Confused About My Next Detector

[Steve Herschbach]

If you are comfortable with White's no reason to look elsewhere for a VLF. It simply does not make that big a difference in the outcome when looking at VLF detectors.

The TDI and Garrett Infinium/ATX are only worth looking at if you are encountering bad ground mineralization and hot rocks. Those detectors frankly do not go much deeper than a good VLF in all metal mode, so what you are really buying is ground handling capability. At the same time you will give up an edge on smaller gold you can get with a VLF. To me those units have more value in California where there is some really nasty ground. Nevada not so much. In the end you can't say one will be better than the other because it is all about the nature of the ground and the gold you are hunting. My opinion is not any better and probably not as good as people who have been hunting Nevada for longer than I, but given what I have seen I would just as soon use a VLF as a Garrett or White's PI in Nevada. Unless you go to the next level and get a Minelab, but that is going to run more than you want to spend.

The CZX may or may not see the light of day in 2016. My bet is yes but I simply could be wrong. As far as what it brings to the table, that is a highly guarded secret at Fisher. I am hoping mainly for decent performance at a low cost and with good ergonomics but I do not expect performance exceeding anything currently on the market per se. Again, just my opinion, I could be wrong. All I can say is I never wait for new detectors coming because there are always new detectors coming.

Last tip again - never be in a hurry and consider used with transferable warranty. White's for instance has a two year transferable warranty. Buy a used one with no less than one year remaining on the warranty, and yes, if you take your time you can find one. The Makro Gold Racer being new will inevitably get the buy and try guys that give it a spin, and some will be up for sale soon used. It is inevitable with new models, and they also carry a two year transferable warranty. I buy used detectors all the time, in fact I am shopping for a used DFX right now. I use the eBay "sold listings" to determine low end resale value and stick to my guns and wait until I can get one for a price I am sure I can recover nearly 100% of later.

I can make you even more confused if I wanted because truly there are a pile of good detectors on the market. We can go round and round and talk ins and outs forever, and everyone in general backs their chosen machine because they are all pretty good. I think highly of the Gold Racer myself, but when it comes to recommending detectors I tend to be very conservative and tell people to stick with the most popular well known, well proven units. You can't blame the detector if it has been used successfully by lots of people for lots of years and resale is easy if you decide it was not for you.

Take your time, tons of old posts on this forum and others to look over. At the end of the day just do whatever feels comfortable. Best wishes on a difficult decision!

[1515Art]

Nevada1616, there is an add in the San Francisco Bay area craigs list for a GP3000, asking $1200.00. I don't know if this is what you had in mind, just thought id share this in case it is something that might work for you.

 

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/ele/5424080734.html

[Nevada1616]

Well said Steve. This really does help narrow it down. I guess the interesting part of the TDI was the selector switch to effectively hone in on either low tones or high. From your response it does not seem to be a large enough factor to sway me away from the GMT. Your right about always looking for the next great detector to come along. The CZX can wait until I'm ready to look at it rather than the other way around. I want to thank everyone for the information you have given me. The amount of info on this Web site is massive. I have spent many hours reading and trying to take it.

Rick

[Nevada1616]

Just caught your post 1515ART. I will check this out thanks.

[Ridge Runner]

Nevada1616

  If you thinking about buying Makro Gold Racer from Turkey or the Nokta fors Gold Plus go for it. I have the Nokta Fors Gold Plus but was defective out of the box. I said something on here about my trouble and they came to my aide. The first part didn't fix it but they paid shipping both ways. then sent the other the control box and that was the fix. Again they paid shipping both ways. Like said they paid it all and I wasn't out one cent..

 Makro and Nokta is one in the same company that came about when the two brothers came  together.

  I don't care what detector you buy. Your detector won't be any better until you learn all about what it can do. Then get out there and do it over and over again.

 Lots of people may not believe this but when you get to the point of what I said above. Then and only then you will be one with your detector. Always think positive thinking the next swing is going to be a nugget. In my case that was what I was doing coin hunting today.

  Now don't go and tell this to anyone when nugget hunting. If you come on dirt that has fallen out of a bulldozer tracks in the field check that dirt with your detector. I found two two gram nuggets doing that.

 The best

 Chuck 

[californiagold]

The best asset to detecting gold is good places to go where you stand a good chance of finding yellow, as Steve already stated. I have personally seen many many people buy really nice detectors and go a few times and never have any luck. They usually have good used sales on these detectors. If someone loaned me a radio shack detector tomarrow, I could go find some gold more then likely cause I have done extensive research and miles and miles of walkabouts. If a person does that then any detector will work. I have used dozens of different detectors before but currently I favor the Nokta/ makro line of detectors, but that is just peronal choice. I hope you find the detector that your looking for and find some gold.

Good luck!

[gambler]

gmt. done.

[Nevada1616]

Wow more good info guys! Your Right nothing beats getting out there and covering ground. I have done weeks of research while gathering the money to buy my detector. I think there are a couple spots I will prospect first. There is some good history at these locales. When I purchase my detector I will certainly post it here so everyone can decide whether or not I made a good decision for themselves. Thanks again.

[Lanny]

An old nugget shooter gave me this advice once when I told him I'd just bought a detector, and it has proven golden: he said to put the detector manual on the bedside table and to read it every night before going to sleep. I was amazed at the things I thought I knew about my detector back then (and its capabilities), how to operate it, what to do and not to do when nugget hunting, etc., amazed that is in how much I'd missed during my initial readings of the manual.

 

Every winter, I bust out my manuals again, make notes, write annotations in the manual, and compare what the manual is telling me as contrasted to what I've been doing with the detector before that annual freeze-up hits. I still pick up things by using his method of rereading the manual even though I'm no longer new to my machines.

 

All the best,

 

Lanny