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Some may find this interesting, a tear-down of a GPZ 7000.

A guy I know repairs Minelab detectors in South America, he's currently working on four GPZ's that have faults and showed me a photo of them on his workbench. The immediate thing I noticed is the differences in construction, notably how random the glue is on the PCB. The hot glue/RTV silicone is often used on PCB's to help with vibration where they haven't used any sort of mechanical fixing, more of a cheap way to do it really, If you think about it tall heavy capacitors are only held on by little leads into solder pads so having some mechanical fixing helps prevent vibration and stress failure especially on something like a metal detector that has a pretty hard life being bumped around and dropped. Sometimes it's used to shield components from the one next to them to help with preventing heat transfer or just keeping components separated. In very high density PCB's its often used for electrical clearance ensuring components are kept apart, an example is if a high voltage mosfet is too close to another component the glue helps prevent arcing between the mosfet and nearby components. All four GPZ's are relatively modern versions, the newest one in the far right being a couple of years old, the others are 3-5 years old, all four are revision 3 PCB's, take note of that, it means there was a Revision 1 and 2 PCB so over the lifecycle of the GPZ there have been changes to the PCB since the original release, anyone wondering if the first GPZ is the same as the modern ones, it's not, perhaps in performance it is but they've felt the need to change the PCB 3 times since the first production run, sometimes this is due to components being discontinued or it's because they've found problems and resolved them on later PCB's, this is certainly not unusual and detectors on the market for a long time end up with many PCB revisions, for example here is my Gold Bug Pro, it's a revision 6 PCB as evident in the top right corner of the photo, they maybe even higher now, mines a 2017 model. The Gold Bug Pro The GPZ, all 4 are the same revision. So without further ado, here are some photos of the 4 GPZ's. I've chopped up the photo to individuals so you can look at the differences better and blanked out serial numbers for privacy reasons. You'll see just how different they are, some are well glued, some have no glue at all, it's all very random, I was so surprised by this inconsistency on such an expensive electronic product. It's not even put on well either, in some cases it virtually misses its target and isn't providing much support at all. This is not what you'd call quality work. The glue is likely hand done, in some cases it can be done by machine but with how random and inconsistent it is this is very much done by hand, and not done even remotely well at all. Doesn't give you a lot of confidence in build quality does it.

I'm looking for some advice and strategies to improve hearing those faint gold whispers in the field, missed by many nugget hunters, by using quality 150 - 300 ohm headphones vs Bose QC 20 Noise Cancelling and Etymotics earbuds. I found some limited info on this forum by searching and with improvements in technology was looking for some updated suggestions: I have mild Reverse Slope Hearing Loss in both ears and tinnitus in one ear, that starts at 1000 HZ, drops down in those lower bass frequencies and have trouble hearing whispers. I wear hearing aids that help alot for normal conversation, but don't want to wear them while detecting. I like my Sunray Gold Pro headphones alot and also have the Steelphase SP01 signal booster. I want to be prepared for an upcoming trip to Quartzsite, AZ. JP, Condor and others have recommended using earbuds, what are your thoughts & tips on how to brighten those very faint gold signals. Thanks, Bill

Minelab is responding to the competition with some huge price reductions. 25% off the GPZ-7000 & the SDC-2300 for the month of February. Minelab always seems to come through with a new release or a huge price reduction promotion just when the competition heats up. First it was a free Goldmonster 1000 with the GPZ and now this. Here’s the newest Pulse Induction or Zero Voltage price lineup for the month of February. Not sure where this will all end up, but glad to see some good changes in the lowering of prices on two classic gold detectors. GPZ 7000 sale $6375 7.2 lbs GPX 6000 $5999 4.5 lbs Axiom $3995 4.2 lbs Minelab GPX 5000 $3999 6 lbs SDC 2300 sale $2550 5.3 lbs Garrett ATX $2379 7.0 lbs Edited just now by Steve Herschbach

GPZ 7000 failure status, who knows where the failure is, and how to solve it?

I bought a new middle shaft and a NF 12” coil with lower shaft for my GPZ. The lower shaft clamp is really hard to move but the shaft is held tight. The middle shaft clamp is really easy to move but the shaft is not held in place tightly. Are these things common - any diy fixes?

I'm trying to lighten up the GPZ 7000 by using the lighter CTX 3030 LI-ION battery and using the 12 Z-search coil without skid plate. Looking like around 5.8 pounds so far, not to bad compare to the stock configuration. Has anyone found any other ways to lighten this detector through aftermarket shafts or modifications?

So Ive taken the plunge and bought myself a GPZ. I cant seem to find many people who use a GPZ in the uk, video wise, so looking for a little guidance. Whats a good beginners set up for my first few trips out. At this time of year im searching mostly pasture land, thats been done over the years, quite a bit, so is fairly quiet, on normal, non P.i Machines. At the end of July, harvest time, begins, and the hunt for hammered coinage, really takes off. My first trip out this sunday, will be on well detected grass land, Thanks

Had a friend raise an interesting theory; why didn't ML come up with x-type coils for the 7000 and instead is letting NuggetFinder come up with them? They thought it pretty much confirmed that it means ML is readying a new version/upgraded GPZ-type machine, lighter weight, better ergonomics, up-to-date electronics etc. There certainly is no reason to think this weightlifters detector will remain the way it is when, as Steve and others have been saying, there are lighter, more compact, real world usable detectors out there now (QED for one). Thoughts?

And other free stuff with some other Minelab metal detectors. It’s not often you see a buy a detector, get another detector free deal. Like in all my years in this business, about never. Anyway, check out the Forum Classifieds or contact your favorite Minelab dealer for details.

Hello friends, Can anyone tell me the data? 1. Minelab 19 x 18" Super-D 2. Minelab 14 x 13" Super-D Without Lower Shaft how many g ? Thanks, friends. 想知道这个数据，谢谢！！

I made a quick overnight trip to Rye Patch to do some more testing with the GPZ and 17" Concentric Coil. My main goal is to familiarize myself with the Z combination for an upcoming trip to Australia. This testing was merely for my own edification, not to prove any point about this Machine/Coil vs that Machine/Coil. I dug the first 2 nuggets last night and it was getting dark so I didn't have time to do any cross checking. This morning I marked 3 undug targets with the GPZ and 17" XCoil Concentric. I then went over them with the GPZ XCoil 17x12 Spiral Wound. That combination picked up 2 of the 3 targets. I then went over all three with the GPX 6000, 14x9 Coiltek combination. The 6000 heard 1 of the 3, but while detecting back to the truck it picked up 2 more targets. I started over with the Z 17"CC and it picked up the 2 new targets no problem. I then ran the Z 17x12 over the new targets. It picked them up no problem, but on the way back to the truck the 17x12 picked up a faint noise in an old drywash hole. I dug down to bedrock and found bits of charcoal and just general noise so I gave up on it. The 17" CC relocated the 1 missed target and I dug down a few inches thinking to use the 6000 as a pinpointer. It still couldn't pick up the target. I finally dug it out, a tiny piece of steel down about 6 inches. I then dug up the 4 targets which included the 2 remaining targets the 17"CC found and the 2 the 6000 found. 2 were bits of steel and 2 were small round nuggets. Coincidently, the 2 gold targets were the ones found by the 6000, but verified by both coils on the Z. By then it was approaching 10:00 AM, and the NV desert still gets hot this time of year. But, before I left I went back to the 17" CC combination and went over the drywash hole. A clear tone somewhere in the bottom of that hole. The unfortunate thing about the Concentric coil is the receive winding is about 8" round dead center. You're waving 17" of coil with the equivalent of an 8" round receiver. Nearly impossible to pinpoint in a foot deep hole. I dug the hole out some more and tried the 6000 over it. Very noisy, but a faint low tone in the sidewall of the hole. I dug it out some more and finally got a booming target in the spoils. Heartbreak, 1.5 inch piece of rusted steel. My random thoughts on this little experiment are this: 1. The XCoil 17" Concentric will not miss much, "IF" you have fairly flat ground and can consistently overlap your swings to insure you get that 8" receive winding over the targets. 2. The XCoil 17x12 Spiral Wound coil is nearly as good and will ultimately cover more ground with a whole lot less effort. 3. The 6000 with 14x9 Coiltek is no slouch and could save the day if you're old and tired like me. I would be hard pressed to swing the 17"CC all day. The deepest nugget the 6000 found was down about 5 inches, very respectable for a sub/sub gram nugget. All this is very unscientific. I'm at mercy of time and weather in the NV desert this time of year. I did what I could with the equipment I had with me. Rye Patch is a tough hunt in the best of circumstances, so finding 4 nuggets in about 6 hours of detecting is beating the odds. I've had more than a few skunk days out there.

JW and I went for a bit of a gold hunt a couple of days ago, he managed to do well considering the area we were in and found three pieces, two of which were decent size. JW used the 15" Concentric coil on the GPZ as he was hoping for some deeper gold in the deeper ground. I was in the mood for exploring around and having some good ground coverage so I used the 12" Spiral coil rather than my usual smaller coils also on my GPZ, although this area is quite suitable for larger coils with minimal obstacles to cause problems. Here is JW's gold for the day. 0.70 of a gram. I didn't do near as good but in fact we were both pretty surprised to get anything where we were so we can't complain and at least it means there is gold there to be found, although a lot of it probably disguised as pellets 🙂 I think my focus was too much on smaller targets as I spent a lot of time digging and recovering pellets. The 12" spiral gives the typical good double blip on small shallow targets so surface pellets are easy to ignore but if they live past a scrape or two I tend to recover them just in case but the 12" can give a double blip on quite deep little pellets. I think in this case I probably should have ignored the double blips entirely and aimed for the deeper targets and not wasted so much time on the pellets 🙂 And this was ignoring the surface first scrape or two pellets so really, I ignored 3 times as many pellets as I recovered, at least. My only nugget of the day, better than a skunk! It was down a few inches. It sure wasted a lot of my time that was probably better spent looking for bigger deeper stuff, but then I may have had a skunk as the one piece of gold I did get could have easily been dismissed for a pellet. That's the advantage to less sensitive detectors and coils I guess, they fly blind over a bulk of the pellets, but often miss the smaller gold too. JW being smarter seemed to deal with the pellets a lot better than I did, he didn't get too many at all, and got more gold so his method clearly worked better. If anyone has suggestions for dealing with spots like this loaded with pellets that potentially have gold that would be helpful, probably a less sensitive coil would be a good start I guess. On the plus side, I'm helping clean the lead out of the environment.

I bought the GPZ XCoil Concentric for my upcoming trip to Australia coming in mid September. I wanted to put some run time on it so when Steve H suggested we take a short trip to Sawtooth to meet with forum member ABenson I jumped at the chance. Steve H has an old patch that he has detected for over 10 years, I've detected it for over 6 years. We generally find a few pickers but it really has been hunted to death. The benefit of a hunted to death patch is there is no more trash, so any target stands a good chance of being the good yellow stuff. I ran the 17" Concentric as hot as the ground would bear, Normal, High Yield, Sens 17. The ground has a lot of alkali salt, and the upper couple inches was damp from a recent rain so I added in the "Patch Find" setting to quiet the ground a little. After a couple hours with no targets other than a few boot scrapes in hot ground, I got a good repeatable tone on the slope of an old push. Since I'm new to the Concentric I had no idea what that signal was telling me. If I had to guess from the tone, I would say under a gram nugget, 4 to 6 inches down. So I marked the target and walked back to the truck to get my GPX 6000 and the new Coiltek 14x9 coil. Steve H was nearby so we decided to check the target with the new Axiom. We got there and neither the 6k nor the Axiom could hear the target. I had to go back to the truck and get the Z to verify the target was where I had marked. A clear and repeatable tone in both Normal and Difficult for the Z. We pulled a couple inches off the top and started the whole process over. The 6k gave a faint low tone over the target, but not something that would ordinarily stop me in prospecting mode. In fact, I dig very few low tones in this ground because of the hot ground and hot rocks. I'll defer to Steve H for his assessment of how the Axiom was doing over the same target. We did a lot more testing, and found a seam of hot red clay on the target, but to skip to the chase, we recovered a 4.6 gram nugget (4.7 on Steve's scale) at a minimum of 13 inches and probably closer to 14 inches. We reached a few preliminary conclusions on ground handling, raw detecting power and pricing of the 3 detectors, based on this one unscientific, ad hoc test with the detectors and coils we had available. Our ideas on detector performance were severely challenged in some later completely unscientific tests. More to come, Steve H is probably better suited to explain how things changed.

Nenad has a wonderful article on Treasure Talk, a great read..... Thank you @PhaseTech https://www.minelab.com/usa/community/treasure-talk/comparing-minelab-s-sdc-gpx-gpz-detectors

I don’t have my GPZ anymore, but one of my last discussion on it was about the ferrite ring. The first shipments didn’t have one it was a later add on I thought more for some X factor that was an issue in the heavily mineralized soils in Australia. The 7000 was at times pretty unstable depending on conditions and the rings were shipped everywhere. It became a ceremony starting up the GPZ you’d do your act of contrition throw down the ring for a donation to appease the Devine spirit of the holy patch and spend the day praying for gold. minelab later anointed us with an offering our first communion a spiritual update version XX and all was good in the kingdom of the fields, did we in the western kingdom need to continue the ceremony of the ring… or was it a habit that brought spiritual peace, for we had already reached salvation? out of curiosity having committed first the sin of breaking my ring and then an almost unforgivable act of forgetfulness the omission abandonment the ring never to be seen again. who among us, cast the first stone discarding the past traditions of our faith and ditched the ring and why, conversely for those finding comfort in the old traditions why, does it still bring you closer to the enlightenment we seek. seriously, here in the milder soils of the untied states, does it help or do we use it because minelab gave it to us and it might make a difference, after losing my second ring I guess I lost faith and moved on not noticing a difference in the obstacles of my journey.

I dont see much discussion on that. I have cound a very small nugget with my GPZ... I know that there is discrimination... But honestly how many people would still dig even if it sounds out as Iron? I am just curious about the depth... sorry if its been mentioned and I missed it. It doesnt hurt to think about things....

Hello gentlemen, finally someone from the Australian guys made an honest comparison

Hello everyone, I need a lil help on a recently aquired GPZ 7k stock coil. This coil I received has a pregnant bottom, hi in the center with the rest of the coil lower. Going to test it out but figured I would ask you all if you ever experienced seen this or is this shape coil bottom ok? Thanks and hope you find lots of nuggets under your coils!!

'ZVT' is still a pulse induction detector. A very fancy and highly advanced BiPolar PI, using a DOD coil...but a PI still at its heart.

-or cheap and nasty, if you prefer. 1: Remove steel pins and remove lock lever 2: Separate brake pads from lock lever 3: Carefully apply a smooth layer of epoxy resin to the tops only of the brake pads, allow time to set hard and file excess off if necessary. 4: Reassemble, then go find a colour- :)

Minelab GPZ 7000 metal detector Are you tired of it yet? All the Minelab GPZ 7000 posts? The implication that what you have is no longer the best? The following is from a post I made February 24th at http://www.detectorprospector.com/forum/topic/686-minelab-sdc-2300-vs-gpz-7000/?p=5883 The thing I am always trying to convey is no one detector is best for all people under all circumstances. Life does not work that way. If it did there would be one model of car and we all would drive it. Just because the GPZ 7000 came out all other gold detectors did not become obsolete. I think it is 80% operator and 20% detector and that is probably giving the detector too much credit. As things stand right now the GPZ 7000 has some areas that would make a person consider other detectors: 1. The price 2. The weight 3. The lack of small coil option 4. The lack of large coil option 5. Lack of discrimination Until we get the GPZ 10000 at 3 lbs for $1000 with full discrimination and full range of inexpensive coil options there will be plenty of room for alternatives. I will be amazed if there are not a good number of people who have a Minelab GPX 5000 or earlier model that prefer to just stick with what they have. Anything otherwise would not be normal. The main reason this would make sense is that a. They already own them and b. They are not only comfortable with the machine but quite expert with it. There is a great deal that can be said about becoming expert in the use of a particular detector and then just sticking with it. Switching detectors constantly can be a bad idea in that you can never really become "one with the machine". There are many, many expert detectorists out there using older model detectors that can run circles around people using the latest and greatest. I bet Ray Mills can find more gold with a $499 Gold Bug than most people could find with a GPZ 7000. I am saying that to puff Ray up, but to put a real point on what I said above about this detecting thing being far more about the operator than the detector. It is not that good detectors excel, it is that good detectorists excel. The majority of people who buy metal detectors never fully learn how to operate them, and never fully commit themselves to getting out and using them regularly. Ray knows the Gold Bugs inside and out, and uses them almost daily. So you have a GPX 5000 (for example) which you know inside and out, and you have a full set of coils and other accessories. You have that setup dialed to perfection. Do you need a GPZ 7000? Of course not. Honestly, that is just silly. The GPX 5000 in my opinion at this time still represents the best value in pulse induction prospecting detectors. The model has a solid history as a performer and nothing has changed overnight. In fact right now, a person can buy a used GPX 5000 with remaining transferable factory warranty in like new condition for as little as around $3000. I know this because that is what I recently sold my like new GPX 5000 with remaining warranty for! That is a smoking good deal, great value proposition. Even brand new full warranty from a dealer a few phone calls will get you a GPX 5000 for half the cost of a GPZ 7000. The point being 10K is a whole lot of money, and other viable alternatives exist for a lot less money, all the way down to that $499 Gold Bug. The coil thing is a biggie. Right now the only coil for the GPZ 7000 is the one that comes on it. A three pound 14" x 13" coil. Even though I have decided to jump in with both feet with the GPZ 7000, I have felt compelled to have a couple other detectors available, to address this lack of accessory coils. Small coils are a real necessity for me to work in very uneven ground that has crevices and depressions a larger coil can't get into. A mono coil in particular with its superb on edge sensitivity can be a real boon for working in thick brush, trees, or cactus. The edge of the coil gets the detection area right up against the base of a tree trunk or rock, something that will be difficult if not impossible with the GPZ 14 coil with its unique DOD winding configuration. My answer to this problem has been to hang on to my SDC 2300 with its hard wired 8" mono coil. When people think big coils they tend to think depth, but I am not worried about that with the GPZ 7000. What concerns me is ground coverage. When I stand on one side of a huge area in northern Nevada and want to scan it all I need a large coil. It is all about getting over the target - extra depth if any is secondary. Since I did decide to sell my GPX 5000 with large coils, I have to say I only did so by having an insurance policy in the form of my Garrett ATX. The ATX is indispensable for me as a water hunting unit, the best I have ever used for my own particular needs. It also is a capable prospecting machine, and so I was only able to justify selling my 5000 by getting a 20" x 15" mono coil for the ATX. I really do intend to seek out areas where the GPZ will do what it does best. But inevitably I am going to run into areas in the Sierras where I need a small coil, and in Nevada where I need a big coil. There will come a time when the GPZ offers those coil options (at a cost!) and the issue will be alleviated to a large degree. For now however I am plugging the holes with two other detectors, and a person with a GPX 5000 and a coil selection may want to possibly hang onto it, at least until the GPZ coil options become available. No matter what though I do not see the GPZ as ever coming remotely close to the GP series when it comes to having over 100 available accessory coils. I do not expect GPZ coils to be cheap, and it will greatly limit how many coils a person will be willing to invest in. That in turn will limit the number of coils made for the machine to just the few that have a very good chance of selling. The weight. It is just a joke with me now. I want detectors to get lighter but prospecting PI detectors keep getting heavier. Oddly enough I see comments about the GPZ being nose heavy, when it is actually perfectly balanced if the rod is kept at the proper length for operator height. However, I see that most people want to swing that coil in a wide arc and so they run the coil out longer than good ergonomics calls for, and that is going to hurt. There are solutions with harnesses and bungees, etc. but nothing changes the fact the GPZ weighs over seven pounds. That alone could be a show stopper for physically challenged people, especially in uneven terrain that requires more than just pushing the detector around on a bungee. Obscure stuff. The GPZ audio is not as lively as the SDC 2300 audio, but it is livelier than the GPX audio which reached levels of smoothness that put many VLF detectors to shame. The GPZ audio can be smoothed, but to get best performance you have to go back to getting used to a sparky threshold. Some people will just not like this. It is a regular comment with the SDC 2300, and I expect it to be also with the GPZ though to a lesser degree. The display? It is absurdly faint given the price of the detector. The CTX display was not state of the art when it came out, and for Minelab not use something better in the GPZ is annoying. Honestly, that is all it is, an annoyance, but it is real. If I want to make adjustments in the field most of the time now I automatically just stop and turn until I can see the screen clearly instead of trying to make out the barely visible screen. Luckily once things are set there is little need to do more than turn the detector off or on. The problem is I really, really like the built in GPS and mapping capability myself, but the inability to see it clearly at all times takes the shine off the system. Another minor niggle. The coil feels and sounds like a hollow drum on the end of the rod. Not too bad when using good headphones, but quite loud if you let it ride on the ground, as I often like to do because of the weight. I like being able to use an external speaker, but then that coil bangs away loud and clear. These last few things may seem like I am being picky, but I am trying to call out some issues that some people coming from a GPX series will notice and may not like. Finally, the discrimination. I never trusted the Minelab PI series discrimination and never used it so I do not miss it. But for some people they are having what they feel to be reliable results with the GPX discrimination and the lack of it on the GPZ could again be a real show stopper. My genuine intent here is not to trash the GPZ 7000, but to show why the GPX 5000 and its kin are still machines to be considered, and in many cases may be the better alternative for people for the reasons listed above, and probably others I may have missed. Some people flat out will not like the GPZ because it is not what they are used to. I truly believe the GPZ represents the future and that it has real performance advantages, but I also truly believe that people using other detector models can do every bit as well with those detectors as with a GPZ. It is all about being a good prospector and applying whatever tools you have at your disposal to best effect. If getting gold was the only measure we may as well throw dredges, highbankers, and excavators into the mix as to what may or may not put the most gold in a prospectors pocket. The GPZ is just that, another tool for your consideration. But not the be all and end all of all tools. One last note. I made this post with a purpose. I am afraid people believe critical thinking is not allowed on this forum. That is 100% not the case. What I do not like is product and company bashing, especially from people that do not even have the product. You notice how I could be critical and point out issues with the GPZ without going on a tirade about Minelab? As if they have some evil intent? The reality is the people there have worked very, very hard, and invested a lot of money, in producing the best detector that they could at this point in time. Nothing is perfect, and it has shortcomings, but it was not from lack of trying. There are a great many problems to be overcome and compromises to be made when designing a detector like this. Not everyone will be happy, and there is no need for everyone to be happy, with the GPZ. If you do not like the detector or something about it than I encourage free discussion of these things. But please, just stick to the facts and state what does or does not work for you. Thank you! Minelab GPZ 7000 versus Minelab GPX 5000 Package

Hi Guys, New forum member here. My 40th birthday is coming up, and my wife's onboard with a new machine. I'm thinking the GPX 6000 or GPZ 7000. I can only afford one, plus an extra coil or two. I could use see help deciding. This is not a case of what detector is better; this is a case of which detector is better for me. Overall, I have done a lot reading on the forum (and watching youtube videos) trying to get up to speed. Many thanks to all who post here sharing their experience. Thank you Steve, JP, and everyone else who has contributed. Seriously, thank you guys for the wealth of knowledge. For fun, I've also set up a poll. But I would very much appreciate written responses and dialog. I realize this got long. But I wanted to explain my use case. I've tried to summarize, skim over as you see fit. *************** Background info: I'm a long time hand panner, I also run a Gold Monster 1000. I'm primarily work in the Rocky Mountains in BC Canada; on the site of a major gold rush (Wild Horse River). Terrain wise, it's very similar the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. I'm currently working a mix of friends and acquaintances claims, or other claims in the area. Sometimes (rarely) I make trips to other regions. Since the 1860's gold rush, the river and source creek have been heavily worked over the years. Typically I stick to areas less worked. Lots of hillsides, newly washed out areas, old tailings, water cannon bowls (aka; hydraulic mining), old possible gravel channels, difficult to access old ledges, etc... Outside of the river, typically there is 12-15ft of material to bedrock. Either covered with layers glacial till, or old river gravels from as it moved, or both, plus overburden. The bedrock does surface in places. The area's where it peaks out have been previously worked, but I'm hoping they could be reworked with a better detector. I would like to find areas where the bed rock gets near the surface (say within a few feet), but doesn't break through, and thus are still virgin ground. These represent great potential if I can find them. As a side, not many people seem to use detectors up here. Those that do usually have a Gold Monster. I've been told most people who have shown up with them (non locals) usually give up. Partially because of the limited access to claims (it takes time to make friends), and the lack of understanding of the area, and how it's been worked. As I've shared, it's been heavily worked. Almost all the easy gold is gone. Part of why I want a detector to try and speed up the discovery of new areas. Another thing I would like to try is, to dig holes in areas which are known to be gold bearing, and try to find pockets with the detector. Extend its reach so to speak. Which I can then work with a high banker if water is available. Or with a detector where access is remote/difficult and/or water is no longer available. So there is really a mix of scenario's and use cases. I would like to use the detector both as a primary and secondary tool. *************** Gold wise: This varies depending where you are, and the claim. Beyond fine gold which is continually moved and redeposited in the river, small pickers are the most common. Many in the 0.3 - 0.5g range. Large ones are in the 1-2 gram range. Really nice larger ones are up to the 5 gram range. Anything over that would be considered exceptional in this area (based on what's being found currently, that people are willing to talk about anyways 😉 ). This type of variety would represent a regular season for those who work a good claim. However, larger nuggets do come out. The largest I can personally vouch for is just over 2oz (seen below). The record was 36oz during the original gold rush. I've shared photos below for reference. *************** Ground wise: There are lots of hot rocks here, of multiple types. Lots of iron, so heaps of magnetite and some pyrites, galena, etc). I can't say it's as bad is Australia, but it's not great. Even the gold monster jumps back and forth. I dig all targets. Not to mention all the old timer trash, and even more modern trash.... I do wonder if the DD coil will outperform the mono's here. The 19" Super D looks very attractive. *************** Now, 6000 or 7000? Here's a quick summary of my understanding, starting with the high points: 6000: Great all around machine. Excels at small (sub gram) gold. Super light, easy, and fun to use. Very zippy. Ergonomics are great, which is not to be underestimated. Over all good value for money. Almost like a Gold Monster, SDC2300 and GPX5000 in one upgraded machine, which is better than all of them, while being lighter. 7000: Takes more skill. One must work slower and more methodically. Keeping good coil control, paying attention... but once learned it's a fantastic all around detector. What it gives up in small gold (where the 6000 excels) it gains with big deep stuff. It's still king, but very heavy and much more expensive. Weak points: 7000: I see three weakness. Its first weakness is with small gold, which can be mostly mitigated with a NF12 coil. Its heavy weight will always be there, so wear a harness and deal with it. Finally, it costs a lot more in Canada. Compared with a 6000 kit + 17", the 7000 kit + 19" costs 54% more. I have no idea why the price jump is so big here. Plus more money for the NF12 on top of this. 6000: Weak points are depth and heavy mineralization. I can deal with the mineralization, in that I dig all targets (although less digging is better). But its depth capabilities is what I'm most wondering about. How much can this be helped with the 17" mono coil? And what is the likelihood a better coil for larger deeper gold will come out? Something like the 19" Super D would be ideal (Minelab, please make a larger D coil which can punch deep! Or let someone else. 🙂 ). These are probably my two biggest questions. As trying to find shallow bedrock is something I see good potential with. Otherwise the 6000 seems like the machine for me. **** Help me Decide: Kit wise, I'm thinking either: 6000 kit. Plus the 17" mono. And I pray a bigger coil (for larger deeper gold) comes out eventually. 7000 kit. Plus the 19" and probably a NF12. I think this covers all bases. Both machines make trade offs. Both are good. I'm just trying to decide which is right for me. I go back and forth here. The 6000 fantastic for sub gram stuff. I much prefer its price and weight. I'm just not sure how much benefit the 17" mono will bring to depth. If I knew a larger coil would come out later, to help me hunt deeper, I would probably take the 6000. As I want to find areas of shallow bedrock close to the surface, and speed up the discovery of new patches which can be worked. 7000: The 7000 does do everything. At the expensive of price and weight. The NF12 closes the gap on the small stuff. The 19" is great for the deep stuff. Overall a great combo. Price wise (while expensive) I can probably swing it (pun intended 😉 ). Buy once, cry once. But the weight never goes away... I would love to get everyones input. I think depth is potentially my biggest concern (based on how close it gets), with weight, then price being close behind. How much depth does the 6000/17 give up to the 7000/19? Secondly, what are the odds a depth focused coil will come out for the 6000? If one does come out, how close to the 7000/19 do people think it will get? Depth could potentially get better with a new coil (if Minelab allows it). However, weight and price of the 7000 never will. I can see pro's and con's to both for my situation. Ideally I would have both, but I need to choose one. Thus I defer to the greater community who has vastly more experience, many of whom have run both machines at length. Please help me decide. I'm flip flopping. Many Thanks, Nick

This is an excellent comparison from one of my favorite Youtubers. I don't necessarily agree with the initial intend of the video (which one is the better detector?), but the comparison is well made for surface detection in difficult ground with hot rocks. Overall, the 7000 (run with her settings) is much less susceptible to hot rocks, but looses some sensitivity for small gold (not much however). I can very much relate to this video, for instance when detecting in iron rich volcanic ground that is littered with hot rocks (i.e. many places in the Mojave desert). The 7000 is much more benign there but still catches much of the smaller gold as well (NF-Zsearch and X-coils). I like her conclusion at the end, both detectors being absolutely superb. I totally agree, but having the 6k will not make me sell my 7k as I view both detectors as being complimentary, at least in some aspectes. PS: Man, those flies..... GC