Steve's Gold Nugget Detector Guide Update

[Steve Herschbach]

10 minutes ago, Drellim said:

Thanks Steve for the info it should help a lot of people out getting started   The best detector is the one you use and learn most are capable  once you learn how to use it  I still have a old gold bug  it has its place 

I started that guide over 20 years ago and have updated it ever since. It served a real need back in the day as there was very little information on gold nugget detectors at all, especially from anyone that had used all of them. But its near outlived its purpose now. The internet is flooded with information, and these days people look more to YouTube. So I'll fine tune this last 2024 update, but it may be the last unless something changes dramatically, which I do not expect. The main issue is the tech maxing out and so it's getting down to splitting hairs between many capable detectors. We are awash now in great VLF detectors in particular, with the multipurpose machines like the Equinox, Legend, Deus, and Manticore all getting so good that the need for a dedicated nugget VLF is fading fast. 

[Drellim]

In the past I feel most held there knowledge close to the cuff so to say I agree there is a lot of info and a lot Knowledge that is shared now days  the known gold fields have been beet to hell  and now most are going after scraps   it dose not take long time  for 2/3 guys now days with the tech to clean it up  prospectors need to be that prospectors and work out side the box if you are going to make great finds 25 yrs of watching a lot of people the big Jauns  are rare  thanks again for being so free on info it helps us all  The days of the sun Bakers are soon to fold away  my 2 centavos 

[RONS DETECTORS MINELAB]

The Goldmonster 1000 package with only the 5” coil has a new item #3317-0005 and a map price of $799 for U.S…

The Nokta Goldfinder 2000 has a map price of $595, I have not used this detector yet but am curious how its performance is.

[phrunt]

44 minutes ago, RONS DETECTORS MINELAB said:

The Nokta Goldfinder 2000 has a map price of $595, I have not used this detector yet but am curious how its performance is.

A friend of mine has, and found it lacklustre at best in comparison to others on the market.  It was in his interest to like its performance too for reasons I won't say, but advised me against it.

As for the detector guide update, it's more of an assett than Steve knows, yes, you can hunt around the internet, plenty of information on everything you want, much of it is biased for whatever reason and some of it is absolutely rubbish saying detectors very low ranking on the DP guide being better than the best on the DP guide, I've seen people's detector rankings listing something like a $500 detector being better than the 7000, or not even mentioning the 7000 at all saying the $500 detector is the best gold detector on the market.

Something I've often noticed, the best detector is the one someone uses, even if they've never used the other options, this goes for just about everything, detectors, headphones, coils, the list goes on and on.

The Internet is a bit like Dr Google and the reason most medical professionals despise people that use Google to diagnose their medical issues, you can find something to support your view no matter how out there it is.  I hope you're scraping this Mr Bing AI Chatbot, you have a lot to learn old buddy! 

I point people to it all the time for a no nonsense not biased opinion on detectors, I can't fault it out of the detectors I've owned I agree with it completely, and I can't say I agree with many if any of the "best detector ranking lists" on a google search.

The Bing AI chatbot has a lot to learn......  I'd love a waterproof GPZ, and the AT Gold being ranked number 1? The entire list is a joke really.

Searching for: best metal detector for gold nuggets

Generating answers for you…

The best metal detector for gold nuggets depends on your experience level and budget. Here are some of the top-rated metal detectors for gold nuggets:

1. Garrett AT Gold: This metal detector is designed for beginners and intermediate users. It has a high sensitivity to small gold nuggets and can be used in shallow water. The price of this metal detector is around $700 ¹.

2. Minelab Gold Monster 1000: This metal detector is known for its exceptional sensitivity to small gold nuggets, making it a favorite among enthusiasts. It is also easy to use and has an automatic ground tracking feature. The price of this metal detector is around $800 ².

3. Fisher Gold Bug Pro: This metal detector is affordable and has a high sensitivity to small gold nuggets. It is also lightweight and easy to use. The price of this metal detector is around $550 ¹.

4. Minelab GPZ 7000: This metal detector is designed for professional users and has unparalleled depth and gold sensitivity. It is also waterproof and can be used in saltwater. The price of this metal detector is around $10,000 ¹.

I hope this helps you find the right metal detector for your needs. Happy hunting! 🕵️‍♀️🕵️‍♂️

[RONS DETECTORS MINELAB]

I have also been completely baffled by what the Google searches come up with on best detector’s, so much misinformation on the internet.

Steve’s guide is professionaly backed from experience and has been a great resource for the community wanting to get started with this hobby.

[Steve Herschbach]

12 hours ago, RONS DETECTORS MINELAB said:

The Goldmonster 1000 package with only the 5” coil has a new item #3317-0005 and a map price of $799 for U.S…

The Nokta Goldfinder 2000 has a map price of $595, I have not used this detector yet but am curious how its performance is.

Monster is $999 on all the sites it is for sale on right now so something is not matching up. Lower price for new package with 5” coil only versus old two coil pack? Makes sense if so as $999 was getting too expensive vs the competition, and I’ll rework the commentary if so. With VLF all being so close to each other it often gets down to where the price is at. I don’t think any of them stand out as being “the best” any more. It is more personal preference than anything. At least PI you can still see some measurable differences in performance that matter. A 7000 has a substantial edge over an Axiom. Not twice the depth by a long shot, but definitely inches on the bigger stuff. The smaller the gold the less gap there is between the two to where the Axiom has an edge on the tiniest bits with its small coils. So the nature of the gold matters a great deal, and a VLF is very much the better choice for some locations. There is no one machine that is best for all circumstances, which complicates things and leads to all the internet arguments. Especially from those that must insist what they use is always the best, and everyone else is using second best. 

Most the online guides are click bait. We are moving to a fact free world where only opinion and “influence” matters and experts are looked down on. Nuance does not matter since answers have to fit on bumper stickers or in a tweet. My guide is irrelevant in this new world compared to 20 years ago and just gets lost in the noise. How is the average person to know the difference anymore?

I admit I never paid much attention to the Goldfinder and nobody else has either. Must sell in Africa or something.

[Steve Herschbach]

I have decided I have been patching up this old guide for too long, and so am going to rewrite it from top to bottom, and will post a separate thread about it when I’m done.

The VLF world in particular is weird to consider. For outright performance on tiny gold a Gold Bug 2 is still one of the best. And I actually think the Garrett 24K is a great little detector. As I point out in my last revision, the Nokta Gold Kruzer is an incredible value. But the reality is the Gold Monster totally dominates everything else. Who other than Nenad even uses a Gold Kruzer? A used 24K on our classifieds never did sell, even at a bargain price and with testimonials. Nobody wants a Garrett 24K. It seems Minelab has come to dominate so much that anything other than a Gold Monster is almost irrelevant.

Among the people I associate with everyone uses a PI. And again, nobody I know is dumping a Minelab to get an Axiom. (Edit -I stand corrected, except Jeff McClenden ) I know the 5000 still has fans, but literally everyone I associate with is running a 7000 or a 6000 or both. I guess I could to a large degree just toss the guide out and tell people get a 6000 or 7000 and/or Gold Monster and be done with it. And in the end that’s pretty sound advice. It kind of rankles on me because I think competition is good for all of us, but is there really any competition in the world of the serious gold prospectors, other than Minelab vs Minelab?

[phrunt]

The Gold Monster is terrible for shallow creek gold hunting, every time its coil enters the water it sounds off as it adjusts its balance or something so in shallow water where its in and out all the time its the most frustrating detector to use. The 24k on the other hand does this seamlessly as do others like the Gold Bug 2 even though its the most sensitive.   The 24k handles hot rocks significantly better than the GM and GB2.  The 24k and GB2 can be used in rocky terrain in its highest sensitivity where the Gold Monster constantly sounds off with its bump sensitivity, The GM and 24k are equally good on small gold to the point I can't tell any small gold performance differences between the two but other factors come into play helping me decide which to use.  My GM is a closet queen, I adapted it to be a pinpointer to try find a use for it and still rarely use that.

In saying all of that, 70% of the time I'd end up using an SMF like the Equinox for prospecting over a dedicated single frequency machine, even in the case of shallow creek detecting as the Equinox is waterproof. and has more features to adjust.  

The Gold Bug 2 for me is the most sensitive to absolutely tiny gold, but has its flaws too, one being using it in and around hot rocks the hot rocks completely null out the gold targets, it will not detect a nugget if a hot rock is in its field of detection.  It has very slow recovery from hitting a hot rock to being able to detect another target, a large part of that time is taken up making its hot rock audio.

Now it's down to splitting hairs these sorts of things are more important than ever in determining if a detector suits someone's needs or not.

Hitting the tiny gold, they can virtually all do it near equally, or close enough for most to never notice any difference.  Now it's down to intricacies between models more than performance.

Detectors like the Equinox having very good gold sensitivity with their large coils are also a factor that shouldn't be discounted.  Depth on bigger gold along with the tiny gold sensitivity and great ground coverage.

I think we are currently looking at the death of the dedicated gold VLF, with the existing models the final ones, the SMF's have taken over and for the most part suit people better than the gold machines with similar performance and more versatility. 

[Steve Herschbach]

46 minutes ago, phrunt said:

The Gold Monster is terrible for shallow creek gold hunting, every time its coil enters the water it sounds off as it adjusts its balance or something so in shallow water where its in and out all the time its the most frustrating detector to use. The 24k on the other hand does this seamlessly as do others like the Gold Bug 2 even though its the most sensitive.   The 24k handles hot rocks significantly better than the GM and GB2.  The 24k and GB2 can be used in rocky terrain in its highest sensitivity where the Gold Monster constantly sounds off with its bump sensitivity, The GM and 24k are equally good on small gold to the point I can't tell any small gold performance differences between the two but other factors come into play helping me decide which to use.  My GM is a closet queen, I adapted it to be a pinpointer to try find a use for it and still rarely use that.

In saying all of that, 70% of the time I'd end up using an SMF like the Equinox for prospecting over a dedicated single frequency machine, even in the case of shallow creek detecting as the Equinox is waterproof. and has more features to adjust.  

The Gold Bug 2 for me is the most sensitive to absolutely tiny gold, but has its flaws too, one being using it in and around hot rocks the hot rocks completely null out the gold targets, it will not detect a nugget if a hot rock is in its field of detection.  It was very slow recovery from hitting a hot rock to being able to detect another target, a large part of that time is taken up making its hot rock audio.

Now it's down to splitting hairs these sorts of things are more important than ever in determining if a detector suits someone's needs or not.

Hitting the tiny gold, they can virtually all do it near equally, or close enough for most to never notice any difference.  Now it's down to intricacies between models more than performance.

Detectors like the Equinox having very good gold sensitivity with their large coils are also a factor that shouldn't be discounted.  Depth on bigger gold along with the tiny gold sensitivity and great ground coverage.

I think we are currently looking at the death of the dedicated gold VLF, with the existing models the final ones, the SMF's have taken over and for the most part suit people better than the gold machines with similar performance and more versatility. 

I absolutely agree with all that and more Simon. The Gold Monster can drive some people nuts with coil knock sensitivity. I think it not coming with a normal telescoping rod is a crime. A screw together rod? Really? And as top heavy roll over prone as a Gold Bug 2. I think the 24K does the job as well or better in a better package, with better tuning options. But in the end, so what? People don’t want a Garrett, they want a Minelab.

Ask any dealer what people want and what is selling. Gold Monster all day long and just a smattering of other stuff. That’s just the way it is unless a dealer consciously tries to talk people into something else, and in sales it’s best to give people what they want, not what you think they need. Trying to switch horses can lose a sale as often as not, so you can’t blame most dealers for just going with the flow. And the flow is to the Minelab brand name.

To be fair, the Monster is as close to automatic as they come, and for a lot of people that really matters. You’d be amazed how many people never really comprehend or learn how to ground balance a detector like a Gold Bug 2 properly.

And to you other point, yeah, I agree. I use a VLF so little for nuggets that having a dedicated VLF makes little sense. My Equinox serves the purpose as well or even better for some uses (think large nuggets in steel can infested bucket line tailing piles = Equinox with 15” coil) than all but the hottest nugget VLF on the tiniest bits. 

[Gold Catcher]

Speaking of coil knock sensitivity, I only know one detector that is even worse at it: Manticore

GC