Metal Detector advice $500 to $1500

[PhaseTech]

Welcome to the forum Neil.

Are you only interested in gold, or are you thinking of trying for coins/relics with the same machine?

 

[goody2shoes]

Welcome to the forum Neil,

There is a lots of good advice on this site,

Goody

 

[Neilzz]

Welcome to the forum Neil.

Are you only interested in gold, or are you thinking of trying for coins/relics with the same machine?

Yes I'll be after relics and coins as well. I've seen a lot of old coins and relics from miners being found around the Gippsland area and very keen to give it a go but I'm like majority of the people out there chasing the yellow but a find is a find and I'm happy with whatever I can find. So far only a couple of horse shoe's, nails, bullets and junk alas no real relics as of yet.

And thank you guys for the warn welcome definitely feeling the love for the same passion here ]

 

[ebwen]

hi guys im new here as well and Looking for Gear .. Planing to come over around May, looking for an good Metall Detector For Rent at Least for a Month or Second Hand Minelab Good Condition if possible .. and No Copy then i could bring it from china with me myself
I was thinkin to start at Perth not sure yet if i drive up to Paynes Find or up to Kalgoorlie, if anybody have some infos let me know .. thanks

 

[PhaseTech]

Welcome to the forum Neil.

Are you only interested in gold, or are you thinking of trying for coins/relics with the same machine?

Yes I'll be after relics and coins as well. I've seen a lot of old coins and relics from miners being found around the Gippsland area and very keen to give it a go but I'm like majority of the people out there chasing the yellow but a find is a find and I'm happy with whatever I can find. So far only a couple of horse shoe's, nails, bullets and junk alas no real relics as of yet.

And thank you guys for the warn welcome definitely feeling the love for the same passion here ]

No worries. Okay for a bit of an all-rounder, you definitely want something with a target ID, not mandatory, but can make the job of sifting through trash a whole lot easier. Frequency selection can be important. Low frequencies go deeper on high conductors like silver and copper coins, and big gold. Higher frequencies, say 40 kHz and over do a much better job pinging sub grammers, especially down to 0.1g and smaller. High freq machines can also be used for coin / relic detecting, and low/mid frequency machines in the 15-20 kHz range will find gold as well, but benefit greater from small coils, i.e. 5-6" round or 7" ellipticals.

So, my choices would be:

Best frequency range:
Equinox 800 (up to 40 kHz, and MultiIQ)

Geared to low conductive targets, i.e. very small gold:
Makro Gold Racer 56 kHz
Makro Gold Kruzer 61 kHz (coming soon)

Geared to mid-high conductive targets, but still very good sensitivity:
Impact (up to 20 kHz)
Multi Kruzer (up to 19 kHz)
Equinox 600 (up to 15 kHz, but has MultiIQ)
Fors Gold+ (19kHz)

The Equinox are waterproof to 3m, and the Kruzer series are waterproof to 5m. Even if you don't intend to detect underwater, it's a good thing to know that your unit will be safe if it starts bucketing down, or if you happen to slip on a creek embankment and you take you machine for a swim
I also like the fact that I can hose it down. I do this regularly with my waterproof machines.

At the moment the Achilles heal of the Equinox is that only an 11" open web coil is available, so not the ideal choice for rocky or very scrubby terrain. A 6" coil will be available sometime in the near future, so that would make it a better prospect for gold, but what I really hope Minelab bring out is a 10x6" solid version, like the Gold Monster coil, or preferably a smaller version of it, like an 8x5". That would be awesome for sniping around slate and exposed bedrock.

Hope that gives you a bit to mull over.

Cheers, Nenad

 

[Neilzz]

Welcome to the forum Neil.

Are you only interested in gold, or are you thinking of trying for coins/relics with the same machine?

Yes I'll be after relics and coins as well. I've seen a lot of old coins and relics from miners being found around the Gippsland area and very keen to give it a go but I'm like majority of the people out there chasing the yellow but a find is a find and I'm happy with whatever I can find. So far only a couple of horse shoe's, nails, bullets and junk alas no real relics as of yet.

And thank you guys for the warn welcome definitely feeling the love for the same passion here ]

No worries. Okay for a bit of an all-rounder, you definitely want something with a target ID, not mandatory, but can make the job of sifting through trash a whole lot easier. Frequency selection can be important. Low frequencies go deeper on high conductors like silver and copper coins, and big gold. Higher frequencies, say 40 kHz and over do a much better job pinging sub grammers, especially down to 0.1g and smaller. High freq machines can also be used for coin / relic detecting, and low/mid frequency machines in the 15-20 kHz range will find gold as well, but benefit greater from small coils, i.e. 5-6" round or 7" ellipticals.

So, my choices would be:

Best frequency range:
Equinox 800 (up to 40 kHz, and MultiIQ)

Geared to low conductive targets, i.e. very small gold:
Makro Gold Racer 56 kHz
Makro Gold Kruzer 61 kHz (coming soon)

Geared to mid-high conductive targets, but still very good sensitivity:
Impact (up to 20 kHz)
Multi Kruzer (up to 19 kHz)
Equinox 600 (up to 15 kHz, but has MultiIQ)
Fors Gold+ (19kHz)

The Equinox are waterproof to 3m, and the Kruzer series are waterproof to 5m. Even if you don't intend to detect underwater, it's a good thing to know that your unit will be safe if it starts bucketing down, or if you happen to slip on a creek embankment and you take you machine for a swim
I also like the fact that I can hose it down. I do this regularly with my waterproof machines.

At the moment the Achilles heal of the Equinox is that only an 11" open web coil is available, so not the ideal choice for rocky or very scrubby terrain. A 6" coil will be available sometime in the near future, so that would make it a better prospect for gold, but what I really hope Minelab bring out is a 10x6" solid version, like the Gold Monster coil, or preferably a smaller version of it, like an 8x5". That would be awesome for sniping around slate and exposed bedrock.

Hope that gives you a bit to mull over.

Cheers, Nenad

Thanks Nenad! Probably the best bit of info I've seen on vast models! Will definitely take all this into account but the equinox or kruzer seem the best for what I'm intending on doing thanks again you guys have been so helpful and I've only joined recently so it means a great deal to me can't wait for the upgrade

 

[Cando]

You could always try a QED. I see there's one for sale in Victoria for $800 on Gumtree ( which appears to being updated to the latest model) without a coil I wouldn't pay any more than $600 to $700 for it. Or you can buy a brand new one for for $1,850... it's a very capable p i detector. Developed by a fellow in Victoria.. they are on a par with a GPX 4500, as they both have their pros and cons. anyway there's two threads below this one have a read through so you can get a better idea. Since their first release their has been a couple of updates as you will notice as you read through the threads, there's some really good information.. they're not a coin machine however I suspect that they be able to used as a coin detector but would not be their strong point.. there are a couple of people that sell them, I think this one on this forum. But I bought mine from detech. Oh and I'm not associated with anyone selling these detectors, other than owning one myself and enjoying finding every other piece of junk out there other than gold :lol: . plenty of people have found gold with them, just not me
I believe that's the man's not the machine problem
Hope this helps
Noel

http://www.detech-metaldetectorsaustralia.com.au/qed-detech-complete-package

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/grahamvale/other-electronics-computers/qed-metal-detector/1181946604

 

[oldtimerROB]

I have been detecting on and off since 1980.I had a Whites 5000D with a 16 inch coil back then and found nuggets from a quarter ounce up to 2 and 3 ounce bastards.Back then with a VLF you had to ground balance every 5 minutes and dig up most of the hot stones. It had a discriminator knob which could give a broken signal on rusty ferrous objects and one for pull tabs which was not that reliable as gold could be missed.
Lots of bloody BS about Minelabs on this forum,ie GM 1000 one example which is a lemon in the GT especially the northern reaches like Wedderburn. Sure it has found some nuggets solely because there are thousands out there using it.Consider the law of averages. It is a real toy compared to my Nokta Impact and has bugger all features.If you want to use any high frequency machine in the GT it will be very difficult to ground
balance without reducing your gain or sensitivity drastically and increasing discrimination and isat if you have them and by then you will have bugger all depth left and that includes Racer Gold. Waste of money. Only option for you mate is to get a 20 Khz VLF machine for better gold conductivity at around $1200 or wait and buy a 2300 for $2400 but they dont go deep and require a lot of practice.
That is only half the story because then you need an excellent and easy to use notch filter to mask out all the rubbish like tin/aluminium foil found on goldfields and parks which is a much bigger problem than rusty nails etc. A tone break is also useful. The new Impact is a very sensitive machine ( down to 0.1 gram at 4 inches) which will easily cut through the very high mineralisation of the GT and has all the features you will ever need for years to come.

 

[Danny13]

Equinox

 

[Neilzz]

Thanks Rob this is great info and it definitely gives me something to ponder about. I just need something better then my cheap bay toy haha. I've looked into the impact specs a little but I might have a look a little deeper into them. Thanks again everyone

 

[madtuna]

I have been detecting on and off since 1980.I had a Whites 5000D with a 16 inch coil back then and found nuggets from a quarter ounce up to 2 and 3 ounce bastards.Back then with a VLF you had to ground balance every 5 minutes and dig up most of the hot stones. It had a discriminator knob which could give a broken signal on rusty ferrous objects and one for pull tabs which was not that reliable as gold could be missed.
Lots of bloody BS about Minelabs on this forum,ie GM 1000 one example which is a lemon in the GT especially the northern reaches like Wedderburn. Sure it has found some nuggets solely because there are thousands out there using it.Consider the law of averages. It is a real toy compared to my Nokta Impact and has bugger all features.If you want to use any high frequency machine in the GT it will be very difficult to ground
balance without reducing your gain or sensitivity drastically and increasing discrimination and isat if you have them and by then you will have bugger all depth left and that includes Racer Gold. Waste of money. Only option for you mate is to get a 20 Khz VLF machine for better gold conductivity at around $1200 or wait and buy a 2300 for $2400 but they dont go deep and require a lot of practice.
That is only half the story because then you need an excellent and easy to use notch filter to mask out all the rubbish like tin/aluminium foil found on goldfields and parks which is a much bigger problem than rusty nails etc. A tone break is also useful. The new Impact is a very sensitive machine ( down to 0.1 gram at 4 inches) which will easily cut through the very high mineralisation of the GT and has all the features you will ever need for years to come.

Not sure why Im bothering to reply but Rob, while people ARE finding gold with the GM 1000 You have yet to find a piece of gold with your Nokta am I correct? yep I sure as heck think I am!

Neilzz, sorry to post that in your thread, but while yes the Nokta will find gold, take a moment to go read a few of Robs threads before taking anything from Rob as gospel.
The dude waffles through a hole in his neck!

 

[Neilzz]

Haha I'm considering in giving the Marko kruzer a go seems well priced, good frequency and waterproof so I might be able to take it on shallow dives etc. I'm still willing to take in other models based on peoples own personal experience with their machines. Its been a good read on everyone's opinions but so far Nenad has been extremely helpful in shining some light on the topic.

 

[madtuna]

Not puffing smoke up Nenads butt, but yep his info is gospel.

 

[Neilzz]

Yea thought that too haha he seems to be quite knowledgeable in the topic and his writings are like the detector bible lol (I'm still new so I'll kiss ass for now)

 

[Northeast]

I'm sorry Rob but MadTuna might be onto something.

"That is only half the story because then you need an excellent and easy to use notch filter to mask out all the rubbish like tin/aluminium foil found on goldfields".

If you notch out little bits of aluminium you'll be notching out gold.

The sdc not going deep and needing lots of practice?? It goes deep enough, probably deeper than many VLFs in mineralized ground, a lot more stable and is one of the most basic, easy to use, effective detectors going around.

The gold monster is a perfectly capable, high frequency VLF if you use it within its abilities.

Have you used a GM? Have you used an SDC? Have you found gold with your Nokta Impact?

Neilzz - yep Nenad will give you good advice. Also worth having a read here http://www.detectorprospector.com/gold-prospecting-guides/steve-guide-gold-nugget-detectors.htm

 

[shakergt]

gold monster 1000

 

[Neilzz]

Was a good read and a big range of detectors and info on them!! Still leaning towards the nokta/makro range. Thanks Northeast

 

[Mike70]

I got a Tesoro Cortes and a Sandshark, does that count? lol.
Mike.

 

[user 7268]

Not puffing smoke up Nenads butt, but yep his info is gospel.

No puffin MT ........................ just credit where it's due :Y: Product knowledge second to non, backs and uses what he sells along with great service with no sales bull shite. What's not to like
Neilzz for what it's worth Monster or Equinox 800 and if money allows an SDC and trust me turning an SDC on and off isn't difficult to master despite what one has written .................. if and when you want to upgrade, all of these units will have good resale value. SDC may be more expensive but can't think of a machine that holds its value as well or would sell as quick. :Y:

 

[Neilzz]

Thanks Bogger yea have been looking at the SDC specs and seems great value for price not to mention peoples finds with the machine