Under 4 Pound, Under $2000 Gbpi Challenge

[Dances With Doves]

39 minutes ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Well, looks like I'll have my first new pulse induction machine in over two years. I swore off getting anything new after I ditched my 7 lb Garrett ATX and 7.2 lb Minelab GPZ 7000 in a fit of passive-aggressive protest over heavy metal detectors. The new Fisher Impulse AQ at a well balanced 4.2 lbs and hopefully under $2000 is close enough to filling the bill for me that I will get one as soon as they are available, which finally looks like very soon!

Might be a nice Lake Tahoe machine.

[auminesweeper]

I'd like to see Steve's report on it and how it compares to all the other PI's when it comes to depth and small Gold abilities,  That would be a good read for sure. 

[Steve Herschbach]

21 minutes ago, Dances With Doves said:

Might be a nice Lake Tahoe machine.

Never would have thought of that! 

[Steve Herschbach]

3 minutes ago, auminesweeper said:

I'd like to see Steve's report on it and how it compares to all the other PI's when it comes to depth and small Gold abilities,  That would be a good read for sure. 

I’m not into testing and comparing these days, just going metal detecting for fun and relaxation and to find stuff. I’m sure as a PI it will punch deep on mineralized beaches and if I dig enough holes in the right places I’ll find stuff with it. Metal detecting ain’t rocket science, just location and hours.

[auminesweeper]

It's kind of strange seeing you picking machines like this one and the QED after all these years of seeing you buy the biggest and the best etc, I am in a similar place where unless something knocks my socks off I am going t stay with what I like,

Seems like all the new machines that have come out this last 3+ years or so all have their little quirks which is just enough to make me back off,

With the little camper just about finished I can't wait for this summer to come along so I can go and swing a coil for a week or two, 

[Smithobx]

Glad to see the QED included in your list of possibilities. I have been using mine since last October and am very pleased with the performance. It is quite a bargain price wise and with a 5 year warranty and free upgrades for 5 years I don't think there is better warranty and customer support  offered by any other manufacturer.  I have decided to order another one in the straight shaft configuration (I have the S shaft) in August after the new upgrades are available..

[auminesweeper]

Well the QED has morphed in to a great little machine and it has filled a gap that had been vacant for years,

[Steve Herschbach]

4 hours ago, Smithobx said:

Glad to see the QED included in your list of possibilities. I have been using mine since last October and am very pleased with the performance. It is quite a bargain price wise and with a 5 year warranty and free upgrades for 5 years I don't think there is better warranty and customer support  offered by any other manufacturer.  I have decided to order another one in the straight shaft configuration (I have the S shaft) in August after the new upgrades are available..

QED is a fine offering, and a shame they have no U.S. dealers or service. That alone has me waiting on the Fisher Impulse Gold Instead.

[Steve Herschbach]

Besides the Interfacion QED and Fisher Impulse Gold, the other detectors on my radar have been the Nokta/Makro PI, and what we now know is going to be called the Minelab GPX 6000. I set this up as an under 4 lb, under 2K challenge, but anything under 5 lbs and under $3000 will suit. I refuse to get any detector that weighs over 5 lbs and while I'd protest, I have to admit to being more flexible when it comes to price.

I'm guessing the Impulse Gold is going to come in at under 5 lbs and under $3000 and so it is the machine to beat for me right now. The Nokta/Makro PI is nothing more than a longstanding rumor, and we have no idea if it is a beach detector or a gold prospecting machine or anything at all really. I suspect a multifrequency model has priority right now, so I'm pretty doubtful of anything PI from Nokta/Makro anytime soon.

That leaves the GPX 6000. I can only hope the weight comes in under 5 lbs (the GPX 5000 weighs 5.3 lbs without the battery) but it looks like a poor bet that the machine will come in at under $3000 since it is being positioned above the SDC 2300 in the lineup. With the SDC 2300 currently sitting at $3299 and GPX 5000 at $3999 it's not looking too good for the GPX 6000 bringing the price down in a significant way. I'm guessing it comes in around $4999. Though a good Fisher Impulse Gold might put pressure on Minelab as far as the price if the Fisher comes in low enough. We will see, but for me personally it is turning into a horse race between the Fisher Impulse Gold and Minelab GPX 6000 in 2021. Which will come closest to meeting the challenge..... and how will they compare for features and performance?

If an Impulse Gold at $2900 has 90% of the performance of a GPX 6000 at $4900 and the ergonomics were identical, would I pay the extra $2000 to get that 10%? Knowing me and a lot of others, that is probably going to be the case. We may not be happy about it, but high up front cost is not as important if a person is producing gold regularly. The performance edge makes up the price difference in the long run. There will be more to it than performance however. Things like the coil selection will be a huge factor.

This challenge started in May 2017. Maybe after four years we will see this segment heat up in 2021. I hope so, as the gap left in my detector lineup that was left when the GPZ 7000 went away needs to be filled.