyone trying to put a few nuggets in the poke! And one more thanks to Chase Goldman (Hugh) for keeping an eye on the spammers while I am gone. Steve Herschbach

I used the Nox 95% of the time and the GMX the other 5%.The GMX was new so I gave it a few spins to try to find where it likes to hunt. I hunted about 40 hours in the water too but mostly in the turf .