Minelab GPZ 7000, The Controversy Ends?

[jasong]

It is all so puzzling since Fisher, Garrett, Tesoro, and White's never make mistakes and communicate with their customers on a near daily basis about what they are doing. Why can't Minelab be more like them?

Truth is they are all the same, the only difference is you pay more for a Minelab, and that makes people resentful. The only company that has been breaking the mold on customer communications is Nokta/Makro.

 

But just because all the other detector manufacturers are still stuck in the 70's (in more ways than one, just my opinion) doesn't mean we shouldn't hold Minelab accountable. Codan is a modern, multinational, diversified corporation, and consumer detectors make up the largest portion of their business IIRC according to their profit statement. I would bet that if they designed a product for the military or corporate use that they would respond quickly and clearly to product issues, why not consumers?

 

Today, the inescapable fact is that consumer oriented business is driven largely by online consumer reviews. In the tech world specifically, products often live or die by it's consumer reviews. A lot of people (myself included) first found your posts on the AK forum while looking for metal detector reviews, and continue to look for your input on newer detectors today just as much if not more than 10 years ago. The power of this phenomena I think is also demonstrated in how many people are using the Nokta products in the gold world after your positive reviews.

 

It's common to see corporations much, much larger than Codan do triage on their products after critical reviews on social media, in fact now most large companies have entire divisions dedicated to just such aspects of business. We also now know Minelab has at least one person that browses these websites (re: Lisle thread) as part of their job. Yet we have heard only crickets... 

 

As an aside, I don't follow White's much, but I do remember reading a lot of criticism about the TDI when it was released. If more people used the ATX I'm guessing we'd hear more about it too...but look at your detector polls...only a few people who post to the US forums are using them. It's pretty clear from the polls we are mainly ML users here and whites/garrett/etc as secondary or tertiary uses (on average) so its pretty reasonable to expect a lot of critical input on Minelabs here versus other products.

 

But you are right, price is an obvious factor as well:

 

Whites TDI SL: $1189

Garrett ATX (incl extra larger coil, soft case and hardshell travel case): $2546

 

The GPZ is priced almost an entire magnitude higher than it's only other two competitors. It basically is an entire magnitude higher than the TDI. It's not unreasonable for people to expect more when the price difference is that large. I mean apples to apples lets put that in perspective, that's like a Kia for $11k and a top of the line, flawlessly engineered BMW i7 super-luxury class sports car for $100k. You can definitely bet the i7 is held to much (much, much) higher standards then the little Kia I might buy for my 15 year old son to learn how to drive with. Same way a $300 generic laptop is not held to the same standards as a $3000 Alienware gaming or workstation laptop.

[Steve Herschbach]

Hi Jason,

I never said Minelab should not be held accountable by those having issues. And I am not making excuses for them. Just stating what is.

Thank you for you well considered and stated opinions. You are not going unheard, and you are just going to have to trust me when I say the GPZ is in absolutely no way an abandoned item.

[auminesweeper]

Whites TDI SL: $1189

Garrett ATX (incl extra larger coil, soft case and hardshell travel case): $2546

 

The GPZ is priced almost an entire magnitude higher than it's only other two competitors. It basically is an entire magnitude higher than the TDI. It's not unreasonable for people to expect more when the price difference is that large. I mean apples to apples lets put that in perspective, that's like a Kia for $11k and a top of the line, flawlessly engineered BMW i7 super-luxury class sports car for $100k. You can definitely bet the i7 is held to much (much, much) higher standards then the little Kia I might buy for my 15 year old son to learn how to drive with. Same way a $300 generic laptop is not held to the same standards as a $3000 Alienware gaming or workstation laptop.

The 3 machine you mention are all unique in their own way, and none of the 3 can compare to each other, The ZED is a work of Art that just need a few things addressed and in the right hands it is unbeatable, The other 2 have there place too regardless of cost, One I would take in parks and suburban areas the other in wet environs, where the ZED has one sole purpose and that is to find unseen gold whether it be deep or small, I picked the machines I have because I would lying to myself if I bought any of the ML pulse machines because I just cant use them here and I need what the TDI's have to offer as my only other choice is no PI machine at all, I was going to buy the 4500 but I wanted the 5K and the only one I was fooling was my self, Being an Aussie I do get annoyed with ML when I see this sort of problems because I use to live and breath minelab machines and the most fun machine they made was the Musketeer Advantage, I don't hate ML but in someway I just feel let down by them, and if I was in a place where I could use one of their machines I would buy one in an instant, But FBS and the lack of disc settings of the GPX series is all that holds me back,

ML will fix these issues with the ZED, It's just that testing of new materials such as plastics takes time, where I worked we spent 500,000 just testing a passenger plane bulkhead door and that took 9 months from design to finished Item and then they changed their minds again so everyone had to start over,

Yes there are faults with the ZED but it is only 6 months old and that is not long enough to test it in real world conditions not to mention fix those issues, They will get done, just not as fast as we would like,

[Steve Herschbach]

Half my posts this year have been from the field as I continue to rack up the hours and the gold with the GPZ. I have reached that point where the GPZ and I are one and it talks to me in a language I thoroughly understand. I am really enjoying using this machine.

All I can say is that I truly am sorry that some of you are having issues.

[1515Art]

I have had my zed from the first release and have experienced most of the issues as everyone else and caused a couple more myself probably. given the choice of having my money back or keeping my detector, I would still keep my GPZ... Minelab quickly sent me a brand new 7000 after mine had issues that i can't say were all minelabs fault and i could have sold the new unopened one if id chose to do so, but i did not.

 

I've only found a little gold with mine, but I know it will find gold better than any other machine in most conditions and knowing that makes digging countless bullets and other trash tolerable, things will improve as i learn more.

 

My new gpz is now wrapped in a really nice Doc's protective cover from Rob's detectors, it's very nice and my 7000 is well protected, so most of the early concerns are covered, sorry for the cheep pun.

 

The one thing i hope for is some form of discrimination mode in a new software release, in heavy trash areas the gpz is almost unusable. use my programable button to give me an optional iron discrimination mode for heavy trash areas, nothing fancy... there are a lot of different tones that come out of the gpz and while understanding the language it is speaking is beyond me, it is saying a lot more than dig here if we had the right software to make sense of it all.

[auminesweeper]

Half my posts this year have been from the field as I continue to rack up the hours and the gold with the GPZ. I have reached that point where the GPZ and I are one and it talks to me in a language I thoroughly understand. I am really enjoying using this machine.

All I can say is that I truly am sorry that some of you are having issues.

Steve, and do you find it is easier to get along with without scrolling through menus and such along with clicking switches etc.

[jasong]

I'm impressed with the Doc's GPZ cover too, I'd recommend them.

[Steve Herschbach]

Steve, and do you find it is easier to get along with without scrolling through menus and such along with clicking switches etc.

Never was an issue for me. The GPX like the GPZ retains its settings when turned off. 90% of the time with either unit I just turn it on and go detecting. The GPZ though I do have to tell it to start recording my path via the GPS each session.

[auminesweeper]

Never was an issue for me. The GPX like the GPZ retains its settings when turned off. 90% of the time with either unit I just turn it on and go detecting. The GPZ though I do have to tell it to start recording my path via the GPS each session.

I like that Idea of it storing the info, the reason I ask it because unlike the GP/X models, The Owners don't seem to be chasing the Mode and switch setup like they do with the GPX's, Even long time users of the GPXs seem to look for that secrete combo and that magic coil, Where the ZED seems to let the owner get on with the job of prospecting,

[flakmagnet]

Jasong and Steve,

 

Good interchange. You two guys have a very buttoned down way of communicating.

 

(In my opinion) saying the GPZ has only been out six month is no reason to excuse it's shortcomings.

There was extensive testing done with this machine before it went on sale to the public,

all one has to do is read JP's extremely lucid posts during it's early release to understand this

and surely he was not the only tester.

I simply do not believe the customer base should be utilized as the beta testers.

A ten thousand dollar metal detector should have the small-time bugs worked out

OR

they should give at least acknowledge their beta testers and perhaps establish some communication with them.

I trust Steve's assurance that the problems are being heard

but would respectfully rather hear it from Minelab.