How To Find The Best Gold Detector

[Steve Herschbach]

For the newbies.

There is this idea that detectors are defined by x depth on some items. I’m coming to discover the difficulty involved in explaining to people that the detector does not directly explain the true situation. The mix of gold type, ground mineralization, EMI, hot rocks, trash targets, terrain issues (steep ground, dense brush or boulders, wet or dry), and more decide which machine is best. Context is everything, but few people ever discuss it when reviewing detectors. The assumption is what works well, works well everywhere. No. The difference can be as stark as a $7000 detector being best in one place, and a $900 detector being a better choice someplace else.

If you want the best advice possible, find a genuine gold prospector, one who has years of experience in the same locations you want to hunt, and get their thoughts. Ignore the majority of the people posting anything on the subject, because frankly many have no idea what they are talking about. In gold prospecting, pay attention to those investing considerable time and money, with an expectation of profit. They have to be operating in situations that match up with your mix of conditions. They are serious enough to have considered and tried all viable options. I’ll say this also. Some people who have been doing this five years are better at it than others who have been in it a long time. So it’s not about length of time either. Some people are just better at this stuff.

Now, just a warning, some of us prospectors are nuts, and you can find people who think crazy stuff finds gold. But in general, I think this is good advice to help cut though the clutter. Quantity of opinions is not as important as the quality of those opinions. If a prospector measures his gold in pounds, that’s a pretty good sign.

Now I'm not saying other opinions are not valid. Not at all. This is just a strategy for weeding it down some. There are people you can follow over time that you can tell you want to listen to, and they may be pretty low key, not showing off gold. And a person may be a real class act, but simply not have much good gold nearby, that limits what they can  find.

Long story short, the shortest route to success as a newbie would be to hook up with the right person in the field. Probably save ten years of messing around. The easy route here is to meet up with a couple dealers that offer classes. There is a huge divide between the people who are good at this, and the rest. If you can ever hook up with a genuine prospector in the field, expending the time and dollars would be the smartest thing most new people can do. Gerry McMullen and Rob Allison are fine choices. I'm sure there are others, but I will vouch personally for those two. I don't know of anyone else running classes these days. Bill Southern does some free outings, where you can no doubt bend an ear or two. Chris Gholson seems pretty invisible these days.

Getting this training before you buy your new detector has big advantages. It could keep you from buying the wrong machine.... or even make you decide to save your money entirely. Nugget detecting is not for everyone. 

[Joe D.]

    Great advice Steve!

    Don't know if I will ever get the time to be a prospecting "newbie"! Still got plenty to master here where I am with general detecting! But I've learned enough on the forum to know that a first attempt would be lessons, first and foremost! And most likely several, from a few different people, who are successful at it!👍👍

[Glenn in CO]

1 hour ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Getting this training before you buy your new detector has big advantages. It could keep you from buying the wrong machine.... or even make you decide to save your money entirely. Nugget detecting is not for everyone. 

Any newbie wanting to get into nugget hunting and prospecting with the expectation of being successful, this is the best advice they can get. Great thread Steve!

[paradiceau]

Steve,

Another very on point post, clutter cutter you are indeed!

Gerry McMullen is a great teacher and his crew are also good instructors.  Fun people to boot.

I read your lengthy post last night about your curse/gift and was very moved by your candor and humility, I am sure you will make a significant impact upon those folks you come into contact with.  You seem to have tapped into the soul of this community and I am a better person for it.  Thank you.

Jeff

[Gerry in Idaho]

Steve,  I appreciate the kind words you spoke of my Field Staff and I about the training we offer and my business in general.

1st off, I was always taught to listen to the customer and get the detector for their needs.  Problem I run into on occasion is the customer really doesn't know what they need and they go off what someone else tells them.  That is good, if the person telling them really knows, but that as well is usually not the case.  For example, 2 yrs ago the Gold Monster 1000 was the talk of the VLF detectors, but yet I still recommended the Equinox 800.  I had so many people tell me the Monster was it, since the majority of dealers said it was.  Guess what, now a few of those dealers also realize the EQ-800 is a better gold detector.  Either way, I guess the customer is right???

As you also mentioned the difference in gold terrains/soils/etc and even kinds of gold and it's density...are just parts of the algorithm to get the right detector for the task.  And to be honest, most dealers don't know or have spent the time and money to research.  I just returned from a quit trip where the Equinox 800 found the most pieces of gold, but the deepest nuggets were found with the GPZ-7000's.  What if we did not have the EQ-800's there, the majority of gold would have been missed because of the kind of gold.  Such a big % of people think gold is gold and that's not the case at all.

My desire to be a successful detectorist (which is over 45 yrs now) has been to make sure I have the best detector "tool" for the task and to make sure I do, I have to actually purchase and try the other tools which tales quite a bit of time, so I also rely on my Field Staff to help speed up the uses in different terrains, soils, kinds of gold and states we hunt.

The best knowledge you give is to find that person who has Success more than most and does it at a variety of tasks, in different regions on multiple detectors.

Sometimes for me, the hardest part is when a few new detectors come out, it takes awhile to gather my info to make the best decision for myself and my customers.

I do wish there was one detector that could do it all THE BEST.  I really don't think that will happen though.

 

[Valens Legacy]

Good advice Steve and thank you for sharing that information.

I do however have just one question to something that you stated and would like some clarity.

Just which of us are nuts, or is it all of us are and your just being kind?

[Jeff McClendon]

6 minutes ago, Valens Legacy said:

I do however have just one question to something that you stated and would like some clarity.

Just which of us are nuts, or is it all of us are and your just being kind?

Me for sure !!!!

Going off by myself with noise cancelling headphones on, usually unarmed, in bear, mountain lion and wolf territory.

Sometimes I forget to let one of my kids know where I am going too.

[klunker]

8 hours ago, Jeff McClendon said:

Going off by myself with noise cancelling headphones on, usually unarmed, in bear, mountain lion and wolf territory.

Sometimes I forget to let one of my kids know where I am going too.

Mr. McClendon, Sir;

You are being foolish and demonstrate a total lack of common sense. It comforts me to know I have like minded prospectors on this forum.

[Swegin]

Never under estimate the value of a good dealer.  I wouldn't buy a gold detector from a relic hunter dealer just like I wouldn't buy a Toyota from a salesman who drives a Ford.

[Jonathan Porter]

I often find people on impulse buy the detector then they struggle then they finally do some actual research and look for someone who knows what they are doing and approach them for help. This happens to me constantly and I ended up training all the city dealers customers for them, one dealer actually rang us and asked about our training rate and a few weeks later a guy rocked up unannounced with a brand new GPZ7000 in the box claiming he was here for his training session!! 🤬

I wore myself out the first three years of opening our shop and now will only train OUR customers who purchase from OUR store (comes free with the GPZ 7000). I would much rather go out detecting and can actually make more money doing so than setting up a full time training business, this is mainly due to my actually putting effort into the customer one on one, some people take longer than others and I could not just leave them when the allotted time was up.  

Apparently I am also known as the “Angry Prospector” 😂  because I get a bit short with people who refuse to listen or worse won’t shut up!! I am not there to make friends I have a small window of time to try and get across the interaction between motion, sight and sound, settings are pretty simple with detectors these days but actually swinging the detector and combining those senses to massage a target signal out of the ground is the hardest part, trying to demonstrate this when someone is talking incessantly and not paying attention is maddening and nigh on impossible. 

No matter which detector you buy be honest with yourself about your level of commitment, no amount of training will help if you’re not committed to learning. Trying to sort the wheat from the chaff can be a little daunting when you are doing your research but like Steve said look for the reputable consistently successful people in the area you wish to explore.

JP