Waterproof Gold Machines?

[Edrrt]

I’m looking for a prospecting detector for the California mother load. It’s an area with large nugget potential and lots of trashy mine sites hence VLF. I spend a fair amount of time in the creeks and rivers. People here seem to think the Gold Master 24k is a better option for than the Gold Monster in water and mineralized ground. The GMX Sport can be had new in box in the $400 range on ebay and I hear its the sane machine as the Gold Master 24k less some 50% voltage increase to coil Garret added when they bought out Whites? I don’t know how important that was performance wise? But it’s super old now and much more feature rich machines like the Legend can be had for $500 now. Which is waterproof, has vibration, wireless connectivity, etc… For some reason a used gold monster is still north of $600. I plan to also get a PI machine for less trashy areas, maybe even one I could dive with.

I don’t really need a relic machine. I have a Gold Bug Pro which honestly works really well for that given how cheap it was. I am looking to have a better prospecting detector for my claims. 

Open to other suggestions as well. There really is no budget and I suspect I will wind up with multiple machines.

[phrunt]

The GMX Sport and Whites 24k and the 24k by Garrett all have the same 50% voltage boost to the coil, Garrett didn't add that, it was always there.

As for waterproof machines, the Equinox machines (800 and 900) with 6" coil are perfect for your needs I think, the Legend also with its small coil would be just as good.

The Manticore is currently the pinnacle for the job but comes with the extra cost.

The 24k and GM1000 are not waterproof, the GM is splash proof though, the Equinox and Legend you will be safer in the creeks being waterproof.

Keep in mind the GM 2000 is about to be released, although once again not waterproof.

[Gold Junkie]

Nokta gold kruzer is water proof and is a proven gold machine at 61 khz. It can be had for the $500ish price with 2 coils.  The better options would be the equinox 900 (comes with 2 coils) or the Manticore ( would recommend adding the 5x8 coil) . Both these options will double to triple the cost of the gold kruzer, but are both smf and handle more conditions better. 

[Knomad]

I would second what Phrunt and Gold Junky suggest, and if price is not a consideration would opt for the Manticore, simply because of top notch target I.D with the graph often showing there are multiple targets.

[Edrrt]

10 hours ago, phrunt said:

The GMX Sport and Whites 24k and the 24k by Garrett all have the same 50% voltage boost to the coil, Garrett didn't add that, it was always there.

As for waterproof machines, the Equinox machines (800 and 900) with 6" coil are perfect for your needs I think, the Legend also with its small coil would be just as good.

The Manticore is currently the pinnacle for the job but comes with the extra cost.

The 24k and GM1000 are not waterproof, the GM is splash proof though, the Equinox and Legend you will be safer in the creeks being waterproof.

Keep in mind the GM 2000 is about to be released, although once again not waterproof.

 I can get a Manticore for $750 new in box. All these machines are in the same ballpark. It’s really about what will work best for gold. Looking at vids of the nox and Manticore they look really bump sensitive and less stable. When you look at vids of guys running the 24k they are totally stable bouncing them off rocks and dragging them through the stream channels. They seem to reliable sound off of gold while the nox is missing it.

A nox or manticore would be lighter, better batteries, and a clear winner in the trashy tailings piles. Would love it for tailings piles. But I worry it wont do as well on small gold in highly mineralized ground? 
 

A someone who has used both which would choose? Maybe they both do different things and you would pick both?
 

 

[phrunt]

You're 100% right, the Nox and Manticore along with the Gold Monster 1000 for me at least are very bump sensitive hitting rocks, the 24k is not even remotely bump sensitive, no bump sensitivity at all for me.  The stability of the Equinox and Manticore is up to the end user really, most think they have to run them flat out which makes the problem even worse for stability and bump sensitivity, the detector itself is extremely sensitive even on lower sensitivity, particularly the Manticore.  You also must make sure they're very well ground balanced to minimise bump sensitivty.

It's a shame they didn't continue to the make the GMX Sport waterproof version of the 24k.

The Nox / Manticore with 11" coil is a good choice for tailings piles for that extra depth as stuff gets bigger, you'd be very surprised though how small gold that the larger size Equinox and Manticore coils can hit, tiny bits give good signals.

My opinion is the biggest flaw of the Minelab's is the bump sensitivity that other brands like the Garrett 24k and even the Gold Bug 2 a 30-year-old detector and still the most sensitive on the market don't have.  You can bang them around without a peep yet the Minelab's can often get jittery or react badly when they bump rocks.  I am desperately hoping they've fixed this up on the Gold Monster 2000, beta testers remained extremely quiet on that when I asked the question.

I certainly like the 24k, its lack of waterproofing may pose a problem for you through, and the Equinox / Manitcore really are top detectors for prospecting with the only real negative the bump sensitivity, but not everyone seems to experiences it as bad as others for some reason, I can't explain that as I do with all of the Minelab VLFs.

The day I received my 18" Coiltek Mythtek coil for the Manticore I figured I'd check out how small gold it responds on, and I think it does extremely well for such a large coil demonstrating just how good the Manticore is on small gold.  I can't even bump the sensitivity up as I'm just at home, it tops out at 35 and I go nowhere near it.

It's doing better with an 18" coil than many detectors do with a small coil.

[Edrrt]

On 7/30/2025 at 11:44 PM, phrunt said:

You're 100% right, the Nox and Manticore along with the Gold Monster 1000 for me at least are very bump sensitive hitting rocks, the 24k is not even remotely bump sensitive, no bump sensitivity at all for me.  The stability of the Equinox and Manticore is up to the end user really, most think they have to run them flat out which makes the problem even worse for stability and bump sensitivity, the detector itself is extremely sensitive even on lower sensitivity, particularly the Manticore.  You also must make sure they're very well ground balanced to minimise bump sensitivty.

It's a shame they didn't continue to the make the GMX Sport waterproof version of the 24k.

The Nox / Manticore with 11" coil is a good choice for tailings piles for that extra depth as stuff gets bigger, you'd be very surprised though how small gold that the larger size Equinox and Manticore coils can hit, tiny bits give good signals.

My opinion is the biggest flaw of the Minelab's is the bump sensitivity that other brands like the Garrett 24k and even the Gold Bug 2 a 30-year-old detector and still the most sensitive on the market don't have.  You can bang them around without a peep yet the Minelab's can often get jittery or react badly when they bump rocks.  I am desperately hoping they've fixed this up on the Gold Monster 2000, beta testers remained extremely quiet on that when I asked the question.

While they don’t make the GMX sport I have a friend who will sell me a new in box one with 2 coils for $450. Manticore $750. The noisy minelab I fear will loose its mind working the rocks and going under water making the ability to decern targets from noise difficult. But I may be wrong.

Regarding the Gold Monster 2000. It’s obvious they didn’t change anything major regarding the hardware. It still isn’t even waterproof which is ridiculous for a a $2k prospecting machine. It would cost them nothing. Which tells me they know darn well the auto ground balance is to slow making unit to noisy in mineralized ground and variable conditions in many gold fields. They sold a bunch to Africa but many people in other places think they are getting the premier vlf gold machine then end up frustrated or not knowing they can get something better at 1/8 the price.

The marketing has been great on their end. 

Mostly what they talk about for the GM 2000 is mysterious “multi-au technology” using terms like similar to dual PI/VLF for noisy ground conditions … without actual saying it in fact uses actual PI. What I take from this is they basically just fixed the processing to speed up the ground balancing and quiet the machine down in noisy places where it was maddening. Which is great. But that means I’m now expecting it to perform like a 10 year old $300 24k… for almost $2k dollars. No thanks. 

If someone created a combined PI/ VLF in a unit that proceeded both together effectively it would be revolutionary. Their marketing department would be screaming it from the rooftops and touting increased performance depth and amazing new testing results. 

I know everyone is holding their breath hoping for this but since they are hedging do badly at this point with terms like “PI LIKE performance in mineralized ground” with no comments from testers at all about greater depth or actual PI. I think we know what this unit is. We just can’t believe it’s $2k for such a minor software update. 

Gold is over $3k an ounce and they have a huge commercial market for a automatic detector for unskilled laborers in third world countries. The corporations don’t have a choice. They will buy them by the cargo container load at whatever Minelab asks. There is no competing product for their labor force and $2k a unit is nothing to them. 

However for the same money a enthusiast can probably do better for $2k elsewhere? Even buying a Axiom and a Manticore for about the same price now. 

Minelab won’t care. The hobby detectorist isn’t amounting to any significant sales on these and they also know if thats whats filling the comercial market, people will assume its the best and buy it anyway. They already do. It’s been great marketing. 

I don’t understand why anyone would buy a GM1000 for $850 over a new 24k for $400. 

Granted I haven’t used either but in my research it doesn’t seem worth it and economic factors driving the sale of the GM aren’t performance. 

Am I wrong? 

Should I really wait for the GM 2000?

If it really was that much better I this point I think we would know?

[phrunt]

The biggest problem I have had with the GM1000 detecting creeks is it sounds off transitioning into water from air, so if you are detecting really shallow water where you are lifting the coil in and out of the water all the time the coil reacts to the transition only going into the water, not coming out.  it's more of a frustration than anything as you can go back over the ground where it reacted once the coils in the water and I do have the original v1 Gold Monster with the slower ground balance so I don't know if this was fixed up on later models.  I haven't experienced this with other detectors even the ML's like the Equinox or Manticore but something to be aware of incase it's still a current problem.  It's fresh snow melt water too rushing down mountain creeks so it shouldn't be something in the water causing it I don't think.  It's not a coil fault as it does it with both of the GM coils.

The bump sensitivity I have with the likes of the Manticore is ground dependant, I can run gold mode at home on far higher sensitivity and bang my coil around like crazy or tap it with a large stick and no bump sensitivity so it's not a hardware related issue.  It's something in the ground at the gold areas causing it but it still does it at quite low sensitivity, any lower and I may as well be using another detector.

The rod changeover to fibreglass certainly improved it, and I think anyone using the Manticore for prospecting needs to buy a fibreglass rod, it's quite likely Minelab will have one for sale soon as the GM2000 has one and I think they will fit the Manticore so they might start selling it separately, when I was talking to them they said there was a possibility they will have a fibreglass rod for sale in the future for the Manticore, I'm guessing this is it which is great.

Even with the bump sensitivity I experience (not everywhere) I think the Equinox and Manticore especially are the best there currently is on the market for prospecting but I have high hopes the GM2000 is going to be the best and I think the price increase is because they know how good it is, the price to performance ratio, the better a detector performs the more Minelab charge for it, they think it's worth it's new price and when it comes to performance Minelab never really let us down.

[Wild Bill]

Edrrt, I have a Nokta Gold Kruzer.  It’s a very good waterproof detector tailored for gold prospecting.  Very well built.  Water depth rated at just over 16 Ft.  It’s very stable and can handle some of the worst mineralization.  It also has modes for jewelry or coins.  It comes with two coils.  I have no complaints with this detector and the more I use it, the more I like it.  I have no desire to replace it with anything equivalent along the lines of VLF or HF-IB (High Frequency Induction Balance).  See Steve’s review on this forum.  If you plan on getting in the Mother Lode river system to hunt nuggets and specimens don’t forget water proof headphones and maybe a 1/4 thick wetsuit, although late in the summer-fall, temperatures are somewhat tolerable.  Also the water levels have dropped making easier to navigate your way down river.  Good luck on your ventures!