Gpx-6000 1 Year Anniversary. Is It The King?

[Gerry in Idaho]

Well it’s been an amazing year here in the gold fields of the good ol USA.  This month (June) is the 1 year Anniversary of the GPX-6000 getting into customers hands and into the gold fields.  Wonder what your feelings are and if you feel it’s taken over as the new KING?

As a well known Minelab Dealer who’s sold more GPX-6000 than most dealers and my Field Staff/I keeps in contact with many of the customers, I can assure you it’s earned the status of “KING” in the US.  Is there still a few who think the GPZ-7000 wears the crown?  Most certainly, but the reality is the FINDS & FACTS. 

No Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard dirt slinging coil swinging soap opera here…JUST THE FACTS.

GPX-6000 SUCCESS - Finds more pieces of gold vs a GPZ-7000.  I’ve had more customers finding more gold nuggets, even those who traded in their 7000 back to me for the GPX-6000.  Just ask on here and most who have owned both will tell you 5 to 1, or 7 to 1 and maybe 10 to 1 ration.

GPX-6000 DUMMY PROOF.  More User Friendly.  Yes the GPZ is leaps/bounds easier than a GPX-5000.  Any we now know the 6000 is easier than a 7000.

GPX-6000 ERGONOMICS. is easier to swing.  This alone was my main reason for getting a 6000.  Finding the extra nuggets is a bonus.  So many of my customers felt the same way.

GPX-6000 VALUE - is $2500 less money (at least today anyway).  Now watch Minelab change the price and add another $500, like they did on the GPZ-7000.  After all, the one year is now up so the introductory price is suspect to market change bla bla bla.  If you have been thinking of getting a GPX-6000, best to move sooner than later or you just might be paying more.

GPX-6000 SIZING is more compact and easier to store in RV, easier to hike or ride a motorcycle/bike  and just around overall better design.

GPX-6000 RESPONSE responds to a variety of different styles of gold better than a 7000 (if you don’t find it, you don’t know what you missing).

GPX-6000 VOLUME is best, almost too good.  Those little nuggets really POP…even to the weakest of ears.

GPX-6000 ACCESSORIES. Minelab coils, coil covers, lower shafts and batteries are priced way better than those for a GPZ-7000.

GPX-6000 FUN FACTOR – Just ask the folks who own them.  I get emails and calls from my customers so much more often now...vs a GPZ-7000.  Our 3 days Field Training is more fun and there are more golden smiles being shared. More happy drives on the way home and more happy wives to know their hubbies had success.

GPX-6000 COILS – With the new CoilTek & Nugget Finder coils coming real soon, the options are even better.  We all like options.

GPX-6000 NEWEST TECHNOLOGY – Who wants to use a 7 yr old cell phone (GPZ-7000).

Now all you Amber Heard fans can challenge the above facts, but you know the outcome already…. Anyway, I’m all ears.

On a side note.  Lets give some more FACTS that we have had happened to us, or observed.

GPX-6000 has more background noise and EMI issues when compared to the GPZ-7000.  I’m looking forward to seeing either a software upgrade (if possible) or a new improved model in a couple years.  Doubt they will come out with a new model GPX-6000 for at least 3 yrs.

GPX-6000 out of the box issues.  Yes it’s not what we had expected from Minelab but at least they have taken care of every customer that I am aware of.  After all, some of the original complaints was new to Minelab PI’s customers.  Bottom line, Minelab let some of us down when compared to previous new releases.

GPX-6000 timings on a rare occasion have issues with a certain hot rock or soil.  I give the GPZ-7000 the edge for those rare occasions.

GPX-6000 on Deepest nuggets of size.  Yes the GPZ-7000 has a little more depth on those few rarest of nuggets.  I recently witnessed a nice piece found at depth with a GPZ-7000 and know the GPX-6000 would be short a few inches.  I did find more gold that weekend though than the GPZ-7000.

GPX-6000 coils from Minelab seem to not hold up as well as GPZ-7000 coils.  But Minelab does make sure customer gets taken care of.

Yes there has been a lot of hashing and bashing (Jonny vs Amber) of the GPX-6000, but the bottom line is, not one customer has never been taken care of, that I know.  Heck I have a brand new truck with less than a 1000 miles and it’s had 2 recalls already.  Am I ready to walk away?  Not as long as the manufacture takes care of me.

I realize not every person across the world hunts the same kind of ground most of us hunt in the US, so on a rare occasion a 7 might do you right.  I also know of a select few guys who are more focused on the biggest of deep gold at no matter what the expense.  You are the rare occasion and not the majority of folks who hunt gold. I also know some of you have had such great success and still do, you are content trying to be Arnold Schwarzenegger.

It’s all good either way you swing a GPX or GPZ.  As long as you are getting outdoors, having fun and finding a little gold.  That’s life my friend.  No rocking chairs for us.

Attached are a few pics of customers GPX-6000 Success.  Please don't take it wrong if I didn't share your pic since I have many happy customers

 

[Randy Lunn]

My 6000 has been very productive on hard hit claims. There are a lot of sub-gram “Goldilocks nuggets” at a few inches that both the 7000 and GM (and GB2) miss. 

I still have my 7000 but it is getting heavier every year. However, in  less hit areas known for large nuggets the 7000 can not be beat. 

[Rob Allison]

Hey Gerry,

  I will bite .... 🙂

   Yes, we all know you have sold more detectors than anymore in the World, hehe..  Something you should be proud of.    You probably put Kellyco out of business 

I think for the "hardcore, depth guys" the GPZ 7000 is still KING for them.  However, this is probably only about 5% or less of the nuggetshooters/mining operations out there metal detecting for nuggets.  

I think the remainder, 95% or so would have the best of success with the new GPX 6000.  This unit is much easier to use, super lightweight, more sensitive to small gold (with new aftermarket coils) and $2500 cheaper.  

Since I locked up about 1,000 acres around Rye Patch, now our customer can toss rocks back in forth over the line at each other.  Just make sure you stay out of the Pizza joint when my crew is in town 

For anymore that don't get our humor, Gerry and I have known each other forever, probably before these nuggets were even formed. 

God Bless and Happy Father's Day Weekend to all.

Rob

[Aureous]

The 6000 is most definitely the 'King' of lead shot. Anyone considering buying one must accept the horrific amount of lead in the ground will most certainly be heard by his/her 6000. If you thought the SDC was bad.... Oh, it finds gold too 😉

[IdahoPeg]

Hi Gerry….yep, I’d have to agree with you. I loved my 7000, but where I hunt it was getting to be slim pickins, and the 7 got heavier as my hip arthritis got worse. I just got back from my 1st trip to northern Nv since getting my hip replaced a couple months ago; and with how light the 6000 is, I was able to cover serious ground on old and new areas. I did not have one skunked day, which is unusual. And guess what? I stumbled over my biggest Nv nugget…almost 9grams! And that was in an area of serious EMI. Also rustled up some smalls from worn out areas. The 6000 is pretty awesome!

[phrunt]

The only association with King I have with it is the Burger King Whopper!

🙂

Just kidding, it's a decent detector but not promoted to King in my kingdom yet even as someone that chases the smaller gold which it's known as being so good for, we'll see how it goes with time, more use and some aftermarket coils!

Ps, that ugly whopper may contain cabbage instead of lettuce if you're in Australia 😛

[Norvic]

Called it the King after first oz with it, still the King after many ozs with it. Tis the production that tells. Below photo is a top "alteration" to it, piece of 0.8mm clear PC cut and glued tor scruff plate. Glue is black.

[Lunk]

Gerry, In my experience of swinging the GPX 6000 since last June, I have to agree that it is the king when it comes to the shear number of nuggets it can find compared to the GPZ 7000. But at the same time, it is also the court jester when it comes to quality; I had to send in 2 of my 3 coils for replacement, which prompted me to buy a spare coil to have on hand when the next failure happens. 

During the winter desert prospecting season of 2020, it took me nearly 4 months to find 100 Arizona nuggets with the GPZ 7000, as detailed below:

This past winter season however, going over the same areas with the GPX 6000 netted the same number of nuggets in only a couple of weeks. And the total take for my first season with the GPX 6k is multiple hundreds of nuggets at a combined weight of 5 ounces, which is an ounce more than found with the GPZ 7k during the previous season on the same patches. The amount of sub-gram bits left behind by the 7000 in some spots was truly mind boggling. Also, there was a noticeable increase in the number of specie bits, porous “popcorn”  gold and crystalline pieces. This, in combination with all the reasons Gerry mentioned, certainly makes the GPX 6000 the king in my book.

Pictured below is the 5-ounce pile of nuggets recovered during my first season with the 6k:

[Steve Herschbach]

I admit I read this thread with a degree of satisfaction, and a feeling of being vindicated. As a prototype tester I put out a very early report on the GPX 6000 trying to tell U.S. operators only (not Australian users or X Coil users) exactly what is now becoming accepted as fact. And that is, for the average U.S. user, especially new buyers, the GPX 6000 is a better value than the GPZ 7000. Despite my clearly stated caveats, however, I got enough blowback from the very people I was exempting from my commentary, that I pulled all my reviews and information on the 6000. I did finally post them again about three months ago, once the heat died down.

I must say that the quality control, and therefore all the problems people have had with the GPX 6000, have been very disappointing. The fact is most people do not have issues, but so many do, including quite a few people that I know and respect, that it has taken some shine off what should have been a truly excellent release by Minelab. Were it not for the issues that plagued some people, a lot of the pushback would not have existed. We hear "yes, it does find gold, but the problems......" far too often.

Still, the Minelab GPX 6000 for me is a joy to swing, and literally paid for mine in two days last fall, on the kind of gold the GPZ 7000 is weak on, and that I had been over and missed with the 7000. Again, because of the grief I was given, I did not post about any of my GPX 6000 finds last year, but it has left me with a hole in my Steve's Mining Journal last year, that needs to be filled. So I will finally get around to writing that up and posting about it soon. Thanks Gerry, and everyone else posting on their GPX 6000 success, for making me feel more like saying something now, than I have this last year.

A few ounces of GPX 6000 finds from the Mother Lode country.....

[LuckyLundy]

15 hours ago, Rob Allison said:

Since I locked up about 1,000 acres around Rye Patch, now our customer can toss rocks back in forth over the line at each other.  Just make sure you stay out of the Pizza joint when my crew is in town 

Rob, I heard he sold...you need a pointy finger on your sections, let me know.

Rick