Why Is A $1500 Pi Even Being Talked About?

[DSMITH]

3 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

The fact is the glory days are over but few want to admit it. enjoy getting out and having a bit of fun

The biggest problem I see and I tell everyone this, if you are getting into this great hobby expecting to get rich find a different hobby and way to make a profit because metal detecting of any kind is not going to make you rich, the only ones getting rich are the manufactures of the equipment we all use, but if you are getting into this great hobby for the enjoyment of getting outside to have fun then by all means have fun

do I believe you can get lucky every once in awhile absolutely, (every Dog Finds a bone occasionally) LOL, but I dang sure do not keep purchasing these different detectors thinking they will make me rich, I purchase them because I enjoy trying different detectors and seeing what a new detector can do, most of them are no better than what I already had honestly, but they are fun just to get a different perspective, its like when I purchased the Axiom I already had the Garrett 24K and have found a few small bits, honestly I keep swinging the 24K why because it is a fun little VLF that keeps finding me a few little bits here and there, I wanted a PI so I purchased a PI, and I will eventually start swinging the PI more when the 24K quits being fun and stops finding me a few scraps here and there, this new AlgoForce E1500 i do not expect it to do anything more than what I already have other than spend more money on things I know I do not actually need LOL, I will pick one up when they become available why just because it looks like it will be a fun little PI to use and get a new perspective from LOL 

[DSMITH]

On 2/9/2024 at 8:58 AM, ChuckScrivener said:

That's why I'm sorry for my grandkids who are just getting into this hobby. The early days with detectors were so much fun because the gold was there. Having been picked over it's hard to get anything but crumbs. New patches are still out there but the ones I've seen lately have come without the traditional indicators like dry wash piles or any old workings. They were the tough ones for even the old timers to find. I think the better finds for the future may come from better discrimination being able to search through old home sites or trashy tailings. 

Hell by the time my grand kids are old enough to start detecting, someone will have come out with a detector that will talk to you and tell you exactly what is under the coil or will have a voice that will say

(Hey Stupid Thats a Dam pull tab keep walking, or aluminum foil), or there will be a trap door that opens with a midget monkey that comes out and digs that pull tab for you so you do not have to get down on your old knees and dig yourself.

[Steve Herschbach]

5 hours ago, dig4gold said:

I couldn't agree more Steve but that is the difference between doing this for money or doing it as a hobby. I would have at a guess that most hobbies don't make money but are done because the people doing it see it as an escape from their usual daily grind. Food for the soul. Be it fishing, hunting, hiking, skiing etc. A lot of those activities come at quite a high cost. Fishing involves having a boat with all the expenses that go with owning & running a boat. Would be cheaper just to buy the fish from a shop, but it isn't always about just catching a fish. It is the whole journey with some mates & the places you go to. Same with gold detecting. Depends how you look at it why you are really doing it. Gold detecting involves hiking, gets you out doors, you experience the 4 seasons in all its glory & what nature offers in those 4 seasons. The Autumn colours , the spring time blooming of wild flowers, the critters you see etc. Ok, the gold has a value but so to do the other things out there.  Like I said, food for the soul. Not everything is about money for everybody

But I get your point.

D4G

 

I can do all that just hiking and camping. Better probably since I would not be so focused on my detector and the ground. If it was just for the fun and experience you can go detect for copper nuggets. Why don’t people do that? Because no matter what there is a hope, a dream of finding the big one. The other things are icing on the cake - but they are not the cake. I’m betting that if I could give people 100% assurance they had zero chance of finding anything of value, quite a few people here would find other ways to go see a sunset. 

[jasong]

5 hours ago, dig4gold said:

 Like I said, food for the soul. Not everything is about money for everybody.

Unfortunately Minelab made serious detecting for gold all about money. It was a skeezy move. 

Here is some fact that gets lost too easily among a largely retiree age crowd on this and the older AZ forums: Until my 2nd GPZ, every single detector I bought, I purchased on credit at 18% interest or a commercial line of credit at 8.5%. I had to make it pay or I couldn't do it. I couldn't afford to buy a detector otherwise. It's no mystery why there were and still are so few younger people doing this. When I had a Youtube channel I got 3-6 inquiries a day about what detector I was using and how much they cost - my audience was principally 18-35 year olds at the time. As soon as I told them - they lost the dream quickly.

Hopefully that's changed with the Algoforce. Unfortunately, it does come a little late in the game. But exploration prospecting is still a viable method to find gold - the days of pointy fingers and reworking old patches is pretty much over though. 

[DSMITH]

On 2/10/2024 at 5:27 PM, jasong said:

Unfortunately Minelab made serious detecting for gold all about money. It was a skeezy move. 

Here is some fact that gets lost too easily among a largely retiree age crowd on this and the older AZ forums: Until my 2nd GPZ, every single detector I bought, I purchased on credit at 18% interest or a commercial line of credit at 8.5%. I had to make it pay or I couldn't do it. I couldn't afford to buy a detector otherwise. It's no mystery why there were and still are so few younger people doing this. When I had a Youtube channel I got 3-6 inquiries a day about what detector I was using and how much they cost - my audience was principally 18-35 year olds at the time. As soon as I told them - they lost the dream quickly.

Hopefully that's changed with the Algoforce. Unfortunately, it does come a little late in the game. But exploration prospecting is still a viable method to find gold - the days of pointy fingers and reworking old patches is pretty much over though. 

No way would I ever purchase a detector on credit, doing that you have to make it pay for itself, every detector I have or have ever had I paid cash for or traded a detector to get a different detector I was interested in, and if I did not have the cash I waited until I did so as to not feel like I just had to find only good things to make a detector pay for itself, yes I have recovered enough that most of the detectors I have purchased paid for them selves but some of them took me a couple years to recoup the cost in finds, I did not care as long as I was having fun doing what I love to do, it has gotten harder the past few years with my wife having medical issues but it is what it is and in the end it is just a fun hobby for me personally.

 

[Northeast]

3 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Because no matter what there is a hope, a dream of finding the big one. The other things are icing on the cake - but they are not the cake. I’m betting that if I could give people 100% assurance they had zero chance of finding anything of value, quite a few people here would find other ways to go see a sunset

100%  👍

[geof_junk]

I had to buy the first one for Carol which I inherited due to the fact that it was the top Garret at the time and she was very Bias to Whites. The first was cash the rest were from selling my beloved nuggets (only the ugly ones 😄) with much delay and stalling. 😭 

[Rob Allison]

Hi Gerry,

   I just happened to see and read this thread.  Thanks for the kind works, I feel the same about you.  I just returned from a long day of detecting and I'm pooped out to write much.  

Going to be interesting when the AlgoForce hits the US market.  

Rob

[Gold Catcher]

You would think that the modern VLF detectors should have already excited the young crowd and got them into gold prospecting at a low entry price. Not sure if a cheap PI would capture more of this age group, but we shall see (and I sure hope so). Exploration prospecting for gold has the least chance for success IMO, and you are usually better off finding gold where gold was found before, even on old patches. This is especially true for the novice. Me, I love explorations, but 95% of time I get skunked (or maybe more like 98%...). But I don't mind, love hiking and spending the day outdoors anyhow. But it is also different for me because I have already found quite a bit of gold over the years, like most here on DP, so no pressure to prove anything. And if I want to, I can go to my favorite spots and still find gold fairly consistently if I work hard.  But a young guy who is looking to find (any) gold I would send to old patches like RP any day.

GC

[Lost Scout]

3 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

I can do all that just hiking and camping. Better probably since I would not be so focused on my detector and the ground. If it was just for the fun and experience you can go detect for copper nuggets. Why don’t people do that? Because no matter what there is a hope, a dream of finding the big one. The other things are icing on the cake - but they are not the cake. I’m betting that if I could give people 100% assurance they had zero chance of finding anything of value, quite a few people here would find other ways to go see a sunset. 

I could go sit on a creek bank with a pan and shovel. It would be ok. Different strokes for different folks. I can zone out and not think of anything else. I find it relaxing. I love wandering around waving a stick over the dirt listening to the tones from the detector, tones of hope. But I have found just enough gold to keep me going, knowing it's possible. I agree Steve, if the was a 100 percent assurance that I wouldn't find anything I would look for something else to do. Same with deer hunting. If you assured me that I would never get one...

With the coming of the AlgoForce in a price that's reachable and the possibility of gold I know that the dream has a tangible point and I will pursue it.