Garrett Axiom First Impressions

[Jeff McClendon]

I realize I am late to the party as far as the Axiom. Some of this may have been said already. I haven't read every word or post about the Axiom on this forum yet.

I want to say first that I have had a love hate relationship with the GPX 6000. I realize it may have been rushed to release during a world-wide pandemic. So were some other detectors. However, as much as I like the GPX 6000, it has always seemed to me to be a thrown together detector on the outside with some great software engineering on the inside. The flimsy stock coils, weird wobbly twisting won't lockup shaft system, uneven weight distribution, and the well documented audio/speaker/EMI issues just continue to make me wonder how many corners did Minelab have to cut on this detector. It still detects really well, no complaints there, when it can handle EMI conditions and is super, even hyper sensitive to small sub gram targets. I just needed something else that I can trust on deep coins and relics in high iron mineralization and at a saltwater beach along with some rudimentary iron discrimination.

So, the Axiom.

This is the first pulse induction detector that I have used that seems to be put together from the ground up, from the tip of the battery compartment to the toe of the coils with a complete design in mind. No "hey lets throw this component from this detector and this component from this detector and that battery compartment we already have with this shaft system" kind of mentality and cost cutting. It is a complete design build aside from the use of Garretts Z-Lynk wireless system which I simply do not care for and the shape of the control box which resembles the ACE Apex. I am super impressed and very delighted to see this from a detector company. Nokta came close with the Simplex/Legend but many of the exterior materials used for those two very budget minded detectors are nowhere near the quality of what is used on the Axiom and I would not expect them to be.

I am still learning this detector after only a few days. It will take me awhile. What I can see immediately is that it is plenty sensitive to small sub gram gold, it can handle difficult ground conditions well and it has just about every operational feature I need laid out with a very uncomplicated user interface. The Axiom reminds me a lot of the GPX 4000 to GPX 5000 but with a much less complex and hard to access user interface. 

I can easily see that the Axiom will be much more suited to relic and deep coin hunting than the GPX 6000. I did a lot of testing on about 40 common relics with the 6000 using all of the timings and I never could find a consistent, easy to follow pattern (easy for me anyway) when changing from Mono to DD coils or even changing from Normal to Diffucult using the same type of coil as far as low-high-low or high-low-high audio characteristics.

The Axiom does not have this issue. So far it has been very consistent in my preliminary testing on a few common relics and US coins.

I am still trying to get used to the 11X7" Focused Core DD coil that came with mine.  It is definitely different and I will keep studying Steve's remarks about it.

I really like the iron audio discrimination feature that works with DD coils!!!

Steve, I know you helped with both the GPX 6000 and the Axiom. Thank you very much for all that you did on these PI detectors during their design and well before that too. 

[Gold Catcher]

21 minutes ago, Jeff McClendon said:

 I can easily see that the Axiom will be much more suited to relic and deep coin hunting than the GPX 6000.

Thanks for the report, Jeff. Good to have another report about the versatility of thr Axiom. To be fair though the gpx 6000 was never designed for relic or coin hunting.  Gold is it's sole design purpose. However, another reason to consider the Axiom if a more broader application beyond gold is being desired.

GC

[phrunt]

As people are starting to search for the last crumbs of gold in spots the final frontier is the heavily trashed areas, areas with so much junk that swinging a 6000 would drive you mad, so this is where the Axiom will come into play for some people.  Yes, you can take your VLF in and use it, but you can't get the depth out of it the Axiom can get, especially in bad soils and I think in the future more will be done to take advantage of that feature of it.

It's good to see you've got one Jeff, beat me to it.  Sadly, I don't think I'll get one, just the cost of it in NZD being a US made product just doesn't make it viable unfortunately and I guess you could say I don't even need it.  

It's really good to hear about the quality build of it, that really is where Minelab lacks, even on their top-of-the-line machines quality is a bit lacklustre, more so the more modern machines with the classics being built like tanks.

I look forward to hearing how you go with it for gold and coins/relics.  I think it'd be great on beaches too.

[Gold Catcher]

54 minutes ago, phrunt said:

Yes, you can take your VLF in and use it, but you can't get the depth out of it the Axiom can get, especially in bad soils and I think in the future more will be done to take advantage of that feature of it.

I would be very interested to compare the discrimination ability of the Axiom and the Manticore on small gold. Old school teaches that PI discrimination is just not as good as VLF, and depth kills any discrimination for both anyhow, so no advantage for PI. But that might be a topic for another thread 😁

GC

 

[DSMITH]

Thanks for your report Jeff,

the build quality of the Axiom is what first struck me, I find the Axiom to be a work of art in build, I am new to using a high end PI and in my mind I picked a good one to start out on, and my testing an learning continues with the Axiom, I had the mind set when I first picked up the Axiom that it would be an over whelming task to learn, but it really helped with all the post and threads by Steve and others it actually has helped to alleviate the over whelmed feelings I had

the Axiom is probably one of the best layed out detectors I have ever had in my hands, as far as the interface of the control pod simple to understand with buttons that are easy to get to with just a slight movement of your thumb, The Axiom in my opinion is just a well thought out detector, as far as the build of it and in my opinion just a pleasure to use for a first high end PI

   

[Jeff McClendon]

I just remembered  to check the software version that my Axiom is running and it’s running 1.47.0 so I guess I should update it……..?

[DSMITH]

20 minutes ago, Jeff McClendon said:

I just remembered  to check the software version that my Axiom is running and it’s running 1.47.0 so I guess I should update it……..?

thats the same version mine is running Jeff and as far as I know that is the current version for the Axiom

 

[Gold Seeker]

21 hours ago, Jeff McClendon said:

I just remembered  to check the software version that my Axiom is running and it’s running 1.47.0 so I guess I should update it……..?

 

20 hours ago, DSMITH said:

thats the same version mine is running Jeff and as far as I know that is the current version for the Axiom

 

The latest version is 1.47.2, Steve posted it couple of weeks ago, not sure if this latest version is available yet but should be soon if not by now.

EDIT: I see you both have seen this topic, so you both already know about the possible update.