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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.

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.

Kindly identify this mineral,

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

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.

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 .

Reading a recent thread reminded me of the Nautilus and how it was perceived and received by detectorists here in the UK. My detectors of choice are GPX-5000 and Nexus MP/Ultima, with a selection of coils. Prior the Nexus my favoured VLF being the Nautilus DMC-IIB. At the time, relatively few UK detectorist had heard of the Nautilus and of the few who had and went on to purchase, most gave up on it. They couldn't get their heads round the necessary coil balancing or get to grips with the unique way it could ID iron and the way the batteries were exposed on the underside was a total turnoff. Nevertheless, as a lot of readers will know, the Nautilus was a very good detector, deep with good iron discrimination. The fact that some expressed negative opinions, didn't and couldn't change the fact that the Nautilus DMC-IIB was a very good detector. I have recently ordered the Nexus 21" Concentric coil for use on my GPX. This coil is like two coils in one. With just the outer coil in operation it's a 21" mono (no discrimination and max depth), when both the inner and outer are in use, discrimination comes into play. Two cables come from the coil into a small box, this in turn connects to the GPX coil connection. The little box has a two position switch for maximum depth (mono) and discrimination (Hot Ground) by using both the inner and outer coils. I will let readers know my opinion in due course.

Which metal detectors have the most reliable target ID numbers? Target ID is a function of depth - the deeper the target, the more difficult it is to get a clean target ID as the ground signal interferes. Other items directly adjacent to the desired target can also cause inaccurate numbers. The more conductive the item, the higher the resulting ID number, but also the larger the item the higher the number. Silver is more conductive than gold, so a gold item will give a lower number than the same size silver item. But a very large gold item can give a higher number than a small silver item, so numbers do not identify types of metal. Gold and aluminum read the same and vary in size so to dig one you dig the other. Only mass produced items like coins produce numbers that are more or less the same over the years but a zinc penny will read lower than a copper penny due to the change in composition. In general iron or ferrous targets produce negative numbers or low numbers. Aluminum, gold, and US nickels produce mid-range numbers. And most other US coins produce high numbers. Other countries coins, like Canadian coins with ferrous content, can read all over the place. The scale applied varies according to manufacturer so the number produced by each detector will vary according to the scale used. The 0-100 range for non-ferrous targets is most common but there are others. Minelab employs a dual number system on a 2D scale with thousands of possible numbers, but they are now normalizing the results produced to conform more closely to the linear scale used by other manufacturers. White's Visual Discrimination Identification (VDI) Scale Increasing ground mineralization has a huge effect on the ability to get a good target ID. Ground mineralization is nearly always from iron mineralization, and this tends to make weak targets, whether very small targets or very deep targets, misidentify. The target numbers get dragged lower, and many non-ferrous targets will eventually be identified as iron if buried deep enough. Small non-ferrous readings and iron readings actually overlap. That is why any discrimination at all is particularly risky for gold nugget hunters. If you want target ID numbers to settle down, lower sensitivity and practice consistent coil control. The target number will often vary depending on how well the target is centered and how fast the coil moves. Perfect ground balance is critical to accurate target id. Outside issues factor in. Electrical interference is a common cause of jumpy target id numbers. In general small coils will often deliver sharper, more consistent target id returns. Higher sensitivity settings lead to jumpier numbers as the detectors become less stable at higher levels. The interference from the ground signal increases and interference from outside electrical sources also increases, leading to less stable numbers. Higher frequency detectors are inherently more sensitive and are jumpier. So lean lower frequency for more solid results. Multi frequency detectors act like low frequency detectors and tend to have more solid target numbers due to the ability to analyze a target with different frequencies. Another issue is the number of target categories, or ID segments, or VDIs, or notches, or bins (all names for the same thing) that a detector offers. For instance here are the number of possible target id categories or segments each detector below offers: Fisher CZ-3D = 7 Garrett Ace 250 = 12 Minelab X-Terra 305 = 12 Minelab X-Terra 505 = 19 Minelab X-Terra 705 = 28 Minelab Equinox = 50 Fisher F75 (and many other models) = 99 White's MXT (and many other models) = 190 Minelab CTX 3030 = 1750 Fewer target categories means more possible items get lumped together under a single reading, but that the reading is more stable. Many detectors will tell you the difference between a dime and a quarter. The Fisher CZ assumes you want to dig both so puts them under one segment along with most other coins. People who use detectors with many target numbers usually just watch the numbers jump around and mentally average the results. Some high end detectors can actually do this averaging for you! But I think there is something to be said for owning a detector that simplifies things and offers less possible numbers to start with. The old Fisher CZ method still appeals to me, especially for coin detecting. So do detectors like the Garrett Ace 250 or Minelab X-Terra 505 for the same reason. The problem is that as people strive to dig deeper targets or smaller targets the numbers will always get less reliable. But if you want to have a quiet performing metal detecting with solid, reliable target numbers look more for coin type detectors running at lower frequencies under 10 kHz or at multiple frequencies and possibly consider getting a detector with fewer possible target segments. And with any detector no matter what just back that sensitivity setting off and you will get more reliable target numbers. ads by Amazon... Detectors often use tones to identify targets and often use far fewer tones than indicated by the possible visual target id numbers. The X-Terra 705 for instance can use 28 tones, one for each segment. However, most people find this too busy, and so simple tone schemes of two, three, or four tones may be selected. I think it is instructive that many people often end up ignoring screen readings and hunting by ear, using just a few tones. This ends up just being an ultra basic target id system much like the simpler units offer. Reality is that most people do not need or care about huge numbers of target numbers. For many just three ranges suffice, low tone for iron, mid tone for most gold items, and high tone for most US coins. The meter could do the same thing, but for marketing purposes more is better and so we get sold on detectors with hundreds of possible target ID numbers. Perhaps this is a digital representation of an old analog meter with its nearly infinite range of response but the reality is we do not need that level of differentiation to make a simple dig or no dig decision. Finally, a picture often says it all. Below we have a shot of the White's M6 meter. I like it because the decal below illustrates a lot. You see the possible numerical range of -95 to 95 laid out in the middle. Over it is the simplified iron/gold/silver range. Note the slants where they overlap to indicate the readings really do overlap. Then you get the probable target icons. -95 is noted as "hot rock" because many do read there. The M6 can generate 7 tones depending on the target category. I have added red lines to the image to show where these tones sit in relation to the scale. It breaks down as follows: -95 = 57 Hz (Very Low) Hot Rock -94 to -6 = 128 Hz (Low) Iron Junk -5 to 7 = 145 Hz (Med Low) Gold Earrings, Chains - Foil 8 to 26 = 182 Hz (Medium) Women's Gold Rings/Nickel - Small Pull Tabs 27 to 49 = 259 Hz (Med Hi) Men's Gold Rings - Large Pull Tabs 50 to 70 = 411 Hz (High) Zinc Penny/Indian Head Penny - Screw Caps 71 to 95 = 900 Hz (Very High) Copper Penny/Dime/Quarter/Dollar Note that the screen reading of +14 is noted as being a nickel or ring but it can also be the "beaver tail" part of an aluminum pull tab or the aluminum ring that holds an eraser on a pencil, among other things. The best book ever written on the subject of discrimination is "Taking A Closer Look At Metal Detector Discrimination" by Robert C. Brockett. It is out of print but if you find a copy grab it, assuming the topic interests you. Always remember - when in doubt, dig it out! Your eyes are the best target ID method available.

This was our first test with her out in the Mojave Desert, and all I can say it is very easy to walk about detecting with this one. Firstly, there was no stooping over with a scoop to pick up bad targets with this detector, they were all the real thing! And GeoSense works amazingly well, love being able to go with her automatically and easily keeping up with wherever I detected, it was a breeze. I've detected with others that were unwieldly and hard to control in the desert, but I can say this one is really something special. We walked for a couple miles on the edge of a dry lake looking for meteorites and she really showed her stuff. She almost seemed to know her way over the salty ground, and picked up anything I threw at her. She easily found nuggets of every size left behind by many others, and was very quiet and hardly made any noise anywhere I went, even in the most briny parts of the ground covered with white salt, underneath the buzzing high tension power lines that cross parts of the dry lake, and even going over hot rocks did not seem to bother her much. She's quite a detector and we are finally really lucky to have one like this! All I can say is wow, everyone should have one like this for detecting! June is a great detector dog, we rescued her from the pound, and one day I hope to find a GPX 6000 too. Happy April 1st!

It is mind boggling that almost all my buddies and other people I see hunting or talk to have a Nox.The same thing could be said for the Garrett At series.Almost everybody I know has had one and I have seen guys I don't know using them a lot before the Nox came out.With Garrett the At pro was the most common.On this Forum I would bet that most have had a Nox. Even though I used the X-terra I never saw that many being used around here even though it seemed to be popular around the world.The At pro was more popular compared to it in the US probably because of Garrett marketing and it being all terrain and cheaper compared to the 705 version.For the turf I would take the X-terra any day because it could be tailored to more hunting situations.The x-terra and the Nox sound very alike which made it easy for me to gel with the Nox.

If we look at the detectors that are already out and the one’s coming out what do you want? The Nox 800 may not be the best swimmer but other than that it still does a good to great job of detecting. I can pick it up to go relic,coin and gold hunt on land or water. The Tarsacci bye the videos I’ve seen can be a good to great relic detector . What being said it really shines as a beach be it land or water. I myself haven’t seen it at a straight dirt digging coin detector. Then here comes the new AQ from Fisher and up front they say this is a water detector. It’s specialty is to find gold deeper than ever before in wet sand are in the water. The Nokta/Makro we just not sure but according to Dilek they are working hard to get it to us . The Garrett people not too long ago came out with the Apex . Any new detector some will say it’s as great as moms Apple pie and another say it’s not for me . What all this comes down to would you want to buy one detector that can do everything good to great? In a roundabout way getting something free. The other choice you would have is buy one for water another relic and another for nugget hunting. Then to if you wanted to go digging in the dirt for coins only you best add another detector. I really don’t want to be hauling all those detectors around that fits in it’s own little niche. I could see were it would be best to have a water detector if it’s made to handle saltwater. My reasoning is saltwater is unforgiving if it gets into the electronic of your detector. Now if you don’t do saltwater hunting but just freshwater I know from pass experience it is forgiving. Then you may not have need for water only detector. It comes down to buy one and get three free in that one. The other choice is buy and buy until you’ve got yourself covered in all of what you like to hunt . Chuck

I will say my Nox is even though I did well with my Explorer Xs when I had it.I think it is better in most situations and lighter and able to snag coins in the water too.The FBS machines may be better in a few situations but with the silver coin population dwindling I think these days the Nox is better for the tougher coins that are left.You can also change to a single frequency if EMI is a problem.In one part of park the EMI was so bad that it made my buddies explorer almost useless while I did good.For having the FBS technology at a certain time nothing will beat having the Explorer for the time it came out.Having that machine in 2000 helped me clean up even though I probably had about 40% of the skill and knowledge I have today.That machine was way ahead of it's time and made me look good. I did good on silver the first few years I had it and there was a lot of silver left because those machines before it missed them.The FBS machines probably have found more silver then any other machine in the turf by a wide margin. In 1 good year with the explorer I have found more silver then what the Nox could in the 2.5 years that I used it which includes the ones in the water where I could not bring a Explorer.FBS machine will always be legendary for silver coins.

A recent post here got me thinking, how many detectors have I bought? In April this year, I will have been detecting for 40 years. In those 40 years Ive owned 39 detectors lol. Borrowed or hired another 12. Wondering if anyone can beat this?

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.

While on the main forum I 'clicked through' on an ad about a waterproof metal detector on eBay. That detector was at a Buy Now price under $60. I started reading the details and looking at some of the other 'similar items' and discovered that the low end market is upping its understanding of metal detectors. The product descriptions indicate an effort to market and capture the true nature of what metal detectors are used for in the field. https://www.ebay.com/i/303679961277?var=602921879060&norover=1&mpt=[CACHEBUSTER]&siteid=0&ipn=admain2&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-157953-782142-0&mkcid=4&placement=529925&gclid=Cj0KCQiAlZH_BRCgARIsAAZHSBmMmYBYeCJteqb75VB_YgHROstIVZ57SDhfcg2P-DWWo4nQ1ztvMMcaAlgvEALw_wcB Simon, how many of these bad boys do you have? Mitchel

I've been updating this guide for almost twenty years now. It started back when there was little to offer in way of objective opinions on gold nugget detectors. That's not so much this case these days, but this is still the most comprehensive roundup available, along with some admittedly personal opinions about the models. These days we honestly have almost too many options, which can be confusing for beginners. So a few years ago I added my own short list of three models I recommend as safe picks for anyone around the world. The list was updated mainly to change my notes on the various Fisher 19 kHz models, where oddities in the First Texas marketing have now left the Gold Bug models high and dry as other FT 19 kHz models are available with better prices. I added warnings that the Minelab X-Terra 705 and GPX 4500 are in the process of being closed out and discontinued. Also added a big warning up front about counterfeit detectors - very common now in the nugget detector world. See the full guide here